What is the best type of suspension system?

12 Apr.,2024

 

One of the most popular independent front suspensions (for more on suspension types, see below) is the coil spring suspension. What a coil spring does is store energy before releasing it to absorb shock and maintain contact between the road and the wheels. This suspension system guarantees consistent performance and reliable vehicle control.

Best Performance Suspension Kits

A coil spring suspension is made of the following components:

Choosing the Right Performance Suspension System

With suspension technology constantly evolving, the automotive industry has concocted a large variety of suspension parts and upgrades to accommodate different performance needs. The following top 10 car suspension systems list includes the best coilover suspension systems based on overall performance, durability, price, and user reviews. Integrating the most advanced in automotive technologies, these performance suspensions are highly-regarded and feature ideal components for both the everyday driver and performance enthusiast. You can find each coilover suspension kit conveniently linked so you can quickly see more details about them or so you can purchase them directly.

Bilstein B16, PSS9 Suspension System

Designed as the ultimate race-inspired lift kit suspension, the Bilstein B16 is one of our top lift kit picks due its approach to slow adjustment, allowing for both enhanced driving experience and greater driving comfort. Road-tested under extreme motorsports conditions and integrating superior race-appropriate suspension technology, these coilover suspension kits offer parallel mechanical settings of rebound and compression. The fact that with ten clicks you can achieve optimal flexibility enables the Bilstein B16 PSS9 Coilover Kits to adapt to various driving conditions. At the core of each of these performance coilovers are the Bilstein gas-pressure technology, Triple-C, and monotube upside-down technology.

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HSD Monopro Monotube Coilovers

The highest-rated monotube coilovers in HSD’s racing line up, the Monopro are a class-leading masterpiece offering a well-balanced fusion of performance, adjustability, and comfort. Easy to fit and easy to adjust, the Monopro will give your track vehicle more compliant and controlled handling. These are all good reasons to go with the Monopro series but that’s is not all. In addition to giving you an unparalleled range of adjustability and performance, the HSD Monopro Coilovers optimized the latest in suspension technology as they offer increased traction through corners and improved steering and braking response in a single package.

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Skunk2 PRO C Coilovers

The Skunk2 PRO C Coilovers feature the most cutting-edge in suspension technology to bring forth outstanding driving stability and handling. What makes these coilovers some of the best adjustable suspension systems is their 12-way adjustable damping and affordable price! These mono-tube coilovers are ideal for high-performance street car owners and club racers alike. Offering independent pre-load/ ride-height adjustments, the Pro C comes hard anodized and features billet aluminum spring perches for remarkable corrosion resistance. If you’re looking for significantly reduced body roll and better control over your ride, the Skunk2 PRO C coilovers are the ticket.

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KONI Coil-Over Kits

KONI Coil-Over kits made our “best coilover kit” list because of their world-class adjustable valving with progressive lowering springs, ride height adjustable perches, and threaded bodies. These kits offer comprehensive street ride adjustment specifically tailored to give your vehicle maximum handling with a wide range of ride-height adjustment. In addition to an easy height adjustment, the KONI Coilover Kits allow you to set the corner weight and tune your ride for either aggressive street driving or comfortable daily driving.

KW Suspensions Variant 3 Coilover Kit

KW Suspensions Variant 3 Coilover Kits are engineered to give your ride unlimited sporty individuality along with maximum performance and comfort. These advanced coilovers come factory pre-tuned for easy suspension adjustment of height, rebound, and compression. Another interesting fact is that the Variant 3 Coilover Suspension Kit undergoes extensive testing on country roads, motorways, and even famous European racing tracks before entering the KW Suspensions Product Line. These “inox-line” individual adjustment kits from KW are extremely popular among sports car manufacturers, tuners, and drivers around the globe, which is another reason for their being on our best coilovers list.

