Coilovers or...?

[LaurenceFrost]

Ranger 6 said:

In eight years of using forums such as this I think I've seen less than 10 people do what you've done and loads who've whinged that 'it's not right' when they've spent £300 on some coil-overs, simply because they're coil-overs and they wouldn't know how to find the adjusters let alone know what to do if they did

Ha ha you mean the people who get coil overs, wind them as low as they go, click them as hard as they go, and to them, that is the best handling you can achieve with that set of suspension

I've seen this a million times before as well. I still can't work out whether I find it funny or offensive though

[Sam_68]

chris7676 said:

What's wrong with having just (one-way) adjustable shock absorbers ? I have them on all my cars and very happy.

Yes, they're better than nothing but, as discussed above, if you don't also have adjustable spring seats, you can't easily set the corner weights.

If you're going to have any degree of adjustability, I'd say one way adjustable dampers with adjustable spring seats is the sensible minimum.

2- and 3- way adjustable dampers are nice, but you really need to understand what you're doing to make the most of them. By the time you get to the really trick dampers, like Penske, where you can change pistons and shim stacks to give different progression/divergence according to piston speed, the permutations are mind-boggling and need a real expert (and a highly skilled driver) to make them worthwhile.

[PhillipM]

Sam_68 said:

chris7676 said:

What's wrong with having just (one-way) adjustable shock absorbers ? I have them on all my cars and very happy.

Yes, they're better than nothing but, as discussed above, if you don't also have adjustable spring seats, you can't easily set the corner weights.

If you're going to have any degree of adjustability, I'd say one way adjustable dampers with adjustable spring seats is the sensible minimum.

2- and 3- way adjustable dampers are nice, but you really need to understand what you're doing to make the most of them. By the time you get to the really trick dampers, like Penske, where you can change pistons and shim stacks to give different progression/divergence according to piston speed, the permutations are mind-boggling and need a real expert (and a highly skilled driver) to make them worthwhile.

One of the best things about the Penske's is there's so much adjustment, that even if the internals aren't quite right, you can get there using the adjusters.

[PhillipM]

Ranger 6 said:

Excellent! What I would call 'doing it right'!

In eight years of using forums such as this I think I've seen less than 10 people do what you've done and loads who've whinged that 'it's not right' when they've spent £300 on some coil-overs, simply because they're coil-overs and they wouldn't know how to find the adjusters let alone know what to do if they did

Well, you can add another one, 'cause I've built my own as well as modifing the internals of the ones I've bought


I'd always gets a set of single adjustable dampers and springs over just height-adjustable coilovers though, stock settings on most non-adjustables have far too much rebound on UK b-roads.

Edited by PhillipM on Tuesday 15th September 19:58

[Ranger 6]

PhillipM said:

Ranger 6 said:

Excellent! What I would call 'doing it right'!

In eight years of using forums such as this I think I've seen less than 10 people do what you've done...

Well, you can add another one, 'cause I've built my own as well as modifing the internals of the ones I've bought

Keep 'em coming guys, you're restoring my faith in enthusiasts!

[Colonial]

Sam_68 said:

LaurenceFrost said:

I would either leave the suspension standard, or go for something very adjustable. Middle ground just seems a bit pointless to me.

Yeah, I'd tend to agree.

I guess the main problem with this approach is that the more adjustment you have, the more wrong permutations are available for screwing it up! And the cost can get a bit scary, of course.

If you can afford it, and know what you're doing (and what you're trying to achieve), or are willing to pay an exper to interpret your requirements, then fully adjustable is undoubtedly the way to go, though.

The reason I am changing is that the standard shocks are starting to feel not that crash hot. And when something goes I upgrade. In this case I can get decent shocks, coilovers or just factory ones. As I have 30mm lowering springs already I want something that matches them a bit better, or just get rid of the springs.

The problem is I don't know what I'm doing and I basically feel that the car is not worth that kind of work (it's an Audi. It's never going to be the last word in handling), and would prefer to work out the permutations of suspension on the Mk 1 mx5 I'll be getting next year, a car that would actually benefit more from it.

As it stands the s3 is the daily and I feel I would be better off saving the money for the track mx5. But what you say does make sense.

[Ranger 6]

So, I'd suggest some Bilstein B4s or B6s, or if you'd like some adjustability without going the coilover routs Koni FSDs. Cost effective and a good OEM+1 upgrade which would complement the springs you've already got. I'd do a check on the bushes as well. Known for early failure on the Mk4/A3 chassis.