The first step for most people is to fit lowering springs. This is often to make the car look better with the wheels closer to the arches but from a handling point of view they lower the centre of gravity of the car and are uprated, usually by about 25%. This means there is less roll in the corners and the tyres retain better contact with the road. Many springs nowadays are also progressively wound which means that their poundage rating increases as they are compressed. This means that as you go over smaller bumps the springs can feel almost standard and a comfortable ride is retained but when you corner hard the springs stiffen up to reduce roll. The best of both worlds!

There are basically two price groups for springs. There is a large group of manufacturers who produce springs at around the same price of around £70 - £100. We sell most of these brands, namely Apex, AVO (Chassis Dynamics), Jamex, PI, Spax and Ventura (used by Bilstein).

There is then a second group of more expensive springs at around £130 - £150. The biggest name in the UK is Eibach and the other is H&R - both from Germany. They both say that their springs are more expensive because more development goes into them with each set designed and tested on every individual car. We certainly get a lot of good feedback from customers who fit these springs.

Many people fit uprated shocks some time after they have fitted their springs while others will go the whole hogg and fit a full suspension kit complete with dampers and springs. While fitting springs on their own is OK you certainly don't get the best out of the suspension because uprated springs do make the suspension work harder. Forces are higher and the speed of oscillation goes up just like tightening up a guitar string. In some circumstances standard shocks are fine - for instance its quite common for BMW owners to fit Eibach springs with standard dampers.

Shock absorbers are basically a plunger in an oil-filled tube with holes in the plunger to let the oil through. The 'rate' of the shock absorber is related to the size of these holes - obviously the smaller these holes, the higher the rating and the harder it is to move the plunger. There's obviously more to it than that but its the basics. You will also hear of gas-filled shocks. This does not mean it is only gas inside - they are still mostly oil but the unit is pressurised with gas. Companies who produce gas shocks say the gas takes away some of the harshness sometimes associated with uprated shock absorbers.

The two biggest names in the shock absorber market are Bilstein and Koni, both with a long heritage in racing and rallying, especially Bilstein. Both do two ranges of shock absorber for the road. Bilstein do a very large range of OE shocks which are popular with people wanting to firm up their suspension a little bit by replacing worn out shocks with the high quality Bilsteins. Bilstein also do a range of uprated sports shocks which are around 25% uprated. They are not adjustable - Bilstein say they know what rating the car needs (they are from Germany!). Konis on the other hand are adjustable and their two ranges are 'Special' and 'Sports'. The Special range adjusts from standard to approx. 30% uprated and the Sports range adjust from approx. 20% uprated to very hard. Bilstein and Koni shocks tend to be around the same price - a rough average is around £100 per shock absorber.

There is then a second ream of shock absorber suppliers who are all around the same price but are cheaper than Bilstein and Koni. The main brands that we sell are AVO and Spax. All AVO dampers are adjustable while Spax has two ranges of shocks - one adjustable and one non-adjustable. All AVO and Spax shocks are adjustable on the car (Konis are also adjustable on the car where the adjustment can be made at the top of the shock but their other shocks need to be adjusted off the car). Some of the spring manufacturers also sell full kits of springs and shocks but don't sell shocks on their own. Among these we have Apex, Eibach, Jamex and PI.

Fitting uprated bushes is often the last thing people do when uprating their suspension. Perhaps its because old bushes can be a pain to get out and the new polyurethane ones difficult to get back in but if you know what you are doing and know some 'tricks of the trade' its not too difficult. Especially if you've got an older car, fitting new bushes can transform your car's handling because the original rubber bushes do get tired and worn which allows too much movement between suspension parts.

We supply bushes from Powerflex and Superflex which are made of polyurethane. This material does not deform anything like as much as standard rubber bushes but still manages to absorb much of the vibration and noise from the road. It is also self lubricating so that parts can rotate within the bush (most rubber bushes need to twist because they are firmly attached to both suspension components).

The best bushes to upgrade first are usually those associated with the steering such as the track control arm bushes. The benefits of this are very noticeable with a sharper steering response. The rest of the front suspension bushes are usually next on the list to further control the steering and also to allow the suspension geometry to do its job. For many, the rear bushes are the last to upgrade simply because they do not show such an immediate effect as the front ones do for the steering. Some cars steer at the rear as the car rolls on cornering and uprated rear bushes can help limit this.