Coils vs springs

[cLaw]

For reference I have a 2021 GT1 AWD.

When doing some research I've heard only bad things about coilovers and many recommend springs + mando ecs + sway bars

I do not really care for some of the handling benefits as much as I want to lower my car before I purchase wheels. I know coilovers are adjustable and allow for more but like I said I've only heard of headaches and issues when going that route.

Does anyone with more experience in suspension for the stinger have an opinion or advice? Thank you

 

[NS_Stinger]

What environment do you live in? Is your car winter driven in snow and salt? How low do you want to go? What is your budget?

 

[cLaw]

What environment do you live in? Is your car winter driven in snow and salt? How low do you want to go? What is your budget?

I live in NYC, sometimes theres snow and salt, sometimes its 70 degress on christmas.

Potholes like crazy, sometimes you see them sometimes you don't.

I don't want to go crazy low, just want to improve the fitment and look of the car before I get wheels. The kind of low where you can tell the car isn't stock height but its not like "look how low that car is" type of thing.

Budget varies, I'll only spend money on something I know is quality. If you tell me that the only quality coils for the stinger are 3k for example, I wouldn't purchase anything else. But at that point, my question is what is the difference between springs, mando and sways. I do not track my car, the way I push the car is through *legal* racing/dig racing. While comfortable cornering is nice Its really not a necessity for me.

 

[NS_Stinger]

I live in NYC, sometimes theres snow and salt, sometimes its 70 degress on christmas.

Potholes like crazy, sometimes you see them sometimes you don't.

I don't want to go crazy low, just want to improve the fitment and look of the car before I get wheels. The kind of low where you can tell the car isn't stock height but its not like "look how low that car is" type of thing.

Budget varies, I'll only spend money on something I know is quality. If you tell me that the only quality coils for the stinger are 3k for example, I wouldn't purchase anything else. But at that point, my question is what is the difference between springs, mando and sways. I do not track my car, the way I push the car is through *legal* racing/dig racing. While comfortable cornering is nice Its really not a necessity for me.

From that response Id say springs, sway bars and mando are definitely the way to go. I'd only suggest coilovers if you wanted to slam it and lived in an environment without snow and shitty road conditions. Mando and sway bars will give you some flexibility for street and track so when you do hit the track you can adjust your sways to the hard setting and fine tune your damping for the track with the mando.

 

[socalvn]

From that response Id say springs, sway bars and mando are definitely the way to go. I'd only suggest coilovers if you wanted to slam it and lived in an environment without snow and shitty road conditions. Mando and sway bars will give you some flexibility for street and track so when you do hit the track you can adjust your sways to the hard setting and fine tune your damping for the track with the mando.

Sounds like good advice for the OP that would best suit him.

After a year on lowering springs I switched to Coils so I hade more control over ride, no mando on my stinger. Couldn't be happier. Surprisingly smooth ride.
Also live in a fair weather environment

 

[k8blackout]

I live in NYC, sometimes theres snow and salt, sometimes its 70 degress on christmas.

Potholes like crazy, sometimes you see them sometimes you don't.

I don't want to go crazy low, just want to improve the fitment and look of the car before I get wheels. The kind of low where you can tell the car isn't stock height but its not like "look how low that car is" type of thing.

Budget varies, I'll only spend money on something I know is quality. If you tell me that the only quality coils for the stinger are 3k for example, I wouldn't purchase anything else. But at that point, my question is what is the difference between springs, mando and sways. I do not track my car, the way I push the car is through *legal* racing/dig racing. While comfortable cornering is nice Its really not a necessity for me.

Just a disclaimer, I haven't actually fitted my car with anything I'm about to recommend, but from what I can see, these are your best options (and what I will 110% be doing when I do my suspension upgrades). It's basically the same as everyone else, but more specifically, I would go for Eibach sway bars and springs, I've had their stuff before on other cars, and I only have good things to say, not to mention it's a good price, not really a big deal but whatever.

