Is stiffer always better ??
 

Been searching here and there about lowering the cars with springs. I will later on get aftermarket shocks or coilovers. But for now, i cant look at my damn wheel gap so this spring im lowering my car. Now different springs have different spring rates. Is stiffer always better ?? Better in terms of performance wise and oem shock longevity. Looking for a good drop while still minimizing blowing my oem shocks. IM lookig to get the tanabe springs. my other option is the tein s techs but they are stiffer. Thoughts ??

wow, 2500 posts and you still don't know how to search for well discussed subject matter?

Your avatar says YES!:naughty:

:lol: this.

everyones different. i prefer my car to be stiffer, others have driven it and dont like the stiffness.

chill out .. :eek:

you like ? ;) :yumyum:

Thats my point. I mean i dont mind stiff suspension but im aasking in terms of performance wise. If stiffer suspension ALWAYS meeans less body roll etc etc. And if the stiffer the spring the short the oem shocks will last.

I say you grab GT5 or Forza 4, take a car, add the fully custom suspension, and make a couple runs at various suspension rates. At least this way you can get some visual feedback on how spring rates affect handling.

+1 stiffer in the rear generally makes the car oversteer more. ofcourse this is learnt from forza so its not gonna be 100% accurate

Stiffer isn't always better.

Thats all i wanted to hear.

What are you needs? Do you drive the car mostly on streets? From my experiences (had a lowered Miata with Stance), going too stiff will create too much rattles in the car(hated but like the way it drove). Consider that before go lowering.

Since you value the question, NO!

For the street or even track, you only need enough stiffness so that when the suspension is moving you don't have to steer back and forth.

For flat track like autox you might want instant feedback on steering, and that's where stifffness shines.

Go drive a stock Mazda 6, and notice how you are steering back and forth even on interstate hwy.

Then, drive your RX8 with sports suspension, and you noitice you can hold steering at one point as you turn even with bumpy road.

If you don't have sports suspension, then, yeah, you're not stiff enough, and obviously many people here like stiffies (stiffer) Ha!

thanks for the info. The car is daily street driven and i plan on hitting the track maybe once a year. This is mostly aesthetic reasons. Reason for my thread is because im looking at 2 different springs that drop the same amount but one has higher spring rates than the other.

If it's just for show reasons and sporadic track use the softer springs will work just ok.
Tyres, dampers specs, weight, chassis mods are things that should always be considered when chosing spring rates, it's really a pain in the ass.

^ thank you willl do. I was thinking the same cause it will keep it closer to stock spring rate specs and it will also put less stress on the oem struts.

Softer springs are harder on the OEM struts because the strut will be doing more work. A stiffer spring will restrict movement more and the strut will have to travel less and the shock loads will be lower.

But as with any lowering spring the OEM struts will be hanging out in a place that they weren't designed for and will drastically decrease their lifespan anyways, no matter how stiff the spring.

The reason some cars run stiffer springs is to combat body roll in corners and increase the cars cornering capabilities. You can run stiff springs, but the same performance can be achieved by running a bit softer springs with some fatty anti-sway bars. The bigger sway bars will effectively increase your spring rates but ONLY if one side of the car is being affected more than the other. For example while in corners or if one wheel hits a pot-hole.

Personally I have both. Big sway bars and high spring rates (11kg/mm and 8kg/mm which is 615lbs/in and 450lbs/in). I love the way the car handles and feels on the street but most people can't stand it. I'll admit though that on REALLY bad roads it can be borderline violent.
Personally I'd go with the stiffer springs as I enjoy a more sporty feel in general, but if it's just a daily driver with one track day a year, the softer option + sway bars sounds like a more ideal setup. I'd also suggest some aftermarket struts as your next mod.

Hope that helps.

Is stiffer always better ??

My girlfriend says "Yes".

The idea of stiffer spings is to transfer more of your cars weight through the tyres allowing the tyres to transfer loads into the road creating friction. Soft springs allow the car to roll which in turn brings loads away from the tyres causing a reduction in friction. Spings that are too hard can cause the cars wheels to bounce meaing the tyre is not opn the road which obviously means less friction. You need to get a balance and the correct one is very dependant on the road surface and the damping provided by the cars shocks.