Coilovers vs Lowering Springs: Which Should You Buy?
Coilovers or lowering springs? What each one does, what they really cost with shocks and alignment, and which makes sense for your car and budget.
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In this guide
Lowering is one of the first things people want to do to a car. It looks better, it drops the center of gravity, and done right, it makes the car feel tighter and more eager. The question everyone hits right away is whether to buy lowering springs or go straight to coilovers.
Short answer: lowering springs (with the right shocks) are the better street choice for most people, and coilovers make sense once you want adjustability for autocross, track days or a specific stance. The long answer depends on what you actually do with the car, so let’s break it down.
To keep the prices real, the examples below use one of the most common enthusiast cars out there: the 2013–2021 Subaru BRZ / Scion FR-S / Toyota 86. The same logic applies to a Civic, a Miata, a Mustang or a 3 Series.
What lowering springs actually do
A lowering spring replaces your factory coil spring with a shorter, usually stiffer one. The car sits lower, rolls less in corners, and squats and dives less under acceleration and braking.
What a lowering spring doesn’t do is change your dampers (shocks or struts). And that’s the catch. Your factory dampers were valved to control the factory spring at the factory ride height. Put a stiffer, shorter spring on them and you’re asking those dampers to do a job they weren’t designed for, with less stroke to do it in.
FCP Euro’s suspension guidance sums it up well: springs will physically fit on stock shocks, but they strongly recommend pairing them with performance dampers, because worn or stock units can give you a harsher or less controlled ride, worse handling and a greater chance of bottoming out. Bilstein even makes a separate line, the B8, that it describes as designed for lowered vehicles with shorter stroke.
So when you price out lowering springs, think of it as springs plus matching shocks, not springs alone.
Lowering spring pros
- Cheapest way to lower. A set of springs costs a fraction of a coilover kit.
- Comfortable when matched. Mild-drop springs like the Eibach Pro-Kit are built to keep a near-stock level of comfort. Eibach says the Pro-Kit “retains the same comfort level as stock.”
- Simple and set-and-forget. No ride height to adjust, nothing to seize up or rattle loose.
- Proven combos. Many brands sell springs and shocks as a matched kit.
Lowering spring cons
- Fixed drop. You get whatever height the spring gives you. Eibach lists a typical Pro-Kit drop of 1.0–1.5 inches, and it varies by car.
- No damping adjustment (unless you buy adjustable shocks separately).
- Hard on stock dampers, especially ones that already have miles on them.
What coilovers actually do
A coilover combines the spring and damper into one adjustable assembly. The spring sits on a threaded body, so you can raise or lower the car by moving the spring perch or the lower mount. Most also let you adjust damping with a knob, and many include adjustable camber plates up front.
The big advantage is control. You can set ride height exactly where you want it, set corner weights, and dial the damping softer for the street or firmer for an autocross.
Coilover pros
- Adjustable ride height. Go mild for daily use or lower for looks, and change it later.
- Adjustable damping. Most entry-level sets have one knob that adjusts compression and rebound together. Higher-end sets adjust them separately.
- Spring and damper designed together, so the damper is valved for the spring.
- Camber plates are often included, which matters on cars that need extra negative camber when lowered or tracked.
Coilover cons
- More money up front, and quality varies wildly between brands.
- More setup. You need to set the height, corner balance and damping, then get an alignment. Get it wrong and the car can feel worse than stock.
- Ride can be firmer. Coilovers often come with stiffer springs than a street-oriented lowering spring.
- Maintenance. Threaded bodies can seize if you never adjust them, especially in places that salt the roads.
Side-by-side: coilovers vs lowering springs
| Lowering springs + matched shocks | Coilovers | |
|---|---|---|
| Ride height | Fixed (typically 1.0–1.5 in. on a Pro-Kit) | Adjustable |
| Damping | Fixed (unless adjustable shocks) | Usually adjustable |
| Street comfort | Very good with a mild-drop spring | Good to firm, depends on setup |
| Track and autocross | Good for novice level | Better, more tunable |
| Setup effort | Low | Medium to high |
| Up-front cost (BRZ/86) | ~$395 springs only, ~$1,269 kit | ~$1,000–$1,325 entry level, $3,000+ premium |
| Long-term maintenance | Minimal | Clean and adjust threads now and then |
What it really costs (BRZ / FR-S / 86 example)
Here’s what common options cost for the 2013–2021 BRZ / FR-S / 86 from enthusiast retailers, as of November 2026. Prices move around with sales, so treat these as ballpark numbers.
