Comfort and Stance on a Daily Driver: Setting Up Coilovers for Both
Coilovers for daily driving work when you give up a little drop to keep a lot of comfort. Pick a sensible spring rate and start the damping from the kit's manual setting. Then leave enough travel that the car never lives on its bump stops.
Picture an E39 5 Series sedan. It is a big, quiet highway car from the factory. Drop it on coilovers and it looks right, sits flatter in a corner and still has to commute every day. That is the balance this guide is about.
The mistakes are always the same. Too low, too stiff, damping cranked up because firm feels sporty for the first ten minutes. A week later the owner hates the car. You can avoid all of that.
Coilovers for Daily Driving: The Low vs Comfortable Trade-Off
Every inch of drop comes out of something. On perch-only kits it comes out of bump travel, and on any kit it comes out of clearance. On a perch-only kit, the lower the car sits, the less room the wheel has before the bump stop.
When the suspension runs out of travel, the bump stop takes over. It is much stiffer than the spring, so the ride goes from controlled to harsh in an instant. That jolt over an expansion joint is what most people call a bad coilover. Often it is just a car set too low.
So decide what you want before you start turning collars. A daily driver that looks good and rides well usually sits a little higher than the show car in the photos. There is no single safe drop for every car. It depends on the chassis, wheels and tires.
Spring Rate: Pick It for the Road, Not the Photo
Spring rate is how hard the spring pushes back per inch of compression. A stiffer spring holds the car flatter and resists bottoming. It also passes more of every bump into the cabin.
What you feel at the wheel is the wheel rate, not the spring rate. Wheel rate equals spring rate times the motion ratio squared. That is why the same spring can feel soft on one car and firm on another. Our guide to motion ratio explains the math.
Preload is a separate thing. It is measured with the wheel hanging, and it does not change spring rate. At ride height the car's weight compresses the spring well past its preload. Turning the spring perch for preload does not make the ride softer or firmer. Our guide to coilover preload covers it in detail.
For a street car, the rates a kit ships with are a sane starting point. If you want custom rates, ask before you order. Brands like BC Racing and Fortune Auto build kits with custom rates on many fitments.
Damping: Where to Start and How to Adjust
The damper controls how fast the spring compresses and rebounds. Too little damping and the car floats and keeps moving after a dip. Too much and every small bump gets through.
Start from the kit's manual setting. Click counts and click direction differ by brand, so never assume a number from another kit. Drive your usual commute, then change one thing at a time.
The car floats after dips. Add a little damping, a few clicks at a time.
Sharp bumps crash through. Back the damping off a few clicks. If it still crashes, the car may be too low and hitting the bump stop.
It feels nervous on the highway. Check the alignment and tire pressures before you touch the dampers.
Our guide on how coilovers affect ride quality goes deeper on the spring and damper balance.
Travel and Bump Stops
Keep the bump stops the kit supplies. They protect the damper and the car when the suspension runs out of room. Cutting them to go lower just moves the harsh hit to a different bump.
A full-length kit like BC Racing lets you set ride height at the lower mount without changing spring preload. On perch-only kits, the spring perch sets height and preload together. Know which kind you have before you start turning collars.
Unsprung weight matters here too. It is the mass the springs do not carry: wheels, tires, hubs and brakes. Heavy wheels and tires make the damper work harder over bumps. A coilover kit does not cut that mass by itself, but lighter wheels do.
Speed Bumps, Driveways and the Real World
Daily driving means parking garages, steep driveways and speed bumps. Plan for them before you pick a height.
Check your steepest driveway. If the front lip scrapes at stock height, it will scrape lower.
Take ramps at an angle. One wheel at a time keeps the bumper and the underside off the ground.
Load the car. Check clearance with passengers and luggage. A drop that works empty can rub full.
For low cars that still need to clear driveways, KW makes HLS (Hydraulic Lift System) available on selected KW V3 and higher applications. It is a front-axle hydraulic lift for low-clearance cars. Ask us whether it fits yours.