They have two different spring drop heights, either 0.8" all around or 1.4" front and 1.2" rear, so you can choose depending on your roads. Their sway bars have two stiffness levels, so a quick trip to the underside can stiffen it for a dig or track day or for a soft cruise in the city.

The Mando ECS is kind of a no-brainer as well, you get to keep your stock in-cabin control as well as be able to make it stiffer or softer than stock. I think stock stiffness in sport is like 60%? So you can easily set that in the cabin for on the street or the track to whatever you want.

Generally, I just really like keeping the customizability and driveability of it while also being able to make it more to my liking. I can have a softer all-around ride on the road and a stiffer more direct drive without spending more than a grand and like an hour or two installing parts.

Just my two cents, that's all.

 

[NS_Stinger]

Just a disclaimer, I haven't actually fitted my car with anything I'm about to recommend, but from what I can see, these are your best options (and what I will 110% be doing when I do my suspension upgrades). It's basically the same as everyone else, but more specifically, I would go for Eibach sway bars and springs, I've had their stuff before on other cars, and I only have good things to say, not to mention it's a good price, not really a big deal but whatever.

They have two different spring drop heights, either 0.8" all around or 1.4" front and 1.2" rear, so you can choose depending on your roads. Their sway bars have two stiffness levels, so a quick trip to the underside can stiffen it for a dig or track day or for a soft cruise in the city.

The Mando ECS is kind of a no-brainer as well, you get to keep your stock in-cabin control as well as be able to make it stiffer or softer than stock. I think stock stiffness in sport is like 60%? So you can easily set that in the cabin for on the street or the track to whatever you want.

Generally, I just really like keeping the customizability and driveability of it while also being able to make it more to my liking. I can have a softer all-around ride on the road and a stiffer more direct drive without spending more than a grand and like an hour or two installing parts.

Just my two cents, that's all.

Good advice but just want to point out that Eibach doesnt offer two different springs, the two different ones you see are a set built for RWD and a set built for AWD. .8" all around is when you fit the eibach prokit springs to a RWD model and the 1.4" F/1.2" R numbers are when you fit the eibach prokit springs to an AWD model.

I 100% concur that Eibach makes great stuff, its no coincidence that in some countries you can add the full Eibach suspension kit to your Stinger as part of the build on Kia's website. They make OEM quality stuff. I have the Eibach front and rear bars and can confirm they're amazing build quality with plenty of research and development involved. Eibach sway bars come with built in zerk nipples so you can easily grease the bars when they start to squeak. They also provide poly urethane bushings and a proper built-in collar on the bars to keep the bushings from shifting around unlike other porly built sway bars.

 

[socalvn]

You will have negative camber with lowering springs, I hade M&S springs and they were soft and saggy switched to Megan Racing Springs good spring rate with the Megan
Also running Eibach Swaybars & Reaction Coilovers

 

[cLaw]

Good advice but just want to point out that Eibach doesnt offer two different springs, the two different ones you see are a set built for RWD and a set built for AWD. .8" all around is when you fit the eibach prokit springs to a RWD model and the 1.4" F/1.2" R numbers are when you fit the eibach prokit springs to an AWD model.

I 100% concur that Eibach makes great stuff, its no coincidence that in some countries you can add the full Eibach suspension kit to your Stinger as part of the build on Kia's website. They make OEM quality stuff. I have the Eibach front and rear bars and can confirm they're amazing build quality with plenty of research and development involved. Eibach sway bars come with built in zerk nipples so you can easily grease the bars when they start to squeak. They also provide poly urethane bushings and a proper built-in collar on the bars to keep the bushings from shifting around unlike other porly built sway bars.

Im struggling to find it anywhere but does the 2021 GT1 have EDC making it compatible with the mando?

