could someone educate me on the pros/cons/differences between the 2? i dont know anything about suspention and want to lower my mz2 and i would like ALL the information to make a decision before i just throw something on that im going to regret later!! thanks guys!
Coilovers v Springs...
- Thread starter SurlySays
- Start date
kcdirtbro54
Member
- :
- mazda2
I would suggest searching on ANY car forum. I'm sure there's 100s of 1000s of threads on the same topic in other sub-forums of Mazdas247. Springs are cheap, especially since we don't really have an aftermarket strut/shock option YET. Springs aren't adjustable.
Coilovers are more expensive, are adjustable, some just height adjustable others have dampening adjustments as well.
You get get what you pay for so if you cheap out on coilovers, they may not last that long.
I run springs (Pro Kit) on my mine because I daily drive it, don't/won't track it, and have no need for adjusting anything with it.
Not trying to sound mean or anything but I would do some researching because this topic has been beaten to death on every car forum ever. (deadhorse Then you decide what YOU want for YOUR ride. Good luck (drinks)
Coilovers are more expensive, are adjustable, some just height adjustable others have dampening adjustments as well.
You get get what you pay for so if you cheap out on coilovers, they may not last that long.
I run springs (Pro Kit) on my mine because I daily drive it, don't/won't track it, and have no need for adjusting anything with it.
Not trying to sound mean or anything but I would do some researching because this topic has been beaten to death on every car forum ever. (deadhorse Then you decide what YOU want for YOUR ride. Good luck (drinks)
Short List
Springs:
Pro - Cheap, Affordable, Comfortable, Straight-forward, Improved Handling, Better stance, Preset height adjustment.
Cons- No adjustability IE Preset Height Adjustment, Not able to adjust dampening, some stock struts are not made to handle your car being lowered on springs so your struts will wear quicker,
Coilovers
Pros- Come with new springs and struts paired together, Adjustable height and dampening(in most cases, some do not offer dampening but height only IE Bilstein for the Mz2), Improved Handling, Improved Stance, set to your likings
Cons- Expensive, Also expensive in order to be comfortable(IE Expect to spend 1.5-2x more money than the cheapest coilovers on the market to be "comfortable"), Harsher ride in most cases, must have basic suspension knowledge to make your car ride correctly and handle correctly.
Springs:
Pro - Cheap, Affordable, Comfortable, Straight-forward, Improved Handling, Better stance, Preset height adjustment.
Cons- No adjustability IE Preset Height Adjustment, Not able to adjust dampening, some stock struts are not made to handle your car being lowered on springs so your struts will wear quicker,
Coilovers
Pros- Come with new springs and struts paired together, Adjustable height and dampening(in most cases, some do not offer dampening but height only IE Bilstein for the Mz2), Improved Handling, Improved Stance, set to your likings
Cons- Expensive, Also expensive in order to be comfortable(IE Expect to spend 1.5-2x more money than the cheapest coilovers on the market to be "comfortable"), Harsher ride in most cases, must have basic suspension knowledge to make your car ride correctly and handle correctly.
UnZipHer15
Member
- :
- Mazda 2, Miata, & P5
I somewhat agree...everyone keeps saying coilovers are expensive?
Springs will eventually eat your stock struts so in he long run you spend more, ie not cheaper at all.
Springs only give you a mild drop. If you want lower you're ******. Coilovers give you height adjustability, it's beautiful
Springs are a PITA to install. Coilovers take 2 hours!
Coilovers usually have dampening adjustability which is nice to stiffen or soften the ride.
Either require an alignment after the install.
At the end of the day, coilovers are a superior choice. If you can't afford the $1,000 price tag, save up and do it right the first time. If you just don't care about the bigger picture and want to spend $300 right this second then buy springs.
Springs will eventually eat your stock struts so in he long run you spend more, ie not cheaper at all.
Springs only give you a mild drop. If you want lower you're ******. Coilovers give you height adjustability, it's beautiful
Springs are a PITA to install. Coilovers take 2 hours!
