Lowering Springs vs Coil overs

[BatMobile]

okay, i'm a girl other then cost whats the difference?
Is there a risk with lowering springs? will it void my warrenty?

[Tamago]

the magnuson-moss act of (what year guys, i forget) protects you against warranty voids for items that are unrelated to you lowering your car.

for instance, if your paint starts peeling, your dealer CANNOT void your warranty simply because you lowered your car. however, if you lower your car on stock shocks/struts, and one of them blows, yeah, you've voided that portion of your warranty.

as far as the springs vs coilover debate, well in most cases people buy coilovers because they want to go lower than springs allow. if you're just looking for a nice drop, start with some nice lowering springs and start saving for good struts/shocks (tokico comes to mind). the stock struts/shocks should last you a year or more, and once they go you can install uprated dampers. that's my recommendation as far as "looks" go.

if you're going to autocross or otherwise track the car, i suggest upgrading your tires and installing a rear swaybar first. dont' worry about getting the car lowered right away.

[BatMobile]

okay so if i get some lowering springs, they only last over a year? how will i know when they are bad, will they break? and if they do will they cause damage?

[cali yaris]

Lowering springs should last a LONG time (like several years). Shocks and struts may wear a little faster with aftermarket springs, but not as short as a year.

They don't break, they sag and get bouncy. Doesn't hurt the car, but you'll know when it's happening. I think we have quite a few members on here who have now had aftermarket springs for a couple of years at least.

Buy a name brand, known for good quality. :smile:

[Malaya1221]

lowering springs will not break normally but it is your shocks/struts that will wear off with time...i've had a tein lowering springs + oem shocks/struts...used it for a year with no problem...i just recently got a coilovers and sold my lowering springs here in the forum...

offtopic: a mod deleted tamago's knowledgeable post!

kimona, don't delete tamago's posts/thread that will/could help members, it's childish!!!

[Kioshi]

Batmobile -

If you are worried about sag and becoming bouncy, i recommend saving up some money and going w/ H&R lowering springs for the Yaris. Its a nice mild drop and the car will stay stiff as hell for more than 1 year (guaranteed, I own them)....w/ stock shocks~

Other good choices for lowering springs are: TEIN and TANABE, all which can be bought through cali yaris :)

[Aothachos]

I like the TEIN lowering springs I just put them on my car almost 2 weeks ago and I have been loving it. Well if your going to have like 17"+ rims then go for something with a mild drop, I have 15" rims

[CDavis7M]

Lowering springs will drop you, and give you a little bit better performance.

Coilovers can potentially drop even more, and they are performance oriented. So, ride comfort takes a big hit. But, some people prefer a stiff ride, I do.

[JumpmanYaris]

So would you want lowering springs or coilovers?? I have TRD in my sedan but i been recently thinking of changing up for coilovers and installing the springs in the LB. or should i just get springs for the LB as well?:iono:

[Trish]

I had lowering springs for the past 2 and half years, never had a single problem with it. My dealership never tried to void my warrenty for any reason....

They have to proove that the break is related to your modification.

As for the difference between coils/spings vs coilovers, the coilovers are more "complete". If you are just looking for a nice look, than I think you shouldn't spend that much money for coilovers, but if you are looking for a better handling/performance, than you should put your money on nice coilovers. I bought 2 sets of springs before I finally decided to buy coilovers, I regret it. The coilovers are way much better (for handling) than springs.

With coilovers, forget the comfort lol!!! It's stiff and hard, but...I love it!

[Red Horse]

What are the most comfortable coilovers?

[cali yaris]

good question. Not sure anyone has compared "soft" settings on the coilover brands. Silk Roads are pretty stiff, not that comfy on the street.

[etheliters]

id like to konw that too.

[AznGouki]

It all depends on what your ultimate goal is and how handy you are with your car. Springs is great for a easy, cheap drop for great appeal and a decent handling boost. Coilovers on the other hand can do everything. You can customize the drop by the mm to your personal liking and ride stiffness as well(if its fully adjustable). Coilovers really shine if you need a higher ride during winter time.
I have tanabe springs and it rides like stock but with a much more stable center of gravity from the lower ride height. I wish I had coils cuz winter is soon approaching haha.

