Question

"E30Joe drives a Subaru" (325joe) 12/04/2013 at 21:52 • Filed to: None

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Why don't cars come with ADJUSTABLE (smartass ;) )coilovers from the factory? They can't possibly be that expensive and it seems like it would be a nice add on at least for an 500-1000 bucks.

thedevilinside > E30Joe drives a Subaru 12/04/2013 at 21:53

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They're less durable maybe?

Ian Duer (320b) > E30Joe drives a Subaru 12/04/2013 at 21:55

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Make the suspension adjustable and they will adjust it wrong — look what they can do to a Weber carburetor in just a few moments of stupidity with a screwdriver - Colin Chapman

THOMAS5 > E30Joe drives a Subaru 12/04/2013 at 21:55

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That would make things too easy

AddMustard > E30Joe drives a Subaru 12/04/2013 at 21:56

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Then I wouldn't be able to spend a Saturday afternoon in my driveway yelling at various bolts and nuts.

roflcopter > E30Joe drives a Subaru 12/04/2013 at 21:57

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A lot of cars do come with coilovers(just not adjustable ones).

Smartassery aside, they don't include adjustable suspension components for the same reason they don't let you mess with engine tunes without voiding your warranty. Most people would break more things than make them better, it's easier to just offer a 'sport' and 'normal' suspension or something that are actual factory tuned suspensions and it keeps idiots from complaining how they can't keep their car on the road after completely kafucking their suspension thinking they're an engineer.

Straightsix9904 > E30Joe drives a Subaru 12/04/2013 at 21:57

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You mean Adjustable coil overs? A lot of cars have coil over shocks...technically.

Probably because they don't want somebody changing the suspension from stock and then taking it in for warranty work or talking about how the ride sucks? A total shot in the dark FYI

P.S. This was in before your ninja edit.

offroadkarter > E30Joe drives a Subaru 12/04/2013 at 21:57

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My friends 86.5 928S has full coilovers from the factory

E30Joe drives a Subaru > Straightsix9904 12/04/2013 at 21:58

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Yes adjustable, I'm just so accustomed to everyone referring to coilovers and meaning the adjustable kind. Not just coilover suspension.

Tom McParland > E30Joe drives a Subaru 12/04/2013 at 21:58

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Like Ian said, automakers don't want to give the customers adjustability from the factory because then they would have to warranty the results of poor adjustments.

E30Joe drives a Subaru > Tom McParland 12/04/2013 at 21:59

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So what you're saying is... They want to make me have less fun and spend more of my dollars.

YSI-what can brown do for you > E30Joe drives a Subaru 12/04/2013 at 22:00

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Usually, well atleast for my car, good coilovers run for about 1200 to 2000 dollars, which would be really expensive(over the production of the car) for the price it is.

KusabiSensei - Captain of the Toronto Maple Leafs > E30Joe drives a Subaru 12/04/2013 at 22:01

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Liability. More correctly, CYA.

At least in the US, this is the core reason. Someone would set things up *wrong*, crash into something (or someone), and then they would blame the manufacturer for *letting* them put a wrong adjustment on the kit.

EL_ULY > E30Joe drives a Subaru 12/04/2013 at 22:01

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because the general public are morons to be messing with suspension geometry. Plus, all other suspension components would prematurely wear out including tires

Ian Duer (320b) > E30Joe drives a Subaru 12/04/2013 at 22:02

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No they don't care about your fun once you've signed for the car, and they don't care if you spend more money that isn't going to their coffers.

E30Joe drives a Subaru > Ian Duer (320b) 12/04/2013 at 22:04

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Lets start a car company and only care about customer satisfaction and having a smashing good time. Who's game?

Ian Duer (320b) > E30Joe drives a Subaru 12/04/2013 at 22:06

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Wasn't that called TVR? Didn't it go bankrupt? As an aside I do remember them offering adjustable suspension and rollcages etc from the factory.

