In this article, Bilstein compares coilovers and sports suspensions for lowering solutions

With a nearly 150-year history, Bilstein offers a wide range of suspension products for both offroad and street performance vehicles.
One of the main questions that Bilstein encounters almost daily is which suspension is best for proper lowering: coilovers or sports suspension.
Bilstein notes that one thing is certain; suspension tuning is the tuning measure with the greatest impact.
With a good retrofit suspension, Bilstein says drivers can both significantly optimise the appearance of their own vehicle and raise the driving experience to a completely new level.
Bilstein first gives guidance on the differences between sports suspension and coilover suspension, stating that sports suspensions from premium manufacturers such as Bilstein consist of shorter sports springs with specially matched sports shock absorbers.
It states this is important because the OE shock absorbers are simply not designed for the shorter spring travel and harder spring rates of sports springs.
While a sports suspension has a precisely defined lowering, coilovers are adjustable in height. The essential feature of coilovers is their screw thread, which allows the lowering to be individually adjusted within a defined range.
Bilstein says it is one of the few manufacturers that tunes each kit individually to the vehicle in question to ensure a dynamic, harmonious driving experience.
According to Bilstein, the motto for sports suspensions is: install and be happy! The company states this is why sports suspensions are the perfect choice for most performance-oriented drivers.
Bilstein says coilover suspensions offer more individuality and setup options. The company suggests that coilovers such as Bilstein B14, EVO S and SE are often the ideal partners for those who want to take their car to the racetrack every now and then.
It says the ability to adjust the vehicle height individually within a predefined range is a key advantage over normal sports suspensions for ambitious tuners and dynamic drivers.
For example, it is possible to influence the weight distribution of the wheel loads. Depending on the vehicle, coilovers can also offer greater lowering compared to sports suspensions.
Many coilover suspensions also allow individual adjustment of the damping forces. For example, with the Bilstein B16 or the EVO T1, the damping forces in the rebound and bump stages can be adjusted in parallel.
In general, Bilstein recommends that tuning fans should always look for high-quality suspensions and ensure that they are installed in a specialist workshop in accordance with the manufacturer’s specifications.

For more information, visit www.bilstein.com