Have you ever wondered if “being static” and “on coils” the same thing? A lot of people seem to confuse this. Also, it seems that plenty of people don’t know what a coil is or isn’t. This article is here to help with that.

Let’s proceed to the crux, is being static and on coils the same thing?

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Is Being Static And On Coils The Same Thing?

Static is a form of stance where the car is lowered via static suspension components such as coilovers. While coilovers are adjustable, they can’t be adjusted without lifting the car and spending 30 minutes with a wrench. Static means the car is stuck at that ride height.

What Does Riding Static Mean?

Riding static means that your car is on coilovers and at fixed ride height. You can still slam your car if you have coilovers, but you can’t raise or lower it with the click of a button like you would with airbags.

There’s a lot of debate over whether air suspension or coilovers are better, but there’s no denying that air suspension has grown in popularity in recent years. The main reason is because air suspension allows you to raise and lower your car with the press of a button.

Many people like this because they can easily raise their car when they need to clear speedbumps or other obstacles that might damage their car. When the road is clear, they can simply press the button again to lower their car. This is why many people refer to air suspension as “lay frame” setups.

While most people seem to think that air suspension offers more flexibility than coilovers, there’s actually no difference between the two when it comes to ride quality.

Coilovers also offer adjustability, especially when it comes to height and dampening settings. In fact, many people consider them superior for track use since they don’t rely on compressors that can fail or leak.

Is Lowering Springs Considered Static?

The answer is mostly no. A lot of people think that a lowered car is considered static, which is not true. Static just means your car is fixed at one height. You can have a lowered car with coilovers and adjust your height, you just can’t raise it up to stock height.

There are many reasons why people don’t go full static, but here’s the main ones:

It’s not good for your vehicle – When you cut or even fully remove your springs on a coilover suspension and install shorter springs, you will be lowering the value of your vehicle as well as the integrity of it. With coilovers, you can lower or raise your vehicle to any height without losing its value or integrity, but this option costs more than lowering your springs.

A lowered car will still be able to drive – Lowering your car on coilovers is still considered a “static” stance because coilovers are adjustable. You can jack up your car to whatever height you want and then roll it around while in the air. If you were to lower your springs and cut them, then you’re stuck at that one height until you reinstall new springs which will cost more money (Springs are cheaper than coilovers).

What Is Static Ride Height?

Static ride height is the total distance from the center of the wheel hub to a reference point, usually a perpendicular line from the center of the wheel hub to the ground.

If you have an adjustable coilover system, then you can adjust this distance by adjusting your spring preload, and in some cases, whether or not you’re using a helper spring.

Some coilover systems allow you to adjust your static ride height without changing your ride quality.

This is because your spring rate determines how much force is required at each wheel to compress that wheel’s suspension by one inch. The amount of force it takes to compress your suspension by one inch is measured in pounds per inch (lb/in). For example, if it takes 100 lbs. of force to compress a wheel’s suspension by one inch, then that wheel has a spring rate of 100 lb/in.

By increasing or decreasing your spring preload by half an inch, you’re changing the load on your tire by 50 lbs., which will cause it to sit higher or lower than it would with its original preload setting. In most cases, this won’t affect your car’s handling characteristics at all.

What Do Coil Over Shocks Do?

A coilover suspension (also called a screw suspension) refers to a suspension that allows individual adjustment of the ground clearance. This is done by means of a screw thread on the suspension strut. By turning the thread, the height of the vehicle body can be changed in relation to the wheel assembly.

The coilover system usually consists of the spring seat, a shock absorber and a spring in one piece. The shock absorber and spring are connected to each other in such a way that they can move only relative to each other and perform their own functions independently.

What Does Static Drop Mean?

There are two types of kits: static drop and an air ride. Air ride is the most common, because it allows the driver to raise and lower their car with a touch of a button. This is great for those who want to make their car sit low at shows but be able to raise it back up when they go to drive it home.

With a static drop, your only variable is whether you or your passenger is packing some extra weight. Otherwise, it is what it is — and that never changes. For the most part, a static drop is cheaper than your standard airbag setup. Now that’s not the case when you start looking at coilover kits, but you get the idea.

Static drops also have another benefit: They do not require as much electrical work as an air ride kit does. That’s right, no compressors or other electronic components that could go wrong if you don’t wire them correctly or if they become damaged.