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Megan Racing EZ Street Coilovers

A superb and versatile performance suspension upgrade, the EZ Street Series coilovers by Megan Racing offer your vehicle, 15 levels of adjustable damping, adjustable ride height, and conservative spring rates. Each of the EZ Street Coilovers is designed with the budget-oriented enthusiast in mind, providing the most basic essentials of a coilover setup without compromising quality and performance.

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Eibach Pro Street Coilover Kit

The Eibach Pro-Street Coilover Kits are an impressive achievement in coilover engineering. The Pro-Street Series comes with a set of coilovers, each featuring an easy-to-use adjustment knob that drops or lifts your vehicle’s ride height the way you need it. With the knob, you can lower all four corners or adjust the height from front to rear or side to side for maximum ride comfort. The Pro Street S version of these kits offers sporty performance and a comfortable driving experience in the normal range. So if you’re looking for optimal sports performance without sacrificing comfort, then trust Eibach’s suspension system engineers and invest in a Pro-Street Coilover Kit because you won’t regret it!

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Tein Super Street Coilover Kits

These affordable Super Street Series Damper Kits from Tein are designed for drivers looking for improved handling on the street and at the track. The kit gives you 16-way adjustable dampers, compression, and rebound combined. Featuring a twin-tube construction and powder-coated steel damper body with Zinc coated threaded sections, these kits are built to last. The shortened shell case allows optimum piston stroke functionality, which in turn results in lowered ride height and increased grip at the track. Incorporating advanced suspension technology, the Tein Super Street damper kits are ideal for you if you are looking to improve your daily driving experience while also enjoying occasional track days – drag strip, local circuit, or Auto-X course.

aFe PFADT Featherlight Coilover System

The aFe PFADT series Featherweight Coilovers are one of the best ride height and damping adjustable coilovers for rebound and compression. Specially designed for the 1997-2013 C5/C6 Corvette, these coilovers feature hard anodized 6061-T6 aluminum bodies and a mono-tube design delivering unparalleled strength while still being remarkably lightweight. Another great perk of the PFADT Series Coilovers is their internal floating piston design that separates oil and gas, ensuring more predictable handling and a better, more consistent feel.

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Best Performance Suspension Brands

Best Front Suspension

Cars usually have different types of suspension on the front and the back. This is because the four wheels of your ride are connected differently – the front is connected by the front axle, while the back wheels are connected by the rear axle. Front suspensions are classified into two major types:

  1. Dependent front suspensions. Dependent front suspensions use a rigid axle that binds the wheels. The axle consists of either a steel or aluminum beam that extends along the width of the vehicle. The beam is supported by leaf springs. Solid axles are used primarily on heavy-duty trucks and off-road applications because of their high load carrying capabilities.
  2. Independent front suspensions. Independent front suspensions date back to the 1930s. They allow each wheel on the same axle to move vertically, independently of the others. The idea was to create the best front suspension system that would allow the wheel to adapt individually to changing road conditions, providing better control and a smoother, more comfortable ride.

Shock absorbers (front)

When the time comes to repair a bumpy ride – no matter the terrain you drive in – in most cases you need to replace a broken front shock absorber. Front shock absorbers are the first line of defense against a rough ride as they absorb the kinetic energy and damp shock impulses, thus minimizing the fluctuations caused by the movement of your car and ensuring a smooth ride. They are hydraulic pump-like parts that assist in controlling the impact and rebound movement of your vehicle's springs and suspension. Besides controlling the movement of springs, shock absorbers also ensure that your tires are in contact with the ground at all times. The best front shock absorbers are the ones from the leaders in suspension.

More on Shock Absorbers

How to choose the best front shock absorbers?

Shock absorbers (also known as shocks or dampers) are vital for your ride’s overall performance. Modern shock absorbers incorporate the latest and most efficient in suspension technology to provide excellent handling. It is very important to know which specific front shock absorbers are suitable for your car before going ahead and purchasing them.

