coil overs vs lowering springs, is there a compromise?

[rnoswal]

I have a 2015 Mustang GT. I want to have a car that I can raise and lower the height more for looks than for racing. I don't really like how different spring drops only allow one thing. The plus side to only buying springs is that they offer a more everyday ride, because of more spring travel. I want a set of coil over springs that can do that, or close to that, if possible.

Is it possible?

I put a set on a 2005 Pontiac GTO I owned many years ago but I don't remember the ride. I was younger and maybe didn't mind as much that is was probably stiffer. Now, 25 years later almost, I am ready to try again. There are no tracks I will be using but I do like a good handling car just the same but on regular roads and I like the looks of a lowered car. I am not ready for air ride so it's pretty much finding a coil over package.

I imagine it has been covered here already but I couldn't find it. I can find a big introduction to spring rates and such but so many here may have found a package like I am looking for. I don't imagine that eveyone on this forum races but wants and maybe even found for them, what I am looking for also.

I have 20 in rims from AM. Magnetic Style Gloss Black Machined Wheel; 20x8.5 and Magnetic Style Gloss Black Machined Wheel; Rear Only; 20x10. 275/40 r20 front tires and 295/40 r20 rear. The fronts will have to be narrowed to probably 255's as they do rub some now over bumps. No clearance problems in the rears though. And yes, at almost 90k miles, still stock shocks on the car but have close to stock springs heights, maybe 1/2 in drop.

So..... is it possible to have a decent ride with coil overs or just stick to lowering spring and what ever shocks?

Thanks
Russ

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[NightmareMoon]

275/40/20? Thats a very tall fromt tire. Is that right?

with coils you can change the ride height, but doing so changes your alignment. Are you going to change ride height that frequently? Practically speaking situation would you change ride heights? Is that just because you dont know what height you want yet?

You can certainly get a great ride with coilovers but not with cheap ones and a huge drop. Do you have a budget in mind?

 

[Snakebyte]

275/40/20? Thats a very tall fromt tire. Is that right?

with coils you can change the ride height, but doing so changes your alignment. Are you going to change ride height that frequently? Practically speaking situation would you change ride heights? Is that just because you dont know what height you want yet?

You can certainly get a great ride with coilovers but not with cheap ones and a huge drop. Do you have a budget in mind?

Funny thought came to mind when you called the 40 tall. When I started driving the Goodyear Polyglas was new, and we thought we were really sporty with the...Wow....70 profile.

Oh yes, and there were 2 ways to jack up your car and look cool...leaf spring spring shackle extensions or air shocks. I'm guessing neither of these will help the OP, eh?

 

[NightmareMoon]

Funny thought came to mind when you called the 40 tall. When I started driving the Goodyear Polyglas was new, and we thought we were really sporty with the...Wow....70 profile.

Oh yes, and there were 2 ways to jack up your car and look cool...leaf spring spring shackle extensions or air shocks. I'm guessing neither of these will help the OP, eh?

Good ideas, wrong generation of mustang!

 

[rnoswal]

What I wrote about my car as far as rims and tires was current but no one ever knows what mods may be done at a later time. I have to admit that I don't have a specific brand in mind but from what I have seen so far, there are a lot of different spring rates offered for one but never an assortment to let a person select for themselves. My car or anyones car for that matter, that did make changes to wheels or tires or replacing rear or steering linkages would of course get it realigned.

I feel that many here have made the coil spring switch that there would be some advice as to whether there is a driveable kit. Not eveyone lives close to a race track but any upgrade with the stock suspension has to be better. Springs are cheaper to replace for different drops or stiffness of course but why go through the hassle of trying to find what looks good and finding out you want to change something later.

So I was hoping that there were some out there who don't race that much or at all but still put coil overs on their car. Racing means changing geometry and coil overs allow that of course, tires, commitment and so much more. So if I am asking a ridiculous question because there is no middle ground, sorry. Smallish town here so not really many to get a general take of what works best and cheap is many things to many people. There is a difference between cost effective and just crappy parts but at some point cheap creeps up to good and that is what I am asking about. Not racing but just adjustable, if I want to.

Thanks
Russ

 

[rnoswal]

Actually I am looking at a Pedders adj. coilover kit xtreme Xa GT from CJ Pony Parts. I just can't find any spring rates about them. Adjustable and 1 to 3 in drop. Most coil over kits I have seen offer mostly 8 kg/mm fronts and around 10 or so for the rears.

Any suggestions?

 

[kz]

Actually I am looking at a Pedders adj. coilover kit xtreme Xa GT from CJ Pony Parts. I just can't find any spring rates about them. Adjustable and 1 to 3 in drop. Most coil over kits I have seen offer mostly 8 kg/mm fronts and around 10 or so for the rears.

Any suggestions?

Coilover springs are generally widely available and you can easily replace them - Hyperco, Swift and other makes tons of them in basically every size.

 

[WItoTX]

Why not just throw airbags at it and call it a day? Are you unhappy with the current ride?

You could also do an AJ Hartman kit (I think others make a similar kit, but I don't know who), which could get you maybe an inch or so of extra clearance. I had blocks 3D printed that I insert under the spring (After I jack the car up), then the splitter clears the trailer. You could do the same with the spacers he provides in the kit. I wish I had pictures to share.

 

[rnoswal]

I don't want airbags because of the compressor, tubing, fittings, possibly guages inside the car and the switches that operate either each corner or just front and back. Plus you have caster/camber adjustments to correct. It takes time to get the ride you want and the stance. I don't mind adusting valving for shocks for dampening. My cousin wants air bagged shocks because a gut that autocrosses swears by them.

Lots of choices. The stock ride is ok but I want to be able to adjust height and dampening, which a coil over offers. I apreciate the suggestion for hyperco and others that I can buy springs and accessories for. I will not be racing the car but I wish there was a place to autoX. That takes another set of rims and tires though.

My desires are minimal but I do want the adjustments. I like a little firmer and lowered some too. Everyone has diferent roads they have to drive on and here are a good mixture of them. So it has to be reasonable heigth and ride. So, its beter than throwing springs at it, which I have done with other cars and allows ride changes that suit me.

I appreciate the opinions but can see there are sharp divides for which way to go with this.

Thanks
Russ

 

[SheepDog]

Actually I am looking at a Pedders adj. coilover kit xtreme Xa GT from CJ Pony Parts. I just can't find any spring rates about them. Adjustable and 1 to 3 in drop. Most coil over kits I have seen offer mostly 8 kg/mm fronts and around 10 or so for the rears.

Any suggestions?

Air suspension

 

[Need4SpeedMotors]

I have BC Racing coilovers on my car they ride great, you stated you want something you can raise and lower the height. The front is super easy to adjust it being a normal spring/shock combo. On the rear of these S550's since the spring and shocks are a divorced setup it's a pain to adjust. I had to loosen one side of the subframe in order to adjust the height of the spring. Possible but a ton of extra work.

 

[rnoswal]

Air suspension would be nice but coil overs are what I am looking for.

I remember that on my 2005 pontiac GTO about the rear adjustments. It was manageable after raising the car and unbolting the lower shock bolts. I would like to know, if you know that is, what spring rates are on the rear and front of your car. It looks like a good rear midrange is around 535, 560 lb/in give or take. I haven't read anywhere what other coil over numbers other people are using. Fronts seem to be around 450 lb/in. give or take. Is yours a street car or some autocross running too?

I asked CJ Pony parts what were the spring rates of one of there coil over kits but they referred me to the actual maker. In this case, Pedders. I haven't called any of the manufacturers to see if I could swap the springs that they put in their kits but hopeful they will.

Thanks
Russ

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