Coilovers usually have dampening adjustability which is nice to stiffen or soften the ride.
Either require an alignment after the install.
At the end of the day, coilovers are a superior choice. If you can't afford the $1,000 price tag, save up and do it right the first time. If you just don't care about the bigger picture and want to spend $300 right this second then buy springs.
Thats cause they are Mr Money Bags haha
Now that is a true story
Bah! Took less than 2 hours for my springs!
shortfuse12
Member
as mentioned above by shaowq those are the pros and cons of having a coilover or springs. it will all come down to financial and personal preference back in the 90's we had no choice but to use springs and shocks and it was fine back then. then early 2000 adjustable springs came and mid 2000 adjustable springs with built in dampers came hence FULL COILOVERs. as far as what unzipher said it will be cheaper to have a coilover for reason being but not guaranteed that u will bottom out ur strut in lets say 5yrs but with that in mind. springs cost $250. strut would be around $75 to $150 per. so lets say 250 + 125 (4) = $750 for $200 more u can get a set of full coilovers and be happy with the ride height everytime u wanna change it. or ride comfort by adjusting the stiffness. i live in cali springs and strut is fine with me since we dont deal with snow. but im still going for a coilover cause i wanna tweak it the way i drive.
UnZipHer15
Member
- :
- Mazda 2, Miata, & P5
okay okay.... springs can take 2 hours, if you have a helping hand that knows what they're doing and the proper tools.
here's a great write up comparing http://www.ehow.com/about_5382599_coil-overs-vs-lowering-springs.html
colonelangus
Member
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- 2011 Mazda 2 GS Touring MT
i just did lowering springs and it took almost 3 hours including clean up so probably just over 2 hours work time ..for a street roller its perfect as for eating shocks well maybe if you plan to race i dont its the grocery getter im sure they will be fine
Yessir, much easier on a painted garage floor with air tools. On the side of a suburban road would probably be a bit longer lol.okay okay.... springs can take 2 hours, if you have a helping hand that knows what they're doing and the proper tools.
kcdirtbro54
Member
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- mazda2
2 and 3 hours for springs and a helping hand? I think it took me 45 minutes and only because I couldn't find the spring compressor for the front. 5 minutes for the back springs and the rest was spent doing the fronts and finding the compressor.
I wouldn't say coilovers are always cheaper. I can't tell you guys how many times I've seen someone buy coilovers (usually the cheaper ones) and just after their 1 year warranty is up they leak and are done. Then that person has to choose to have them rebuild, buy replacements, or go a whole other route. Yes springs are cheaper and if you get a very mild drop they aren't going to affect the life of your strut/shocks that much differently than if you were stock height. Now if you slam it on springs with stock strut/shocks then get your wallet ready.
I wouldn't say coilovers are always cheaper. I can't tell you guys how many times I've seen someone buy coilovers (usually the cheaper ones) and just after their 1 year warranty is up they leak and are done. Then that person has to choose to have them rebuild, buy replacements, or go a whole other route. Yes springs are cheaper and if you get a very mild drop they aren't going to affect the life of your strut/shocks that much differently than if you were stock height. Now if you slam it on springs with stock strut/shocks then get your wallet ready.
Font Motorsports
Member
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- 2012 Mazda 2
Although springs are less expensive they don't offer the scope of flexibility that coilovers do. With springs you are stuck with what they are. To achieve your perfect ride height and ride comfort coils are the way to go in my opinion. You spend a little more to get max flexibility.
What is considered mild?
kcdirtbro54
Member
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- mazda2
about an inch. Pro kits, h&r sport, Racing Beat. Anyone else that drops about an inch. Anything 1.5 and up I would consider more than mild.
H&Rs give you a 1.5" drop.
UnZipHer15
Member
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- Mazda 2, Miata, & P5
anything under a 2" drop is considered mild in my book so i totally agree with this!
