I think what is needed to settle an arguement like this is a completely Objective arguement, i.e. the reasons for why one is better than the other, the effects it produces, and how it achieves it...all I'm reading here (apart from the exerpt of Toby's, which is what I would've said, just in not as great detail), is a subjective review of what people have used and what they think is best, or what they hear - i.e. uneducated Netspert opinions, not facts.
I would do the whole objective thing, but it would literally be too much of an essay...it's why I'm writing one up for Mikey's website. Truth is, as has been said before the tangent of Coilovers vs. Springs & Shocks....there is a suitability of purpose for each example, and accordingly, one is going to perform better than the other for a given condition
When it comes to willy waving down at the local pub, Coilovers win hands down, whether they're any good or made from toffee or not.
Too true - people think "Hey, I've heard coilovers are better, not that I actually know why, but hey, if some stranger told me then surely it'll make my car better!!1one!!" I mean, the D2 saga is a prime example - I don't want to judge people or pretend I think I know their real reasoning for buying items...but I will not believe for one second, that people buy D2's cause "I hear it's a great suspension setup, used by and proven by Race Drivers for ultimate handling capabilities"....so the low price,, the ease of availability of the "kudos" of having a coilover, the UK servicing centers/warranties etc...they were all secondary reasons right??? Don't kid yourself - there's one person here I know that has D2 Coilovers cause he couldn't get the car Low enough on his current coilovers!! That's it!
Again, I don't want to delve too much, as I'll include that in an "easier to read" format but you must consider one important fact....Where are these coilovers made/developed, and who are they made/developed by??? Japan has very well maintained roads, the UK's road maintenance team lies in a Medieval Burial Ground...as such, Japanese coilovers are probably damped and sprung for Japanese conditions which for the street won't prove too much of a sacrifice due to the impeccable road conditions. For the UK however, well...I think the whole Medieval thing works, cause any car feels like a horse cart on our roads. If a coilover were developed IN the UK FOR the Road...then yes...I'm pretty sure you would get the benefits of the coilovers reduced unsprung mass/superior damping controls/spring rate tuning etc.. plus the correct Droop/Suspension travel, Bound & rebound values and spring rates to actually provide a controlled ride on UK's roads...
A case in point - how does Lotus or Caterham manage to design a car whose suspension is so deft on a Race Circuit, so agile in movement, so adjustable on the throttle, so visceral....yet, as has been told by many a race driver, they "Glide" over the UK's country road bumps...Hold on Batman, I thought Coilovers only worked cause they are so hard?!!?! Wrong. More so than spring rates, the damping of the Coilover is critical, and you're not, ever, going to make a suspension setup that works on any condition, if it's developed half way around the world. I'm pretty sure if someone had Leda develop a set of Coilovers (maybe, one day...), you would be purely astounded by how compliant and efficient the body motions are on a bumpy road, yet how efficient the car remains on a track. One alternative people with Coilovers could do...is get them revalved! It costs a lot, it's a bit extreme, but at least that way the suspension rates would match the conditions required!
D2's and the other Chinese copies??? Well, I was surprised by that picture of Redhot's of the External Reservoir (allows for separate Bound & Rebound adjustments) D2's...I'm sure they're cheap, but do you know why they manage to use such technology but sell them cheap? Guys...History class in like Pre-GCSE's...Think of World War II, specifially, the battle of Britain. Not to go too much into detail (as I don't know the specifics anymore), but the Spitfire/Hurricane was not always such a pioneer of the sky...the Messerschmit BF109 was a technological tour de force - using Twin Charging and NOS Injection (one of the earliest uses), it was simply capable of incredible speeds and manoueverability that simply outclassed the planes! However, one or 2 got shot down - and you know what happens in the case? The Britons took the remains, stripped it down, examined in detail, and found out why they were so superior - they then cribbed the technology, augmented their Airplane's abilities, and hey presto, One little, two little, three little dead Germans...
So what I'm saying in a nutshell, is that D2, like many a car manufacturer, or component manufacturer, will buy in a rival Coilover, completely disassemble it, find out how it's done...and rather than think "Ah yes, good design, but it can be improved!" they think "AHhhh, this too expensive, we make it wearry cheap, sell fo big bucks!". It's much easier to crib a design and make a copy rather than design from scratch...and D2 is just one such company - I know people will think "how will you know, and don't use the pretense of pretending to know more" but I mean think about it...Rota Wheels, D2 Coilovers, Autobahn Manifolds...they're all made in 3rd world countries, where Labour rates are pitiful, where the economy isn't bustling....how are they to make a profit? Make a design from scratch, spending Millions in R&D??? Or borrow a copied design, make it cheaper, and sell it for big profit?
