do coilovers matter?

I just got some KYB Adjustable Shocks for my 97 Accord. I was planning on getting some Ground Control coilovers as well. THen my friend told me that it does not matter what coilovers I put on my car because I have the shocks. Is that true? Can I get any old coilovers now that I have the KYBs?

not a bright friend........ it all depends on how low u want to go, over 2"s and i would not recommmend the kyb's, i would go with Koni Adjustables, kyb's are not designed to handle really aggressive drops, you risk blowing them, i've seen it happen, but it's up to you

Koni Yellows with Ground Controls would be your best bet.

your friend is an idiot.

cheap coilovers dont have tuned spring rates to match your desired performance level.

besides, i highly doubt you'll use the coilover function as it was designed for. (ride height is NOT it's main reason for existance)

Originally posted by drift
i highly doubt you'll use the coilover function as it was designed for. (ride height is NOT it's main reason for existance)
What is the main reason for existence then?

Originally posted by buh_buh
Koni Yellows with Ground Controls would be your best bet.

buh_buh: I already have KYB Adjustable shocks

Originally posted by drift
your friend is an idiot.

cheap coilovers dont have tuned spring rates to match your desired performance level.

besides, i highly doubt you'll use the coilover function as it was designed for. (ride height is NOT it's main reason for existance)

What about R1 Racing coilovers? I heard that they are a fairly new company and make good products. They aren't pricey. www.speedpeople.com has them for $129.95 shipped

Originally posted by dominate9


What about R1 Racing coilovers? I heard that they are a fairly new company and make good products. They aren't pricey. www.speedpeople.com has them for $129.95 shipped


garbage.

Originally posted by buh_buh

What is the main reason for existence then?


corner weighting.

to further attempt to bring the car towards neutral handling, you plant the car in scales at all four points. each reading will be different, as the car will differ in weight at each point. you can either get them all equal by redistributing the car's load by adding/removing/transferring weight from one wheel to the other.

in a street car, making all four points is quite a headache, so people use corner weighting. they make the sum of the opposite corners equal to the other sum. for instance, let's say the left front scale shows 400lbs, right front shows 450, left rear is 620 and right rear is 550 with the driver seated in the car. take the left front and add it to the right rear (950lbs). take the right front and add it to the left rear (1070lbs).

now, you want to make both values as close to equal as possible. the way to do it is by adjusting the sprung weight... in other words, change the spring tension on the struts. by raising or lowering the coilover, you can change it's tension, thus changing the sprung weight on each corner. doing this will usually bring a "well balanced" car without major chassis damage to almost perfect corner weights.


lowering the car to lower the CG is one reason to get coilovers... but shorter springs can do that just fine. therefore, coilovers were specifically designed for full adjustability to allow proper corner weighting of the car for neutral handling, especially since ride height is not changed on a race car between races unless undesireable aerodynamic or handling effects should arise in the tuning process.

Originally posted by drift



garbage.

drift:why so?

R1 is a garbage company......like ractive, they just offer cheap crap that no one should have on their cars..... you see those new 'multi colour' tachometers.......how ricey are they!!!!!!!!!! i hate those companies, ractive, toucan industries, R1, they are all the same, their products are cheap and they usually don't work properly/break within a few weeks/don't fit right, we should all boycott these companies cuz they are making our industry look like a joke

Ractive:rocket:

Originally posted by dominate9


drift:why so?


look up their website... if they even have one.

once you find them or at least a phone number, ask them what spring rates they use on each corner for your application. then ask if they'll include custom spring rates for improved performance. lastly, ask them for their suggestion on what spring rates you'd need for a 1999 Honda Prelude with the full interior removed and weighing approximately 2850lbs for the purposes of road racing.

they'll have absolutely no idea, or they'll feed you a line of shit like, "our spring rates are capable of providing comfort on daily driving AND be ready for full track use."

sorry, but you can't expect H&R or Eibach to sell their standard springs for $150+, and then find a "quality" coilover sleeve kit for less than that. common sense dictates that something is amiss.

Originally posted by toolowintegra
i hate those companies, ractive, toucan industries, R1, they are all the same, their products are cheap and they usually don't work

I thought all those were the exact same company!!!

not to argue, but has anyone considered that while yes, eibach knows what they're doing, your still paying for a name?

I highly doubt that all of these lesser known companies throw out complete garbage. If your judging on prices, simple economics and business will tell you that one way to get more customers is lower your prices. Its competition.

but then again... there are a few companies who just suck ass.

Originally posted by -=Evol90Accord=-
not to argue, but has anyone considered that while yes, eibach knows what they're doing, your still paying for a name?

I highly doubt that all of these lesser known companies throw out complete garbage. If your judging on prices, simple economics and business will tell you that one way to get more customers is lower your prices. Its competition.

but then again... there are a few companies who just suck ass.


or maybe eibach sells for their price and doesnt need to lower it since they're paying for the equipment to make a spring properly... while the other guys buy eibach's irregular springs.

or maybe you're absolutely right, and hundreds of race car crewchiefs and drivers are completely wrong. :rolleyes:

i was thinking maybe that the other companies just rip off eibachs design (therefore skipping all the hardwork eibach put into their stuff) and just reproduce it.

I like the idea of me being right though... :rolleyes:

Well, the most I am going to drop the car is 1.5" in the front and 1" in the front. I got the shocks because I heard that they control the ride quality. I just want to lower my car and still have a sotck-like ride. It is not for racing purposes yet. Just everyday driving. Do the coilovers still matter now? Will the R1 Racing coilovers be good enough for my purpose?

Originally posted by dominate9
Well, the most I am going to drop the car is 1.5" in the front and 1" in the front. I got the shocks because I heard that they control the ride quality. I just want to lower my car and still have a sotck-like ride. It is not for racing purposes yet. Just everyday driving. Do the coilovers still matter now? Will the R1 Racing coilovers be good enough for my purpose?


i thought i was clear in my explanation... i guess not.

to put it bluntly, WHAT ARE THE SPRING RATES FOR THESE "R1 COILOVERS"?

by knowing the spring rate, you can dampen them properly with the right strut.

Originally posted by drift



i thought i was clear in my explanation... i guess not.

to put it bluntly, WHAT ARE THE SPRING RATES FOR THESE "R1 COILOVERS"?

by knowing the spring rate, you can dampen them properly with the right strut.

I went to a shop few days ago and checked out Dropzone and R1 and they both had 450 front and 350 rear spring rates.
Dropzone had polyurethane top too.

No, I didn't go there to buy these coilovers. :)

The fact is that although the height adjustablility is nice, it will be seldom used.

Corner weighing your car is a process that is extremely hard to do yourself unless you have four wheel scales and a very flat surface and a lift?

If not then Find a shop to do it. Good luck, so tuning your suspension is difficult.

Also on the discussion of cheap springs, all I ask is why?
Springs are cheap enough, companies like H&R, Neuspeed, Eibach do it perfect, they are your premiere products, and really there is no substitute.

I would would just mate your car to a specific spring designed to the way you drive.

Originally posted by Dezoris
The fact is that although the height adjustablility is nice, it will be seldom used.

Corner weighing your car is a process that is extremely hard to do yourself unless you have four wheel scales and a very flat surface and a lift?

If not then Find a shop to do it. Good luck, so tuning your suspension is difficult.

Also on the discussion of cheap springs, all I ask is why?
Springs are cheap enough, companies like H&R, Neuspeed, Eibach do it perfect, they are your premiere products, and really there is no substitute.

I would would just mate your car to a specific spring designed to the way you drive.

I want to my lower my car more in the fron than in the back. Will springs still work for me or do I need coilovers to do that.

go with ground controls or skunk 2s if you have the shocks