Modifying a car’s handling can be a minefield, but we’ve brought you information on some of the biggest names in the suspension world to help you get started.
Coilovers, springs, dampers, anti-roll bars, bump, rebound... it can all get a bit overwhelming when it comes to suspension. But fear not – Performance Tuner is on hand to give you a headstart when it comes to choosing your chassis set-up, as we take a look at some of the major players in the suspension game.
TERMS EXPLAINED
Before you head off into the multitude of websites mentioned in this feature, it might be worth us just clarifying what bump and rebound are. In the simplest terms, bump is when a spring is compressed, and rebound is when it expands. However, bump can be split further into low-speed bump and high-speed bump; the difference here is that LSB is slow compression caused by weight transfer in the car (ie acceleration, cornering and braking) while HSB is rapid compression of the spring due to kerbs, potholes, speed bumps and so on. These terms will be mentioned a lot in connection with suspension set-ups and it’s worth knowing them now so that you know what will best suit your application – if you’re on track a lot, you’ll want a high rate of rebound and springs that limit low-speed bump so the vehicle is firm at all speeds; road cars will need a bit more compliance in the set-up to allow for the craters that litter our (supposedly advanced) highways.
KW SUSPENSION
www.kwautomotive.co.uk, 0870 990 7536
CARS CATERED FOR: Alfa Romeo, Audi, BMW, Chevrolet, Chrysler, Citroën, Fiat, Ford, Honda, Hyundai, Lancia, Lotus, Mazda, Mercedes-Benz, Mitsubishi, Nissan, Opel, Peugeot, Porsche, Renault, Seat, Skoda, Smart, Subaru, Suzuki, Toyota, Vauxhall, VW
OVERVIEW: For a young company, KW has an enviable reputation. The German giant was only founded in 1992, a scant 16 years ago, but already its name is known in modifying circles and circuit paddocks the world over as one of the leading brands for performance tuning.
You can buy dampers, springs, anti-roll bars and spacers all separately from KW, but it is for the full suspension kits that the company has become most famous – specifically the excellent coilover Variant 1-3 packages. Defined as Fast Road Use (V1), Fast Road Adjustable (V2) and Ultimate Road/Track Use (V3), these kits pretty much cover all the bases and are hugely developed to ensure they work perfectly in conjunction with your model’s chassis.
V1 comes with factory pre-set damping rates, so basically you can adjust the lowering to your own tastes but the dampers are at a level KW fixes from the factory, hence why it’s ideal for a road car – you get sharpened responses and a lower ride height, but with a decent slug of comfort thrown in. V2 is exactly the same but now the damping is adjustable – so you can wind it up to a stiffer setting for that track day you’ve got booked, then knock it back when it’s time to go home and the hellish motorway grind beckons. The adjustable rebound damper means you can tweak pitch and roll behaviour as well, so if you’ve got a particular driving style you can adjust the car to suit your characteristics.
V3 is the king, though, with adjustability at different speeds available thanks to three separately adjustable components, including compression and rebound damping. This means that you can actually create your own low-speed compression ratings working in conjunction with KW’s own high speed set-up. All very clever stuff, and ideal for a heavily modified vehicle that spends a lot of its time on track.
If you’re not feeling quite so flush, then the KW Suspensions kits are ideal for fast road cars, comprising of lowering springs for those that want a better stance for their motor, uprated dampers if you just want to firm it up a little bit on road and suspension kits, which have lowering springs matched to the ideal shock absorbers for uprated suspension without all the interactivity of the Variant packages.
All KW kits are extensively tested (with the Nürburgring being the major test ground) and all its Inox Line products are extremely resistant to salt corrosion, meaning they’ll last a long time, even in the harshest driving conditions. Oh, and just for good measure, KW also has a stunning reputation in motorsport; it provides suspension for leading race teams in various championships across the globe.
