Shocks VS Coil Overs: What's The Difference?
If you have shocks and have been hearing about coil overs, you might be wondering what exactly are coil overs and are they better than my shocks? Let’s start by taking a look at your current setup – a traditional shock with coil spring, leaf spring, and in some cases a torsion bar. The spring holds the weight of the car and allows the suspension to go up and down, while the shock is a dampener that slows down the travel of the suspension, giving you a smooth ride.
Coil Over Suspension Defined And Reasons To Upgrade
On the other hand, a coil over suspension is basically the same exact thing! There’s a spring to hold the weight of the car, with a shock to smooth out the bumps in the road. With a coil over there’s a shock that’s threaded, where a set of nuts rides on those threads that hold a spring.
Wait, what? Then why all the fuss about converting over to coil overs if it’s the same exact thing? There are a few reasons to swap over that we will go over next.
The reasons to upgrade to coil overs include weight savings, size, adjust-ability, performance, and looks. A typical coil over spring and shock setup is going to weigh less than their traditional spring and shock counterparts. With that weight savings comes a reduction in the overall size. A spring is a spring, the overall size doesn’t dictate how much weight it can hold.
The amount of adjustment you get out of a coil spring is unparalleled to stock or traditional shock set up. In stock form, you bolt in your coil spring along with the shock and that’s it. If the car sits a little too high or a little too low, you’re stuck with it unless you pull the springs back out and replace them. If the ride is too stiff or too soft, the shocks are set and can’t be adjusted.
With a coil over setup, you can come in and adjust the ride height without taking the entire suspension apart. Most coil over shocks have adjustment knobs as well to dial in the shock valving to your exact preference. Swapping the springs for something stiffer or softer is a much easier process as well.
With that adjustment of the shocks, the level of performance for the shocks goes up as well. You can have them set up to cruise to the local burger joint, then with a few clicks of a knob, it’s ready to hit the track.
Let’s not forget one of the coolest parts of a coil over setup, they flat out look cool as well! They are trick, machined pieces that give a modern performance look to your suspension! We offer complete coil over suspension systems for your ride from companies such as Aldan American, Detroit Speed, and others. For you, Nova enthusiasts, check out this article talking about converting your rear leaf springs to a four link with a Coil Over setup!
Is it time to ditch your traditional coil spring and shock set up? Not at all! While there are plenty of reasons to upgrade to a Coil Over shock set up, a traditional one works great too. We offer performance springs and shocks for a traditional set up as well. But if you’re upgrading your car, why not upgrade to a Coil Over while you’re at it and reap the benefits?
If you need help deciding what set up is best for your ride, give our Techs a call at (866) 358-2277 and we will be happy to help!
