Coilover Kits (Koni, Spax, Bilstein etc)

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Which Are The Best Coilover Kit Brands?

Some of the best brands we have found (so far) in the Coilover category are as follows:

• KW;
• Koni;
• BC Racing;
• Spax;
• Bilstein;

Please let us know in the comments below what your recommendations and findings are so we can pass these on to our other readers.

All of these brands not only manufacture Coilovers for street cars but also for racing ones and offer very good quality kits.

If you looking for Coilovers for a vehicle from one of the German, American or Japanese automakers, click here to find high-quality parts.

What Do Coilover Kits Do?

A Coilover is a height-adjustable assembly that consists of coil springs as well as shocks.

The most significant advantage of Coilovers is that they provide vehicle owners with a plethora of adjustability options, including the ability to adjust the damping as well as the ride height, and all of this can be done relatively easily.

(Cheaper kits only offer ride height adjustment, which will also in many cases affect the stiffness of the shocks).

The primary function of a Coilover is to support the vehicle's weight and keep the tyres in contact with the ground over bumps, potholes and undulations.

Coilovers have the added benefit of allowing you to adjust the height of your vehicle without having to deal with any hydraulics or complicated electronics so you can create the optimum setup for your driving style.

Why Are The Benefits Of Installing Coilovers Kits?

The primary benefit of Coilovers is to adjust the height of the vehicle. They are commonly used by people who want to lower the centre of gravity of their vehicles so that the car has less drag and body roll and as a result is easier to corner.

Another advantage of Coilovers is that they can be adjusted to meet specific needs. For example, if you want to drift your car, you will need different vehicle dynamics than a car that is used for track work, or a daily drive and this is when Coilovers come in handy so you can adjust it for a "weekend use case".

Coilovers offer various methods for adjusting the length of the shock body and thus the height of the vehicle, including a threaded collar near the bottom end of the spring and some Coilovers having a knob for this purpose. (Remote electronic adjustment is also an option on the high end kits.)

Watch our video on improving your cars handling on our YouTube channel.

How Much Ride Height Can Be Adjusted?

This varies depending on the brand, but Coilover kits commonly allow vehicle owners to adjust the height of any of the wheels by 1 to 4 inches. Obviously lower is not always better and there are practical limits here.

What Makes A Coilover Kit such a Great Upgrade?

The best part about a Coilover kit is the ease with which the vehicle’s height can be adjusted and that too while the unit is still mounted on the vehicle.

The process of adjusting the height is also not very intricate, and a wrench that is typically included with the Coilover kit is used for this purpose. This is why Coilover kits are often used as an alternative to air suspension kits.

What To Look For When Buying Coilover Kits?

The reason for purchasing Coilover kits is essential because if you are only interested in street driving, you will require Coilovers with completely different dynamics than those that work best for super-fast track performance but a coilover allows adjustment to suit both these environments and uses.

Here are a few main things that you must keep in mind while buying the Coilover kit for your car:

1. The design of the tubes i.e. mono-tube or twin-tube is an important factor to consider;
2. Rebound adjustability of the setup must also be considered by the buyers while making their purchase;
3. The method of adjusting the ride height is vital. So, while most Coilovers are manually adjusted, there are a few options with the electronic adjustment options as well;
4. Spring rate which is the amount of force that is needed for extending or compressing the coil by a single inch is also important;
5. Load rate is another key element to consider while buying a Coilover kit because it determines the maximum weight that the spring can carry at a certain height.

These are the numerous factors to consider when purchasing Coilover kits, and they support the conclusion that it is important to understand what you are getting into before installing a Coilover kit.

How Hard Is It To Fit Coilover Kits?

Fitting a Coilover kit is a relatively difficult process and thus you should get it done only by a professional who knows what he is getting into.

All improperly fixed aftermarket modifications are dangerous but as Coilovers have a lot to deal with the vehicle’s suspension, which is an integral part of the proper working of any automobile. That’s why properly fitting a Coilover kit is even more important.

Although you may believe that the Coilovers you installed are functioning properly, even the smallest details, if overlooked, can turn the entire process into a disaster and adversely affect your cars handling or tyre wear rates.

Therefore, I rate fitting a Coilover kit as an 8 out of 10 in terms of difficulty as it does require some specialist knowledge to set it up correctly.

What Are The Benefits Of Fitting Better Quality Coilover Kits?

Like all other parts, material quality plays a paramount role in determining how good a Coilover kit is. A better quality Coilover kit is not only easy to operate but also lasts longer.

The main benefit of using a high-end Coilover kit is that the ride height of every single wheel can be manually adjusted according to the requirements and ability comes in handy especially for racing purposes;

• The better quality or racing Coilovers carry more strength and heat reduction. They have a mono-tube layout in their shock absorbers.
• The benefit of this layout is that the nitrogen and hydraulic oil exist in separate compartments and are separated from each other with the help of a floating piston.
• This minimizes the presence of air inside the shock’s body and thus it requires lesser time in adjusting to the uneven surfaces.

High-end Coilovers offer the ability to control the damping. Normally front end coil overs have double adjustable damping whereas rear end Coilovers have single adjustable damping.

This means that for the front Coilover the compression, as well as the rebound, can be adjusted.

For making the Coilover stiffer, turning the knob on the bottom end of the Coilover towards the “+” sign does the magic for you and moving it in the opposite direction makes it softer.

What Should You Check After Installing The Coilover Kit?

Give it 200 mile run to settle, and check it and readjust. Its amazing how much a new coilover kit will settle after fitting especially if it's not been fitted correctly.

It's always a good idea to check the distance between the fenders and all four wheels after you've installed the Coilover kit or had one installed by a mechanic.

This is a good idea because it allows you to make sure the vehicle is level. If this is not the case, there may be a problem that needs to be addressed.

Another factor to consider is that while installing the Coilover kit, you also need to remove other vehicle parts such as brake callipers and brake discs so when the process is complete, ensure to put back all these parts at their exact locations and fix them just like they were before.

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