SPRINGS AND DAMPERS

1 Fitting new or aftermarket suspension springs and dampers will generally improve the ride quality and handling of a car, but choose wisely. Lowering springs and stiffer dampers for instance may make the ride quality worse.

2 The work involved in replacing the springs and dampers varies but in general, various suspension components will need to be detached. Coil springs may need to be compressed to extract them and specialist tools required for this job.

3 Suspension components such as the rubber cones on the classic Mini can be changed for adjustable units with spring inserts. This can help to fine-tune the suspension settings with the aim of achieving a desired ride quality.

4 Where a MacPherson strut or coilover is fitted, the coil spring will need to be compressed to dismantle the assembly before fitting the new components. It may be more costeffective to ask a local garage to do this for you instead of buying the equipment.