159 Lowering?

I fancy achieving the Ti look and getting some lowered springs for my 159? potn.co.uk have Eibachs for around £150 but has anyone here done it ? If so how was it for you?

Originally Posted by nello

I fancy achieving the Ti look and getting some lowered springs for my 159? potn.co.uk have Eibachs for around £150 but has anyone here done it ? If so how was it for you?

Autodelta sell some springs for the 159, they might be better. Im going to do it as well, just waiting for some advice as to whether its better to replace dampers as well.....

Don't think so Stevie - I have done it in the past on the wifes Stilo and a Fiat Coupe - springs only with absolutley no issues - makes a big difference in the cars appearence. It was going to be a top of the list job for me when I was looking for a car but I managed to get the 18" Horseshoe Alloys on the one I bought which give the illusion the gap between tyre and body is less than say 17" wheels.........Eibachs are £150 from potn..........reckon its worth a go...

Replacing everything is way much better if you want anything else but looks. Take a look at he KW coilovers (even novitec uses them and sells them rebranded), you can also adjust height and stiffness, or if you can go for v3 you could adjust a whole lot more - tho unnecessary if you don't go racing with it. KW v1 or v2 are IMO the way to go, even if they prolly cost 7-8 times more than springs alone

You could also try to find the original TI springs - I hear that only the springs are different from the normal versions - as they lower it only about 20mm instead of the 30-40mm that other brands spings do.

So Ti factory springs go on standard 159 Shocks?

Autodelta Shop

Here is the link to the autodelta springs...........

nello. I got my eibach monted on my 3.2 Q4 for about 1mnth ago, and I think the car is much better to drive, it might be a little stiffer, but that is just minor, but the handling is great, and it looks 10 times better, just do it, it you dont like it you can always putt the old once back.

Originally Posted by nello

So Ti factory springs go on standard 159 Shocks?

AFAIK yes - it is cosmetic mostly although the ride is stiffer. I have a Lusso on 19'' Ti alloys and have toyed with buying the springs to lower it but so far have resisted. Crashwong has lowered his SW and fitted some lovely alloys - do a search for his name

That does it - off to me local dealer to price up Ti Springs........will let you all know......

Originally Posted by nello

That does it - off to me local dealer to price up Ti Springs........will let you all know......

just buy some Eibachs yourself and get someone to fit them

Eibach is just as good, and probaly a lot cheaper, go for them.

Thanks for remembering me Dpat after our discussions


I have Eibachs on my 159 and think they're great!

£150 for the springs and £150 for fitting (it took 2 hours and a lot of bloody work)

The ride is so much better. More controlled, far less body roll through the corners and less diving under extreme braking.

this is something that someone posted on our local alfa romeo forum. I don't know where is this from to say who to credit with

It is often the case, you stand in front of your Alfa and ask yourself, "what would be the best springs for my Alfa?", or "what would be the shocks for my Alfa?"
These questions are not so easy to answer, the answer depends on what parts are to be exchanged, how you drive and so on. We will give you some basic information to this problem (there will be a very detailed report to be read here at alfisti.net):

The optimal suspension does not exist!
You always have to make a compromise between comfort, price, etc. With this in mind you will then ask yourself the question:
What do I want to achieve and what will I achieve with the changes in the suspension?
Having a great optical impression and just driving in the city is a different story to having a car which drives flat out on the motorway or even on the racetrack, these are just two of the options open to you, yes nightmares are included, those long sleepless nights, lower, wider, just one spoiler or maybe sport shocks? What can I afford?
Below you will find a short resumee of things that can help, hopefully!


Lowering the chassis by changing the springs
This is the cheapest way to lower your Alfa, you do this at the cost of top speed handling. Here we note the following; lower looks better but it is at the cost of handling, the lower you go the worse the car will handle, even if you use those "harder" springs, the geometry is just not made for this type of punishment, it will get its revenge on you sooner or later. Facit: This method is only for those who drive in the city or cruise at around 80 mph in the countryside.


