In theory, can I......?

[Gooner_Mike]

In theory, can I fit rear coilover units (springs and shocks) but still run the front lowering springs and shocks I have on at the moment?

Is it safe? I'm guessing not as the springs and dampers will have different rates etc. I know you will probably say it is safer to run a full set of coilovers but just wanted to find out your opinions.

 

[cupra.al]

no harm putting coilovers on the back and not the front as its a different axle,purchaseing just rears might be a little difficult though.

 

[Ibiza Dan]

I have also thought about this.
When you buy any spring or spring and damper combo it seems to leave the rear of the car a bit high in the air.
Unless obviously you buy coilovers and have full height adjustment.
So
I dont see why it would be unsafe. At the end of the day, regardless of which components you go for they are all suposedly set up to work well on this specific car.
And id say 90% of people who get coilovers only want them so they can run super low which will not be the best setup for performance in most aplications anyway.
Obviously just my opinion

 

[ChromePete]

don't have to worry about spring rates i don't think as they will be very very similar or the same.

ride wise it's pretty much the opposite of what you want handling and grip wise, but again, you're not going too extreme so it probably won't make any noticable difference.

Your Nordschleife times might slack off a bit......

Worth giving it a go, as the advantages of getting the car to sit the way you want will probably outweigh the poorer ride (bit more understeer, bit more wheelspin)

 

[mazzerati]

you might be running to serious anti-rakeage tho

 

[Neo]

On my last golf (mk3), I fitted a spax kit - springs and shocks -40mm, but the night I chose to fit them I ran out of time and only fitted the fronts! I was driving it around for a week with it`s a** in the air!
Felt a little funny but safe enough!

 

[Slimy]

On my last golf (mk3), I fitted a spax kit - springs and shocks -40mm, but the night I chose to fit them I ran out of time and only fitted the fronts! I was driving it around for a week with it`s a** in the air!
Felt a little funny but safe enough!

I did the opposite on my old Cavalier. The rears were easy to swap, but I couldn't get the front struts apart (the dampers were gas cartridges that live inside the struts), so I had to ride with lowered rears until I could get the front sorted. Still seemed very stable, although I could tell that the biggest difference came from new fronts, the new rears made very little difference.

There's no reason why different setups can't be run front and back. In fact, I have seen cars that are deliberately mismatched, to get the best out of suspension behaviours. I'd agree with cupra.al though, most coilover sets come as a four corner package, you might find it difficult finding 'half' a set.

 

[Gooner_Mike]

The way I see it is... even if I get a cheapo 2nd hand set of coilovers; the rear set-up is so much simpler and has less weight on it, then I can't go wrong really. I don't want to drop the front any more anyway as its low enough I reckon... its just getting the arse down a bit more!

 

[techie]

The rears arent coil overs anyway on a mk4 ibiza

Seperate dampers, shorter springs with an adjustable platform underneath.

 

[Gooner_Mike]

The rears arent coil overs anyway on a mk4 ibiza

Seperate dampers, shorter springs with an adjustable platform underneath.

Is this OK though Techie? Or a bad idea?

 

[zach225]

All the weight is up the front anyway so I can't see why there would be any problems, the rear may be stiffer but I don't see how that would make the car react differently let alone in a negative way,

I'd say go for it mate, cud even get the eBay specials as it's he fronts people moan about with them

 

[ChromePete]

All the weight is up the front anyway so I can't see why there would be any problems, the rear may be stiffer but I don't see how that would make the car react differently let alone in a negative way,

If you bring the back down you bring the front up. Hence the understeer. To see the principle look at the opposite extreme with FWD drag cars, they have massively stiff rear springs that raise the rear of the car very very high.

like this (from - Club Polo - Yoof tuning)

 

[DEAN0]

If you bring the back down you bring the front up. Hence the understeer. To see the principle look at the opposite extreme with FWD drag cars, they have massively stiff rear springs that raise the rear of the car very very high.

like this (from - Club Polo - Yoof tuning)

The stiff and raised rear of a FWD drag car is to STOP weight transfer under power.

 

[m0rk]

Think about it mike

Vasty different suspension setups (decent dampers vs shagged OE)

How will your car react with funky suspension under heavy braking? Light back end? swappy ends & then you're fuct.

Just do the lot in one go, and ignore da kidz dat fink dey no it al ^^^^^ it's your life, take the sensible option.

 

[Guinness]

Think about it mike

Vasty different suspension setups (decent dampers vs shagged OE)

How will your car react with funky suspension under heavy braking? Light back end? swappy ends & then you're fuct.

Just do the lot in one go, and ignore da kidz dat fink dey no it al ^^^^^ it's your life, take the sensible option.

exactly my thoughts, the back end on the ibiza gets dragged round like its not connected at the best of times. Read the thread from the mk3 lad who crashed his beacuse of the back end stepping out on breaking to understand just how easy it is.

 

[Deleted member 13581]

I don't want to drop the front any more anyway as its low enough I reckon... its just getting the arse down a bit more!

Bags of sand!

Seriously though, i would go the full hog and get coilovers. You know it makes sense.

 

[ChromePete]

The stiff and raised rear of a FWD drag car is to STOP weight transfer under power.

I'm clearly NOT making myself clear here.

EDIT: Part of the design to the raised back end is to put more weight on the front of the car, I was using this to illustrate that Mike will be lowering the back end and therefore moving the cars weight distribution away from the front. Not enough to worry about imo, but I didn't want Mike to do this (if he's going to) blind.

Just do the lot in one go, and ignore da kidz dat fink dey no it al ^^^^^ it's your life, take the sensible option.

Thanks a lot.

Sorry mike for messing up your thread, i don't know what i'm on about.

I would just like to say in my parting shot that people who have been racing for years set their coilovers up, finally manage to get them on the scales and find out the car is badly set up. It's very hard to do and the correct weight distribution setup is likely to be at odds with the way you want the car to look. Probably more like when you bought it only lower, but that's just a komplete guezz!!11!!

 

[Gooner_Mike]

I'm clearly NOT making myself clear here.

EDIT: Part of the design to the raised back end is to put more weight on the front of the car, I was using this to illustrate that Mike will be lowering the back end and therefore moving the cars weight distribution away from the front. Not enough to worry about imo, but I didn't want Mike to do this (if he's going to) blind.

Thanks a lot.

Sorry mike for messing up your thread, i don't know what i'm on about.

I would just like to say in my parting shot that people who have been racing for years set their coilovers up, finally manage to get them on the scales and find out the car is badly set up. It's very hard to do and the correct weight distribution setup is likely to be at odds with the way you want the car to look. Probably more like when you bought it only lower, but that's just a komplete guezz!!11!!

Pete, I don't want this getting silly; this isn't a thread designed to start arguments or make people feel like their thoughts don't mean anything! People have different opinions and experiences. I was just asking is it possible in theory... not that I am actually going to do it! I would never do anything to my car to make it more unsafe in the end of the day.

Just exploring ideas to get the arse down a bit more that's all! Bags of sand it is then....