Best coilover for winter

[DR 86]

I have Tein Flex, been through two winters now, holding up quite well, after cleaning looks almost brand new. I just spray a can of silicone grease over it when I change my wheels to winter tires, and wash my car through a touchless car wash every other day to get the salt and grime off.

[Suberman]

Adjustable rebound rates aren't really. The adjustability is mainly to allow one shock to work with several spring rates, to broaden the applicability of a coilover design.

The adjustability of the rebound force is intended to be varied no more than a click or two or three for most applications. The entire adjustment range isn't intended to be used for one spring rate.

Even if jounce is also adjustable you cannot expect every setting to work. Again, the spring rate pretty much determines the effective or usable adjustment range on your shocks.

Once the sweet spot has been found you don't adjust them ever again.

You may have two or three sweet spots if you track the car at different tracks but most likely you will have a street setting and a track setting, max.

For wet or cold weather you would probably use your street setting, or close to it, even for the track.

Lowering the car is also over rated. Unless you are prepared to adjust the alignment and maybe even fit different adjustable alignment components, you can make your car handle pretty much the same at factory ride height as you might by a one inch drop. Indeed, unless the alignment is also adjusted when you change ride height you are likely going to be slower lower.

"Handling" mod money goes into tires first, then lighter wheels, then higher temperature brake pads and then when all that is optimized add coilovers and try out the suitable range of settings both for ride height and shock rates. The factory boys do a great job with the stock set up. Except for the crapola stock tires of course....

[Racecomp Engineering]

Originally Posted by Mikepage

How do you know the Adjustability is crappy Andy?

For example, I will take my friend who run a 1000$ set ok coilover on a track and the car seems to be performant, I say seems...but he do a good laps time... Maybe it's just because he never try a real set of coilover? and we just don't know what is a real set of coilover... Maybe also he coule be perform the same track time with the stock suspension.

It's difficult for a user, not an expert, to know what is a good damper and how the Véhicules is supposed to run with it.

I know the real question is not about getting a better track time but around what is the best choice to have a good handling and to be resistance to the winter...and keeping or not destroying the already good felling of the car at the beginning.

Sorry am curious and i always want to learn more about suspension, this is why am asking this.

It's just experience...we've tested a lot of coilovers over the years and found adjusters on lower end coilovers don't always do what you want. Sometimes each corner is different, sometimes 1 click does a lot more than it should, or it does nothing.

Like Suberman said, there's a sweet spot, and sometimes that sweet spot on the lower end coilovers still isn't that great.

I'd take better base valving over adjustable valving that isn't great anywhere every time.

- Andy

[Mikepage]

Tires first, then lighter wheels, then higher temperature brake pads then suspension....

I know this is the basis

Thank you everyone and in particular Andy.

If i buy an coilover set, I will stop my choice on KW V1.

[Mikepage]

Originally Posted by Racecomp Engineering

Adjustability is sort of overrated. For a majority of the lower end coilovers, adjustability means you can adjust from soft and crappy to firm and crappy. It's still crap no matter what you adjust it to.

On higher end coilovers the adjustments start being more meaningful and consistent.

I'd say KW V1, RCE Tarmac 0, or the Bilstein PSS are good choices for you.

Our Tarmac 0 are slightly firmer and more performance oriented than KW V1, but still ride really well at a 1 inch drop. I have not yet tried the Bilstein PSS kit.

- Andy

Which model of pss kit you speaking about?

B14 or B16 or both are good?

Lifetime warranty?

Blistein are made by KW also?

[Racecomp Engineering]

Bilstein are made by Bilstein.

Both kits are good. B14 are non-adjustable damping. B16 are more expensive but adjustable.

- Andy

[frslee]

Just a suggestion... is it okay to wrap the shock body's threads during winter seasons? Something durable and ziptie only around the thread body.

[Anomie]

Originally Posted by frslee

Just a suggestion... is it okay to wrap the shock body's threads during winter seasons? Something durable and ziptie only around the thread body.

http://www.ft86club.com/forums/showthread.php?t=53643

[rickpalace]

Hi Mike,
I live in Quebec and had a set of KW coilovers on my 2k Celica, car was winter driven, yes they dont rust, especially with all the salt they use on our roads!!

The problem i found with KW coilovers, or just coilovers in general, in winter is that the adjustments rings got seized. I was no longer able to adjust the ride hight!!

That's why im debating Bilstein B14 coilovers or Bilstein shock and spring combo..

[jhstealth]

Originally Posted by rickpalace

Hi Mike,
I live in Quebec and had a set of KW coilovers on my 2k Celica, car was winter driven, yes they dont rust, especially with all the salt they use on our roads!!

The problem i found with KW coilovers, or just coilovers in general, in winter is that the adjustments rings got seized. I was no longer able to adjust the ride hight!!

That's why im debating Bilstein B14 coilovers or Bilstein shock and spring combo..

Ground control has a nifty remedy for this in that they have a set screw in the collar so that you can take the screw out and spread the collar open a tad if it gets seized. I've had this happen too and it takes a lot of cleaning to get them to move again.

[trdric]

I had coilovers and drove during winter with my tein or k sport on my older cars. Ring were always seized but you just have to lubricate them and give them a little bit of love with a hammer and a punch.

[Model Citizen]

I sprayed my kwv3 with boeshield last winter as an extra precaution.

This year the car will be parked.