Should i get coilovers.

I want my car to be lower, but i have a very steep driveway, so i can't lower it to much. the reason i am thinking coilovers is that i am able to set the height of my car so it looks good and also does get up the driveway. ( then latter if i move and can have it lower it doesn't mean i got to lower it again.)

im looking at the Hotbits Sports, so they will be going on a ralliart. has anyone got these on their ralliart and if so what do you think.

or if you got any other ideas im open for suggestions.

thanks, Pete

its a lot of $$ just for height. If you say the ralliart handles great, it might be silly to spend an extra 1800 for IF you move house later.

Should i get coilovers.

I want my car to be lower, but i have a very steep driveway, so i can't lower it to much. the reason i am thinking coilovers is that i am able to set the height of my car so it looks good and also does get up the driveway. ( then latter if i move and can have it lower it doesn't mean i got to lower it again.)

im looking at the Hotbits Sports, so they will be going on a ralliart. has anyone got these on their ralliart and if so what do you think.

or if you got any other ideas im open for suggestions.

thanks, Pete

They are worth it for the ride adjustability.. IE if you are heading off to do a hills run you can tune the suspension accordingly, same with drags, or rough roads.

$2000 is alot of money, but if you have it spare then id do it.

P.S A white wingless ralliart on coilovers would look hot!

talk to blackbeard, he put coil-overs on. Its not that easy to raise-lower your car on coil-overs, i mean if you want good handling and the whole car isn't at the same level its gonna be funny driving it everytime you raise then lower it but i guess, keep it at the same height for normal driving, mark the threads where it was and just dump it for shows, that'd work fine but going up and down all the time like your on bags would be stupid..

Coil-overs will always handle better than spring/shock combo's (unless they're a package/have been matched) because your coil-over's rebound and spring rates are married where as you go like KYB whatevers and king springs, they're different and wont handle as good.. i guess you wouldnt really notice this until your out on a track anyway...

eh forget i posted :P

Thanks for your ideas, i know they are not easy to cange the height, but i will be able to lower it to the point where my car just gets up the driveway (normal driving mode). but then if i ever move, i can drop it some more if i feel it need it,

so as for having what ever ride height i want, i will tick that box. im happy to pay a bit more and get it how i want it.

and has for handeling, i dont know how much better than the normal ralliart it will be, but guess with the car a little lower, and slightly hard ride, its going to be better. so i would tick that box too

Money [] do i want to part with my money. No, but yes. this is the problem i am having. if you live in sydney and have coilovers and want to come to the northen beaches. take me for a drive and let me make up my mind please do so.

i dunno if for 2grand it is worth it ...

its definetely worth it if u love driving in the hills and u wanna spend some time on the track .

does look hot

Phaw.. $2k..

Phaw.. The look..

God its tough.

Me personaly.. No I dont think I would do it. The cost and the advantages just dont weigh up for me.

[SEIRYU] has fitted coilovers to his ralliart - and by all accounts he is very happy with them (infact - it was a good part of the reason I ended up getting them instead of Koni/Kings combo - I figured if they are that much better than the Ralliart suspension, then they must be good).

Having said that - if all you want is for your ride to be lower, then I'd look at getting some custom springs or something made up, because it'd be a waste of money if you don't intend to utilise all the features of them (bump/rebound adjustability).

ok, so if they made a big difference to a ralliart, they must be good. the height thing is more i just want to be able to change the hight of my car so it can get up the driveway, but i do like the idea of better around the corners. especialy since i live 5mins way fomr a road called "the bends" .

ok then one more question. how hard are they to install. Im getting my car serviced in a few weeks, would i just get them fit at the same time.

thanks for you help

yer, most places will be able to fit them. I dropped my car off for about 6 hrs and they charged approx $200-250. (i had other stuff done, so thats a rough guess). Its just a big drama to take the rear seats and stuff out. They gave hotbits a quick call to confirm some stuff, and apparently they had to make up a few bolts/parts at the shop but nothing big. Im not sure if any other later model magnas had to do this, but the top of them poke up through the stut-like area (hahah i suck), which my mechanic was a bit iffy about, but turns out you can see/adjust the dampner within the engine bay. Ill take a pic because i never knew you could do that before i brought mine.

Changing height is probobly about 20mins if your good with wheel removal, but i reckon i can fit the adjustment spanners through my rims. hehe.

Oh and mind the step (or lack there of ) when you go to get in the car when you pick it up :P

its so funny seeing dee get in and out of her car.....its like slapstick, classic, she falls into her car, and just hopes ur ass gets in the seat hahahahahaha
cheers
Rhys

Once!

