i got told that lovells superlows arnt good for handling, are they better than stock at least? i want the superlows for the look but im starting to re think it if they're bad for handling,
could any one give me a hand and tell me there own opinions? and what they've experianced?
i want to go superlows all round, been quoted $120 for a set so $240 all up, is that a good price?

240 all up is the standard price, you wont find any better and shouldnt be paying any more.

you wont get terribly handling, it will be a lot stiffer than stock and will shift the weight of the car better than the standard height.
If you want good handling, I would recommend getting new, stiffer shocks along with the springs.

If you are just after looks, the springs will work well with the stock shocks, the shocks might die after a while, but won't be a terrible ride. just a bit stiff and not optimal for performance. but still better than stock imo

ok thanks for that mate, so if i do find it a problem upgrading the shocks should fix it? or bring the handling up more with the superlows?

IMO it might be better to change the shocks at the same time.
Saves having to do the job twice.
Its what I did and will always do, at least if you change both over you have the peace of mind knowing your shocks wont fail you with the new springs.

i dont mind doing it twice, lol i just dont have the money to get shocks as well at this point in time, will most likly tho in a cupple of months

ive fitted lovells super lows to mine (see picture on left) and have had no problems with it at all.

I find the ride to be okay and it goes round corners fine for me...new shocks are always going to be good in combination,but just enjoy the looks and better handling till you get your shocks

If you want better handling, why not the King Lows? The Lovells would be better than stock, but I believe the Kings are a firmer spring, so I imagine that would translate into better handling. The King Lows are only 5-10mm higher than the Lovell Superlows, so you'll still get a nice and low ride height.

I went to King Lows/KYB Shocks from the stock VR-X suspension and noticed a substantial improvement in handling.

If you want better handling, why not the King Lows? The Lovells would be better than stock, but I believe the Kings are a firmer spring, so I imagine that would translate into better handling. The King Lows are only 5-10mm higher than the Lovell Superlows, so you'll still get a nice and low ride height.

I went to King Lows/KYB Shocks from the stock VR-X suspension and noticed a substantial improvement in handling.

I agree. I had superlows in my VRX and hated it. Looked good, but they were too bouncy.It didnt feel safe fanging around a corner and hitting a bump. With Kings, you get the jolt and it's over and done with.

Problem with superlows is that they reduce the suspension travel so much the suspension can barely move, you will get bump steer and also a lot of bottoming out. You will also have an issue with the front and rear end geometary being way off.

I have very low springs in my car, they are blue so i think they are Lovells superlows? they came with the car when i bought it, anyway, the shocks that are in it are worn out at the front, and the ride is terribly bouncy, suspension bottoms easily and then rebounds pretty high, not controlled at all, it's fine on a smooth road and gets around corners ok at medium speeds, but add some bumps or push hard and it's crap. it's gotten alot worst during the 10,000ks i've had the car for, so i'm now on the hunt for some decent stiff shocks. any reccomendations?

Problem with superlows is that they reduce the suspension travel so much the suspension can barely move, you will get bump steer and also a lot of bottoming out. You will also have an issue with the front and rear end geometary being way off.

WHo told you this ?

This is one of the typical rumors running round this forum that isnt 100% correct.

how much are a set of king lows? im still prity sure ill go for the superlows, but im still thinking about it all. what would clearence be like with extractors? i havnt got em yet but i will be

WHo told you this ?

This is one of the typical rumors running round this forum that isnt 100% correct.

no that info is 100% correct, speak to Ryan at Kingspring works and will tell you the exact same thing, also any decent suspension specialist shops as well, theres a shop down the road from where i am that refuses to sell SL's at all.

I run super lows all round and have no trouble at all with bottoming out or scraping and my handling is great cant complain one bit.

I run super lows all round and have no trouble at all with bottoming out or scraping and my handling is great cant complain one bit.

whats weird though is that mines lower yet i dont use SL's though im using a set of 45's from kings :nuts:

King Lows are much better than Superlows in terms of handling and geometry... Spring rate is firmer than Superlow and limited bodyroll as compared to them as well. Consequently they are a harsher ride.

In a word,yes they are,the other fella is spot on when he says about the reduced suspension travel and bump stop bottoming,hence why the are listed as a cosmetic enhancement only,they also have been noted to be a softer rate than the low springs,which cant be a good thing at all

Im over lowering myself,got sick of the bone rattling ride,scraping and tyre wear,Hell,my new standard spec 2005 VRX magna is as good a handler as my previous 98 Camry that had lovell low springs,whiteline sway and strut bars,KYB shocks etc,so a well sorted normal height car can be made to handle fairly easily IMO

In a word,yes they are,the other fella is spot on when he says about the reduced suspension travel and bump stop bottoming,hence why the are listed as a cosmetic enhancement only,they also have been noted to be a softer rate than the low springs,which cant be a good thing at all

Im over lowering myself,got sick of the bone rattling ride,scraping and tyre wear,Hell,my new standard spec 2005 VRX magna is as good a handler as my previous 98 Camry that had lovell low springs,whiteline sway and strut bars,KYB shocks etc,so a well sorted normal height car can be made to handle fairly easily IMO

Just wondering - how does lowering the car affect tyre wear?

camber issues mostly,should be able to be sorted with a wheel align if there is enough adjustment,in some cases there isnt and requires other parts like offset camber bolts etc to fix totally depending on amount of lowering

Ill try to clear this up a little.

Everyone seems to go on saying Superlows are crap for handling. Most of there info has come off this forum, or, from so called suspension experts. Problem here, is that alot of these experts havnt really done much work on Magnas, and often form opinions based on other cars.

Commodores are known to have shocking rear camber after being lowered. This is an example of where these opinions comes from.

Similarly, Lovells list Superlows as a cosmetic enhancer, rather than a handling upgrade. Again, Lovells is putting all Superlows into this category, and obviously, different makes and models of cars are all going to have a different response to Superlows.

What we need to do, is start basing opinions on fact, and trails, rather than just theory. Do superlows reduced suspension travel ? Yes they do. Keep in mind however, that Magnas, stock, have alot of suspension travel to begin with.

So has anyone on this forum done a direct comparison with Lows, and Superlows, and for this comparison to be valid, both would of had to of been tested within a 5,000km period.

So, to answer the initial question. Are Superlows bad for handling ? No, they are not.
Are lows better for handling. Yes, they are.

Superlows are still an impressive upgrade over stock sports (or VRX) Springs.

My car dosnt bottom out, and the ride is very good, on 20s, in all but the most bumpy roads. On 16s, the car rides almost stock. This is all with stock shocks with just over 100,000km on them.

camber issues mostly,should be able to be sorted with a wheel align if there is enough adjustment,in some cases there isnt and requires other parts like offset camber bolts etc to fix totally depending on amount of lowering

Not picking at you, but this statement gives away false info.

Unless your car is running Adjustable strut tops, or some form of aftermarket camber bolts, the Camber can not be adjusted on a Magna.

The only thing that can be adjusted in a stock magna during a wheel allignment, is the Toe.

No worries,but how so???,

You just said what i did!,are you sure it cant be adjusted at all,i thought there was a small window of adjustment that could be had before a camber kit was needed,my wheel alignment spec sheet shows minor adjustment of camber,i could be wrong though,i have been before!

And whats wrong with the statement that superlows arent "ideal" for handling?,it has been said from the manufacturer that makes the friggin things,thats good enough for me,thay spend plenty on R&D and what you think may be acceptable could be far from what they, me or others find acceptable in terrm of ride comfort and suspension travel,I base my opinions on MY experiences and what the people in the industry say,and if what you say is true,why bother with superlows when you have to buy extra bits and pieces to get the suspension geometry right and correct camber issues?.too may negatives and not enough postives IMO

BTw-my tyre issues where on a 98 camry

Steve

yea when an alignment is done, the stat sheet shows before and after numbers on the camber, and in the history with my car is always seems to show a slight correction has been done. surely there must be a tiny bit of play or somthing?

WHo told you this ?

This is one of the typical rumors running round this forum that isnt 100% correct.

Only about 20 years experiance specialising in Magna's

It is not a rumor, it is called fact.

With super lows, you not only have issues with spring rate, but your travel at the standard strut is about 1" and the bump stops are also too close to the control arm, not to mention the angle of the lower control and the strain on the bushes

yea when an alignment is done, the stat sheet shows before and after numbers on the camber, and in the history with my car is always seems to show a slight correction has been done. surely there must be a tiny bit of play or somthing?

From what I have been told, Magna suspension only has adjustable Toe. To adjust anything more, you need to go after market.

The slight differences could be from measuring issues. That said, a small change of say .1 or .2 degrees isnt going to change anything.

You guys are very quick to say Superlows handle bad, when, they are considerable better than stock springs out of a Sports, or VRX. How does an improvement in handling equal something not suited for handling :S

I have always said Lows will handle better, but, alot of this has to do with the Spring rate, not just the length of the spring.

