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Oct 23, 2011 23:31:30 GMT
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I know there's a few of you on coilovers here, whats the pro's & con's of going with these compared to a decent suspension set up with quality sorts dampers & springs? I'm trying to find a set for my Saab (and I could be in business fingers crossed) but have some brand new Bilstein B6 dampers & Eibachs to be fitted. I don't fancy selling these to fund the coilovers only to end up disappointed with them when I had a really good set up to fit i the first place   Will lowering the car say 40-45mm dramatically effect the damping of the coilovers and turn it into something bouncy! I'm after a kind of slammed look to break out from the norm....but not if its going to ruin the handling  Cheers, Dai. |
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hair
Part of things
Posts: 44
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personally since I had 32 point adjustable coilovers on the crx I wouldn't go back. they were a good £500 but plenty of hard/soft options and heights to play with depending on the day/track day etc.
you could get ebay specials but you'd only be replacing them with in a year due to the slipped disc you have acquired since lol
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Last Edit: Oct 24, 2011 1:12:48 GMT by hair
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col
Part of things
wut
Posts: 190
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i'm running ebay specials wound most of the way down. yeah, the ride is what some people would call horrendous (i call it "involving"). i wouldnt say the handling has been ruined, infact on a decent surface i'd say its alot better, but it can't deal with any kind of bad surface. if you have more money to spend on some, then do your research first, some higher priced ones can be just as harsh, wearas some can be pretty plush in comparison.
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Thanks. What are the 'ebay specials'?? |
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I've got a set of TA Technix coilovers (£169 a set from ebay!) and they're pretty cool. The ride is better than I'm used to in lowered cars (although I am serial spring-chopper) and I really like the adjustability.
Does your SAAB share a platform with another car (GM?), it might mean a set of coilovers are available at a favourable price.
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It shares certain parts with a Fiat Croma, Alfa 164 & Lancia Thema. Not 100% on what though I think it's all the same chassis, part of the 'Type Four' project back in the 80's but haven't a clue what can be transferred between cars. I'll ask some of the guys in the know....didn't even cross my mind that! Cheers! I know the doors off the Croma are a direct fit!! Just waiting on a couple firms to get back to me and a couple guys in Sweden who've made their own with H&R kits. |
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eBay specials = cheap, often sub £200, coilovers with height adjustment only. Usually with a brand name you've never heard of Hot Tuning, Raceland or TA Technix (as Rmads are), don't get me wrong for the money you can't go wrong. I've driven a couple of very low E36s with these kits are the ride quality and handling is surprisingly good. However finding them for a Saab 9000 probably isn't going to be an option.
As for decent springs and dampers vs. decent coilovers, unless your looking to get the car setup with corner weights ect for track use or want it totally slammed, there is often little point. You're going to struggle to get better dampers than Bilsteins and better quality springs than Eibachs in any sub £1000 coilovers.
Having said that I had £600 Gaz coilovers on my old Sierra, the handling and ride was excellent, even though I literally just set it up by eye and feel.
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Sierra - here we go again! He has an illness, it's not his fault.
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rtlkyuubi
Posted a lot
Low and Slow
Posts: 2,922
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Never had a decent spring and shock setup. But I have had chopped springs, raceland (cheap ebay £150) coilovers on the micra and ive got sexy avo adjustable dampening coilovers on the sierra.
The avo's are amazing compared to the rest!! They have transformed the car soo much from the chopped springs on original dampers. Plus with coilovers, you can set the ride height to exactly where you want them too.
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qwerty
Club Retro Rides Member
Posts: 2,420
Club RR Member Number: 52
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You'll struggle to get off the shelf Coilovers for a 9000 for reasonable (sub £600), Gaz might be your best bet.
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MaDSeB
Part of things
Big things in small packages
Posts: 574
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I'm running ta-technix on my arosa. aswell as chopped springs on the rear. tbh i find the ride quality just as good as anything else.
a friend of mine has 400quid coilies on his rs2000. and you would be hard pressed to tell the difference.
if you hook up rallydesign. you can build your own, with sleaves and inserts. and a bit of welding.
just go with what you can afford.
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I think Robin has hit the nail on the head. You have to ask why going for coilovers?
If you're into motorsport (race, rally, even regular track days) then good quality, brand name (=expensive) coil overs give you lots of adjustment points (ride height and various damping options - compression, unloading (reverse compression) and rebound). They make it easier to change spring 'profiles' (free length and rate) and there are a lot more options available as the spring diameter is common irrespective of the car they are being fitted to. Also being smaller overall diameter than conventional springs the individual springs tend to be cheaper and the whole kit reduces unsprung weight, which in turn improves handling.
Another option to possibly consider if you've already got decent dampers is an 'add on' kit (I think Rallyart do one) that is basically a threaded tube that converts a Macpherson strut to give an adjustable spring platform and use coil over springs. I've no idea if they're any good - I bought a set to use on my rally rover 200, then swapped it for the metro which uses hydrolastic!
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ChasR
RR Helper
motivation
Posts: 10,307
Club RR Member Number: 170
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Oct 24, 2011 12:49:44 GMT
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The biggest problem IMO on an old car is that 'good' dampers are rarely that; something you notice when you go to new items (new dampers I have found can transform how a car rides and behaves on the road), hence why most new or uprated items can seem to improve matters. In your situation I would go with a good spring/damper combo to give you what you are looking for  . |
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Oct 24, 2011 16:57:15 GMT
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Thanks guys! That's a lot more info/advice than I've had from anybody else  I've just been given the details of the guy who sells these coilovers, looks like he's a one man outfit that sells the usual Saab performance parts in Sweden but also does the odd custom bit of kit. Email on route to him later!! My biggest concern really is selling this set up which is probably as good as it gets for thw usual lowered set up and get these coilovers but end up dissapointed  The biggest bonus is I had the billies for miles less than the price that they usually sell for (£170 compared to £480+!!...for the full set!!) So if I do sell them I'll easily get my money back. Should sell the Eibachs easily enough too for a small profit...a bit gutted about that as it took me close to a year to organise a massive Eibach group buy!! That kit mentioned to convert my b6 into coilovers was interesting though Never thought of that. The reasons for looking into coilovers are the price on these seem very cheap compared to others I've seen, plus I'm stripping around another 50-60kgs out the car next year by swapping the seats for buckets & binning the sun roof etc....and am a bit worried if it will effect the ride height even more? Where the coilovers should let me get the ride height nice & low. |
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Oct 27, 2011 22:06:16 GMT
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Personally I'd keep the Bils ans Eibachs. Alot of manufacturers combine this package on their sport derivatives.
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1994 Rover Metro
1994 Peugeot 405 Estate
1991 Rover Metro Gti 16v
2001 Fiat Seicento Sporting
1999 Fiat Punto 1.2
1994 Peugeot 106 Xnd (x3)
1991 Westfield 7
2004 Landrover 110 SW
2003 Seat Ibiza 1.9Tdi Sport
1959 Ford 107e Prefect
1992 Suzuki Vitara
2008 Skoda Fabia
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The biggest bonus is I had the billies for miles less than the price that they usually sell for (£170 compared to £480+!!...for the full set!!) So if I do sell them I'll easily get my money back. Should sell the Eibachs easily enough too for a small profit...a bit gutted about that as it took me close to a year to organise a massive Eibach group buy!!