after market suspension kits

There are hundreds of brands of after market suspension kits in the market now. From big brands to unknown ones are flooding the market. big names such as KW, Koni, Eibach, Bilstein, Ohlins are among the famous ones while the lesser known ones from China and taiwan are also plentiful. buying a suspension kit is dead simple, just pay money for a kit however, how many people really know how to get the best out of the suspension kit.

A simple kit can cost as little as $500 for a coil over kit to over $3000 for a sophisticated premium branded kit. The trick is in tuning the suspension rather that just buying and having it installed. Getting the spring rates right as well as the damper settings to suit the car's weight and how the driver likes the car to handle. this is undoubtedly one of the most difficult things to get right. it is a black art and top race car drivers are able to communicate their requests to the technician to have the setting done right. the difference in getting it done right can easily translate to shaving seconds off lap times. Every driver has a different preference to the way their car is setup and having infinite combination possibilities makes it a real nightmare to setup the suspension correctly.

the layout of the car is also factor in how the suspension should be setup. For example a rear wheel drive car and a front wheel drive car behaves differently and the way the suspension is to be setup has to take this into account. Front wheel drive cars have a tendency to understeer which means that the drivers will most likely want to dial out the understeer with their suspension setup.

the problem with the retailers of the suspension kits is that very few of them really know anything about setting up the suspension. they are just focused on selling it only. A few small group of retailers will have the know-how on setting up the suspension and this will tip the balance in their favour and allow their hardware to shine on the track. Brand and quality does play a part in the suspension since the bigger brands have spent a lot of time and money on racing and research and development to improve their products. Having said that just buying the best Ohlins and not setting it up correctly will not yield much results.
I have heard numerous stories from car enthusiasts who invested money to buy a good set of TEIN suspension and said their cars handled very badly, this was down to the setting of the suspension rather than the hardware. TEIN has been used by many race teams with great success.

Find a good suspension tuning specialist then buy the right suspension kit to suit. You will be smiling when you get the desired results.