47mm Lowering Springs

[Rooky]

Hey Guys

I've been thinking of lowering my 2008 IS220d. I came across Carbon Culture springs that lower the car 47mm.

Has anyone used these springs at all?

Any information would be great. 

 

[steve2006]

Hi Carl,

Sorry can’t help with much advice as never heard of those springs before, have you found any reviews on them?

Given the hassle of having to remove the struts then the springs have you considered adjustable coil overs instead?

Also don’t forget to notify your insurance company about the modification if you go ahead.

[NemesisUK]

With nearly a 2 inch drop one should be looking at also changing the shock absorbers to match. As above, I'd go with coil overs 

[Rooky]

Thanks guys 

I was having my doubts about dropping that low with just springs.

 

[Mr Vlad]

When I was chatting with the guys at my local Halfords who all drive older cars and modified and experienced in all aspects of suspension they recommend I stay put with normal suspension as the majority of coilovers give a very harsh ride. Yes very few don't but they cost thousands. 

To change the springs is a doddle. From start to finish and by that I mean get tools out and Jack's and then when done put tools away it took me an hour to remove a strut replace the dust gaitor with a modified one and put strut back on the car. Only tool needed to buy was spring compressors.

Yes members on here swear by coilovers but they want a stiff harsh ride and do drifts and doughnuts and there's nowt wrong with that.

[Rooky]

So for normal driving about maybe 35mm lowering will be a nice compromise. 

I have a nice set of 18s and there is still a ton of room above them.

[NemesisUK]

Wheel size doesn't matter, as rim diameter goes up the tyre sidewall reduces to keep the rolling circumference the same.

[Rooky]

Cool, thank you.

 

[Mr Vlad]

4 hours ago, NemesisUK said:

Wheel size doesn't matter, as rim diameter goes up the tyre sidewall reduces to keep the rolling circumference the same.

Not necessarily. It's the Aspect Ratio that dictates rolling road diameter. Ok similar to what you posted but not wholly correct. Going bigger in tyre size means a Wider tyre too except in some cases where going bigger means a narrower one which is errrrr stupid.

So Carl just why are you looking at lowering your car?

 

[Rooky]

Hey Mr Vlad

To be honest it's for the look. There is way too much space between the wheel and the wheel arch.

I realise there are other benefits but the truth is for the look.

 

[NemesisUK]

7 hours ago, Rooky said:

Hey Mr Vlad

To be honest it's for the look. There is way too much space between the wheel and the wheel arch.

I realise there are other benefits but the truth is for the look.

 

Nothing wrong with that, I prefer the filled arch look myself 😎

Does come with some negatives though depending how low you go. Ramp clearance and turning over bumps can be marginal.

My C class on coiler overs and a 25mm drop 👍

[Rooky]

Now that looks very good and is what I'm wanting to achieve.

Thanks for sharing the pic.

 

[H3XME]

On 8/28/2021 at 2:44 PM, Mr Vlad said:

When I was chatting with the guys at my local halfords who all drive older cars and modified and experienced in all aspects of suspension they recommend I stay put with normal suspension as the majority of coilovers give a very harsh ride. Yes very few don't but they cost thousands. 

To change the springs is a doddle. From start to finish and by that I mean get tools out and Jack's and then when done put tools away it took me an hour to remove a strut replace the dust gaitor with a modified one and put strut back on the car. Only tool needed to buy was spring compressors.

Yes members on here swear by coilovers but they want a stiff harsh ride and do drifts and doughnuts and there's nowt wrong with that.

@RookyCoilovers being harsh is a misconception. It really depends on the coilovers, spec and brands. Coilovers are only as harsh as the spring rates. Generally, lowering springs are harsher than coilovers because there's only the spring lowering the car while factory strut is always compressed and not working properly.

