What Are Coilovers? What They Do And How They Work
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Suspension modifications are a common upgrade for car owners wishing to change the look or enhance the handling of their cars. One way to achieve this is through the use of coilovers. What are coilovers? It’s a type of suspension that allows for ride height adjustments. At the same time, these components can offer fundamental changes in how a vehicle performs during acceleration, braking, and cornering. Coilovers are usually an aftermarket addition, but some vehicles (like performance-focused cars) have them from the factory.
Let’s review the essentials when it comes to coilovers.
What Are Coilovers? What’s In A Name?
The coilover term comes from how the part is constructed; a coil spring is mounted over a shock absorber. It’s that simple. Some car enthusiasts may also refer to a coilover as a quick strut because the assembly comes completely set up and only requires installation.
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What Are Coilovers? Functionality
Understanding how coilovers work begins with thinking about functionality. In short, a coilover absorbs the energy of road surface bumps, much like cushiony shoe soles minimize how your feet feel rocks and stones while walking.
With a coilover, the spring fluctuates while absorbing the bump. At the same time, the internal damper (shock absorber) works to minimize the spring’s action. This helps to stabilize the vehicle for better control and grip.
Working together, these two components (the spring and damper) minimize the harshness of driving over rough terrain or across speed bumps.
What Are Coilovers? The Use Case
Coilovers can transform a vehicle in multiple ways that affect appearance and performance.
Lower Ride Height
The use of coilovers enables an owner to drop a car’s ride height. This drop can be dialed in, with many offering a range of between half-an-inch to four inches, while some coilovers come with a preset height. Here’s what a lowered ride height does to your car.
More Aggressive Look: Dropping the suspension gives a vehicle a more assertive look, a desired trait among car enthusiasts who want their ride to stand out from the crowd.
Lower Center of Gravity: Reducing a car’s overall height shifts its center of gravity closer to the ground. It’s a change that makes the vehicle feel more “planted” while cornering due to reduced weight transfer (the effect where it feels like the car’s weight follows the motion of the vehicle). Along these lines, even weight distribution also improves handling while accelerating and braking. This is especially noticeable in front-wheel drive cars that tend to nose dive because the weight is more oriented towards the vehicle’s front half.
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Stiffer Springs
Coilovers are also used to tighten the play that’s otherwise common in most factory-built suspensions.
Reduced Body Roll: Coilovers reduce excessive body roll, leading to improved driver confidence and more stable road handling for the updated vehicle.
Maintain Suspension Geometry: Suspension geometry is the delicate balance of all the parts of a vehicle’s suspension. Coilovers help ensure these factors are in sync, which leads to consistent traction across all four wheels.
Harsher Ride: One of the most significant trade-offs about adding coilovers and dialing down spring function is a harsher ride. You’ll notice every bump and highway expansion strip. Remember that this downside can get old over time, especially for daily driving.
Other Considerations
As is typical with anything automotive, the more complex a component, the greater the likelihood of something going wrong. And coilovers are no different. Extreme driving can add extra stress to a car’s coilovers and lead to failure.
In addition, coilovers eat up space underneath a vehicle. This means there’s potential for interference with other suspension components like a sway bar. Incorrect measurements and adjustments can also cause tire damage and problems with other systems like the anti-lock brakes.
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What Are Coilovers? Types
Coilovers come in various types, ranging from add-ons for an existing shock to stand-alone units.
Coilover Sleeves
A coilover sleeve is similar to a lowering spring, but these are adjustable with different spring rates and lengths. Rather than having an integrated shock or strut, a coilover sleeve is placed onto the existing shock and then secured with a top mount. Consider this option a starter suspension upgrade, thanks to low prices and minimal sophistication.
Non-Shock Adjustable Coilovers
Selectable height is the main feature of a non-shock adjustable coilover; it’s also a complete unit with an integrated but non-adjustable shock absorber. This means the shock cannot be altered with a different stiffness, rebound, or compression. Most units come with a top mount already attached. Choose this type of coilover if you want to be able to lower the car but aren’t concerned with adjustability beyond height.
Shock Adjustable Coilovers
As the name implies, shock adjustable coilovers include a damper that can be tweaked for rebound and compression. Stiffness is adjustable, too. This option is ideal for everyday driving, but they’re suitable for racing, as dial-in stiffness can make a difference at the track. These are the most popular coilovers due to their versatility and reasonable pricing.
Shock Adjustable Coilovers with Camber Control
Think about shock adjustable coilovers with camber control as the ultimate way to lower a car. The height and shock adjustments are present, plus the addition of a camber kit allows for further modifications. Components to manage the front camber are standard, with some premium units including a rear camber kit. What’s camber? Its tire’s inward or outward tilt (when looking at the front of the car).
Final Thoughts About Coilovers
Before shopping for coilovers, consider how you want to modify your vehicle. Is it just for appearance’s sake? Or, are you looking for handling improvements, on or off the track? Getting a handle on these preferences is the first step.
Next, you’ll want to research what options are available for your particular car. Not all coilovers fit every vehicle. Lastly, take note that you get what you pay for when it comes to coilovers. Cheap models may be a tempting upgrade, but there’s potential for handling issues and safety to be compromised. At the same time, premium coilovers may only slightly improve above the current suspension setup. It’s all about finding the ideal balance for your needs and budget.
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