[botchilah]

If you do decide to get coil-overs, make sure you get the most out of them by getting it properly corner-weighted and aligned (in that order). It might take a couple of tries until you get the right ride height and alignment setting but once you find a setting ideal for you, driving your Yaris (or any car so equipped with properly corner-weighted and aligned coil-overs) will never be the same again :)

I see too many people get coil-overs but skimp on the corner-weighting and alignment. Without these two, you are not getting the most out of your +/- thousand dollar suspension mod :)

[JumpmanYaris]

So... coilovers for stiff ride and springs for soft i guess its a no brainer because the roads here are crap.Now I have heard of ppl heating the springs but thats got to be bad for the car and the springs not to mention they my break down the road

[lilredrocket]

Never heat up spring. you never know when they might break and it is a lot harder to get them even that way. Garm has the AOE tiger techs for $129 and the DF210's and NF210's for $199. It's not hard to put them in. So why not go the safe route and buy springs if your just looking for a drop and not extream track proformance suspension

[DerFlosser]

KW coilovers are the best street coilovers I have ever used. Super comfortable....

[JumpmanYaris]

KW coilovers are the best street coilovers I have ever used. Super comfortable....

Where did you find em?

[IsLNdbOi]

So if we install springs with the stock shocks, do we need bump stops? Do all these new springs come with bump stops?

[Lafiro]

Agreed.

If you use stock shocks with lowering springs, then yes you must cut the bump stops. Search you will find the answers to that with pictures.

If you get coil-overs, then its already set, and no modification other then probably height/stiffness need to be made.

[ozmdd]

Coilovers are really about performance and adjustability, not comfort. I've never ridden in a C/O vehicle that was not stiff-as-hell, but that's the point; flat cornering=better control/grip. Its expensive, but people pay for it for a reason; it can't be matched by springs/struts. On the other hand, you can get a big handling improvement with quality springs, and your oem struts will last a few years, depending on the drop. You will still notice a decrease in ride comfort, and its greater with lower drops and stiffer springs, but every aftermarket spring is probably stiffer than stock. Same goes for struts/shocks: aftermarket versions will range in stiffness (why can't we get AGX's???) and will improve handling, but ride comfort will decrease.
If you mainly want the car to look cooler and handle a bit better but still be a daily driver street car in the real world, get some name-brand lowering springs. Cheap, easy, effective, REVERSIBLE (in case you hate them).

[FunctionSpec]

Tein Basics are probably the most comfortable coilover setup for the Yaris, IMO. It's a mild setup as far as spring rate and shock dampening. It has enough stiffness to keep from bottoming out and rubbing with 4 people in the car even when riding about 2.25in lowered. Also provides a nice upgrade in handling performance. Had mine for about 40K miles and still running strong.

Only other coilovers I can compare to are BC Racing which are a lot stiffer then the Teins Basics and handle way better but they were not comfortable on the street for me.

Oh yeah another thing is that one persons view on comfort can very a lot compared to someone else's view on comfort. My comfort rating is set pretty high so I like things to be pretty comfortable, so when I say the Teins are comfortable, they really are, lol.

On getting a spring and shock combo, they vary as far as comfort and performance because different springs mated to different shocks would give different performance. But overall they should provide decent performance, comfort, and drop. But for you, I would just recommend a spring and shock combo over coilovers unless you get the Tein Basics. All other coilover brands are pretty much for flat-out performance and adjustability, better suited for track junkies.

Main difference is price. 500-600 for decent spring/shock combo. 800-1000 for decent coilovers and 1400+ for some badass ones, lol

[tk-421]

So if we install springs with the stock shocks, do we need bump stops? Do all these new springs come with bump stops?
Springs don't usually come with bump stops AFAIK. You may want to invest in a new set since a few brands require you to cut the bump stops a bit. I had to cut them for my NF210s.

[IsLNdbOi]

Where can we purchase extra bump stops? Are there any that are already modified for use w/ lowering springs and stock shocks?

