Hey guys,
we get asked questions about coilovers, how they work, how they are manufactured, valving theory etc etc on a daily basis, so this gave me an idea; why not make a 101 separated into several, easy-to-read parts?
If you like where I am going with this, please do let me know and what "topics" you would like me to cover, and I'll see what I can do
one of the questions that we get asked quite often by our customers is what is the difference between Swift Springs and the generic Taiwan springs (found on nearly all non-European coilover kits), and what makes them so much more expensive?
to answer these questions, we decided to do a comparison test, and the results are below. What you make of these results, that's for you to decide:
Side-by-side comparison - Swift 7" 10K on the left, generic Taiwan 7" 10K on the right. Notice the difference?
Testing the Spring Rate accuracy on our Intercomp Spring Rate Tester, the Swift is exactly 10K:
And for the generic Taiwan spring, it comes in at 10.25K (15lbs stiffer than rated):
Both are pre-loaded 1" then compressed 1" to get the measurements. Can you say "coil-bind"?
Some have questioned us about the accuracy of the Intercomp Spring Rate Tester, so instead here is a dyno graph of a 100lb sample Swift Spring from our Roehrig Spring Rate Tester, showing the Spring Rate (lbs/in) over an increasing compression force (lbs):
For the weight test, the Swift comes in at 1.1kg:
And the generic Taiwan spring comes in at 1.6kg:
The conclusion from all of these tests? Not only are Swift Springs 50% lighter and extremely accurate (you ask for 10K, you get exactly 10K), they also help reduce coil-bind (i.e the coils hitting each other over large bumps). The Taiwan spring? Maybe after 6 months of driving, it will finally be 10K, then 6 months later, 9K!
I've deliberately made this post short and sweet, so as to encourage questions, so if you have any, please feel free to ask!