I'll make this quick:

- I want to lower my IS just a little bit, just to get rid of that little bit of gap
- I searched for "springs", "coilovers", and "springs coilovers" and didn't find a thread asking what I'm asking
- I don't know jack about suspension other than what its function is



Can you guys & gals tell me what you know, in real-world terms, what the differences, pros, & cons are with springs & coilovers? All I know is that they both can give you drops & the coilovers are somehow adjustable. That's about all the non-marketing info. I've been able to get so far.

 

Easy answer:

If you track your car , you probably wanna go coilovers since you need to adjust height and damper for tracking and street according to your needs. ( from your tone, you probably dont track you car and most of them ppl THINK it is better to have adjustability but in fact, they never adjust, once it is set)


Springs: if you just want the lowered look with somewhat improved handling. ( you will need to change your stock shocks sooner or later with aftermarket spring

 

A good coilover set will almost always cost more than a good set of springs and shocks. And a good coilover set will almost always yield a better ride and better handling than a good set of springs + shocks.


....but the main issue is cost. A good coilover set will be upwards of $1,000 usually.

 

coilovers are a threaded body with a spring and shock usually already assembled, and usually designed as a system to work together. usually both height and stiffness adjustable. If you really want to dump your car too, usually it's hard to find springs that will drop more than 2", so some people just buy coilovers to get like 4" of drop. They sometimes will also provide a new top mount or camber plate, on the top of the shock tower, but some coilovers still require you to use your stock top mount.

spring/shock combinations are still usually "coilover" design, in that the coil spring goes around the shock, but they just lack the threaded body that is required height adjustment. And you can mix and match your spring and shock. Some aftermarket shocks have stiffness adjustments, and other don't. There are also springs w/ a threaded collar for height adjustment but those are usually peices of crap.

It sounds like you'd be more suited for springs if you just want a little drop and don't care about changing your ride height, i'm not even sure if you need to upgrade the shocks. although usually it's a good idea because stock shocks aren't meant to be under constant compression.

probably a lot more information out there, especially when you get into cars that don't have "coilover" style suspension, and the whole spring rates, pre-load, corner balance ,etc stuff that you can adjust w/ coilovers.

 

Springs = looks
Coilovers = function

However springs can give you a slight improvement in handling and response, some springs can have a negative effect on handling and response

 

Thanks, guys...that's exactly the kind of response I was hoping for. No, oonowindoo, I don't think I could find more or better info on one of the Lexus websites ...they're nowhere near as car-savvy as you guys. All I'd get would be "Get the most expensive coilovers you can find...it's a Lexus!!" or "don't modify your car...it's a Lexus."

I think I'm going to go with a set of good springs, from what you all have told me. I don't track my car at all and yes, I do just want it for looks. I only want about an inch of drop, so I won't want to adjust the height or anything. The only thing I'm worried about with that is the ride quality afterwards...

 

Whatever you do, do not get Tein S Techs... As long as you get springs with slightly stiffer rates than stock you should be happy

 

Why not? Not a Tein fanboy or anything, but did you have em on your TL or something?

 

Their spring rates are horrible. They tend to soften it up while lowering the car decreasing handling alot!

 

tein h techs for a minor drop (+/- 1") if you need to go lower, expect to buy a set of shocks to match in the future. i have no need for coilover on my tsx, thus i'm selling them. for me, a suitable spring/shock combo is all i'll ever need (and its cheapper too)

 

sometimes spings won't yield the drop you want or the gap won't be even between front and back. Coilovers let you adjust height so you can get it, juuuuuuust riiiiiiiiiiight

 

Sala, coilovers are not made so that you can get the exact drop you want. They are made so you can optimize your handling performance for different tracks and courses. Its just that many people get coilovers so they can get a custom ride height when in fact if the suspension isnt set up properly it can hinder performance.

 

if you're only looking to drop 1" i wouldnt bother replacing the shocks

 

I learned the hard way. Lowering springs require different shocks/struts. I put Eibach springs on stock KYB struts and the struts wore out in a little over a year. Almost all brands make spring/shock combos now, but you can always mix-and-match. Like everybody said, coilovers are usless if you set it and forget it

 

Not always. The Tanabe NF210's are rated only 5% stiffer then stock. I've had them on my wife's 06 Accord for over a year now with no signs of stock strut failure.

Looks like they make them for all the IS models:

http://www.tanabe-usa.com/springs/sp...tions.asp?id=2

 

Tanabe is one of the better springs out there, along with Elisper and Hotchkis

 

well, after reading all the responses thus far, I do believe I'll go with just springs instead of coilovers - the coilovers, again, seem to be a waste of money b/c I will definitely set it & forget it [sounds like an infomercial].

The only thing I'm still hung up on is whether to get new shocks. Is there a range of drops wherein new shocks would be necessary - say 1.5" or more? I'm wanting to lower just about an inch F/R. If I do lower 1" w/o replacing the shocks, will the ride suffer enough to notice? One of the reasons I bought this car is that it drives like a stick of warm butter compared to even the TL that I had.

 

Its so hard to find springs to match up with shocks. After many suspension setups i learned to just do it right the first time and buy coilovers.

Your lower back will thank you.

 

re, the IS's current suspension is already a coil over suspension. what u can do is just replace the springs with the current springs in the car, and you will receive that nice drop with out too much of a ride change but increased handling.

coilovers give the flexibility of adjusting the ride height and in some cases with the TIEN TEAS system also have an active damper control. which is available for our cars. or is it tanabe???? i can't remember, i'm sick and feel like i'm going to die.

and btw i hate u :-), i want coilovers for my IS but nothing is out for the AWD yet, i want them for the adjust ability so i can bring the car back up to ride height for the winter and also their functionality as well as a nice setup.

hope that helped, and drop it