2016 BRZ suspension experience from Tein to Bilstein B16 with Stance ST-44 RCA.

[one2onejackpot]

I'd love to hear what kind of setups others have on their twins.

And how is driving in the snow? I have a set of Bridgestone Blizzak WS80s on my factory rims, just incase I have to take it out in the snow. Otherwise, it's staying in the garage for the season.

My suspension experience:
I love Tein springs. I originally had the S.Techs on my first gen Scion tC and the H.Techs on my BRZ. For the price to performance ratio, these springs run great on factory struts/shocks. Just be prepared to buy a new set of front camber bolts and especially an adjust rear control arm with camber adjustment as the factory rears RCA does not have adjustable chamber for the 86/BRZ/FR-S.

I've since switched to the Bilstein B16 adjustable coilovers with 10 stage dampening adjustment. I have the fronts set on the softest level and added the Stance ST-44 rear control arms increase the travel stroke my rear shocks, preventing them from bottoming out. It's a surprising comfortable ride with such an extreme drop. Currently the front and rear are dialed at the softest dampening settings for a nicer ride and better traction when I want stick the corners on with my Bridgestone Pole Positions. Stiffening the rear dampeners up 3-4 settings, and even my Bridgestone Pole Positions oversteer to factory levels causing the rear to step out. I can't speak to the factory Michelins as I've never had them on my car. Kicking the dampening up in the rear to their stiffest setting of 10 and I get major oversteer, even with my upgraded sway bars and tires. Great for some serious drifting, but you really have to know what your doing. Keep the front dampening set on one, the softest level, as Stiffening the dampening on the fronts will induce understeer, depending on the rest of your setup. They are very easy to set depending on your track day needs.

I had the Stance ST-44 rear control arms installed at the same time as my B16s, so with a stock style RCA you may need to tweak the front and rear settings to get the perfect grip or oversteer for your setup.

I highly recommend Tein springs with Tokico struts/shocks with Whiteline Rear Lower Control Arms and front adjustable camber bolts, since the stock rears are not adjustable and will throw off your camber and the front camber bolts have a greater level of adjustment over stock. You can also go for the Cusco RCA since they now make Whitelines, but the Whitelines are an upgraded version of them. If you go for adjustable coilovers and dampening, the Bilstein B16 is a great option.

The only drawback is with my Stance ST-44 dropping the rear hub 25mm, I have to have the front coilovers lowered all the way down while the rears are set all the way up. Although The ST-44 increases the rear the rebound stroke of the rear shocks, while providing my car with a more comfortable ride and a great drop over my Stein H-Techs (which also had very a comfortable ride while lowering my car). The only drawback is my car has to stay low and tucked in order to keep the cars appearance flat and avoiding the front raked look. So, there's no adjusting my ride height unless I switch to a different set of RCA, but the ST-44 adds to the comfort of the ride, so it's a trade off.

Also note that the Stance ST-44 lower the rear hub 25mm, the ST-48 lower the rear hub by 60mm. That's too extreme of a drop if you plan on running a body kit that lowers the front and rear clearance, like my STI kit. Plus, the bend in my Borla exhaust's down pipe sits just under 3" off the ground now, so be aware of what kind of exhaust you plan on running. If you need more control of your height adjustment, I'd recommend the Whiteline or a similar style brand of rear control arms as they do not lower the rear hub and you can adjust the front height and rear height while running coilovers. The Whitelines also camber adjustment. The factory rear control arms do not and your camber will be thrown off no matter the springs you decide to go with, including keeping the stock struts/shocks.

Here are some pics of my car. Also in the pics, my slotted Stoptech braided brake lines are not close to the springs. I have the Borla rear splitter along with the exhaust system.