Not true. If you don't change the springs, the ride doesn't change. Javy is confused about ride height and preload. Reducing preload lowers the car. But regardless, if you put the car on the ground and the wheels move relative to the car, the spring rate is what makes the ride stiffer first. Second, the damping rate needs to increase to counteract the stiffer spring.

Lowering your car does absolutely necessitate stiffer springs if you want equivalent handling because springs are your first line of defense against roll. If you lower the car and actually do the homework to determine wheel rate, roll center, roll couple, and roll axis; you'll quickly figure out the springs need to be a LOT stiffer when the car sits lower. Failing this (as most aftermarket springs do because they're afraid to be too harsh) means you need ever fatter sway bars to keep the car from rolling. At some point your roll center goes below ground level and the roll couple gets so large there is no spring you could tolerate that could be stiff enough to keep the chassis stable while cornering.

If all you care about is looking good, you can complete ignore this. But if you actually want your car to corner BETTER, then you'll need to do some work to figure out what spring rate goes with which ride height and which dampers have the right range of damping to control the springs you need. Many people would like to believe it is a black art. It's not. It's science and a little mathematics. But again, if you're just looking to close the wheel gap because you don't like the look, put on any springs that aren't too harsh for you and give you the drop you want. Just don't go to a track day and be surprised when a guy with stock suspension blows past you like you're stopped going through a turn.

 

Thanks for that explanation Lance!

Could you expand on this a bit? I was under the impression that increasing preload would lower the car - since you're making the spring shorter, no? Or is my thinking completely backwards???

javier

 

Thanks for the detailed insight. My car will 99% never see the track so I may not be really concerned too much about handling, but any slight improvements with the added benefit of a lowered stance would be ideal for me. This car is meant for cruising and has no intention of cornering hardcore other than a spirited drive through the canyons.

In response to the spring perches, I am a bit confused. I have posted a picture to visually describe what I seem to understand. Comparing the Megans vs the Teins, the Megans have the ability to lengthen or shorten the actual shock body? Is that what your telling me?

I am trying to figure out what the 3rd ring lock does and that seems like the logical explanation I can come up with. Looking at the teins, it doesn’t look like it has the ability to do what I just mentioned.


So, if you were to choose between the Megan and the Tein SS coilovers which one would you consider? The Teins would be lightly used at a set street price at say… $500.

 

I think he means that on the lift for a given height if the spring isn't preloaded than the weight of the car will load the spring when it is set back on the ground, hence, that statement.

 

I think he means: Increased pre-load == Higher Ride Height. Decreased pre-load == Lower Ride Height.

I'll probably get it wrong trying to explain it so I'll try not to say too much. More pre-load means more force is required to start initial travel of the wheel. I think when you crank the preload adjuster down, it's more likely that the extra pressure on the spring extends the shock the rest of the way.

 

Exactly. The more you preload the spring, the bigger the wheel gap and the higher the car rides. We could get into a long involved discussion about the merits of having a separate ride height adjustment (as shown in the diagram a couple of posts above) but suffice it to say, if your goal is primarily reducing the wheel gap for appearances, anything adjustable is going to make you happy.

Having a separate ride height adjustment allows you to set a specific preload with the correct damping for that setting then adjust the ride height (wheel gap) with the other adjustment. This allows you to determine ride quality independently of ride height so you can retain a more Lexus like ride without having to play as much with settings. The big caveat is, lowering the car changes the spring rate required to counter cornering roll, so again - if the goal is closing the wheel gap and track performance isn't an issue, adjust until everything looks good.

If track performance is your goal, you've got a whole lot more homework and arithmetic to do to determine which springs are right for your application, then you'll need to match those springs with dampers having the right amount of resistance for the springs you've chosen.

 

lobux is right on all accounts.

BTW, buddy club is not "made in japan". It's made on the cheap in Canada.

If you want a good coilover for everyday use, and occasional tracking, and want to go low, go with BC Racing.

If you want to spend a little more with the same results, go with HKS.

If you want to spend money on a set of coilovers that provides a really nice ride and track ability, but don't want to lower your car past 1" or so, go with KW.


All of the other coilover companies either don't compare in quality, charge too much or just don't have the right features.

 

ok. quick question. so i want aggressive stance but also comfort..what if i were to choose between Tein High Tech Springs and Tein CS? Which is better and why?

 

i would choose tein CST