just looking on ebay at coilovers... whats the most recomended make? the price rages from £200 up to £700? which are most commenly used on the fabia vrs?

ap,weitec,kw are the 3 most popular i reckon, ive got weitec [£450ish] there a middle of the range set, depends what you want to spend really, if youve got several hundred £'s sitting around then maybe go for kw, but certainly wouldnt go for anything less than the weitec's

As above, the Weitec's are a very good all round option.

Damian @ DPM Performance

I've heard good reports about AP coilovers on MK2 Golfs. Tempted to get a set myself.

Edited 3 August, 201015 yr by vRS G60

Kw v1

Awesome

And if your on a budget vmaxx are what you want as they have helper springs iirc ap and weitec do not so suffer knocking and banging problems

Edited 3 August, 201015 yr by BigJase88

Another vote for AP's

I have these ones from DPM.

With 700 quid to play with kw are the only choice, you really do get what you pay for

I always wonder about the compliance of the ride on a coilover-based setup. If you're wound down say the level of a reasonable sports spring, say 35-40mm, is damping control at an acceptable level that say an FSD or Bilstein damper can provide? Thinking of the Weitec or KW V1 level of setup here.

Just curious really as I've never chosen to go down this route, mainly because of the poor state of our roads. And I find I can progress better with a more standard setup, that is able to deal with surface and camber changes, mid corner-bumps etc. It's also not a change you tend to approach with trial and error is it? You want to pick something and for it to be right

Cheers,

Steve

I always wonder about the compliance of the ride on a coilover-based setup. If you're wound down say the level of a reasonable sports spring, say 35-40mm, is damping control at an acceptable level that say an FSD or Bilstein damper can provide? Thinking of the Weitec or KW V1 level of setup here.

Just curious really as I've never chosen to go down this route, mainly because of the poor state of our roads. And I find I can progress better with a more standard setup, that is able to deal with surface and camber changes, mid corner-bumps etc. It's also not a change you tend to approach with trial and error is it? You want to pick something and for it to be right

Cheers,

Steve

Dont quote me here but whatever height coilovers are set at they will perform the same...

When adjusting ride height that is all your doing.... Your not changing damping or any other attribute except for ride height?

I hear what you're saying, but surely that can't be right - just from a physics point of view? The spring also has a job to do in providing body compliance, by reacting to changes in road surface etc. For example the coilover could be wound down to the extent that the spring cannot be effective in compressing, and merely passing on vibration and movement onto the damping unit. This in turn would lead to a harder and less compliant drive, no?

I appreciate that on a V1 type setup, with no adjustable damping and rebound all you can adjust is the height, but what I can't see is that there isn't a relationship between body control and compliance, and the height that the spring is set.

What does everyone else think?

Steve

I dont think spring travel is affected at all. Unless your bouncing on the bumpstops, only thing i can see affecting handling would be centre of gravity depending whether the car was high or low?

I hear what you're saying, but surely that can't be right - just from a physics point of view? The spring also has a job to do in providing body compliance, by reacting to changes in road surface etc. For example the coilover could be wound down to the extent that the spring cannot be effective in compressing, and merely passing on vibration and movement onto the damping unit. This in turn would lead to a harder and less compliant drive, no?

I appreciate that on a V1 type setup, with no adjustable damping and rebound all you can adjust is the height, but what I can't see is that there isn't a relationship between body control and compliance, and the height that the spring is set.

What does everyone else think?

Steve

When lowering a car on coilovers the still compression of the spring is not affected at all. alls you are doing in lowering the Base platform that the spring sits on, so no matter what height you have it at the compression on the spring is the same all the way down when stationary.

the harshness of the ride is determined by the Damping rate of the shock, on the basic setups this is set by manufacture by which vales they used in the piston rod.

the theory of the lower you are the harsher the ride is because the shock is sitting at a low point in the cylinder, less space below full of fluid so when the shock is hit there is a bigger displacement in fluid from bottom to top putting more strain on the valve, which makes it less of a damping effect. where as if it set at a 'Normal' height then there is even displacement of the fluid so you get more of a dampening effect as displacement is then less than the valve permits (within the valve pressure)

if you dont understand that, im going to have to draw pics as its hard to explain

Spax RSX's on mine, shorterned dampers and damping adjustable for less monies than KW's