What suspension modifications make a smart car more comfortable?
3 Answers
For smart car modifications, options include replacing with short springs, coilover suspensions, air suspensions, and lowering the body. Recommended brands: Bilstein, KW, Eibath, Koni, and KYB. Here is an introduction about the smart fortwo: 1. Exterior: The kit provides the smart fortwo with a more sporty front splitter and rear diffuser. Additionally, the kit includes new-style 16-inch front and 17-inch rear alloy wheels, paired with Yokohama summer performance tires in sizes 185/50R16 and 205/40R17 respectively. 2. Chassis: This kit offers a set of sport suspension components, including a new damping system and a thicker anti-roll bar (commonly known as a 'sway bar'). Installing this sport suspension kit can improve the dynamic characteristics and handling of the smart fortwo, while also lowering the body height by 10mm.
Last time, it took quite some effort to replace the shocks on my wife's Smart. The factory shocks were really harsh over speed bumps, so I opted for KW Street Comfort coilovers paired with 185-width tires, which provide just the right stiffness for city driving. The key was lowering the ride height to a two-finger gap—now it feels like driving over a thick carpet when hitting manhole covers, and there's noticeably less body roll in corners compared to the stock setup. However, damping should be softened; I found 6 clicks front and 8 clicks rear to be ideal—too stiff actually makes the ride bumpier. Don’t forget to swap the bushings for polyurethane ones too, or else the squeaks will drive you nuts. And always choose a version with spring preload adjustment—it saves headaches during maintenance later on.
As a seasoned driver who has owned three Smarts, my advice is: for comfort, you must opt for fully adjustable suspension. I use the BC BR series with 32-stage damping adjustment. For daily commuting, I set it to 10 clicks in the front and 12 clicks in the rear, making speed bumps in the neighborhood almost silent. On weekends for mountain runs, I adjust it to 18 clicks in the front and 20 clicks in the rear, which provides sufficient support. The key is to pair it with thicker tires at a 55 aspect ratio and maintain tire pressure at 2.2 bar. Don’t cheap out with lowering springs—they can damage the oil pan. After modifications, keeping the ride height at 90% of the factory setting is safest; going too low makes the ride harsher. Don’t forget a wheel alignment after the swap—driving with a crooked steering wheel is no fun.
