Adjustable Vs. Non-Adjustable Coilovers
You have decided coilovers are the right move. Now you are staring at two categories and trying to work out which one fits your car and how you drive it. Adjustable coilovers or non-adjustable. The price gap is real. The question is whether the extra capability is worth it for you.
Here is the honest breakdown, from the counter and from the paddock.
Are All Coilovers Adjustable?
A coilover combines a coil spring and a damper into one assembly. It replaces your factory spring and shock at each corner. Short answer: nearly every coilover kit adjusts ride height, but not every kit adjusts damping. What separates adjustable from non-adjustable is what you can control beyond that.
Both types can be the foundation of a solid performance suspension build. A well-matched kit of either type can tighten up body control and sharpen response. The real question is how much tuning you need for the way you drive.
What Are Adjustable Coilovers?
Adjustable coilovers let you change damping as well as ride height. This is a separate question from monotube vs twin tube construction. It is purely about what you can tune. You can change how the damper controls the spring in compression and rebound, and match it to your roads and your driving.
Adjustment comes in a few flavors. A single adjuster moves the whole damping curve at once. The BC Racing BR Series works this way, with 30-click simultaneous compression and rebound. KW V2 gives you adjustable rebound. KW V3 and the Fortune Auto 510 Series let you set compression and rebound independently. From TEIN, the Street Advance Z and Flex Z carry 16-click damping, while the Street Basis Z is fixed.
At the far end, BC Racing builds two three-way adjustable series. The ZR has 30-click rebound, 15-click low-speed compression and 12-click high-speed compression. The track-focused ZX goes further, with 20 clicks of low-speed compression. More adjusters give you more control. They also give you more ways to get it wrong.
What You Can Adjust
Ride Height
On full-length kits like BC Racing and Fortune Auto, you set height at the threaded lower mount. A locking collar holds it. How far you can safely drop depends on your chassis, wheels and tires, not on one number.
Damping
A click adjuster changes the oil flow through the damper valving. Turn it one way to firm it up, the other way to soften it. Click counting and direction differ by brand, so start from the kit's manual setting.
Spring Preload
On full-length kits, the spring perch sets coilover preload separately from ride height. Preload does not change the spring rate. It mainly sets how much the spring is held compressed with the wheel hanging.
Camber
Kits with camber-adjustable upper mounts or camber plates let you dial in camber at the front. BC Racing includes camber-adjustable upper mounts on most applications. Lowering changes camber and toe, so plan on an alignment.
What Are Non-Adjustable Coilovers?
Non-adjustable coilovers give you ride height adjustment through the threaded body. The damping is fixed by the maker. You set your stance, lock the collars and drive. The damping is not something you tune.
That does not mean they perform poorly. The Bilstein B14 PSS, KW V1 and TEIN Street Basis Z all work this way. Each pairs a fixed damper with a matched spring rate for the listed fitment. The result is a predictable setup without any dialing in.
What You Get
Ride Height Adjustment
The same threaded body idea as an adjustable kit. You decide how high or low the car sits, within what the chassis allows.
Preset Damping
The maker picks a damping curve for the kit and matches it to the spring rate. It aims for a balance of street comfort and body control on that platform.
Simpler Setup
No knobs to learn, no settings to get wrong, no time spent testing. Install, align, drive.
Key Differences Between Adjustable and Non-Adjustable Coilovers
The core difference is tunability. Adjustable coilovers let you change how the car feels after installation. Non-adjustable coilovers do not. The engineer made that call for you.
For most street drivers, the gap matters less than the marketing suggests. A well-matched non-adjustable kit can tighten body control and cornering response over a tired factory setup. Lowering the car also lowers its center of gravity. You just cannot change the damping character later.
What about unsprung weight? That is the mass the springs do not carry: wheel, tire, hub, brakes, knuckle and part of the damper and spring. Adjustable or not, a coilover does not cut it automatically. Only a lighter wheel, tire or brake package makes a real dent.
For track drivers, adjustable coilover suspension earns its keep. It also helps anyone who runs one car for commuting and weekend events. Softening for a bumpy track or firming up for a smooth circuit is a real capability, and one you will use.
Where Adjustable Coilovers Shine
Fine-tuned handling control. You can match the setup to specific roads and driving styles. A driver who commutes all week can run softer, then firm it up for a Saturday track day.
Adapts to different conditions. Bad roads, a smooth track, a canyon run. Adjustable damping lets you tune for each without swapping parts.
Room to learn. Changing one setting and feeling the result teaches you how damping works. That knowledge carries into every car you build after this one.
Long-term range. Goals change, and they often do. An adjustable kit grows with them. Add a track habit later, firm it up. Move somewhere with rougher roads, soften it.
Where Adjustable Coilovers Ask for Trade-Offs
Cost. You pay for the adjuster, the extra valving parts and the engineering behind them. An adjustable kit usually sits at a higher price point than a fixed kit from the same brand.
