Inserts for bumpy roads

[heathrobinson]

I've got the opportunity to get some bilstein coilovers for the front of my car, and bilstein shocks for the back. The shocks and inserts are both Tarmac spec.

I'm trying to improve the handling over the bumpy roads and lanes that I do most of my driving on - are these Tarmac jobs going to be too harsh for a daily?
Also I'm obviously keeping the stock rear springs, so can anyone give me a vague clue as to a decent spring rate for the front would be, for a 1.9" coilover.

Any advice would be great, I'm a bit in the dark here, and don't want to waste cash on something that's not going to improve things.
Cheers
Jake.

[waveman1500]

You need to provide a lot more information before anyone can help you.
First of all, what car do you have?!
What kind of handling issue do you have at the moment? Understeer? Oversteer? Bottoming out, jarring, under-damped pogo-stick bouncing down the road?
Why would it be obvious that you should keep the stock rear springs and change the front ones?
What kind of stabiliser bars do you have? Increasing the stiffness of the stabiliser bar and leaving the springs and dampers soft can often improve handling, depending on the car and your taste.

Before you can reach the answer, you must ask precisely the right question.

[heathrobinson]

Very zen! And on the money...
So, it's an xr4x4 with a boa in it, and although the ride is fine if on the hard side (which I don't really mind), it doesn't seem to deal with corrugations as well as it might - it kind of "bobbles" when pushing on around bumpy corners. I mostly drive on back roads, so don't want a suspension setup that's only really suited to pristine tarmac.
It's got fairly thick ARBs, but I'm getting a thicker set and polybushes.
I guess the crux of the matter is I'd like someone to explain the difference between forest and Tarmac inserts - I can find figures and sales blurb, but which will make a car respond better to uneven road surfaces?
Obviously wasn't the right word there, I wrote that while half asleep. The point I was aiming at is that I'm not putting coilovers on the back, so will stick with stock springs for the mo.
I just want to pick the front up a little (things scrape repeatedly on the mile-long track to the farm) and make it feel a little more like it's coping with the rough roads.

[heathrobinson]

*gravel, not forest.
Reading your reply and my response to it again, I've reached a better conclusion - the springs on the car are ok (although I'd like the nose a little higher, hence thinking about coilovers, but wanting to keep a comparatively similar spring rate), and the stock ARBs are passable, but I've the option to upgrade them. The problem seems to be that the dampers aren't reacting fast enough, compared to a similar car with gas dampers I've tried. Mine feels like it skitters over small bumps too much.
Also from reading around this, I think my tyre pressures might be a touch too high - they're spanking new, and might benefit from loosing a few psi, although I guess that's a process of trial and hopefully not error... And best done before any other suspension changes so I can properly gauge the effects.
Thanks for taking the time to point me in the right direction!

[stealthstylz]

Are they adjustable damping shocks? Suspension set up for gravel is awful to drive on on the road when you've got grip, loads of body roll and generally feels floaty.