| Option | Type | Price (as of Nov 2026) | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| Eibach Pro-Kit springs | Lowering springs | $395 (Subimods) | Springs only, keep or replace shocks |
| Bilstein B12 Pro-Kit | Springs + matched shocks | $1,269 on sale, $1,528 regular (FastScions) | Bilstein dampers with Eibach Pro-Kit springs. Listed drop about 1.0 in. front, 0.8 in. rear |
| Tein Flex Z | Entry coilover | $1,007 (Subispeed, MSRP $1,180) | 16-way damping, 6 kg/mm (336 lb/in) springs, front drop up to 2.3 in. |
| BC Racing BR | Entry coilover | $1,215–$1,325 (Subimods) | Monotube, 30-level damping, front camber plates, 8 kg/mm springs, 2-year warranty |
| KW V3 | Premium coilover | $3,099 (MAPerformance) | Separate compression and rebound adjustment |
Then add the alignment. A 2026 pricing guide from Performance Plus Tire puts a four-wheel alignment for a mainstream car at $100–$175, but $175–$350 for a lowered car. Depending on the car and how low you go, you may also need parts like camber bolts or adjustable arms to get the alignment back in spec.
If you’re paying a shop to install, add labor on top. Rates vary a lot by shop and region, so get a quote before you order parts.
The takeaway: springs alone are cheap, but springs done right (with proper shocks) cost about the same as entry-level coilovers. That’s the part a lot of people miss when they compare the two.
Which one should you buy?
Get lowering springs (with matched shocks) if:
- The car is mostly a daily driver and you want it to look and feel sharper without riding hard.
- You want a mild drop and don’t care about adjusting it later.
- You live somewhere with rough roads or harsh winters, where low ride height and exposed threads are a pain.
- You want to install it and forget it.
A matched kit like the Bilstein B12 Pro-Kit is a good example of the approach: a known-good spring with a damper built to work with it.
Get coilovers if:
- You’re doing autocross or track days and want to tune the car as you get faster. (If you’re new to that, start with our first autocross guide.)
- You want a specific ride height or stance that no off-the-shelf spring gives you.
- Your car needs camber adjustment when lowered and the coilover kit includes camber plates.
- You enjoy tinkering and don’t mind spending an afternoon setting things up.
Get neither (yet) if:
- Your tires are old or cheap. Tires make a bigger difference than either option. If you autocross, our best autocross tires guide is the place to start.
- Your current shocks, bushings or end links are worn out. Fix the basics first, or you’ll be chasing problems the new parts can’t solve.
Common mistakes to avoid
Buying the cheapest coilovers you can find. Low-cost no-name coilovers are where a lot of bad suspension stories come from: harsh ride, noise and early failures. A quality spring and shock setup beats junk coilovers every time. We said the same thing in our Miata mods guide, and it applies to every car.
Putting aggressive springs on high-mileage stock shocks. This is the classic budget move that leaves you with a bouncy, crashy car. If your dampers are tired, replace them at the same time.
Going too low. Every inch lower eats suspension travel. Slam a car and you’ll ride on the bump stops, scrape everything, and often make it handle worse, not better. For a car you drive and corner hard, a modest drop is usually the sweet spot.
Skipping the alignment. Lowering changes camber and toe. Skip the alignment and you’ll eat tires and the car may feel twitchy. Book it right after the install, and again any time you change the ride height on coilovers.
Cranking the damping to full stiff. Stiffer isn’t faster. On the street especially, start soft and work your way up until the car feels controlled without skipping over bumps.
The bottom line
If you want your street car lower, sharper and still comfortable, quality lowering springs paired with shocks built for them are the smart buy. They’re simple, proven and easy to live with.
If you’re heading to autocross or the track, want a specific stance, or love to tweak, a reputable coilover is worth the extra setup. Just don’t cheap out, and don’t forget the alignment either way.
And if you’re still running worn-out tires, fix that first. It’ll make a bigger difference than either one.
FAQ
Are coilovers better than lowering springs?
Not automatically. Good coilovers give you adjustable ride height and damping, which matters for track and autocross. But a quality lowering spring paired with shocks built for it can ride and handle better on the street than cheap coilovers.
Can I put lowering springs on my stock shocks?
They'll usually bolt in, but it's not ideal. Stock dampers are valved for the factory spring rate and ride height. Suspension retailers like FCP Euro recommend pairing lowering springs with performance shocks, because worn or stock dampers can lead to a bouncier ride and more bottoming out.
How much does it cost to lower a car?
On a Subaru BRZ or Toyota 86, as of November 2026, Eibach Pro-Kit springs run about $395, a matched Bilstein shock and Eibach spring kit about $1,269 on sale, and entry-level coilovers from Tein or BC Racing about $1,000 to $1,325. Add an alignment, which typically costs $175 to $350 for a lowered car.
Do I need an alignment after lowering my car?
Yes. Lowering changes camber and toe. Skip the alignment and you'll wear tires fast and the car may pull or feel nervous. Budget for one every time you change ride height.
Do coilovers ride rough?
They can, especially cheap ones with stiff springs set very low. A decent coilover set at a sensible height with the damping turned down can be perfectly livable on the street. The ride depends more on spring rate, damper quality and ride height than on the word coilover.