I replaced my OEM springs with H-Sports (and a sway bar) 15K miles ago (at 27K now) and while I love the handling I've really begun to hate the rough ride of late. I suggested to my wife that that there may be a way to soften the ride but it wouldn't be cheap (coilovers?) and she seemed receptive (she's cheap, so it's obvious she hates it as well).

Would coilovers in-fact help soften the ride? A club mate suggested that and it had honestly never occurred to me. I like the lower ride but I'm really considering going back to the OEM springs for my back's sake, despite the elevated look .

If C/O will help, I'm looking for an inexpensive (but not "cheap") as performance is not critical...I had hoped to track this car but never have and probably won't. Looking for ideas...

edit: Also don't want car any lower than it is now (1")...so I suspect that I won't need adjustable camber plates???

Thanks!


[Please don't tell me to use the search function (a favorite past time here on NAM of late), I have. Yes, there are about a 1000 of them. Trying to sort through for useful posts is not so easy...]

 

ive wondered the same... the way i see it w new coilovers your replacing the crappy stock shocks (most likely), which werent meant for the lowering springs we are currently running.

So hopefully someone who's done just that will chime in...

 

I have been thinking much of the same things. Since I still have stock springs, I am leaning towards the Koni FSD's....the gold ones. Coil-overs seem to have a mixed reputation, better handling for all, some may have similar ride to stock, or slightly better. I have been wondering is a more progressive rate spring would soften the ride a bit, but still keep the handling.

 

i think the H&Rs i have are progressive... seems pretty stiff still

 

Im considering either a FSD+Springs setup or some VMaxx coilovers (Inexpensive, and supposed to be similar to stock, but lower) since itll be a street DD.

Was gonna just go with just H-Sport springs, but with the potholes around here, i dont need a rougher ride....

 

I just got the hr touring cup kit, better ride than stock. Highly recommend!

 

The TSW springs actually made my ride more compliant then stock... with the added bonus of lowering the car and helping the stock shocks to work better...

Not high tech by any means, but it they were a positive (and low cost) way to help improve the ride on my 08 convertible.

 

yeah if you want to stay cheaper the TSW's seem to be the way to go on the ride comfort side. it might end up raising your car tho.

other than that the only other coilovers i have heard have the same travel as stock is the KW's the v1's off the shelf ride great (so i have been told)

I have used KW v2's on my last car and loved them.

 

Not familiar with that...care to elaborate?

 

If you want to stay cheap go with a set of TSW springs. We've had great luck with them.

 

Thanks...much cheaper than coilovers!

 

In my opinion/experience, the answer is NO. There have been threads on the topic of ride comfort so you might want to search for what has been said in those past discussions as well.


I've tried various different types of coilover systems on various cars over the years. Coilovers are generally designed to be stiffer than stock for performance driving - not comfort. OEM suspension systems are designed for a performance/comfort compromise.

For another opinion, call Alex at Tire Rack and get his input. When I discussed with him, he said that even the softest, street oriented coilover was stiffer and offered less ride comfort than shock/strut & spring combinations.

I also tried the TSW springs on stock sport shocks and found that the ride was less comfortable than stock b/c of the stiffer spring rate.

The problem with cheap coilovers is that they don't have as well designed shocks/struts. They are trying to deliver a combination of strut/shock, springs, ride height adjusters etc. The more expensive coilovers have better designed shocks/struts and offer better ride comfort as well as performance characteristics than cheaper setup. You get what you pay for.

I'm happy with stock springs for a good combo of performance and ride comfort although I do wish the car sat a bit lower. I'm on Koni Sport shocks now and enjoy them but they do communicate whats going on on the road surface more than stock struts/shocks. If I were looking for more ride comfort, I'd probably try the Koni FSD shocks. The engineering in those shocks is pretty impressive.


One more thing - keep in mind that ride comfort is very much a subjective attribute. my idea of comfort is going to be different from someone else's - especially someone younger or someone who prefers a stiff setup and thinks that stiff and low "rides great". Do spend some time searching past threads if you want to get more opinions. I posted on a few threads on this topic and those threads got some good input from reliable people

16" wheels also help over 17" wheels due to the larger sidewalls.

