Spring Manufacturers i.e. King's vs Lovells vs Pedders

[HamaTime™]

Ok for a while I thought that King Springs were some of the best springs on the market. However, I went out with a mate to pick up a new door for his VX, and the guy selling the door who owns a VS Senator (and is a mechanic with quite a handful of nice cars stashed away - VX SS, VT SS, VS SS etc and now Senator) said that King Springs are really bad as they just make the car ride really badly.

He was saying that Lovells are the best and that pedder's are crap as well...

I'm still deciding on whether or not to lower my VS S from FE2 to Super lows on front and rear (IRS) and was originally going to go with King's but now I'm not too sure. FE2 makes my car ride really roughly, feel every bump and it's just absolutely rock hard (also running 18" VT GTS rims).

What are some opinions on different spring brands i.e. King Springs, Lovells, Pedders etc, and is there any way that by lowering it from FE2 to Super lows I can ease up the ride a little so it's not quite so rock hard?

may be a stupid question, but always good to get some wider opinions and knowledge.

[VPplayer]

Everyone i know is useing King Springs and they work a treat. I have never herd bad things about Kind Springs and hopefully i never do... Buying a set next week

[Philthy]

Every car with king springs that I've been in has been quite a harsh ride.
From jumping straight out of mine (pedders sport lows & shocks) into a VR with king springs SL & standard shocks, the ride was about the same, but mine felt like it held the road better around the tighter corners. Of course tyres would also effect this.
Only car with Lovells that I've been in was an EFish falcon, and it seemed smoother than the others, but I couldn't tell you what springs they were, and I did have a few to drink beforehand (hence getting a ride in a falcon)

[tivoom]

Lovells sag and are a softer spec then kings and pedders every kings car I've been in is to harsh I liked the ride pedders gave in my vt wagon is was just right firm but not hard and harsh

[Morton]

Lovells aren't "softer springs". You can buy progressive rate or linear springs, depending on what you want. I have a set of thick Lovells for the back of my VQ that ride the same height, but slightly more firmly as my King springs.

Oh, and if you want to talk about coil sag, you should check out the Kings in the FRONT of my VQ

If you want your car to handle, save up and buy yourself Bilstein springs and shocks. You'll never look back.

At the end of the day, you don't want the ride to be super-stiff. You want the springs to hold the car low, but still absorb bumps - and use swaybars to stop the car rolling in corners, and good shocks to stop the car losing grip in corners.

[Dan355]

I just went through a set of Lovells and Pedders springs for the front of my VN SS to correct exhaust to ground clearance but wasnt happy at all with the ride quality of either. Lovells were too soft and wernt trapping properly and the pedders springs were too firm and didnt raise the car high enough. Got fed up so got a pair of springs made to order for height to the mm and chose ride quality. For $170 a pair couldnt complain at all. Excellent springs. If you dont know what your buying why buy it?
A U R O R A## S P R I N G S - coil - leaf springs

[HamaTime™]

Yeah I want it to be low but also to absorb bumps and hold the road. I don't want it to be as firm as FE2, particularly because FE2 on mine looks like its a FWD and its super super stiff

[Philthy]

Not as firm as FE2? They are softer than most low aftermarket cars I've been in

[WogBoyz]

i got pedders springs on my ute and its a really good ride i though it would be rough but has been very smooth ride, its more smoother then it was at stock heigh , im impressed

[HamaTime™]

Not as firm as FE2? They are softer than most low aftermarket cars I've been in

Yeah it's surprising I know. but my VS rides hard and stiff...feel every bump. It holds the road really good though..just pisses me off cos I'm not always driving on the smoothest of roads.

[SimoVXSS]

have used King Springs and Pedders and prefer the pedders springs. Just as firm but less harsh and better ride IMO

[HoldenOnn]

Yeah it's surprising I know. but my VS rides hard and stiff...feel every bump. It holds the road really good though..just pisses me off cos I'm not always driving on the smoothest of roads.

I have just sold my VS S Pack Series 2 Commodore which I had for 3 years and that had factory FE2 on it. I had the standard 15" alloys with 205/65/15 yokohama soft tyres. The ride was soft, compliant and fantastic.

You have 18" rims which will contribute more than you think to being the sole cause of a harsh ride. My mate had a VY Calais on stock 16's. Its was a soft awesome ride, he then went to 19's and it changed the whole car to be firm and harsh.

Tyre and rim size alone can affect hugely the firmness and harshness of suspension.

But also, your shockies may be worn if they are still factory and 10 years old.

Many things that contribute as a whole to ride quality, but 18" rims are a big factor. Plus if you go lower, you will have less suspension travel and it will be even harsher.

Don't go lower if you don't want a rougher, firmer ride than you have now. 18" tyres aren't going to help as opposed to 15 or 16's etc.

Goodluck.

[mastadd]

I just went through a set of Lovells and Pedders springs for the front of my VN SS to correct exhaust to ground clearance but wasnt happy at all with the ride quality of either. Lovells were too soft and wernt trapping properly and the pedders springs were too firm and didnt raise the car high enough. Got fed up so got a pair of springs made to order for height to the mm and chose ride quality. For $170 a pair couldnt complain at all. Excellent springs. If you dont know what your buying why buy it?
A U R O R A** S P R I N G S - coil - leaf springs

I would agree with this guy here, aurora let you pick the Spring rate, the Height everything,
kings and Pedders are made in the same factory for those who didnt already know.

They are actually quite similar

[Calaber]

Car manufacturers spend a lot of time matching spring rates to the different suspension/wheel/tyre combinations they offer on each model.

Then, along comes Joe Bloggs, who wants the car to sit three mm off the deck, so he fits a set of SSSSSSL's, then wonders why his car feels like shit when it runs over a matchstick.

You can't just throw in a set of stiffer, lower springs and not expect the balance of the ride/handling compromise to be upset. Getting a good handling and ride balance is a fine art and it takes more than just lower, stiffer springs to get a car to handle properly.

Some of you have mentioned that your springs are crap, with sag, harsh ride or whatever. This is obviously going to be affected by the spring rate, wheel diameter and tyre type and profile - it won't just be the fault of the springs alone.

Incidentally, if I remember correctly from some years back, Lovells provide Pedders and OME (Old Man Emu, if they are still around) with their springs. There are only a couple of spring manufacturers in this country and the are the source for most of the local suspension component suppliers and modifiers.

[foo27]

I had the standard fe2 suspension in my vyss when i got it, went to dobinson's and got a set of their super lows put in. The ride originally was harsh and tracked badly, with the dobinson's in the ride is so much better. The biggest problem for some people is that the dobinson's springs aren't quite as low, but as they manufacture their own springs they can do a custom set up for you anyway, I spent about two hours with the guys in rockhampton explaining exactly what i wanted so i have no problems. At work, and in the past i have fitted alot of kings springs and i try to talk anyone out of buying them as i believe them to be some of the worst on the market. Anyways thats my two cents worth and i hope it helps.