If only we could all have our cars sitting as high as yours rhys...


:D

Once!

If only we could all have our cars sitting as high as yours rhys...


:D


say that now, i'm reinventing the meaning to the word dumped, i'll be stepping up to the road to get out of my car, u just wait and see
cheers
Rhys

say that now, i'm reinventing the meaning to the word dumped, i'll be stepping up to the road to get out of my car, u just wait and see
cheers
Rhys

photoshop doesnt lower your car irl :P

</spam>

Pete, you wont be able to get your car that low on coilovers unless you remove the helper springs. I wouldnt recommend removing them as those little green thingies keep your springs from falling out/moving out of place when you go over bumps etc.

as for handling, I'd suggest going for the highest spec coilovers as they provide you with damper control as well as ride height. do you have a strut brace? if not, id suggest that too.

dee, since when did you get coilovers?

Pete, you wont be able to get your car that low on coilovers unless you remove the helper springs. I wouldnt recommend removing them as those little green thingies keep your springs from falling out/moving out of place when you go over bumps etc.

as for handling, I'd suggest going for the highest spec coilovers as they provide you with damper control as well as ride height. do you have a strut brace? if not, id suggest that too.

dee, since when did you get coilovers?

with out moving the helper spring how low can you go with coilovers. the cars with them seem to be low enough for me. but maybe the took out the helper spring.

Street Spec coilovers dont come with helper springs so you can go lower with them...

As for fitting.. Can do yourself if you can be bothered.. i did mine... pulling out the rear seats is easy and takes 5 mins once you no what ur doing

see here for my TJ Sports with Street Spec at its lowest setting..
http://www.astra.com.au/front1.jpg

so the street go lower than the sport, but the sports handel better. is that right.

so the street go lower than the sport, but the sports handel better. is that right.

Sports CAN handle better if they are setup right...

i cant 100% confirm that street goes lower BUT looking at pics of ppl's cars with Sport spec it would seem street appears lower...

i can confirm that street does not have a helper spring though so it should make sense that the street goes lower.....

so what is the main difference between street and sport, other than helper springs.

so what is the main difference between street and sport, other than helper springs.

STREET = Height adjustable only

SPORTS = Height, Damper & Rebound adjustable (but can't go as low as the STREET withoug removing the helper springs). Also - the Damper and Rebound share the same adjustment (ie: they are linked - there is a single dial on each unit which adjusts both together).

to put it simply, coilovers are the BEST value for money mod i've done

modding a car is similar to building a house... if you put the roof on first, it all comes crashing down..

its GREAT to have power, but if the car handles like a tank, you cant use it

coilovers are teh one thing i would reccomend to anyone, from teh nanna doing the shopping, to the hardcore track junky...

theres a setting for anything :)

long trip - soften them up to exec commo spec
track - have them harder than a testosterone filled 13yo on intravenous viagra... (worst metaphor everrr)

:D

Street Spec coilovers dont come with helper springs so you can go lower with them...

As for fitting.. Can do yourself if you can be bothered.. i did mine... pulling out the rear seats is easy and takes 5 mins once you no what ur doing

see here for my TJ Sports with Street Spec at its lowest setting..
http://www.astra.com.au/front1.jpg

Can you still steer lock to lock at that hight? Can you even drive at that hight?

Can you still steer lock to lock at that hight? Can you even drive at that hight?

From memory - at that height, the front tyres were touching the guard, so the answer is no. I do recall seeing pics of it at the height he used to drive it and to put it simpy - to get it that low without coilovers you would need custom springs made, and probably need the mcpherson struts modified to stop the springs popping out.

Can you still steer lock to lock at that hight? Can you even drive at that hight?

nah couldnt drive it at that height.. as black beard said the front guards were sitting on the tyres... if it was on 17s i reckon ud be able to drive it...

mind u the setting i had it at that i drove was still very very low... the 19s were my problem, not the suspension... the 19s rubbed on the guards even before the coilovers.. i had king lows prior to the coilovers.... if you dont have incorrect tyres and/or rims then id say ud be able to drive it damn close to how it looks in that pic..

i should have gone with 235/35s/R19 (as ive done on my Ralliart) rather than the 245s i had on the sports...