 

Except for this paragraph, your post was pretty un-biased. Stiffer, when the setup is done right, is better in terms of performance. Some people are willing to put up with "ride comfort" to get better handling and they don't just say "it rides great".

For people who won't track/auto-x the car, but want a lower car stance than what a spring setup provides, I can see how they could go with a cheapo coilover system since they probably won't notice major performance change compared to stock. But like Penelope said, the Koni Sport of FSD are a great alternative for people that want to improve handling without major sacrifice in conform.

 

I'm not necessarily looking for as good or better than stock. I'm just hoping for better than I have with my H-sport springs.

 

Ever consider going to smaller diameter wheels and non-run flat tires? I went to 16" wheels with non-run flat Michelin Pilots. The ride got a significantly better without material handling compromises.

 

BMBULBE's suggestion is your best bet (16" wheels + non-RFT). However, since that involves buying new wheels + tires, you should consider going back to stock springs and maybe getting better shocks (Koni yellows or FSD).

 

I used the H springs to lower my car and used oem sport shocks. The ride was stiff, noisy but handled very well. I replaced my shocks to FSD and the ride was softer, quieter, much more comfortable but less sporty. My wife noticed the difference right away without telling her.

I bought a brand new KW v1 coilover from Nam only to find out that I need spacers to fit my front wheels which I can do because I prefer using my 17x8/42 wheels. I went back to H springs and oem sport shocks. I am happy with my present set up. Likewise my wife noticed the difference.

 

I have the same issue with my H&R's but I am fairly sure its because the oem shocks are toast. When they stop working you essentially are riding around on springs only with little or much less dampening than you should have. I am going to order a set of Koni yellow's. They are about $700 for a set and will last much longer than a set of cheaper coilovers

 

Bad shocks make you ride bouncy...I don't have that problem. Ride is just too harsh. I've already ditched the runflats...

 

but you have to remember with how little suspension travel you have with the lowering springs, there isn't much height to bounce. Its not like an SUV with blown shocks where its easy to perceive the bouncing motion. Also you could be hitting the bump stops?

 

Unless you are planning on purchasing very high quality coilovers (KW V2/V3 or Tein ComfortMaster) I would not recommend coilovers if you find Hsports too firm.

Right now I am using BC Coilovers, but before that I was using TSW springs on OEM shocks.

I also have an early 03 with the firmer suspension before they softened it due to complaints.

I can tell you that the ride was indeed more smooth on TSW springs than OEM. I never found OEM to be plush, but the TSW made minor bumps more 'mellow' but large bumps were still the same as OEM.

I highly recommend them for your situation, however make sure your OEM struts have not blown on the H-Sports as they are fairly low for springs, I would not be surprised if they were close to being on their way out...

 

I replaced the stock springs on my car (lowered with HR springs) with the Koni FSDs. Love it,,,,,,with only one exception. It raised the car about 1/4 to 1/2 inch in the rear. Over time it has settled a bit, but still higher. On the positive side, the ride is MUCH beter. I live in the BayArea, and go into SF alot, where the streets are hell. I also travel with four in the car, more often than I like, but not the crushing blow as before.
To correct the hieght, I just bought a used pair of M7 springs, which will give me the 1/4 back in height.
HR springs for sale $100 plus shipping
's

 

Aren't FSDs ONLY supposed to be used with stock height springs?
Lowering + FSD = wear strut quickly.

 

I have TSW springs and love thek. Best spring for the R50/R53 imho

 

yes, I've heard the potential of FSDs wearing out sooner with lower springs, but not to an extent where it would/should defer someone one from doing so. Just changed out my HRs for M7 that had about 25k on them.....WOW, what a difference! Got the 1/4 lower back and the right is so much better!!! At the same time I also added a new front sway, which should have stiffened everything up, which it did, but verall the car feels way smoother and faster handling than before