[tk-421]

Where can we purchase extra bump stops? Are there any that are already modified for use w/ lowering springs and stock shocks?
http://fatcatmotorsports.com/FCMstops_Yaris.htm :thumbsup:

[tk-421]

Coilovers FTW if you have the cash and don't mind adjusting them every time you get on/off the track.
Otherwise lowering springs are way cheaper and do offer some of the same benefits, but are mainly just to make the car look good.

[IsLNdbOi]

I'm not mechanically inclined. What's involved in adjusting coilovers?

What about modified bump stops? Would I need those as well for coilovers?

[Tamago]

I'm not mechanically inclined. What's involved in adjusting coilovers?

What about modified bump stops? Would I need those as well for coilovers?

adjusting the height = taking weight of the strut, turning the perch up or down (and counting the number of turns) and locking in place

adjusting strut bound/rebound should be able to be done from the top or bottom of the strut.

[Tamago]

Coilovers FTW if you have the cash and don't mind adjusting them every time you get on/off the track.
Otherwise lowering springs are way cheaper and do offer some of the same benefits, but are mainly just to make the car look good.

why would you adjust them up and down?

[tk-421]

Here's something I dug up by searching the googlewebz:
http://au.toyotaownersclub.com/forums/index.php?showtopic=19906&view=findpost&p=297275

Lots more here: http://lmgtfy.com/?q=adjusting+coilovers :thumbsup:

[IsLNdbOi]

Wow, you need another alignment whenever you adjust the height of the front wheels? I don't have any of the gear to do this.

Maybe its the lowering springs for me then. Or I could just get the coilovers, leave them at one height and keep them just to say I have coilovers. :tongue:

[tk-421]

... or get non-adjustable coilovers (cheaper and less hassle)

[Tamago]

Wow, you need another alignment whenever you adjust the height of the front wheels? I don't have any of the gear to do this.

Maybe its the lowering springs for me then. Or I could just get the coilovers, leave them at one height and keep them just to say I have coilovers. :tongue:

the point of coilovers is a corner balance (sometimes called corner weighting)

all other reasons are "just to say" :wink:

[IsLNdbOi]

the point of coilovers is a corner balance (sometimes called corner weighting)

all other reasons are "just to say" :wink:

So coilovers + rear sway bar would improve the handling of my Yaris by a large margin?

[Tamago]

good struts and springs are far better than "budget" coilovers like Tein, Megan, D2, Ksport.

[IsLNdbOi]

So are Tanabe coilovers considered "budget"? I don't even know how much they are.

Still not sure whether to go w/ coilovers or the lowering springs. I'd be using the lowering springs w/ the stock struts / shocks.

Again, anyone know if coilovers require modified bumps stops like lowering springs do or does it depend on what height you adjust coilovers to?

[YaYa1320]

I had tein springs and cut the front bump stops in half, never had a problem. I have Megan coilovers now and they have their own bumpstops on 'em, but you shouldnt need to do anything to them, I installed coilovers, am tucking tire, 205/50/15 kumho ast, on Rota Slipstream, 15x6.5, they are adjusted very low and very stiff and I have no rubbing or bottoming out, to my liking of course, although the best thing about coilovers is you can ADJUST them!!!

[YaYa1320]

P.S. also added camber bolts to front to negate any rubbing issues, added 2.5 negative camber, this is a must with my current rim/tire setup to tuck tire, maybe with a 195 width it wouldnt be a neccesity:drinking:

[Tamago]

So are Tanabe coilovers considered "budget"? I don't even know how much they are.

Still not sure whether to go w/ coilovers or the lowering springs. I'd be using the lowering springs w/ the stock struts / shocks.

Again, anyone know if coilovers require modified bumps stops like lowering springs do or does it depend on what height you adjust coilovers to?

yes, tanabe is budget.

[Tamago]

tanabe springs sag. look into other options.

[ozmdd]

tanabe springs sag. look into other options.


Suprised to hear this, as no one else has mentioned this, to my knowledge. I've certainly not had that experience, but maybe it takes more time? :iono:Can you elaborate?

[YaYa1320]

All springs will sag a bit over time regardless of the brand, if you are getting a deal on 'em, I say go for it, it will make the car alot more fun to drive, its a win/win situation for you:thumbsup: