The Best Coilovers

Suspension Techniques, better known as ST Suspensions started as a California-based company but became part of suspension giant KW automotive in 2005. With the purchase, ST became the value brand for KW. That didn't give them worse suspension offerings, instead, their core offering became the ST coilover based on a KW Variant 1 design. The big difference is that ST uses galvanised steel instead of stainless. Is that a problem for you? Maybe not. If your new suspension is going on a vehicle that won't see salt, it's a great way to spend less money. If your car is an all-weather ride, you might want the more expensive option. ST offers adjustable damping as well, under the XA and XTA brands. The company also offers a massive range of applications.

Eibach offers coilover systems for trucks, cars, SUVs, even powersports equipment. It has off-road-ready systems, street systems, and motorsports applications. The company has experience with street-driven vehicles as well as some of the highest levels of motorsports including F1, NASCAR, and World Rally. Eibach uses top engineering and high-grade steel for their suspension parts, giving them enough confidence to offer a "million-mile" warranty on their springs and other hard parts. Eibach offers suspension systems with threaded spring perches for maximum adjustment as well as adjustable damping for a wide range of applications including muscle cars and sport compacts. Drag-race-specific options are also available for maximum launch traction.

HKS is one of the biggest names in performance, and if you haven't seen their kit on a Japanese car, you likely haven't been in the modification scene for long. The company's suspension offerings are called Hipermax, and HKS offers a world of choice for drivers of Honda, Toyota, Mazda, and other Japanese brands ranging from simple lowering coils to racetrack-ready adjustable systems. Top of the line is the MAX IV GT 20 Spec, offering 30 levels of damping adjustment along with reduced unsprung weight and special coatings. The Hipermax Style X line offers a more budget-friendly option for drivers who want better than factory performance but don't want to splurge on all of the fanciest features. Uniquely, HKS even offers coilovers for some factory-stock adaptive damper systems.

Tein is another Japanese company that offers coilovers for nearly any purpose. Tein makes finding the right set even easier by giving more descriptive names to their different series. For the street? Try Street Advance or Street Basis. For the track, Circuit Master and Side Way Master, or for gravel look for Dirt Trial Master. Tein prides itself on excellent ride quality for its street dampers, with highly qualified team members doing test drives on every product. The company's light green colour has been its signature for decades, and seeing it in the wheel wells of any ride is a good sign that it will handle well.

KW Suspensions offers a range of suspension options, though their best for most high-performance drivers is the Variant 3 line. KW Variant 3 are designed for serious performance cars and offer fully adjustable ride height along with individual adjustment for compression and rebound damping. That gives you a near-infinite number of settings to explore, or the ability to dial your car in perfectly in combination with your performance shop for both ride and handling. Dirt resistant threads and a special composite collar keep the coilovers adjustable for years of use. Most of their kits can be adjusted even when on the car, something other systems lack.

Bilstein's yellow and blue colors are seen under plenty of factory performance cars and trucks. When it comes time to upgrade your ride, look for the silver and blue of the B14 street performance coilovers. B14s offer ride height adjustable up to 50 mm, giving you the ability to pick from ultimate low or daily-driver high, and letting you change it when you need to. These are not adjustable shocks, rather they are set up for your specific application, meant to offer you an optimal ride and handling balance for the spring that's been picked for the vehicle. Bilstein's patented shock design helps cool the heat inside the shick more quickly, giving you more consistent damping, even on rough roads. The tubes themselves are seamless for better strength and tighter tolerances.

Ground Control Suspension Systems does things a bit differently from most coilover companies. While they offer complete kits, the company is more about helping you pick exactly what you need for your vehicle. They sell adjustable spring perches that can fit into a factory location or be welded to a shock body for vehicles where there isn't demand for an off-the-shelf kit. Ground Control lets you pick your desired spring rates and even height from the extensive Eibach spring catalogue. The company will also let you pick your brand of strut and shock. They send you the proper components and you can even use the dampers that are already on your vehicle in some circumstances. There are several benefits here including less cost (since you need fewer parts), more custom fitments, and a better ability to fine-tune your ride and handling.

BC Racing is generally considered a bargain brand, but if you're more concerned with a fair-weather street car, that might not be a problem for you. Their coilover kits will still go low and they will give you options to drop your vehicle even lower as part of the BR series. The shocks offer adjustable damping, though they adjust both compression and rebound simultaneously. You can also pick custom spring rates if that's what you need, though custom springs aren't available off the shelf. BC also sells individual parts, handy if you're living somewhere that potholes are even more aggressive than normal or if you're planning on drift or track duty where the occasional wall tap and subsequent broken parts are part of the game.

Ohlins is huge in the high-end suspension world, producing systems for the top tiers of motorsports, both with two wheels and four. The company also produces the suspension systems that Volvo offers from the factory on its Polestar-branded cars. Ohlins dual flow valve tech makes for quick and easy tuning to turn the dampers almost instantly from street mode to track mode. The one adjustment covers low and high-speed compression and rebound damping on the company's Road & Track suspension. Want to build an off-road race? Ohlins has you covered as well, offering rally-raid-ready suspension systems with hydraulic bump stops, remote reservoirs, and the ability to support big lifts to fit larger tires.

Why Coilovers?

What Features Do I Need?

If you just want to install and drive, look for a system with no adjustments other than spring height. Your suspension shop can install them to the height you want and then you don't need to worry about them for years. That can be fine for street and track use, if all you want to do is drive.

If you want to tinker, and be able to fine-tune your ride, look for adjustable dampers. Single-adjustable dampers let you control rebound (how the shock acts when the wheel moves down relative to the body of the car), while double-adjustable shocks let you control compression (when the wheel moves up relative to the car) as well. More adjustments can also mean more chances to ruin the ride, so make sure you're ready to spend some time dialing them in.

Most modern cars use a strut-type front suspension. Lower those, and camber - the angle of the tire and the road) changes. Camber that is out of spec hurts handling, makes the car less stable, and can destroy tires. Adjustable camber plates let you fix your alignment, even with a lowered car. They also let you set your camber to optimal for street driving and then quickly adjust it for track driving or for show.

Stainless steel spring perches, the part that moves, will hold up longer against salt, dirt, and other corrosion-causing things you're likely to drive through. That means that you probably won't need to worry that you won't be able to adjust the height the next time you try. But if you're not going to drive your car in the winter, and aren't planning to use it in the rain, then galvanised steel, which is a more affordable option, should be just fine.

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