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RE: 5th grade questions on coilover kits & whose to use?



> Is there a difference?  Whose do you use, and why?  Whose got the best
> bang for the buck (remember who I am, after all)?

Okay, here's some more animated opinion from the Scott man. Is anybody sick
of me yet? (Just tell me!): Adjustable coilover kits are great for
race/autox cars but they are superfluous and silly for the street! Why
invest in expensive hotrod parts that will offer you little or no advantage
over more conventional bits?

True, adjustable coilover kits will allow you to raise and lower the car.
But, are you aware that you'll need to reset the alignment every time that
you do it? Yes, they will allow for corner balancing (a wonderful thing).
But, once you adjust the ride height again, you've just blown out your
critical settings anyway. Coilover springs come in multiple spring rates and
lengths -all great for optimizing handling on a track. However, unless you
are a really special type of hotrod fiend, coming up with multiple
configurations for every street-driving scenario is kind of obsessive, no?
Get a life! ;^) Furthermore, coilover springs typically come in linear rates
only. A progressive rate is better for "real" streets.

Again, what's the point in a streetcar? -especially when you are a cheapass!

> Is there any downside to a particular brand?  They all seem like
> variations on the same theme to me...

Coilover kits run the gambit from true race/rally stuff, to wretched ricer
crap that will "self-destruct in 15 seconds". There are definitely quality
kits for the street, however. When properly set up, these kits will deliver
excellent performance similar to what you'll get with a well-sorted
conventional spring and shock/strut combo. Do it wrong, and you'll have a
worse experience. Again, the significant difference is in the ride height
adjustability and basically nothing else. (Well, you may also be able to get
away with larger offset wheels (more spring to wheel clearance), but big
whoop.)

> I'd like to maintain my Bilstien HD inserts until I can upgrade to
> adjustables some year.  Any fitment issues?

A good coilover kit should fit as well as OEM-type parts.

> Also, I can maintain my dome-top strut bearings with a coilover kit,
> right?

You *should* be able to.

P.S. If I were on a hardcore suspension-tuning mission, I'd have my
Bilsteins re-engineered to be fully adjustable just like the Konis.
<http://www.hotshox.com/products/products.html>This way, they'd have the
superior inverted monotube construction and self-adjusting feature that all
Bilsteins are blessed with from the factory. However, you could manually
adjust the rebound and compression damping ranges, too. Thus, you'd "tell"
the Bilstein the range that you want it to work in, and then it'd fine tune
itself within those parameters. (Whereas the Konis are "dumb" and can not
self-adjust, are less sturdy, and are more prone to overheat when pounded
continuously.)

This would be much more practical than a coilover conversion. It is a
helluva lot more exclusive modification, too! Who's done it? -hardly anyone!
On the other hand, there are coilover poseurs everywhere!
--
Scott F. Williams
NJ Scirocco nut
Golf GTI 16v rallycar
Mazda 323 GTX turbo assault vehicle

Check out our rally team's website!
http://www.usrallyteam.com


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