Hi guys,

For someone who is only interested in lowering a car for the way it looks, what is the way to go ahead but retain comfort?

A friend has a TF with superlows but on a big bump it seems to hit bumpstops. Otherwise it seems pretty comfortable.
So, how would a car be lowered yet retain all it's comfort?

Also, another friend with a KH had hotbits coilovers and they were pretty comfortable if I remember well

Do a search my friend

I was only able to find comfort info on shock absorbers but not so much on springs

if you want soft springs, go for Kings. IMO King Lows is good enough for looks, comfort and ride quality- King Superlows would be mainly for looks, but with the right setup it could be comfortable to drive in. mine isn't the best superlow setup but for me it's still comfy, has the looks and handles corners better than it did when it was a boat... still rolls a bit, but that's coz i haven't done any other suspension mods- i'd like to get a rear swaybar under there soon.

my current setup is King superlows up front with Boge shock absorbers, and KMAC custom springs (about a 2.5" drop) at the rear with Boge shock absorbers too. i have been considering on replacing the Kings for a pair of Dobinson's for a while, i might do this when my front shocks end up dying.

just remember, you will always lose some sort of ride quality/comfort when you start to lower or play around with your suspension

Thanks Kojo,
Is there a reason why you're considering going Dobinsons?

And, the stiffer ride is fine as it is still comfortable, what I don't want is to be forced to avoid parts of a road because it has that sudden hit that makes your CD player skip. I think this is common in cars where they are left with little travel and hit bumpstops

lol kojo? that's a first! :P

i'm considering Dobinson's coz i've noticed that the King's might be killing my shocks, i'm on my second set of Boge's (gotta love lifetime warranty!) but the first set i didn't add/replace the bumpstops which was my mistake and killed the shocks a lot quicker.. they have a considerable less amount of coils than the Dobinson's (that i've seen). from what i hear, the Dobinson's are a bit firmer but won't bottom out and is still somewhat comfortable to drive with.

my brother's wagon is different again, he's running on Lovell SP springs on the front (should be equivalent height to Sports/VR-X springs) and Lovell lows on the rear with Koni Yellows up front and KYB's on the rear, he's also replaced the front and rear swaybars with Whiteline parts along with a caster and camber kit- this setup is great for the track, but a little too firm for me to drive with around Sydney streets..

it all depends on what parts you use, he went all out and specifically went for a handling package whereas i went soley for looks, and somehow i got a bit of comfort too! but like i said earlier, King lows could be your best bet- you won't bottom out, you still have some ride quality/comfort and it'll handle better than standard.

Sorry my friend I mistyped your username :)

How much higher are king lows to superlows?
And where/how much were the Boge shocks?

Thanks again for the advice. I really like how your car looks and it seems to be at a perfect height which makes it look like a prestigious factory car rather than a dumped ricer

King Superlows are for the front only and are about 15mm lower than Lows. It's not a huge difference, but Lows are definitely approaching the limits of your suspension travel. I've got Lows and while it doesn't bottom out often, I suspect it wouldn't take much for it to get a whole lot worse. If your roads are anything like Queensland's, I would not recommend Superlows for anything other than looks.

Regardless of the suspension you decide to install, I would replace your bumpstops while you're at it - the part is not expensive, but labour is a killer.

I have done suspension swaps in a Verada before so I won't pay labor.

Can you let me know where and how much you paid for your Boge shocks?

I live in Canberra but the car (which I have no bought yet, just planning to) will be a daily and will need to be able to do everything. I guess there is a good chance I will not lower it at all considering what I am hearing

I have Dobinsons and Boges all round, have done for a couple of years now, and by far it is the best combo I have had.
I've had King Lows with KYB then to Boge. Then swapped to Dobinsons and never looked back.
Dobinsons are a thicker spring and have less coil, but they look like standard springs. They actually fit in the spring housing on the struts better than the Kings.

my current set up is monroe GT gas shocks and low kings 30mm drop i will be going for dobinsons next as i find kings are to soft,, but its very comfortable and looks good have a look on my album i think its a good height..
DAnny.

my opinion lows is the way to go once you go to superlows shocks wear out a lot faster ride is hard and tyres wear out un even unless you get camber kit installed on super lows pretty much riding on bumpstops mosrt of the time

Grelise, can you elaborate a bit please on how the ride changed when you went through the springs/shocks?

Are dobinsons the stiffest spring out there?

EDIT:
Forgot to add, do coilovers offer more travel and hence more comfort?

Coilovers are significantly stiffer than springs. Stock Magna springs have a rate of around 140 pounds/inch. Aftermarket King Springs are around 180-190 pounds/inch. Most Coilovers are somewhere around the 350-400 pounds/inch mark.

Silly Question, can someone explain Bumpstops and what they are for and or look like? Cheers,

Boosty

They're basically a chunk of rubber that absorbs the hit when your suspension bottoms out.

I chewed through my bump stops earlier in the year. Let's just say that bottoming out is not a pleasant experience when you don't have any bump stops left lol

One of the big Magna issues is the apparent nose up ride height.
If you then lower the front more than the rear you have just used up more than half the suspension travel.
I kept finding, with Kings lows that I was running out of suspension travel with my AWD. That is why I changed to SP's. At the time there was not any published experience with Dobinson springs.
It just becomes too easy to bottom out the suspension and hammer the life out of the front bump stops.
The bump stops, by the way, act as a secondary spring as they compress so having no bump stops or well damaged ones will not be a pleasant experience.
Gerry

Sorry my friend I mistyped your username :)

How much higher are king lows to superlows?
And where/how much were the Boge shocks?

Thanks again for the advice. I really like how your car looks and it seems to be at a perfect height which makes it look like a prestigious factory car rather than a dumped ricer

lol all good mate. my Boge's were about $800 supplied, fitted and aligned (i had the springs in storage). IMO they're a great set of shock absorbers and has lifetime warranty- and you don't void your warranty if you use superlow springs (unlike KYB).

if you look at my car in person, your perception will change! lol my car is quite low compared to other cars here


... Dobinsons are a thicker spring and have less coil, but they look like standard springs. They actually fit in the spring housing on the struts better than the Kings.

ah, my bad- for some reason i thought they were thicker and had more coils!


They're basically a chunk of rubber that absorbs the hit when your suspension bottoms out.

I chewed through my bump stops earlier in the year. Let's just say that bottoming out is not a pleasant experience when you don't have any bump stops left lol
when i replaced my suspension the first time i didn't bother with the front bump stops- which was my greatest mistake. car felt fine for a couple months, then it slowly hit metal on the odd occasion.. then after a few more months it constantly bottomed out and was just awful to be in- plus it killed my shock absorbers and made my car so bouncy up front

Here is a pic if the difference between Dobinson Lows on the left and King Lows;
http://i316.photobucket.com/albums/mm329/grelise1/DSCF2096.jpg
And Hojo, you were right, more coil and thicker spring.

I have a friend with superlows but his car is not as low as yours Hojo. He has 17s though and has a good 1.5" of gap between the front tire and fender.


Also, I have a friend who had a Verada and we put hotbits street coilovers in it and lowered it excessively and it still retained a good ride. What are the spring rates on these coilovers if anyone knows?

Also, I have a friend who had a Verada and we put hotbits street coilovers in it and lowered it excessively and it still retained a good ride. What are the spring rates on these coilovers if anyone knows?
You can adjust the firmness of the Hotbits coilovers. If you lower the car excessively, you MUST increase the firmness, or the coilovers will need a rebuild sooner rather than later. It has happened to a few members on the forums in the past.

No these were street series so had no adjustability in them just height