Before going online to purchase shocks, make sure to consult your car manufacturer’s guidelines. To obtain the ideal suspension performance, you need to make sure that the shocks you are about to buy are suitable for your vehicle year, make, and model. The right shocks for your vehicle will depend on your particular suspension system: whether it is a regular system or a high-performance system. So you need to know what types of shocks are compatible with your application: a twin-tube shock setup or a monotube or gas-charged shock setup.

Shocks for daily driving or shocks for off-roading driving

Consider the type of driving you do as well as your driving habits. Twin-tube shocks are the best choice if you are looking to equip your vehicle for comfortable daily driving. The twin-tube design is the most common suspension design found in cars, light trucks, vans, and SUVs. Its technology focuses on improved handling and control characteristics. Mono-tube shocks will be great for you if you intend to do some serious off-roading regularly.

The monotube shock design is engineered with performance in mind so it creates a more aggressive ride compared to twin-tube shocks.

Other Upgrades to Install

Make sure to pay attention to every aspect of your coil spring suspension for a consistently smooth performance. These parts include the ball joints, steering knuckles, tie rods, control arms, and many others. The control arms are responsible for the proper motion of the wheels where they’re in line with the car’s body. They are the ones that make sure your tires smoothly go up and down. Resembling the ball-and-socket blueprint of a human being’s hips, the ball joint adds the pivoting movement between the steering knuckles and control arms for improved driving stability. The steering knuckle is positioned behind your front wheels. It connects the wheel hub to the suspension, making sure that the wheel turns when you steer. Lastly, the tie rod is the one that connects the vehicle’s steering knuckle to the steering rack on the front wheel where the out and inner ends of the tie rod surround an adjusting sleeve. When you rotate your steering wheel, the rods pull or push the wheel to make it turn.

Consider price and warranty

Choose your Performance Suspension Warranty wisely

So you have found the best suspension kit for your ride but are not sure if the products come with good warranty coverage and at the best price possible. It is very important to know for what period the warranty will cover your shocks. The warranty on suspension systems and individual shocks usually applies only to products purchased from authorized dealers, like us.

Whether you're looking to purchase lift kits, sway bars, coilovers, lowering springs, ball joints, rod ends, or any other suspension parts, shopping on Automotive Stuff is easy. Regardless if you drive a muscle car, pickup truck, luxury vehicle, minivan, or something else, simply select your vehicle and product and you're well on your way to excellent prices and free shipping. As a verified retailer of renowned manufacturers like Bilstein, H&R Springs, Air Lift, and Eibach, not only are you guaranteed a complete catalog of the best performance suspension upgrades and products made with the most innovative technology but also a 100% authentic and certified brand new part.

For drivers and vehicle owners in the USA, the prices you see on our website are the exact amount you pay for the parts and products we carry. We won’t lift up the total cost with any customs, duties, or brokerage fees. Once you add those orders to your cart and check-out, we’ll have all the products you purchased delivered to your location in the United States in no time. For further inquiries on the best suspensions for your make and model or any other performance products, please do give us a call at 1-800-995-8177 or send us an email at helpdesk@automotivestuff.com.

Suspension Systems Infographic

Sudden ups and downs are good fun at the amusement park. However, a smooth ride is always preferred in vehicles. Over time, great progress has been made in leveling and smoothing out roads and highways, but no road can ever be made perfectly flat. Small gradual waves and sharp bumps that have various effects at different speeds are unavoidable on roads, and that’s before you start exploring the great outdoors.

The wheels of our vehicles follow whatever changes to the road surface there may be. Between the moving wheels and the passengers, some sort of bump-devouring device was needed. In comes car suspension systems. They’re comprised of springs, shock absorbers, and axles, along with many parts that work together to minimize the effect of uneven terrain. A modern off-roader’s suspension system can even adjust automatically depending on the kind of terrain to make driving on rocky roads a breeze. 

What are the types of suspension in cars? How do they work? What is the best choice for your vehicle? We are about to cover all these questions and more in this article. And if you find the perfect suspension type you were looking for, pick the ideal fit for you through various brands we have in store. 

What is the best type of suspension system?

What are the Four Types of Suspension Systems in Cars?