It is interesting to note, that most race cars run very small amounts of suspension travel compared to street cars. It makes sense, that race cars dont need much travel, considering, most of the surface is flat.

Bottoming out on the street does not, and can not = a spring that handles worse. By that statement, a Landcruiser would be the best street car to throw around the twisties :S

The last thing I would like to mention on this topic, is that Lovells say all Superlows are only for looks. A generalisation they put on their product, most likely due to cost. They could not go round having a different rating for each brand, and make of car.

Madmagna, with your vast knowledge, I will be sending a few PMs regarding something I have planned suspension wise. Hopefully you will be able to help me out.

There are alot of Keyboard Warriors who read what others have posted, and seem to take that as gospel. An open invitation is given to anyone in Sydney who wishes to go for a ride in my car, which has Superlows. Perhaps then peoples minds may be changed.

That is all I will say on this topic

like i said,they wont handle "bad" in the sense of the word,but they are not ideal if optimum handling and practicality is on your mind as you can do better,Oh and Lovels aren`t the only one who say they are cosmetic upgrade either,kings springs and whiteline say exactly the same thing,I would like to see the rate of a standard vrx spring against a superlow,i bet you there wouldnt be a huge difference in rate at all considing the superlows are usually softer than low counterparts,but they have alot more chance of bad suspension "habits" with little or next to no handling improvement.

I disagree with your statement about bottoming out not being spring related,if a spring is too short or not high enough in its rate to keep the car of its bumpstops and the shock to have enough travel,then what is?,and bump steer and bottoming can be very dangerous as well and will certainly effect handling in a adverse way,At least the landcruiser wont get bucked of the road and get bump steer!.I like my standard VRX springs just fine,they are stiff enough to handle well,matched to my factory shocks,dont bottom out and provide a nice ride and allow me to have a full tank of juice and a full car without a drama,only thing it sits a little high,but thats one sacrafice i am willing to make!

But hey,each to there own ,if your happy with your car,thats all that counts,and opinions are like bum holes,everyone has on,but thats what the forums are for,opinions :)

Steve

thanks for all who posted, lol i will be getting my super lows today and fitting them 2moro, ill let ya know what i think, also, has any one had any problems with rubbing in the back when the cars full when lowered?

If you want handling then SP's would be the go.

Previous comments about lack of suspension travel are spot on.

In my opinion the aftermarket springs are a bit too soft.
Bear in mind that they were put on the market based on the TE suspension with a typically soft, at the time, spring rate and damper settings.

Look at the 380 spring rates and the effort that Mitsubishi put in to go to a more European suspension rids to handling compromise.

Yes, buy Superlows for looks. No, don't buy them for the best handling compromise.
Gerry

well i put my superlows in yesterday, and i got to say i love the look and the feel on the road. i cant comment on if they are better than lows as i havnt driven or been in a magna with lows, but i still think it is better than stock springs.

what about the sp/l front/rear combo??

I've heard this a number of times, so is that just a looks thing, or does it also play a part with understear for fwd's??

I've got some sort of lowering atm, God knows what..(is there anyway to find out what springs you have)

was thinking of doing the anti-lift/caster kit, and camber kit and the rear swaybar recommended on another post, but i was just wondering what is the best shock spring combo, i want something low, but something that also holds to the road like glue.

what about the sp/l front/rear combo??

I've heard this a number of times, so is that just a looks thing, or does it also play a part with understear for fwd's??

I've got some sort of lowering atm, God knows what..(is there anyway to find out what springs you have)

was thinking of doing the anti-lift/caster kit, and camber kit and the rear swaybar recommended on another post, but i was just wondering what is the best shock spring combo, i want something low, but something that also holds to the road like glue.

The king Sport springs, (id look up the part number but yeah) give a 30mm drop all round and bump the rates up a resonable amount from memory, but if you want to go a bit more hardcore you can get custom kings made up with any height and spring rates you want, that with some readjusted koni's, front and rear swaybars, antilift kit and poly bushes alround will make it stick like glue given what rubber you are running

i thought that putting a front swaybar in takes away the benifits of the rear swaybar? and encourages understeer..

as for custom springs, im not looking that hardcore. thats racing standards..

can people post up their cars with the Super Low's in them?

I'm getting Super Low's for mine, or even possible some custom Kmac items for about 75mm of lowering...

just want to get an idea of how its going to sit with the Super Lows...