When upgrading your car’s suspension, one of the most common questions drivers ask is: “Should I get coilovers or lowering springs?” Both suspension options have their place in performance, drifting, racing, and even daily driving. But to make the right choice, you need to understand exactly what each setup does and how it affects your car’s handling, comfort, and long-term reliability.
What Are Coilovers?
Coilovers are complete suspension units that combine a coil spring and shock absorber into one integrated package. Unlike stock struts, coilovers are highly adjustable. With coilovers you can typically control:
- Ride height - allowing you to raise or lower your car for stance, balance, or performance.
- Damping - many coilovers allow adjustment of rebound and compression, letting you fine-tune handling.
- Spring rates - drift coilovers and track coilovers often come with different spring stiffness designed for grip and control.
This makes coilovers the go-to suspension upgrade for serious drivers looking for precision handling.
What Are Lowering Springs?
Lowering springs replace the factory springs while keeping your existing shocks and struts. They provide a fixed drop in ride height, improving appearance and slightly lowering the car’s center of gravity. However, they do not usually offer adjustability, meaning the drop and stiffness are predetermined by the spring design.
Lowering springs are generally cheaper than coilovers, making them popular with beginners who want an affordable stance or mild performance improvement.
Performance: Coilovers vs Springs
When it comes to performance, coilovers are in another league compared to lowering springs. Here’s why:
- Adjustability: Coilovers let you adapt your suspension for drifting, racing, or street driving. Lowering springs lock you into one setup.
- Handling: Coilovers improve cornering grip and stability by allowing you to balance front and rear stiffness. Springs alone often compromise handling.
- Durability: Cheap lowering springs paired with stock shocks can wear out quickly, while coilovers are built as complete systems.
Coilovers vs Springs for Drifting
For drifting, coilovers are the clear winner. Drift-specific coilovers, like the SLR Drift Spec Coilovers, are designed with unique spring rates and valving to give more forward grip in the rear while keeping the front tires planted for steering precision. Lowering springs, on the other hand, can make a car snappier to initiate drift but won’t give the control or grip needed in competition.
Coilovers vs Springs for Racing
On track, coilovers again dominate. Adjustable damping lets you fine-tune how the car reacts to weight transfer, corner entry, and exit. Lowering springs may improve lap times slightly over stock, but without adjustability, they can’t match the adaptability of coilovers.
Coilovers vs Springs for Daily Driving
For a daily driver, lowering springs may be enough if you simply want a lower stance and don’t need full adjustability. However, coilovers give you the option to balance comfort and performance. Many high-quality coilovers feature adjustable damping so you can soften them for the street and stiffen them for the weekend track day.
Cost Comparison
Lowering springs are usually cheaper upfront, costing anywhere from $150–$400, while coilovers range from $700 to several thousand depending on brand and features. However, coilovers replace both spring and damper, while lowering springs put extra wear on stock shocks, potentially leading to additional replacement costs later.
Which Should You Choose?
The answer depends on your goals:
- Choose lowering springs if you want an affordable stance improvement and don’t need adjustability.
- Choose coilovers if you want maximum performance, handling precision, and versatility for drifting, racing, or mixed driving.
SLR’s Suspension Expertise
At SLRspeed, we specialize in performance suspension designed for drifting and motorsport. Our Drift Spec Coilovers are built for maximum grip, stability, and durability, making them the choice of competitive drifters worldwide.
Conclusion
In the debate of coilovers vs springs, the winner depends on your goals. For stance and affordability, springs work. But for real performance—whether on track, drifting, or serious spirited driving—coilovers are unmatched. They provide the adjustability, strength, and precision every serious driver needs.
