Coilovers vs lowering springs
 

Aside from adjustability, what are the differences between the two performance wise? I am looking at QA1 coil-overs and Hotchkis or DSE lowering coils for the front. Pros? Cons?

The car (69 Camaro) will for cruising 99% of the time. I really don't see racing in its future.

Thanks.

Adjustabilty !

Nufsaid :thumbsup:

Do the QA-1s need to be reinforced in the stock arms? How much lower can you adjust them from stock, 2-3 inches?

Be careful with this "adjustability".... And I'm not trying to step on what Blake said. Adjustability is the reason for coil overs. The shock rebound rate can be dialed in etc - and there is LIMITED height control. Coil overs are ordered and installed with rather "tight" tolerances for total travel. You can cause the shock to bottom out by lowering the spring on the body too far. That will wreck the shock in nothing flat. Of course you don't have much control on a leaf spring - but you can get adjustable shocks which can work just the same as a coil over... and a leaf spring can be mounted many ways and at many heights (with some work of course).

When ordering a coil over - they have very specific travel specs -- and "as installed" heights. One thing you'll discover with a coil over is that while they are great for handling and installation etc - they are really rather limited in their ability to be "adjusted" for PROPER ride heights/operation.

One of the reasons I chose to do inboard mounted leaf springs on my '37 Ford chassis was that I wanted to have it sit nice and low - but still be able to load the trunk up (it has a HUGE trunk!) - have a full tank of gas - and me and the wife could get in and go and still have a nice ride. I might risk bottoming out a coil over doing this. The coil overs would be my preference for the car - but the USE should also be factored in.

I debated this a lot before going with coils & adjustable shocks. There is no adjustability you get with a coilover setup that you can't get with coils/shocks. That being said out of the box it's easier to adjust coilovers.

I think the adjustment on the QA1 coil overs is like max 1.5" before you get into a dangerous area.

Thanks guys, that's what I was getting at. I wasn't sure how much "ride height adjustment" you get with QA-1s out of the box. No question on the tuneability (sp?) of the shock.

Coil overs every day of the week. If you're like me, you want a car that is reasonably the same ride height side to side. These old cars can be off a little after 40 years. With springs you're left dealing with it or cutting springs. Neither are good options.

With spring adjusters you can adjust them to get the exact height you want, although obviously it's not something you can do very easily once the car is all assembled.

Good point but I'm lazy. Popping a ball joint loose to change ride height isn't servicable for me.

The other thing to consider, once you get into a good shock, double adjustable, you might as well get the coilovers. The cost difference is nothing. The coil springs are cheaper and lighter weight. And a lot easier to change if you want to change spring rates. Plus there are a ton of spring rates to choose from. For a track car I would stay away from the QA1 "sorta" coilover.