so 225 35 R19 would be fine if it was low. :D

so 225 35 R19 would be fine if it was low. :D
if the wheels are the right offset then i reckon so mate.. only thing is there is no way in this world you could have your ralliart that low .. your front bar would actually be touching the ground..and thats without a splitter on

gremiln ur sports lookd so hot. im plannin to get coilovers street spec once i get my 18's. ne tips on wat size tyres i should get to avoid rubbing? i want my car to be low enough that a lil bit of my fronts are in the guard and the rears in a bit more then the front like this chop
http://www.aussiemagna.com/forums/showpost.php?p=486102&postcount=32

but the rear to be a lil higher then that

gremiln ur sports lookd so hot. im plannin to get coilovers street spec once i get my 18's. ne tips on wat size tyres i should get to avoid rubbing? i want my car to be low enough that a lil bit of my fronts are in the guard and the rears in a bit more then the front like this chop
http://www.aussiemagna.com/forums/showpost.php?p=486102&postcount=32

but the rear to be a lil higher then that

I've got 235/45/18 rubber w/ my coilovers and aren't even close to having a problem. Having said that - I haven't played with the suspension at all, so I don't know how low it can go (won't be drivable any lower than it is now because I scrape my exhaust getting in the garage as it is). Also the place that fitted mine ended up having to raise the front about 10mm from where they originally had it set because they found it was nearly on the bump stops apparently. There is now enough room to get two fingers between the front guard and the top of the rubber.

That's as low as you'd want to go at the rear with the sports spec coilovers. that's with the helper springs in. if you take out the helpers, theres another 1.5"+ to drop. at that rear height, the whiteline rear swaybar knocks on the control arm so i wouldnt recommend it. i've actually raised it by about 6-10cm to stop the knocking/denting of the bar.

the front can be dropped more without taking out the helpers. see most recent pics of wtchme's car for reference.

as a rule for what sort of tyres to get, i wouldnt recommend wider than 235. of course it all depends on the offset, but i wouldnt go wider, just in case....

the handling on coilovers in addition to strut brace and rear sway bar is absolutely fantastic. i used to rival my mates gtr on corner entry speed (that was with decent tyres of course, not my crappy crapkangs). that's how fantastic they can be, IF they are set up correctly.

if you can afford the extra $$$ get the race spec, you wont regret it.

actually, the only person i know that hasnt been impressed is Synergy..... but pfft! what does he know! :D j/k dave:cool:

']to put it simply, coilovers are the BEST value for money mod i've done

its GREAT to have power, but if the car handles like a tank, you cant use it

coilovers are teh one thing i would reccomend to anyone, from teh nanna doing the shopping, to the hardcore track junky...


hey!!! that was my sales pitch to you!!!!

dammit.... i should get comission from hotbits.....:rant:

hey!!! that was my sales pitch to you!!!!

dammit.... i should get comission from hotbits.....:rant:

hahaha. i upgraded my seats cause of you too.. hahha. Ill be bringing the magna down in June again... gotta out-pimp you ;)

hahaha. i upgraded my seats cause of you too.. hahha. Ill be bringing the magna down in June again... gotta out-pimp you ;)

damn you!!!

*draws up plans to install water feature in back seat*

pic of front with about 3-5cm more to drop (without removing helper springs)

ive got coils, had nothing but troubles with the front ones, the rears are fine. i now have kings in the front, waiting for repairs on the coils. if i was to go coils again id go pedders. fitted a brand that will remain annoymous...so far my suspension plus labour owes me almost $3.5k. id seriously look in as many options as possible before throwing the cash away...

damn you!!!

*draws up plans to install water feature in back seat*

westcoast customs ;);) haha

ive got coils, had nothing but troubles with the front ones, the rears are fine. i now have kings in the front, waiting for repairs on the coils. if i was to go coils again id go pedders. fitted a brand that will remain annoymous...so far my suspension plus labour owes me almost $3.5k. id seriously look in as many options as possible before throwing the cash away...

well alot of ppl have had no problems with HotBits.. im guessing you have the same because im not aware of any other manufacturers doing coilovers for magnas... sounds like someone who doesnt no what there doing got there hands on your car and coilovers..... i mean over $1500 in labour.. what the hell.. im not a mechanic and it took me 4 hours to fit them :confused:

i wanted it raised, there was more problems with that etc...then finally got it back and a week later the front coils completely fell apart. it took the installer bout 8 hrs to install sway bars and the coils, the raising didnt take too long. now i just have kings in the front. in the $3.5k also lies the towing and everything but yeh labour was around $800(fitting of coils and sway, then fitting of kings)

i guess the answer is yes

i guess the answer is yes

lol..... Here's me thinking "why's he posted a picture of his engine bay???"

hahaha..... how soon I forget what those little red things are for.

