Coilover Track Setup Guide: Ride Height, Damping & Testing

One adjustment at a time, or you’ll chase your tail all day

Quick answer: A proper track-day coilover setup is a repeatable process: lock your baseline, set ride height, tune damping in small steps, then re-test and log results.

Coilovers are powerful tools—and one of the easiest ways to make a car worse if adjusted randomly. A good track setup comes from methodical changes and clear feedback.

For more track-day setup notes and engineering-minded guidelines, visit RevoZport.

Before you adjust anything: lock the baseline

• Tires: same tire model + similar tread condition, and a consistent hot-pressure window

• Alignment & hardware: alignment set, all suspension bolts torqued, no worn bushings/ball joints

• Sway bars: set and left alone while tuning dampers

• Load: target fuel level and driver weight (driver in car or equivalent ballast)

• Data: log each change (track/temp + settings + notes)

Step 1: Set ride height first

Ride height changes suspension geometry (camber curve, toe change, and roll-center behavior), bump travel/bump stop engagement, and aero balance (especially with splitters and wings).

Start with:

• a consistent left-to-right measurement method (use chassis reference points, not fender lips)

• front-to-rear rake appropriate for your platform

• enough bump travel at your chosen height (avoid riding the bump stops)

If possible, corner-balance at your target fuel load. Equal fender gaps don’t guarantee equal cross-weight.

Lock ride height before touching damping.

Step 2: Identify what the car is telling you

Before changing anything, name the problem and the phase:

• understeer on entry / mid-corner / exit

• oversteer on entry / mid-corner / exit

• bouncing (“pogo”) after curbs

• skittish or nervous over bumps

• lazy turn-in / vague front response

• instability under braking

Write it down. Don’t adjust blindly.

Step 3: Make ONE adjustment at a time

This is critical. Change one control only:

• one adjuster (or one axle)

• one direction (stiffer or softer)

• then re-test

Typical increments:

• 1–2 clicks at a time (or the smallest meaningful step)

• run multiple consistent laps

• evaluate, then decide

If your damper uses a combined adjuster (rebound + compression together), treat it as a single variable.

Step 4: Damping basics (simplified)

• Rebound influences how the suspension returns after compression and affects weight transfer timing

• Compression influences how quickly the suspension compresses over load/bumps/curbs

General signals:

• too much rebound → harsh, reduced grip, can “jack down” over bumps/curbs

• too little rebound → floaty, oscillation, slow to settle

• too much compression → skittish, poor curb compliance

• too little compression → excessive body movement, vague platform control

Quick symptom guide (common patterns):

• pogo/bounce after a curb → reduce rebound slightly, or reduce compression if it’s sharp/impacty

• skittish on curbs/bumps → reduce compression 1–2 steps

• floaty / takes too long to settle → add rebound 1–2 steps

• braking instability / won’t settle → often helped by a small front compression increase or a slight front rebound reduction (small changes)

You’re aiming for stability under braking, predictable rotation, confidence over curbs, and the car settling quickly after inputs.

Step 5: Re-test after every change

After each adjustment:

• run the same laps, same line, same braking points

• keep tire pressures consistent (same hot window)

• keep fuel/load consistent

If the car gets worse:

• revert to the previous setting

• log what you learned

Key takeaways

• Lock the baseline first (tires, alignment, sway bars, load)

• Ride height before damping

• One change at a time, in small steps

• Re-test consistently and log every change

• If it gets worse, revert—don’t stack fixes