Firmer spring rates than lowering springs alone.You’ll definitely notice these updates on future drives. You know what is it, but what does a coilover do? In short? A lot. Unfortunately, these extra features come at a premium. It is possible to swap to springs with different spring rates for an even greater range of adjustment and tuning. Typically, coilover sets feature even stiffer spring rates than a set of lowering springs alone, again sacrificing ride quality for cornering performance. Also, most high-end coilover kits are lighter than the factory components they replace to reduce unsprung weight and further increase handling.Ĭoilovers allow you to fine-tune each corner independently for the ultimate in vehicle balance and control. Unlike lowering springs, coilovers offer a much greater range of adjustability including ride height, spring pre-load, shock damping, and rebound. With coilovers, your vehicle’s entire shock/strut and spring combination are replaced with matched performance dampers and springs. The term “coilover” is short for “coil spring over strut,” and while they may look somewhat similar to a typical strut & spring, they aren’t. While lowering springs are designed simply to replace your factory springs and play nice with the rest of your existing components, coilovers are an entirely different animal. Available in linear or progressive spring rates.Preset ride height – not able to be raised or lowered.Preset spring rates – no adjustments to make after installation.Compatibility with existing parts – simply remove old springs and replace with new.A cost-effective way of lowering your vehicle.What Do Lowering Springs Do/Provide?īetter handling, more stability, less body roll for those sharp corners – those are just a few things lowering springs can do for your car. For the enthusiast, this is often a very acceptable price to pay for the increase in cornering ability. Combining this with a higher spring rate results in less body roll to keep your car flat and composed during cornering. First, by lowering your center of mass, your handling and stability will improve. The downside of this is that with a firmer spring, the ride quality likely will become harsher.īut in the world of performance driving, the benefits often outweigh the drawbacks. Spring rates are measured in pounds per inch, so a spring that’s shorter than stock must have a higher spring rate to compensate and still support the same amount of vehicle weight. But of course, as with most things when modifying a car, there’s a tradeoff. Otherwise, what would even be the point of upgrading to lowering springs?įirst of all, lowering springs are physically shorter than OEM springs (thus the name), so your vehicle sits lower to the ground as a result. Like your factory springs, lowering springs are made to support the weight of the vehicle and fit nicely in place of the originals with little to no modification necessary – simply remove the old springs and swap in the new.īut that’s about where the similarities end. Let’s start with the simpler of the two: lowering springs. But with a side-by-side comparison and by answering some simple questions, you’ll be better able to determine which route is right for you.
While lowering springs and coilovers both serve generally the same purpose – making your car lower – they achieve this end in very different ways and provide noticeably distinct handling characteristics. So, what are the differences between lowering springs and coilovers? Quite a few. Each one has a slightly different menu of what they serve up for your ride. Each one comes with their own unique benefits and drawbacks. It really depends on what you’re hoping to achieve with your lowering kit. Which often raises the question of which is better: lowering springs or coilovers? The truth is, we can’t answer that so simply. But, of course, there are different ways to get it done.
#Mustang s spring vs truck s spring upgrade#
It’s an aftermarket upgrade that can be done with a lowering kit and a bit of patience. Lowering your ride is pretty straightforward. As they say, “decrease the altitude, increase the attitude.” Not only do lowered vehicles look more aggressive, but when you decrease your ride’s height a few inches, you’re also increasing some of the handling benefits. In the never-ending quest for style and performance, one of the main ways to increase both is by lowering your ride with coilovers or springs.