 

[k8blackout]

Good advice but just want to point out that Eibach doesnt offer two different springs, the two different ones you see are a set built for RWD and a set built for AWD. .8" all around is when you fit the eibach prokit springs to a RWD model and the 1.4" F/1.2" R numbers are when you fit the eibach prokit springs to an AWD model.

Weird. they are two different items as listed on the carid website, which I have found to be generally pretty accurate. unless you mean that the specific springs are built for either AWD or RWD to which I would ask how they are different.

I 100% concur that Eibach makes great stuff, its no coincidence that in some countries you can add the full Eibach suspension kit to your Stinger as part of the build on Kia's website. They make OEM quality stuff. I have the Eibach front and rear bars and can confirm they're amazing build quality with plenty of research and development involved. Eibach sway bars come with built in zerk nipples so you can easily grease the bars when they start to squeak. They also provide poly urethane bushings and a proper built-in collar on the bars to keep the bushings from shifting around unlike other porly built sway bars.

I didn't know Kia, in some places albeit, had them as literal OEM options. I definitely agree that they're like the good OEM that everyone hopes for from a car though, like if I were to buy a new sports car, I would hope the stock suspension feels how Eibach parts do.

You will have negative camber with lowering springs

a quick alignment would fix that, no? also I likes me some camber, gives a little extra in the corners. But I believe the front suspension is MacPherson which I have heard is not great under heavy loads in corners compared to double wishbone or multi-link

 

[k8blackout]

Im struggling to find it anywhere but does the 2021 GT1 have EDC making it compatible with the mando?

According to the Kia website, it comes as standard. i always just kind of assumed I did but never actually knew for sure until now lmao

 

[NS_Stinger]

Weird. they are two different items as listed on the carid website, which I have found to be generally pretty accurate. unless you mean that the specific springs are built for either AWD or RWD to which I would ask how they are different.

Eibach makes 2 different springs, one for the AWD and another for the RWD. The AWD and the RWD have different front/rear weight ratio and Eibach has different spring rates for each set to suit that.

 

[NS_Stinger]

Im struggling to find it anywhere but does the 2021 GT1 have EDC making it compatible with the mando?

Easiest way to check, go out to your car. Turn to "custom" drive mode and click settings does it allow you to turn the suspension from comfort to sport or do you not have any suspension settings to choose from. If you have the option to adjust your suspension you have the adjustable dampers.

 

[cLaw]

Easiest way to check, go out to your car. Turn to "custom" drive mode and click settings does it allow you to turn the suspension from comfort to sport or do you not have any suspension settings to choose from. If you have the option to adjust your suspension you have the adjustable dampers.

Thanks! I just went and checked and I do lol

 

[k8blackout]

Eibach makes 2 different springs, one for the AWD and another for the RWD. The AWD and the RWD have different front/rear weight ratio and Eibach has different spring rates for each set to suit that.

Well that makes me sad, I have a ‘21 RWD I wanted to drop it 1.4 and 1.2

 

[socalvn]

Nothing worse than wheel gap

 

[Deviate]

Nothing worse than wheel gap

Damn that looks good! I need to find that sweet spot on mine to ride around at. Im aligned at at roughly a 30mm drop height, where i was at before. At some point ill buy the camber arms.

 

[D.J.]

After a year on lowering springs I switched to Coils so I hade more control over ride, no mando on my stinger. Couldn't be happier. Surprisingly smooth ride.

What was surprising? Don't you tune your coilovers to how you like them?
Which coilovers did you get?

Are they adjustable for both compression and rebound - independently?

 

[D.J.]

a quick alignment would fix that, no? also I likes me some camber, gives a little extra in the corners.

No, you would need to buy more parts to correct the camber after lowering - if you want less negative camber.
If you like the negative camber - you are good just to lower.

 

[socalvn]

What was surprising? Don't you tune your coilovers to how you like them?
Which coilovers did you get?

Are they adjustable for both compression and rebound - independently?

What was surprising was how smooth the coilovers ride. Yes there adjustable for both.
The springs were just saggy and soft