2024 Solo-Werks Coilovers Review – Are They Any Good?
If you’ve been looking into what the best coilover brands for your car would be, no doubt you’ve come across Solo-Werks. Solo-Werks coilovers have been gaining popularity in the last couple of years, especially with European cars. However, are they any good?
Having personally run Solo-Werks S1 coilovers on my old BMW 328i E36, I will be speaking first hand on my experience with them as well as what I have read or heard from others.
About Solo-Werks (The Company)
Solo-Werks was actually started by a few engineers who used to work at KW and have 20 years of experience in the suspension industry, and decided to start their own coilover brand. KW, as you probably know, is one of the top suspension brands worldwide, which gives Solo-Werks a bit of a head start.
They mainly produce coilover kits for BMWs and Volkswagens, with the odd other car like Honda and Subaru. Their line of coilovers are mainly entry level and go for around $500. However, don’t let the price fool you, as they put a lot of engineering into their kits for the price level.
The Solo-Werks Coilovers
Solo-Werks coilovers come in the S1 line currently and as mentioned are mainly designed and entry-level coilovers for on-road and a bit of performance driving.
They are height adjustable by winding the spring up or down (so you can’t set the preload independent of the height like you can on more expensive coilovers) and generally give around 0-3″ of adjustment on most cars.
Now, seeing the $500 price may put people off thinking these are “cheap” coilovers, but don’t let that fool you. Despite the fact that they are a “budget” coilover, Solo-Werks has put real effort into these to be the best they could possibly be for the price tag.
The Solo-Werks coilovers are made from quality materials – The shocks are zinc plated for corrosion resistance and protection, which is up to five times more corrosion-resistant than chrome housings, making them more than capable of handling harsh climates. They are also much less likely to seize or having issue with the adjusting collars.
They also come with high-tensile chrome silicone wire springs which can handling high stress levels, as well as extremely durable elastomer bump stops which are much softer if you happen to bottom out – making for a smoother ride and less chance of losing control due to unsettling the car. They also come with helper springs to keep the main springs captive at lower ride height settings.
Solo-Werks also fine tune the dampers to an ideal balance of handling and comfort, making them a good choice for daily drivers which won’t break your back over bumps. Unfortunately, the dampers are not adjustable, but that’s to be expected at this price.
Depending on the car model, they also come with extra parts you may need such as new sway bar end links to match the lower ride height (like on the BMW E36 M3 kit).
They also come with instructions for the specific model of car the kit is for, which is a nice touch.
There really aren’t many other coilovers (if any) in this price range that can offer these kinds of features and quality. Solo-Werks really have done what they set out to do when they say they’re about serving grassroots enthusiasts with their coilover kits.
My Experience With Solo-Werks Coilovers
As I mentioned earlier, I personally had a set of Solo-Werks S1 coilovers on my BMW 328i E36 which I installed on the car.
I was impressed with them when I received them, they looked and felt like quality items, and the lubricant and car-specific manuals were nice touches that made them feel like a premium product.
Installation was easy, everything fit as it should have and they went in smoothly. I installed new strut mounts and reinforcement plates while I was at it to make sure all parts were in good condition.
Overall I was impressed with these coilovers while I had them on this car. Now, while I am used to driving “harsher” cars with stiffer suspension setups, I didn’t think they were bouncy or harsh at all. In fact they rode very well. And keep in mind that I had fixed back bucket seats in this car. They definitely rode better than the stock M-tech suspension that was in the car, however that suspension was probably well past it’s best-before date.
Here is how they sat after installation and a quick 10 minute drive:
I also took them to a track day shortly after, and thought that they handled it well. They were smooth and predictable and the car handled well, and they definitely reduced body roll a lot without making a harsh ride.
Negatives of the Solo-Werks Coilovers
While I personally haven’t experienced any negatives with these coilovers in the time I had them on the car, I have read some people complain about the shocks blowing out after a few thousand kilometers when set to super low ride height.
Solo-Werks does include recommended ride height ranges in their instructions which do state that if you go lower, you risk shortening the life of the shock. And this same thing does apply to most coilovers that are not height adjustable by the shock body (independent of the spring).
So while I personally don’t think this is an issue unless you are running super low, I thought it was fair to bring this up for those of you who may want to get them for this purpose.
Cars owned: Mk2 Golf with 1.8T swap, BMW E28 with M30B35 swap, BMW E36 328I Mtech, BMW 750IL, Nissan 300ZX, Honda Civic EF
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