How effective are lowering springs?

[Sub_Culture]

I want to improve my car's handling. BUT (and theres always one of those, isnt there??) Im on a tight budget! hey, its nearly Christmas, what can I say??

 

If I found a set of lowering springs (Tein perhaps?), would I notice any handling improvements? I dont expect a miracle, but the fact that the car is lower to the tarmac has gotta count for something? Right?

 

Please advise if you have put lowering springs on your car.

 

Thanks all!

Andy

[Nic]

If you are wanting to improve the handling, I would personally fit a set of good quality dampers first, eg. Bilsteins. A lot of lowering springs are too highly sprung, which will not do anything for the handling on anything other than a smooth road.

[Sub_Culture]

What sort of money am I looking at for dampers, Nic?

 

Andy

[black cat]

no idea on the dampers mate....... i had lowering springs fitted to mine 200 quid ish. car handles a little better. it feels more nimble and direct. However when putting peddle to metal it doesnt soak up anything (as you can expect) do it tends to brake traction more easy. wet weather just forget it. but for track use i found much better. You just feel more planted at speed.

 

tt steve

[Ben-san]

Andy, the Bilstein / Eibach OEM option makes quite a difference from standard spec dampers & coilovers. Mine sits around 30-35mm lower than Arghjae's, but you do pay the price in scrapes if you actually need to go anywhere in London.

 

http://www.mkivsupra.net/vbb/showpost.php?p=559818&postcount=6

 

AFAIK you can still find a set of these quite cheaply - but you will have to avoid humps and/or mount them like a horny dog for the rest of your days in the capital. I'm sure a good setup will improve handling to no end without the need to lower the car.

 

B

[AJI]

sub-culture - when you say you want to improve the handling ..... you have to be sure which area of the handling you want to improve.

You can improve understeer, oversteer, bump response, rebound response, corner balance etc. etc. etc.

By simply putting on lowering springs you may improve one or two of the above but you also may worsen other areas.

Such as..... your wet road handling usually goes out the window when you stiffen a car too much. Sometimes you also get understeer or an unstable car over the bumps.

Probably go for a tried and tested solution, lots of members on here have had all sorts of different combinations of springs and shocks.... I'm sure a few of them will vouch for their own setups on here. ;-)