Coil over recommendations
Thread Starter
Teching In
Joined: Jul 2025
Posts: 1
Likes: 0
Coil over recommendations i have a 1999 pontiac firebird and i’m looking for recommendations for a coil over set that will lower the car and provide better handling through corners budget around 400-800 dollars
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That price range will get you, unfortunately nothing... certainly not anything good. And secondarily people love to just blurt out things, there are massive differences between the two brands mentioned above here. Not that either is in the price range of the posting person, but there is still a point that needs to be made.
NOBODY ever seems to consider that "coil overs" are shocks and springs, and like shocks and springs there are good and bad. In this case some are recommending a twin tube NON gas charged shock that while adjustable does not ever alter the flow through the piston of the shock. Added up those are less than ideal things. The Twin tube being the least issue (and in itself isn't a major one). The lack of gas pressure means shocks fade is a thing and the way the adjustments are made and the general valving of the shock tends to be than ideal. Flip side is a monotube shock, which damps more stuff sooner, that has a long, long warranty and does adjust how the oil flows through the piston and what happens at different piston speeds. Completely different, both coil overs. Both brands I deal with, as well as others.
NOBODY ever seems to consider that "coil overs" are shocks and springs, and like shocks and springs there are good and bad. In this case some are recommending a twin tube NON gas charged shock that while adjustable does not ever alter the flow through the piston of the shock. Added up those are less than ideal things. The Twin tube being the least issue (and in itself isn't a major one). The lack of gas pressure means shocks fade is a thing and the way the adjustments are made and the general valving of the shock tends to be than ideal. Flip side is a monotube shock, which damps more stuff sooner, that has a long, long warranty and does adjust how the oil flows through the piston and what happens at different piston speeds. Completely different, both coil overs. Both brands I deal with, as well as others.
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www.stranoparts.com --814-849-3450
Results matter. Talk is cheap. We are miles beyond the success anyone else has had with the 4th gens, and C5, C6, C7 Corvettes,
10 SCCA Solo National Championships, 2008 Driver of they Year, 2012 Driver of Eminence
13 SCCA Pro Solo Nationals Championships
2023 UMI King of the Mountain Champion
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TECH Fanatic
Joined: Sep 2008
Posts: 1,654
Likes: 531
My .02? On my 67 Nova project with a Heidt rear coil over 4 link conversion the supplied single adjustable coil overs did not work well. Could never get it to ride descent. Too hard too soft never just right. I swapped in a set of double adjustable Afco's and after some adjustment they were perfect.
TECH Fanatic
Joined: May 2016
Posts: 1,292
Likes: 436
From: St. Louis
Fwiw on a budget the standard Bilsteins work pretty well with the Umi 600/200 springs, definitely a handling improvement over the stock parts, if you can afford the adjustable koni then they are even better
I would use the Bilsteins, but avoid the UMI springs. I had the exact setup and the UMI fronts are way too low and constantly hammer the bumpstops. They rode like *** both on the street and track because of this. Strano or BMR springs are much better choices with stock style struts up front.
TECH Apprentice
Joined: Oct 2018
Posts: 336
Likes: 85
From: Glendale, AZ
I've got Sam's springs and adjustable koni's. Handles well, ride is a little bit stiffer than factory but not jarring. I've not raced it but turn in is immediate and seems to set in the corners w/o too many corrections if my speed is reasonable.
Staging Lane
Joined: May 2013
Posts: 95
Likes: 10
From: Toronto
That price range will get you, unfortunately nothing... certainly not anything good. And secondarily people love to just blurt out things, there are massive differences between the two brands mentioned above here. Not that either is in the price range of the posting person, but there is still a point that needs to be made.
NOBODY ever seems to consider that "coil overs" are shocks and springs, and like shocks and springs there are good and bad. In this case some are recommending a twin tube NON gas charged shock that while adjustable does not ever alter the flow through the piston of the shock. Added up those are less than ideal things. The Twin tube being the least issue (and in itself isn't a major one). The lack of gas pressure means shocks fade is a thing and the way the adjustments are made and the general valving of the shock tends to be than ideal. Flip side is a monotube shock, which damps more stuff sooner, that has a long, long warranty and does adjust how the oil flows through the piston and what happens at different piston speeds. Completely different, both coil overs. Both brands I deal with, as well as others.
NOBODY ever seems to consider that "coil overs" are shocks and springs, and like shocks and springs there are good and bad. In this case some are recommending a twin tube NON gas charged shock that while adjustable does not ever alter the flow through the piston of the shock. Added up those are less than ideal things. The Twin tube being the least issue (and in itself isn't a major one). The lack of gas pressure means shocks fade is a thing and the way the adjustments are made and the general valving of the shock tends to be than ideal. Flip side is a monotube shock, which damps more stuff sooner, that has a long, long warranty and does adjust how the oil flows through the piston and what happens at different piston speeds. Completely different, both coil overs. Both brands I deal with, as well as others.
On The Tree
Joined: Aug 2025
Posts: 133
Likes: 45
From: Dallas
Speaking of this thread does anyone here run BMR lowering springs? I wanna copy this one car here I found on custom offsets that gives it around a 1.25 inch drop and is on some torq thrusts so i'm wondering if the cars gonna ride shittier at all or anything like that.
(If anyone's interested what the car is I attached the link right below this)
https://www.customwheeloffset.com/wh...nitto-nt555-g2
(If anyone's interested what the car is I attached the link right below this)
https://www.customwheeloffset.com/wh...nitto-nt555-g2