*Guide* Suspension Options - Lowering
Posted: Mon Mar 16, 2009 9:40 am
Spring kit or Full Suspension Kit??
When you are looking to lower your car, there are two main options to choose from. One is to just put a Spring kit on, and the other is the full kit, which includes Springs and Dampers. Below, i have listed the advantages and disadvantages to each one.
Spring Kit
Many places do sell spring kits for the corsa, and in varying different drops too. It is just a case of swapping your standard springs off and putting these ones on over the standard dampers. To be honest though, it is the temporary and cheaper way to do it. You will over time wear and damage your standard dampers, and the bump/rebound will not be correct for the spring. This will result in your handling going to pot. If you are going do this, i wouldnt go any lower than 30/40mm, and think about saving for a set of dampers. Also, you can use a different set of dampers alongside the spring set of your choice, but contact the manufacturer to ensure that the damper can cope with the ride height that spring set is offering.
Full Suspension Kit
The second option is the full suspension kit. You will pay a bit more for these, but they are worth the extra. In the box you get the full spring set, plus two front and two rear dampers, that are set-up to cope with the spring rate and ride height of the springs. On the road, this means the car is taught through the bends and doesn't wallow on bumps and under braking. In my opinion, this is the way to do it, because then you have a car that isnt unbalanced and therefore responds when you try to do anything quickly on the road, be it throwing through corners, or under hard braking.
Just remember that when you lower your car, this stiffens the car, and so there is more presure on your tyres to do their job. I normally recommend people to put decent tyres on so that you aren't let down, especially in the wet!
The most common suspension suppliers are listed below. This is only a few, so look around and see what you can find that will suit you.
Gmax - http://www.gmaxsuspension.co.uk
Koni - http://www.koni-suspension.co.uk/
Weitec - http://www.weitec-suspensions.co.uk/
Spax - http://www.spaxperformance.com
Eibach - http://www.eibach.co.uk
Bilstein - http://www.bilstein.com/
Hope that helps people!
When you are looking to lower your car, there are two main options to choose from. One is to just put a Spring kit on, and the other is the full kit, which includes Springs and Dampers. Below, i have listed the advantages and disadvantages to each one.
Spring Kit
Many places do sell spring kits for the corsa, and in varying different drops too. It is just a case of swapping your standard springs off and putting these ones on over the standard dampers. To be honest though, it is the temporary and cheaper way to do it. You will over time wear and damage your standard dampers, and the bump/rebound will not be correct for the spring. This will result in your handling going to pot. If you are going do this, i wouldnt go any lower than 30/40mm, and think about saving for a set of dampers. Also, you can use a different set of dampers alongside the spring set of your choice, but contact the manufacturer to ensure that the damper can cope with the ride height that spring set is offering.
Full Suspension Kit
The second option is the full suspension kit. You will pay a bit more for these, but they are worth the extra. In the box you get the full spring set, plus two front and two rear dampers, that are set-up to cope with the spring rate and ride height of the springs. On the road, this means the car is taught through the bends and doesn't wallow on bumps and under braking. In my opinion, this is the way to do it, because then you have a car that isnt unbalanced and therefore responds when you try to do anything quickly on the road, be it throwing through corners, or under hard braking.
Just remember that when you lower your car, this stiffens the car, and so there is more presure on your tyres to do their job. I normally recommend people to put decent tyres on so that you aren't let down, especially in the wet!
The most common suspension suppliers are listed below. This is only a few, so look around and see what you can find that will suit you.
Gmax - http://www.gmaxsuspension.co.uk
Koni - http://www.koni-suspension.co.uk/
Weitec - http://www.weitec-suspensions.co.uk/
Spax - http://www.spaxperformance.com
Eibach - http://www.eibach.co.uk
Bilstein - http://www.bilstein.com/
Hope that helps people!