WE’VE TRIED IT: PT drove a Clio 197 before and after being fitted with KW V2 suspension in issue 4, and the results were startling; the Clio was good before, but absolutely electrifying afterwards, hunting out apices with alacrity. And remember, this was Variant 2 kit, not the full-fat V3 set-up.
SAMPLE PRICES: BMW E30 3-Series (V1 £722, V2 £907); VW Golf MkV (V1 £699, V2 £914, V3 £999); Ford Focus ST (V3 £995); Renault Clio Williams (V1 £449, V2 £641)
WHITELINE
www.whitelineautomotive.co.uk, 01383 820820
CARS CATERED FOR: Ford, Holden, Honda, Hyundai, Mazda, MINI, Mitsubishi, Nissan, Opel, Subaru, Suzuki, Toyota, VW
OVERVIEW: Different from the rest of the major suspension manufacturers as this company started Down Under, and so has an Australian/Japanese bent. But don’t fret, because Whiteline is becoming more and more popular over here in the UK and it now has a big presence in the aftermarket tuning fraternity, basically because it makes bloody good stuff.
Whiteline is perhaps less about specific all-in-one suspension kits and more about high quality components, from polyurethane bushes, tougher drop links and alignment packages. There’s a vast array of stuff to choose from, starting with two types of lowering spring (Control for a 15-40mm drop, which reduces squat, dive and roll, and Flatout, for a slightly more extreme 25-50mm lowering), the aforementioned ARBs which go up to a beefy 24mm in diameter, and also camber, toe and caster kits which allow you to tweak your alignment settings on cars that supposedly have ‘fixed’ set-ups. All very clever stuff.
However, if you do fancy the whole kit and caboodle, Whiteline has collated all its best stuff into three discrete packages, called Handling Pack, Sports Pack and The Works. The HP is the intro kit, comprising an ARB, polybushes and alignment products that’ll improve handling without ruining the ride and comfort. Slightly more involved is the SP, with adjustable lowering springs (up to 50mm) and Whiteline-specified matching shock absorbers. Go for The Works, though, and you get the first two packs combined, ensuring that all the components of your car’s suspension are given an overhaul. And you can customise any of these packages by adding further Whiteline goodies to them; superb!
WE’VE TRIED IT: Another day, another Renault, this time a Clio 182 in issue 6 fitted with Whiteline’s adjustable anti-roll bar. This is a much simpler and cheaper mod than full coilovers, of course, but don’t dismiss it because of that – we thought it was an excellent consequence-free suspension upgrade that would work even better with a full chassis set-up. As it was, it turned a dynamically competent car into a scalpel-sharp front-driver with nothing more than a 20 minute bolt-on modification.
SAMPLE PRICES: Whiteline products are distributed by a variety of leading tuning companies across the UK, so prices will vary; check the website for details. The ARB kit we tested in PT6 was a mere £134.15, which is very competitive.
EIBACH
www.eibach.co.uk, 01455 285852
CARS CATERED FOR: Alfa Romeo, Audi, BMW, Citroën, Daihatsu, Fiat, Ford, Holden, Honda, Hyundai, Lancia, Mazda, Mercedes-Benz, MINI, Mitsubishi, Nissan, Opel, Peugeot, Porsche, Renault, Seat, Skoda, Subaru, Suzuki, Toyota, Vauxhall, VW
OVERVIEW: One of the big hitters in the suspension world, Eibach has been going for over 50 years now, providing top quality products for road and race cars alike. Think about it – how often have you seen cars at the Nürburgring 24hr or in the BTCC or on a WRC stage, all carrying that Eibach Federn logo? Yes, more often than you’ve had hot dinners! Er...
Anyway, springs, shocks, ARBs, coilovers, wheel spacers, wheel alignment and suspension kits are all on offer from Eibach, as well as electronic suspension systems for ABC-equipped Mercs (should you have one of those). Entry level comes courtesy of Pro-Kit lowering springs, which offer up to a 40mm drop on most models; then there are Sportline springs, for more extreme performance applications with up to 50mm lowering; Pro-Dampers and ARB kits for that extra bit of control when equipped with the springs; and the Pro-Alignment goodies which can combat excessive negative camber once you’ve started modding the suspension.
