Tuning
A car’s suspension is the system of linkages, shock absorbers, and springs that connect a vehicle to its wheels. For the perfect suspension, tuning is typically required. Car tuning is when you modify the appearance or performance of your vehicle. While car tuning is often related to racing, many tuned cars are built for the pleasure of driving and owning. Tuning your suspension system fits in this category, by changing the stiffness, body roll, and cornering abilities of your vehicle to fit your personal preferences.
Brands
There are many different ways to tune your suspension system.
Using stiffer shock absorbers can improve the dynamic weight shifting during cornering. Purchasing stiffer anti-roll bars help reduce body roll which improves the grip your tires have on the surface. Some people choose to add strut bars, which help maintain the proper suspension geometry during cornering and help improve stiffness. There are many different brands available for each part of your suspension, although many brands offer various suspension packages that include anti-roll bars, shocks, springs, and other accessories.
Safety
Your suspension system is a key component of your car’s performance and overall driving safety. Without a good suspension system, your brakes and tires may falter. Suspension tuning helps improve your car’s overall safety by ensuring the various parts of your suspension system are well maintained and up to date. When parts wear down, safety hazards can arise. Worn shocks, for example, can lead to premature tire wear and reduced suspension control, which could affect your car’s handling. It is important to constantly check your vehicle to make sure nothing needs to be repaired or replaced, and suspension tuning helps in this regard.
Benefits
There are many benefits to using suspension tuning, the biggest being
you get to customize your vehicle to your own personal preference. If you want your car to be stiffer to handle corners better, you can do that. The freedom to personalize your vehicle is a huge advantage. It also helps improve your car’s safety. By installing brand new suspension parts, such as shocks and springs, you replace your older parts which may have started to wear down. You also will be more inclined to take care of your new suspension parts, thus ensuring your suspension system is properly maintained.
Drawbacks
There are no real drawbacks to suspension tuning, outside of the cost. For most people, standard suspension parts from the car’s original manufacturer serve their purpose, and they do not need anything more than that. Upgrading your suspension with aftermarket parts can be very expensive, depending on what brand you go for and what type of car you have. There’s a reason most suspension kits are marketed to racers or high-performance cars.
Cost
Suspension tuning can cost a very little to a very large amount of money,
depending on the parts you are upgrading, the type of car you have, and the brands you are purchasing. Individually, shocks, springs, and anti-roll bars tend are relatively inexpensive, but when purchasing all three plus other accessories, the cost can quickly run up. The Bilstein B12 Pro-Kit, for example, costs around $1500. It is important to do the required research before purchasing a kit to make sure you are getting exactly what you need, and perhaps more importantly, what you want.