E30Joe drives a Subaru > Ian Duer (320b) 12/04/2013 at 22:06

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Why is society so stupid?

aquila121 > E30Joe drives a Subaru 12/04/2013 at 22:07

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You'd still have people bitching about spring rates being too soft or too hard, wanting more shock valving adjustment, NVH compromises, added cost to vehicle's price, etc. Also, if you want camber and toe adjustment, that means camber plates and more bits have to go on the car during assembly. Also, as Ian Duer (320b) said, the suspension engineers may spend months dialing in what they see as a good setup for the car, then absolutely anyone can twist some tools and jack it all up to hell. I'm not saying I'd be against factory coils, but I understand why automakers rarely do such things.

Just save the $500-1,000 increase you would anticipate on the MSRP with coilovers as an option, and do the research and hunting to get suspension that's closest to your priorities as far as stiffness, adjustablity, cost, and comfort. It'd be nice if the car rolled off the assembly line exactly how you wanted, but you can't please everyone—so the individual gets to choose their own mods. See it as a blessing.

KusabiSensei - Captain of the Toronto Maple Leafs > E30Joe drives a Subaru 12/04/2013 at 22:09

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Because they don't give a flyin' rat's ass about anything?

Ian Duer (320b) > E30Joe drives a Subaru 12/04/2013 at 22:09

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Not stupid so much as uninterested in hardcore cars. They want pretty to look at status symbols that people know are fast. Think Ferrari. Not fast at the cost of comfort and looks think any KTM/Atom type trackday special. There's a reason that Mustangs outsell Lotus 7 clones. Well several reasons.

E30Joe drives a Subaru > aquila121 12/04/2013 at 22:11

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Yep, I guess you're right. I'd figure on at least some higher performance cars it would be an option, not like a Camry or a Honda Fit (although both should come with the option of air suspension because bags)

More like a BRZ or a 370, stuff like that.

If only EssExTee could be so grossly incandescent > E30Joe drives a Subaru 12/04/2013 at 22:12

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I believe the Neon ACRs came with adjustable ones.

E30Joe drives a Subaru > Ian Duer (320b) 12/04/2013 at 22:14

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The status symbol part is very true, there are a few kids at my college who couldn't even tell me where the engine is located in their Lamborghini, or how many cylinders their BMW has. They just know what color it is and who makes it.

Ian Duer (320b) > E30Joe drives a Subaru 12/04/2013 at 22:21

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I know what you mean. I was asked repeatedly, in reference to my E36 why I bought the "little one," by other students. I gave up trying to explain that it was more like the sporty one.

E30Joe drives a Subaru > Ian Duer (320b) 12/04/2013 at 22:25

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People don't even know what my E30 is, even though it's clearly got a BMW badge on it in multiple places. They think it's from like the 70's...

Same goes with my motorcycle, literally everyone who has ever approached me or asked about it called it a "crotch rocket" not a Yamaha or an R6 or even mistook it for another 600 or something.

Ian Duer (320b) > E30Joe drives a Subaru 12/04/2013 at 22:27

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You mean the E30 things I keep seeing aren't just old Jettas with BMW badges slapped on? I'm shocked sir. I never knew BMW made any cars before 2004. /sarcasm

Ian Duer (320b) > E30Joe drives a Subaru 12/04/2013 at 22:29

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Actually in all seriousness I got the opposite with the E36, apparently people couldn't tell the difference between E36 and E46 sedans when they weren't next to each other.

toadterror > E30Joe drives a Subaru 12/04/2013 at 22:31

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"Make the suspension adjustable and they will adjust it wrong"

- Colin Chapman

E30Joe drives a Subaru > Ian Duer (320b) 12/04/2013 at 22:32

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Generally the response I get when I try to explain that it's not even 25 years old.

GhostZ > E30Joe drives a Subaru 12/05/2013 at 06:57

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The Zonda, Koenigsegg, CC/CCV8/CCX/Agera/R and the McLaren F1 all came with manually adjustable suspension. Not what you're asking for, but just FYI, it has been done by extreme cars before.

There's probably more lower-end cars that sold with adjustable suspension too, but I don't recall them.