My car is on TEIN Flex Z coilovers (£732) that come with 8kg front & rear spring rates. That's very soft for such a big car. My coilovers have improved the ride quality as my stock suspension was tired after 129k miles. Even now, when people get in my car they always compliment on how comfortable it rides and they couldn't even tell that it's on coilovers if it wasn't lowered. Sure, you can find cheaper coilovers, but they will be crap. These are the entry level branded coilovers that are best bang for your buck. Fully height adjustable and also damping adjustable, so you have the adjustment of how hard or soft you want the damping to be. They will stiffen up the car a bit overall, it will feel safer when turning as they reduce some body roll too, overall the steering is more direct too. Can't go wrong with these. 

Here's a few pics of my car. It's about 70mm lower compared to stock, but it retains comfort because 1) spring rates are soft 2) dampers work as intended. Stock dampers will be too compressed 24/7 on lowering springs so half of your suspension becomes almost obsolete. 

At the end of the day, they are coilovers, so don't go driving over speed bumps or potholes are silly speeds, but I can't recommend these enough on this car.

[Rooky]

@H3XME Many thanks for taking the time to reply. It seems I have a lot more to think about than I originally thought.

Your car looks amazing. And that is a lot lower than I planned but you still have the comfort. 

I think I need to read up more on the coilovers.

[H3XME]

1 hour ago, Rooky said:

@H3XME Many thanks for taking the time to reply. It seems I have a lot more to think about than I originally thought.

Your car looks amazing. And that is a lot lower than I planned but you still have the comfort. 

I think I need to read up more on the coilovers.

No worries. I'd give you (or anyone else who's intrigued) a ride but obviously you're nowhere near Birmingham haha. 

I wouldn't overthink it. The primary purpose of coilovers is track (performance) use. Nobody buys them for comfort, but it doesn't mean you can't have that with the correct spec.

[DAN@ADRIAN FLUX]

Hi.

If you have any issues with insurance at all for a change of suspension then please feel free to drop me a line.

Regards,

Dan.

[H3XME]

20 minutes ago, DAN@ADRIAN FLUX said:

Hi.

If you have any issues with insurance at all for a change of suspension then please feel free to drop me a line.

Regards,

Dan.

I can vouch for AF. Was with them for some time but GreenLight beat their quote for me last year. Competitive market but never had any issues and no premium for modifications 😛

[Mr Vlad]

To me Adrian Flux are a rip off insurance broker. For a span of 15 years their quotes for me were absurdly high, £3-400 dearer. On other forums I've been on a majority had similar stupid high quotes. Keep away from these rip off merchants. That's from me and thousands of Ford and Rover/MG owners. 

[H3XME]

5 minutes ago, Mr Vlad said:

To me Adrian Flux are a rip off insurance broker. For a span of 15 years their quotes for me were absurdly high, £3-400 dearer. On other forums I've been on a majority had similar stupid high quotes. Keep away from these rip off merchants. That's from me and thousands of Ford and Rover/MG owners. 

Thing is, insurance is never the same for different people. I don't honestly know how they work out their prices, that still baffles me but until last year they have been the cheapest for me. That being said, I only look for modified car specialists..

And comparethemarket and such is a rip off. Online quotes always come up way dearer for me.

[Rooky]

On 9/1/2021 at 10:31 PM, H3XME said:

No worries. I'd give you (or anyone else who's intrigued) a ride but obviously you're nowhere near Birmingham haha. 

I wouldn't overthink it. The primary purpose of coilovers is track (performance) use. Nobody buys them for comfort, but it doesn't mean you can't have that with the correct spec.

Funnily enough I lived not too far from Brum for 20 years, before I moved to sunny Ireland.

 

Thanks again

[Yorkie740]

As said above coilovers been a harsh ride is a misconception I have the BC coilovers and is a very comfortable ride I have no idea how low is is as I just lower it into the wheels sit in the archers lol 

PS I wouldn't go any lower than 30mm on springs with a standard shock I don't understand what Mr vlads mates at Halfords are talking about if they're working in Halfords I wouldn't be listening to them too much they arent known for their expertise! Lol 

 If you're wondering what I know about suspensions I spent the last 20-years in the modify car world and working with race cars