Lowering the chassis by changing the springs and the shocks
This is the best solution for the "sporty" driver. If you decide to replace your springs and shocks (yellow Konis or Bilstein B6/BCool, you will notice the handling is definately better than original when going into those tight corners, the Alfa sits on the road as if it's glued, an uneven road is better absorbed than above in the first option. This option though has the comfort as the price to pay, your Alfa feels harder but this is justifiable. I would recommend a value of 40 mm, no more, otherwise the handling will suffer. With this option you will only notice the better handling at higher speeds and high speed cornering, in the city or at lower speeds there is no difference to be noticed. When using the 40mm shorter springs and shocks it would be adviseable to use the shortened Bilstein B8 shocks.


Adjustable coilovers
This is the luxury option for all those of you out there. A suspension that can be raised or lowered to your own specs. With this setup you can cover the complete range, from soft to hard, from sport to cruising, what more do you want? But beware!, there are various types available, some are cheap and nasty, they allow little or no adjustment, this has an adverse effect to the handling. Be careful, ask us, tell us what you want, how much you are willing to spend, we will push you in the right direction!


Our tip
There should be very few compromises between the chassis and suspension, this includes tyres as well as brakes, these are the systems that are vital to your safety, this also applies to all those tuning parts, only well known manufacturers like Eibach, H&R and Novitec for springs, or KW, Koni, H&R or Bilstein for shocks, these are names you can trust. A coilover suspension from KW/Novitec can in some cases be no more expensive than a complete springs and shocks change, but it has more possibilities. For those drivers who like to drive on the motorway or racetrack we would recommend the Bilstein B16 solution. With this option there is the time factor to be taken into consideration, you'll need plenty of time to try out all those varying adjustments! If you have no time or just too lazy, this option is no good for you.

Originally Posted by Hunter

Thanks for remembering me Dpat after our discussions :finger:

I've never heard of you...........................





























Sorry

Typical.

I expect nothing less from you lot 'over the hill' in Lancs/Cheshire

Originally Posted by Hunter

Thanks for remembering me Dpat after our discussions :finger:


I have Eibachs on my 159 and think they're great!

£150 for the springs and £150 for fitting (it took 2 hours and a lot of bloody work)

The ride is so much better. More controlled, far less body roll through the corners and less diving under extreme braking.

Hi Hunter,

Does it not cause any problems with the VDC system by altering the ride of the car? I've always been curious as you would be altering the position of the car, wouldn't you?

David

Originally Posted by dpat

AFAIK yes - it is cosmetic mostly although the ride is stiffer. I have a Lusso on 19'' Ti alloys and have toyed with buying the springs to lower it but so far have resisted. Crashwong has lowered his SW and fitted some lovely alloys - do a search for his name

Have you got any pics of your Lusso? I'd be interested to see the 19's on an 'unlowered' car (Is that a word?!)

ive just dented my debit card & credit card, Eibach Pro Dampers on the former & Eibach Pro Springs on the latter......

I will take before and after photos of her and post them when done......

Originally Posted by DavidWhitton

Hi Hunter,

Does it not cause any problems with the VDC system by altering the ride of the car? I've always been curious as you would be altering the position of the car, wouldn't you?

David

No problems at all and they've been on since new
Well worth it IMHO

Originally Posted by DavidWhitton

Hi Hunter,

Does it not cause any problems with the VDC system by altering the ride of the car? I've always been curious as you would be altering the position of the car, wouldn't you?

David

I have not had any problem with the VDC system after I lowered the car

Moved to Tuning Lounge

Originally Posted by dpat

just buy some Eibachs yourself and get someone to fit them

Are there any issues with the Eibachs in lowering with clearance?
Heard the Eibachs drop the car 30-40mm whereas the Ti springs are apparently only about a 20mm drop? I have the 18" 'Horseshoe' Alloys on my car?