The suspension of a car is what links the tyres to the chassis of the car. Usually, it is made up of several beams and bars, springs and dampers.
The handling of a car depends entirely on the setup of the suspension. Every component plays a role in how the car handles, and the easiest, but not necessarily the cheapest way to increase your car’s handling is to upgrade your tyres and rims.
Tyres and rims
Larger rims paired with lower profile tyres and stiffer sidewalls allow for slightly better cornering stability, and should be your first step if you plan to upgrade the handling of your ride.
Keep in mind that there are a variety of rims on the market and they all weight differently. Ideally, you should be hunting for rims that have less weight but has been constructed out of durable materials such as alloy rims made up of aluminium and magnesium. Being light and strong, the material will ensure its integrity when pushed to the limit.
Springs and dampers
Second on the list ought to be your dampers or absorbers and your springs. Dampers work to absorb the vibration whilst springs work to stabilise the car by ensuring the dampers compress and depress correctly. This is where the fun begins. Because the changes in both absorbers and springs can be both minute and monumental, I’ll just give some examples so you can get the general idea on how the different setups work.
Stiff springs and stiff dampers will keep the car level when cornering, but expect a go-kart experience. You’ll feel every bump and hump and will probably start hearing rattling noises from the loose interior components of your car very soon. Keep this setup for the track.
Stiff springs and soft damper will generally keep the car level when cornering without sacrificing too much of ride comfort. You’ll be able to take corners faster, but will occasionally feel some body-roll. This setup is suitable for everyday city driving and the occasional spirited cornering.
Soft springs and soft damper will make you feel like you’re in a boat out on the open sea. No, it’s not smooth sailing, it’s puke inducing wobbling ups and downs. If you have this setup, it probably means your springs or dampers or both are worn out and can no longer compress and depress as they should. Get them changed.
The handling of a car depends entirely on the setup of the suspension. Every component plays a role in how the car handles, and the easiest, but not necessarily the cheapest way to increase your car’s handling is to upgrade your tyres and rims.
Tyres and rims
Larger rims paired with lower profile tyres and stiffer sidewalls allow for slightly better cornering stability, and should be your first step if you plan to upgrade the handling of your ride.
Keep in mind that there are a variety of rims on the market and they all weight differently. Ideally, you should be hunting for rims that have less weight but has been constructed out of durable materials such as alloy rims made up of aluminium and magnesium. Being light and strong, the material will ensure its integrity when pushed to the limit.
Springs and dampers
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Second on the list ought to be your dampers or absorbers and your springs. Dampers work to absorb the vibration whilst springs work to stabilise the car by ensuring the dampers compress and depress correctly. This is where the fun begins. Because the changes in both absorbers and springs can be both minute and monumental, I’ll just give some examples so you can get the general idea on how the different setups work.
Stiff springs and stiff dampers will keep the car level when cornering, but expect a go-kart experience. You’ll feel every bump and hump and will probably start hearing rattling noises from the loose interior components of your car very soon. Keep this setup for the track.
Stiff springs and soft damper will generally keep the car level when cornering without sacrificing too much of ride comfort. You’ll be able to take corners faster, but will occasionally feel some body-roll. This setup is suitable for everyday city driving and the occasional spirited cornering.
Soft springs and soft damper will make you feel like you’re in a boat out on the open sea. No, it’s not smooth sailing, it’s puke inducing wobbling ups and downs. If you have this setup, it probably means your springs or dampers or both are worn out and can no longer compress and depress as they should. Get them changed.
Anti-roll and strut bars
Moving on, another popular upgrade to the suspension setup are anti-roll bars and strut bars.
Anti-roll bars are basically pieces of steel that connects the left and right suspension. This prevents excessive flexing of the dampers or springs on either side, resulting in much lower body-roll and better cornering.
Strut bars on the other hand reduce the amount of flexing done by the chassis itself. This again allows for better cornering and less body-roll.
Ride height
Not to be forgotten is ride height. Some basic scientific knowledge tells that the lower an object’s centre of gravity is, the less likely it is for its top to topple over. Same thing goes for cars.
The lower the car, the more stable it is when taking a corner. However, the lower it goes, the more difficult it gets to get the car moving, so more fuel is burnt trying to get the car moving. Also, damage to the undercarriage is more likely to happen. Lowering your ride simply involves purchasing an adjustable set of springs and/or dampers.
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Moving on, another popular upgrade to the suspension setup are anti-roll bars and strut bars.
Anti-roll bars are basically pieces of steel that connects the left and right suspension. This prevents excessive flexing of the dampers or springs on either side, resulting in much lower body-roll and better cornering.
Strut bars on the other hand reduce the amount of flexing done by the chassis itself. This again allows for better cornering and less body-roll.
Ride height
Not to be forgotten is ride height. Some basic scientific knowledge tells that the lower an object’s centre of gravity is, the less likely it is for its top to topple over. Same thing goes for cars.
The lower the car, the more stable it is when taking a corner. However, the lower it goes, the more difficult it gets to get the car moving, so more fuel is burnt trying to get the car moving. Also, damage to the undercarriage is more likely to happen. Lowering your ride simply involves purchasing an adjustable set of springs and/or dampers.
Camber angle
Finally, we talk about camber angle. Camber angle is basically the angle at which your tires are positioned vertically against the ground. A negative camber angle would mean that; viewed from the front, the bottom of your tyre is tilting outwards, and the top is tilting inwards. This would allow for better grip during cornering, because as we take corners, the outward of the tire will receive more stress, thus if the bottom of the tire is tilted outward, the tyres will have a larger surface area being in contact with the ground, producing more grip.
If you’re in the market looking to upgrade your suspension, the first step is to make sure what you want out of your ride. As discussed above, there are numerous setups that you can experiment with, so a wise move would be to get an adjustable set of springs and/or dampers.
Look out for brands such as GAB , Eibach, HKS, Hotbits and if you’re in need of a more customised setup, you might want to try a Malaysian company producing customised springs called Titan Suspension.
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Finally, we talk about camber angle. Camber angle is basically the angle at which your tires are positioned vertically against the ground. A negative camber angle would mean that; viewed from the front, the bottom of your tyre is tilting outwards, and the top is tilting inwards. This would allow for better grip during cornering, because as we take corners, the outward of the tire will receive more stress, thus if the bottom of the tire is tilted outward, the tyres will have a larger surface area being in contact with the ground, producing more grip.
If you’re in the market looking to upgrade your suspension, the first step is to make sure what you want out of your ride. As discussed above, there are numerous setups that you can experiment with, so a wise move would be to get an adjustable set of springs and/or dampers.
Look out for brands such as GAB , Eibach, HKS, Hotbits and if you’re in need of a more customised setup, you might want to try a Malaysian company producing customised springs called Titan Suspension.