So hows the handling??? unbelievable, or just excellent?

i set mine to 36F /32R and found thats good enough to handle well, but soft enough to not be a pain in the ringadingding

for the rally they were @ 45F :shock:

']i set mine to 36F /32R and found thats good enough to handle well, but soft enough to not be a pain in the ringadingding

for the rally they were @ 45F :shock:

How many clicks do they go seafood???

All I know about mine is they are 3 clicks from the hardest setting on the Fronts - I'm happy with the ride.

do they change much from soft to hard, haven't changes them yet. mine a fair firm and i think there on the softest setting. like fair bit firmer than standard ralliart.

and there are 2 pics on coilover, and one being the new strutbrace

should you get coilovers you ask???:nuts:

F*CK YES YOU SHOULD!!!:badgrin: :badgrin: :badgrin:

do they change much from soft to hard, haven't changes them yet. mine a fair firm and i think there on the softest setting. like fair bit firmer than standard ralliart.

and there are 2 pics on coilover, and one being the new strutbrace


play around with the settings. set them to hardest first. drive it around for a day. and soften by 5 clicks every couple of days till you find the right setting for you and your roads. I've set mine -10 from hardest (at the front) as i found my car 'banging' abit on joins in the road.


oh and Sky-na: I talked to the mechanic at Hotbits, and apparently one of their previous employees (who has since been fired) was taking shortcuts when assembling a couple of batches of coilovers. hence why yours (and mine, and a couple of others) shat themselves after only a short time. So far I've had 3 of 4 reconditioned due to this fact. The last one is only a matter of time..... so i hope that clears something up.

even after these issues, i still love my coilovers! the feeling i get when i destroy a BA XR8 through twisties is....... just magic

So far I've had 3 of 4 reconditioned due to this fact. The last one is only a matter of time..... so i hope that clears something up.


This brings me to something I've personally been wondering about ever since I got my coilovers. How does one know when their coilovers need to be rebuilt/reconditioned (under normal circumstances)? In addition to this, where can they be reconditioned? can any suspension place do it? or would it need to be an authorised Hotbits repairer? And roughly how much does it cost?

I've got the noob question of the year here (Dee - sit DOWN WOMAN!) but I don't understand if these coilovers replace the whole strut assembly or do you still retain the original springs with the coilovers?

I've got the noob question of the year here (Dee - sit DOWN WOMAN!) but I don't understand if these coilovers replace the whole strut assembly or do you still retain the original springs with the coilovers?

Coilovers replace the entire strut/spring assembly - hence making your lowered kings/lovells springs (if you have them) obsolete.

oh and Sky-na: I talked to the mechanic at Hotbits, and apparently one of their previous employees (who has since been fired) was taking shortcuts when assembling a couple of batches of coilovers. hence why yours (and mine, and a couple of others) shat themselves after only a short time. So far I've had 3 of 4 reconditioned due to this fact. The last one is only a matter of time..... so i hope that clears something up.
I had my front right one pop, like literally pop the oil & empty the entire coil setup of oil

that was only after like, two or three weeks :shock:... now that explains why.. :rant:

hooray for warranty



even after these issues, i still love my coilovers! the feeling i get when i destroy a BA XR8 through twisties is....... just magic
lol HELL YES... start racing bigger & faster things like skylines & try to keep up with the odd evo or two

lol you'll be surprised


How many clicks do they go seafood???
NFI man... i cant count that high.... :P

Coilovers replace the entire strut/spring assembly - hence making your lowered kings/lovells springs (if you have them) obsolete.

AHHH - THANKS!

This brings me to something I've personally been wondering about ever since I got my coilovers. How does one know when their coilovers need to be rebuilt/reconditioned (under normal circumstances)? In addition to this, where can they be reconditioned? can any suspension place do it? or would it need to be an authorised Hotbits repairer? And roughly how much does it cost?


you can tell when it goes cos a) the whole canister is COVERED in oily/greasy sh*t. and b) when the car starts to 'float' around abit. you'll be surprised how much of a difference one blown coilover will have on handling.

as for where to take it.... i dunno. i take mine back to hotbits cos they are here in VIC but i guess if you're gonna get it fixed under warranty its best to contact them and send it to VIC, but i dunno.

you can tell when it goes cos a) the whole canister is COVERED in oily/greasy sh*t. and b) when the car starts to 'float' around abit. you'll be surprised how much of a difference one blown coilover will have on handling.

as for where to take it.... i dunno. i take mine back to hotbits cos they are here in VIC but i guess if you're gonna get it fixed under warranty its best to contact them and send it to VIC, but i dunno.

Cool - Thanks for the info!!