Almost 30 years ago, the first car I modified was a 1980 Volkswagen Scirroco S. When I first got the car I was relatively new to car ownership, so my focus was on keeping it clean and waxed. I soon moved on to a new stereo consisting of a new head unit, graphic equalizer, 6 ½” in the front slimline speakers, with 6x9's in the rear (all Sony). I was quite happy and proud with the results, but anxious to do more.
By then I was deep into VW & Porsche magazine (to become European Car Magazine), where I saw many cars with performance suspensions and low profile tires, thus my next project was identified.
My car had the original 13” rims with 65 series tires, and I went to 15” rims, 50 series tires. I then installed Suspension Techniques lowering springs, Bilstein HD’s and a strut tie bar. The car handled like a go cart, but there was a trade off, which my molars quickly noticed. I had overdone it with a suspension so tight that it was uncomfortable plus, at times the tires would effectively bounce over the tarmac instead of gripping the road.
What I learned first hand is that the t
rue intent of a suspension is to keep the tires in contact with the road so they can do their job as effectively as possible. Suspension design must take into consideration where the car will be driven, including the style of driving AND the condition of the road. The magazine cars were often in were in California or Florida where the roads were smoother, whereas I lived in Connecticut and New York, where early spring included darting left and right avoiding potholes that would surely destroy my tires and rims.
I had assumed “more was better”, so I chose the stiffest Bilstein racing shock available (they warned me), not realizing a stiff shock is only effective when the road is smooth enough to keep the tires in contact with the road. Too soft and the car leans over and often rolls the tire onto its sidewall and too stiff leaves the tires bouncing over road imperfections.
Yes, cars and equipment have improved in the last 30 years, including better lower coil over options, so you can drop the ride height without impacting ride quality. But the theme is the same. Be realistic of you're driving conditions and seek out the advice of professionals or people who have traveled the same road (try forums). Also, I realized I was more interested in telling people I had a “racing suspension in my car” than having a car that handled well without knocking the teeth out of my passenger’s heads. Lesson learned.
Do you think stiffer suspension hurts the handling on OVERALL vehicle functionality? What's your experience?
About the Author: Alex Fiehl
Alex
is FCP's Blog Editor and a Desktop Engineer from Endwell, NY. He has over 9 years of experience working on a wide array of import makes, but has found his home with European cars. With a Volkswagen and Volvo at home, the garage is always busy.
