Need help choosing coilovers

[JamesK]

Hi everyone,

I guess ill start off by saying what i would like to get out of my car and modifications being done.

Firstly my car will basically be for street use with occasional spirited/aggressive driving. In 12 months time i do plan to go Forced Induction. I do not have any future plans as of yet to every track my car although i may in the next couple of years which would only be once or twice not something i'm taking into consideration when choosing a set of coilovers.

I will be running quite an aggressive wheel setup 19x8.5+40 Front 19x9.5+40Rear on 235/35, 265/35 respectively on Work 2pc Forged wheels. Plans on lowering the car will only be 15-25mm from stock height.

I have been reading the forums/suspension section quite extensively and decided to post my own thread as some questions i have not been able to find an answer for and to get a broad recommendation from people here and maybe some professional answers.

Along with the coilover set i will be installing at the same time the RS-R LCA and rear toe link along with the whiteline suspension bushing kit.

I have been looking at the below Coilovers and would like some help in deciding which to get and am open to other suggestions.

Tein Flex Z
RS-R Sports I
Bilstein B14/16
MCA Purple X Series
Fortune Auto 500 w/SwiftSprings
KW V3

I'm basically ruling out kits like BC/Megan as they don't seem to have a good reputation regarding valving to correct spring rates and quality seems sub par.

I have heard good things regarding the Tein Flex Z more of a you get your moneys worth here although a lot of people seem to start seeing issues after 5000-7000 Miles such as loud clunking noises and other weird suspension noises.

Regarding MCA i have heard great things and a big bonus is they're local to me although it does seem like it was quite a bit of a hype when they released coilovers for the FRS/BRZ. Great time attack times although all racing vehicles they produce are the MCA Golds and honestly at that price-point id rather get a set of Penske's. As for the blue and purple series i have heard mixed reviews regarding the dampers and valving as they are not altered much or tested compared to the Red/Gold. Would love further specs/opinions on these.

My first choice would have been the B16's as this is a quality product with local support only a 5 minute drive away, although only thing steering me away from these is the spring size is same as OEM which might give me some clearance issues. Don't really want to spend $2000 to have them not work with my desired set up.

My budget would be between 1500-2000AUD or USD give or take a couple hundred.
It would be a bonus if there were some sort of local support or can be locally rebuilt as living in Australia makes this quite hard with quite a few of the better options out there such as the KW.

Thanks in advance love to hear everyones thoughts and sorry for the long read.

[strat61caster]

http://www.ft86club.com/forums/showthread.php?t=67345

imho rethink your wheels and get the Bilstein, a set of light 17x9 square with +35 offset will clear stock suspension, and the Bilstein springs actually taper down to a narrow id at the bottom (I think even up to +45 clears stock, it's just super tight, and with big tires it'll get tighter, but you can space those out and extended studs because racecar, +40 might be perfect with a 3mm spacer up front). Some high quality 255-265 tires will give you as much grip as your proposed setup. They'll be cheaper than 19" tires too.

Another option is putting linear rate springs in the Bilstein, more expensive than off the shelf but local support should be able to help and you'll get as much clearance as the other options.

I'm not dissing the rest of your coilover options, it just stuck out to me that Bilstein is kind of your first choice and the things holding you back are poor choices for what you want to use the car for (street, aggressive driving, slim chance of track use) as staggered 19" wheels on this car are just for show giving you reduced handling capabilities and potentially very poor ride quality. I'm sure some people love that kind of setup, and hey, maybe it is exactly what you want and the tradeoffs aren't noticeable to you and are totally worth it.

Best of luck.

[cjd]

Originally Posted by JamesK

Regarding MCA i have heard great things and a big bonus is they're local to me...

If you're in it for the long haul, this.

Also, that stagger... You must really like a badly pushy setup. Handling will not be good for aggressive driving.

[JamesK]

Hi strat thank you for your input.

Do you have any recommendations on which linear springs would suit the bilstein set up and rough price on them?

Also i hear you with the wheels and cant do much to change them now as they are already on there way from japan :/ Proposed tyres are the Pirelli PZero's

[strat61caster]

Originally Posted by JamesK

Do you have any recommendations on which linear springs would suit the bilstein set up and rough price on them?

IMO if you're hesitant to take the plunge or don't feel great about your local support the headache could be massive and working through it a living nightmare. Good local support can guide you through putting a linear spring rate on the Bilstein and if you're mechanically apt you could probably do it solo no problem, in the US a high quality spring is about $65 (Hyperco or Eibach are the big names here) and a 4k or 5k spring should work well, easier to dial in with the adjustable B16. I can write up more if desired but...