The E39 Example: What We List
The E39 sedan shows how many paths a daily build can take. Here is what our listings name.
BC Racing. The 1995-2003 5 Series Sedan RWD E39 BC Racing listing comes in BR, DS or RM. The BR, DS and RM all have 30-click simultaneous compression and rebound. Swift Springs SPEC-R upgrade springs are an option. A separate listing covers the 1999-2004 Touring.
KW. The 1997-2003 E39 Sedan KW listing comes in KW V1, KW V2 or KW V3. KW V1 has preset damping, KW V2 adds rebound adjustment, and KW V3 adjusts rebound and compression separately.
Solo-Werks. The 1997-2003 E39 Sedan Solo-Werks listing covers non-M sedans without the OEM Sport Package. Solo-Werks S1 coilovers have adjustable ride height and factory-calibrated fixed damping.
Others. Ksport lists the 525i, 528i, 530i and 540i, excluding the wagon. Feal lists the 1996-2003 E39. Bilstein lists B14 PSS kits by engine, without electronic or self-leveling suspension.
For a pure daily, the fixed-damping kits keep things simple. If you like to tune, the adjustable ones give you room. Confirm fitment on the product page, or call 1-800-460-9106 with your VIN.
Living With Coilovers for Daily Driving
A daily sees rain, salt, potholes and long highway runs. The coilover kit has to live with all of it, so pick one built for that life and look after it.
Think about noise before you buy. Track-oriented kits can be louder on the street. BC Racing's series pages note that noise from track-oriented DS, RM, ER, HM, ZR or ZX kits is not covered by warranty. For a quiet commuter, ask us which series suits the job.
Look after the threads. Clean them every season and check that the locking collars have not backed off. In salt-belt states, use an anti-seize that is safe for aluminum, not a copper-based one. Copper next to aluminum collars promotes galvanic corrosion.
Watch the damper shafts. A light film of oil can be normal. Oil running down the body points to a worn seal, and that damper needs service. Catch it early, before grit gets in and scores the shaft.
A Daily Driver Setup Checklist
Set your height first, using our guide to set ride height on coilovers. Then tighten every locking collar and get a full alignment, since any height change moves camber and toe. Drive a week before you change anything else. Our coilover setup guide covers how street settings differ from track settings. Good performance suspension on a daily is the setup you stop thinking about. That is the real goal of coilovers for daily driving.
Frequently Asked Questions
Are coilovers good for daily driving?
Yes, when they are set up for it. Choose a sensible spring rate and start damping from the manual setting. Do not drop the car so low that it rides on the bump stops.
Do coilovers ride rough?
They do when the car is too low, the springs are too stiff or the damping is set too firm. Fix the height first, then the damping. Most harsh rides we hear about come from a drop that is too aggressive.
How low should I go on a daily driver?
There is no single number. It depends on your chassis, wheels, tires and driveway. Leave enough travel that the suspension does not hit the bump stops over normal bumps.
Does more preload make coilovers stiffer?
No. Preload does not change spring rate. At ride height the car's weight compresses the spring well past its preload.
What damping setting should I use for the street?
Start from the setting in your kit's manual. Click counts and directions differ by brand. Adjust a few clicks at a time and change one thing per drive.
Can I cut my bump stops to go lower?
We advise against it. Bump stops protect the damper and the car when travel runs out. Cutting them only moves the harsh hit to a different bump.
Which coilovers fit an E39 5 Series sedan?
We list E39 sedan kits from BC Racing, KW, Solo-Werks, Ksport, Feal and Bilstein. Each listing names its own years, engines and exclusions, so confirm yours before you order.
Build a Daily You Want to Drive
Tell us the car, the wheels and tires, and how low you want to go. We will help you pick a kit and a starting setup that looks right and still rides well.
Call 1-800-460-9106 to talk it through. Free shipping across Canada on most kits.
1-800-460-9106Browse Coilover Kits