Complexity. There is a learning curve. Too stiff and the car skips over bumps. Too soft and you lose body control. Getting it right takes seat time, and sometimes a pro.
More to look after. Adjusters add parts that can wear, seize or corrode. Keep the adjuster heads and threads clean, and work them now and then so they stay free.
One honest reality: plenty of owners set their damping once during setup and rarely touch it again. If that sounds like you, the adjustability is insurance you may not use. That is not wrong. Be straight with yourself about it before you spend the extra.
Where Non-Adjustable Coilovers Shine
Lower price point. No adjuster means simpler manufacturing. For a build where every dollar is spoken for, that matters.
Bolt-in simplicity. Install them, get an alignment, drive. No guessing at damping settings. No chance of running the wrong click.
Matched from the factory. The damping and spring rate are chosen together for the listed fitment. The setup is not a guess. It is what the maker intended for that platform.
Consistent behavior. No settings to bump by accident. The car feels the same every time you drive it.
Where Non-Adjustable Coilovers Ask for Trade-Offs
No damping adjustment. If the preset damping is too firm for your roads or too soft for your style, you cannot change it. You would need different dampers.
Less range long-term. Say you start doing track days. A fixed kit may not suit the new demands, especially if you move to stiffer springs.
Which Type of Coilovers Should You Choose?
Choose Adjustable If
You track the car. You drive on mixed surfaces and want to adapt. You enjoy tuning. Long-term range matters to you. Our coilover setup matrix shows starting points by discipline. If the build will keep changing, an adjustable coilover kit gives you room to grow.
Choose Non-Adjustable If
You want a daily driver with a cleaner stance and tighter handling, and no fuss. A well-matched fixed kit does exactly that. If you want the drop and the body control without the homework, this is the right call.
Price Point Reality
Adjusters alone do not make a kit good. Valving, seals and build quality matter more than the number of knobs. Pick the kit whose engineering matches your use, then decide how much adjustment you want on top. You can compare both types in our coilover kit collection.
Frequently Asked Questions
What are the main advantages of adjustable coilovers?
You can tune damping for your roads, your driving style and the conditions. Soften it for rough streets or daily driving. Firm it up for track days or canyon runs. That range is the core advantage.
How do non-adjustable coilovers differ from adjustable ones?
Non-adjustable coilovers still give you ride height adjustment through the threaded body. The damping is fixed by the maker and matched to the kit's spring rate. You get the drop and the matched setup without any tuning.
Are adjustable coilovers worth the extra cost?
For track use, regular spirited driving, or anyone who wants to tune, yes. For a daily driver that just needs stance and tighter handling, a well-matched fixed kit does the job at a lower price point. Pay for the capability you will use.
What maintenance do adjustable coilovers require?
Keep the adjusters and threads clean. Work the adjusters through their range now and then. In salt-belt climates, use an anti-seize that is safe for aluminum, not a copper one. Check the locking collars and dust boots. Rebuild intervals vary by brand, so follow your kit's schedule.
Can I install non-adjustable coilovers myself?
Yes, with the right tools and some mechanical skill. You need a floor jack, stands, sockets and a torque wrench. Most kits arrive assembled, so the job is the same as an adjustable kit. Always get a professional alignment afterward.
Which way do I turn the damping adjuster?
It depends on the brand. Some kits count clicks from full firm, others from full soft. The direction for firmer can differ too. Start from the kit's manual setting and move a few clicks at a time.
Does an adjustable coilover kit add unsprung weight?
Not in any way you will feel. The adjuster hardware weighs little next to the wheel, tire, hub and brakes. Most unsprung weight lives there. If you want less of it, look at lighter wheels and tires first.
How do adjustable coilovers work?
Each damper has a valve that meters oil as the shaft moves. The adjuster changes the size of an oil path or the load on that valve. A smaller path means more resistance and firmer damping. Ride height adjusts separately, through the threaded body and lower mount.
What is adjustable suspension?
It is any suspension you can change after it is installed. On a coilover car, that usually means ride height plus damping, and sometimes camber at the top mount. Some kits adjust height only. Check which adjustments a kit has before you buy.
Which adjustable coilovers should I buy?
Start with how you use the car. A single-adjustable kit like the BC Racing BR Series covers most street and occasional track use. Independent compression and rebound, as on KW V3 or the Fortune Auto 510 Series, suits regular track work. Call us with your car and goals.
Keep reading: Our guides to adaptive dampers and comfort and stance.
Still Not Sure Which Direction Is Right?
Adjustable or non-adjustable comes down to how you use the car, how much you want to tune it, and your price point. We will be straight about which direction makes sense for you.
We carry BC Racing, KW, Fortune Auto, Öhlins, Feal and TEIN, and we know which kits run adjustable and which run fixed. On BC Racing kits, Swift Springs SPEC-R springs are an upgrade option on most fitments. Call 1-800-460-9106 and tell us what you drive. We will point you at the right kit. No runaround, no upsell.
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