Which lowering springs give the smoothest ride?

 

Smoothest would be stock The lower you go, the stiffer the spring needs to be. So TRD would probably be your best bet for smoothness. I run them and they do a great job of balancing between decent ride and good handling.

 

^^ agree.. smoothest.. is stock..

 

So the lower the drop the rougher the ride?

 

H-tech is a nice combo of drop, stability and comfort.

My ssp isn't bad either imo.

 

go trd. looks good and only moderately stiffer, if that.

 

i have hotchkis springs and i prefer the ride now over stock. i didn't like how bouncy and loose the car felt before.

 

I have H-techs and the ride is much better than stock and the car looks sweet

 

So I'm stuck between the Hotchkis and the H-Techs...they both have about the same drop...just which is smoother is the question? Does anyone have experience with both sets of springs?

 

not true.. my B&G's ride better then stock, and my car is slammed. they are a bit pricey though.

 

if you are looking for smoother, you need to find out which ones have the least increase in spring rate over stock springs right?

 

not necessarily. if you want a good ride, your gonna have to pay good money. my coils ride better then stock and the trds. the trds were much bouncier then my coils, and currently im tucking 20s on my car so you can imagine what the ride should be like. its impressively smooth. my megan coilovers on the other hand were very roughly riding.

 

well, coilovers have adjustable dampening. spring rates are essentially how stiff the spring is right? so if stock are the smoothest softest springs, then a set of lowering springs with the least increase in spring rate would be the next smoothest? that sounds about right to me.

 

If I recall, Hotchkis have a lower spring rate than h-techs...so they'ld be smoother I assume?

 

that is what i am theorizing.

 

there is a science to it and alot of mathematics involved to getting a super smooth suspension. i for one dont go that in depth with it but as far as ive seen the ride from mine is great. another local i know has the same set and he loves the crap out of them. the ride of his car inspired me to buy mine.

 

my hotchkis springs feel pretty smooth to me. no bottoming out or hard jarring feelings for me. i've riden in other lowered cars like a chevy colbalt ss, which had eibach and it rode like a$$. every bump was rough and very jarring. i am very happy with the ride of the hotchkis. the trd sway made more of an impact on the ride than the springs.

 

There is no way to properly drop a car and make it ride smoother than stock. A lower spring means a higher rate, which transfers bumps better than a lower rate spring. If they are that smooth and are that low, they are terribly designed and wont handle like they should. "Smooth" suspension on the street means having enough give and travel to properly absorb bumps, if you go lower, you have to sacrifice in ride.

 

how about this...he could go lower...and get a tire with a more side wall to absorb more bumps? smoother ride?

 

I drove my friend's Camry dropped on S-techs and it's like I'm ridin on a wild horse!!! He also has 225/40/18 tires so there's not much cushioning goin on. Another thing, my other friend has a tC with stock springs but got the super 7's wheel upgrade with 225/40/18 tires and his car rode stiffer than my car on Hotchkis also with 225/40/18 tires. It's really weird. I guessing he has his tire pressure really high.