The Pro-System is the first springs-and-dampers package, which is a fit-and-go, already set-up combination that offers excellent on-road dynamics; go one stage further with the Sport-System, which incorporates 50mm lowering as well. Finally, the Pro-Street-S coilover kit offers you adjustable ride height (between 20 and 70mm) along with springs and dampers developed from Eibach’s ERS racing components, so you get low speed comfort with taut body control at high speeds.
All Eibach’s products undergo TuV testing as well, giving you peace of mind where longevity is concerned, but just in case the company offers its legendary Million Mile Warranty on all components, which – let’s be fair – is a hell of a lot of cover.
WE’VE TRIED IT: PT10 and Eibach was showing off its excellent aftermarket adjustable damping, courtesy of partners Prodrive/Bilstein, on a whopping Aston Martin V8 Vantage. While the car is too ‘unreal world’ for us here at PT, the idea of having aftermarket adjustable damping is a fantastic one and in practice the system worked pretty well on two tonnes of British beef; imagine it in place on a Focus ST, for example...
SAMPLE PRICES: Pro-Street-S coilover for MINI Cooper S (£630.73); Pro-Kit springs for Honda Civic Type R EP3 (£170.39); Pro-Damper set for Audi TT 225 (£469.55)
KONI
www.koni.uk.com, 01252 543900
CARS CATERED FOR: All marques
OVERVIEW: Dutch master Koni began life as a company in 1857, but before you get mad ideas and assume it was fitting coilovers to modified horse-and-cart set-ups in the Victorian era, bear in mind the firm started off making riding equipment for horses. Work on springs began in 1918, and by 1957 Koni was part of Formula 1. Now US-owned with four worldwide sites and a very profitable sideline in making dampers for trains (seriously!), Koni is a big name – indeed, Whiteline uses Koni dampers for a lot of its kits.
Koni’s range is simply huge – the company makes suspension componentry for pretty much every modern marque of car you can think of, so we’re pretty confident that should you want to fit something Koni to your tuned vehicle, the company can provide. Koni’s shocks are well-renowned, but be aware that it also makes its own coilover kits and lowering springs as well. Highlights include the STR.T suspension kits, which are simple but effective – a set of lowering springs (up to 40mm) work with Koni’s pre-determined dampers to give you a sharper chassis for very little effort or outlay. Also, the Frequency Selective Damping (FSD) shocks, released in 2005, showcase Koni’s ultimate technology – the damping level adjusts automatically according to the movement of the vehicle, meaning you get a comfortable ride on rutted roads and firmer body control on smoother, faster surfaces, without having to get out and adjust the dampers each time. All Koni products have to pass strict German TuV testing, so you know they’re going to last a long time, as well as giving you a sharper handling motor.
WE’VE TRIED IT: A sumptuous white E30 BMW M3 from way back in issue 2 ran Koni adjustables, and they were superb. They kept the body well in check for pitch/dive etc when ramped up for track work, while on the road you could tone things down a touch for a bit of civility... well, as civil as you can get in a car running a final drive that means it’s doing 4000rpm at 70mph in fifth gear!
SAMPLE PRICES: STR.T suspension kits start from from £249; individual springs and dampers again vary in price according to which UK dealer you buy them from, but Koni has a huge list of distributors across the country so go to the website to find your nearest outlet.
HONOURABLE MENTIONS
• Avo, www.avouk.com, 01604 708101
• Tein, www.tein.co.uk, 0870 606 6543
• Spax, www.spax.co.uk, 01869 244771
• FK Automotive, www.fk-automotive.imosnet.de
• Bilstein, www.bilstein.com
• H&R, www.hrsuspension.co.uk, 01436 678777
• GMax, www.gmaxsuspension.co.uk, 0845 345 9755
• Leda, www.leda.com, 01355 348880
• Cobra, www.cobra-suspension.com