On the upside if you're stuck with the wheels 19x8.5 +40 up front I don't think you'll have a clearance issue and can run the Bilstein's. As before 17x9 +35 clears stock so 8.5 +40 should have about 5mm more clearance than that.

Since they're on the way, when they get to you pop them on the front, even without tires (use a jack to move the suspension to ensure they clear when sitting on the ground), see if they clear, if they do the Bilstein's will be no problem.

[Pat]

Vorshlag can help with custom spring rates in small diameters with adjustable Bilsteins right now. If you want 400 pound springs on non-adjustable Bilsteins RCE should have something for you in December or January.

[JamesK]

Originally Posted by Pat

Vorshlag can help with custom spring rates in small diameters with adjustable Bilsteins right now. If you want 400 pound springs on non-adjustable Bilsteins RCE should have something for you in December or January.

Thanks for the heads up was trying to find replacement springs for the B16 with a smaller diameter but seems difficult to find ones that fit as some threads say there are issues with some replacement springs not being able to fit... Would be a lot simpler if Bilstein just released their coilover range with the smaller spring..

[strat61caster]

Originally Posted by JamesK

Thanks for the heads up was trying to find replacement springs for the B16 with a smaller diameter but seems difficult to find ones that fit as some threads say there are issues with some replacement springs not being able to fit... Would be a lot simpler if Bilstein just released their coilover range with the smaller spring..

60 mm ID spring, 6"-7" tall, maybe a helper spring (the super low spring rate kind, no pressure to collapse, just ensures the main spring isn't totally loose at full droop) and adapter if going low (you can try without and pick one up later if it's needed), the only trick is the top spring perch to mate to the top hat which is super easy to machine, and that might be what @Pat is implying with the Vorshlag suggestion, that they already have a spring perch and suggested spring they can ship you.

This guy did something similar, I wouldn't follow his process exactly but he was pretty happy with his end setup.

http://www.ft86club.com/forums/showthread.php?t=103830

[JamesK]

@Racecomp Engineering I would like to here your input if possible and also if you find your RCE T0's would be a good option and how support/rebuilding could work for me being in australia.

[JamesK]

Originally Posted by strat61caster

60 mm ID spring, 6"-7" tall, maybe a helper spring (the super low spring rate kind, no pressure to collapse, just ensures the main spring isn't totally loose at full droop) and adapter if going low (you can try without and pick one up later if it's needed), the only trick is the top spring perch to mate to the top hat which is super easy to machine, and that might be what @Pat is implying with the Vorshlag suggestion, that they already have a spring perch and suggested spring they can ship you.

This guy did something similar, I wouldn't follow his process exactly but he was pretty happy with his end setup.

http://www.ft86club.com/forums/showthread.php?t=103830

This would be a great setup although brings it out of my price range as it would be closer to 2500 excluding the top spring perch. Thank you for the help though.

[Racecomp Engineering]

Originally Posted by JamesK

@Racecomp Engineering I would like to here your input if possible and also if you find your RCE T0's would be a good option and how support/rebuilding could work for me being in australia.

I would go for a ride with someone that has MCAs and see what you think.

RCE T0 would be a good choice too and what I'd recommend if you were in the USA. We support our products wherever they are, but shipping is expensive and everything will just take a little longer. I have family in Perth and I haven't seen them in years.

Bilstein B16 are a good choice but the spring sizing is annoying. If you have a trusted local shop that can help set you up, then it's not a bad idea.

But if MCA are as good as I keep hearing, they sound like the right way to go.

Also, get some different wheels.

- Andrew

[JamesK]

Just spent $3800 on the wheels and tyres cant really just get rid of them.

But appreciate your suggestion with coils ill have to check out the local shop and see what they can do for me.

[strat61caster]

Originally Posted by JamesK

Just spent $3800 on the wheels and tyres cant really just get rid of them.

Test fit the fronts with the stock suspension, I bet they fit and you can run pretty much any suspension you want.

[JamesK]

Will do, I'll also test for the rear as I fear the 9.5 inch will possibly hit the strut/spring especially with the 265.

If I don't have any clearance issues what would you recommend overall that will provide up to a 25mm drop have adjustability for stiffness so I don't smack the fender and have a $2000USD budget?