I cannot overstate the importance of this. I’ve had fully adjustable setups on cars before, and I never stopped fiddling with the settings. It was exhausting.

Something I didn't see mentioned is that lowering springs have different drops. I can't speak for the twins, but I wanted better suspension feeling on my old Mazda 3 because the wheels bounced over sharp, choppy ripples that heavy trucks made while braking on downhills.

Anyway, most springs were about a 1.2" drop which seemed like too much for me here in Pittsburgh where I want to keep most of my suspension. Finally I found Racing Beat who made higher-performing springs with only a 0.5" drop. I paired those with Koni Orange (chose orange over yellow to have a little less damping), and I was really happy with that combo. Just checked and Racing Beat still doesn't support Subi or Toyota but general advice is that when discussing lowering springs, how much the spring drops the car is another factor and it could take some searching to find one that doesn't drop much but still reduces roll, etc.

+1 on matching this answer to what youre after in your car. i had eibach prokits on stock struts and 17x8 +35 rpf1s on my 1st gen and was thrilled with the stance/loss of wheel gap and still a decent ride. brought it to do hotlaps once at ncm in ky and had a blast and backroads were a blast but wasnt trying to win any autox competitions or run track days. probably spent a grand less than even budget coilovers and couldnt have been happier for what i used that car for.

We're still waiting on our preordered 2nd gen shop car (BRZ). :(

In terms of fitment, coilovers are pretty straightforward and I don't expect any major changes.

For springs, we're planning to do some testing to see what the factory shocks can support and if a 20mm drop from 1st gen springs gets you the same 20mm drop on a 2nd gen. Shock dynos, checking travel, bumpstop length, etc. Just want to be sure.

All new products will be developed on both platforms moving forward. :)

- Andrew

As for lowering springs vs coilovers...

It depends! As others have said, coilovers aren't always better. There are a lot of crap coilovers out there and yeah, some crappy springs, too. Sometimes a lowering spring or a coilover is a downgrade from stock in ride and handling.

We make both lowering springs and coilovers. Our springs are a little different than others in that they are a more mild drop of 20mm and generally a function first type of spring focused more on performance and come with replacement bumptstops. Factory springs do ride better especially 2017+ cars, but the mild drop really does help ride compared to other springs that lower an inch (25mm) or more.

If you reeeeally want a drop of more than 30mm, I do recommend a quality set of coilovers. Compression travel is an issue on factory style shocks and since most lowering springs have to be on the softer side to work with factory valving, your bump stops get a workout.

And if you are serious about the track or auto-x and use sticky tires, coilovers will be a better fit. The stiffer spring rates will make the most of stickier tires and a good coilover will be valved appropriately for that kind of driving. You can still have a blast on track with lowering springs or the stock suspension.

Coilovers do require more thoughtful and careful set up. If you buy a turbo kit, you don't just it bolt on and go rip some red line pulls after tightening the last bolt. You get it tuned by a professional or follow recommended break in or tuning procedures carefully. It really should be the same for suspension set ups that have a lot of adjustment. Alignment, ride height, rake, travel, compression/rebound/highlowspeed damping, spring rates, etc. There's a lot to think about. Work with a shop that specializes in suspension and can provide aftermarket support. We're one of them, but there are other good options out there too. Have some conversations and see who you can reach on the phone after hours.

- Andrew

Oh and what makes a coilover crappy?

Firstly, bad set up. An super expensive ($10k), super adjustable, fancy-ass coilover can still suck if it's set up wrong. It happens.

Other than that, crappy valving is one of those things that you can't see and takes some experience to feel. Adjustable shocks can help, but valving is a little complicated and your adjuster may shift things from soft and crappy to stiff and crappy, with no good spot in between. It's more than just soft and stiff. Springs are simple.

Also, travel is super important and even though you can go lower on coilovers, some still do not have enough travel.

And we often see the same basic generic valving used on lower end coilovers. Meaning they use the same damper cartridge for multiple cars (I've seen the same damper labeled for EVO, STI, and 350Z). That's not great.

- Andrew

Check out our apexfiles instagram with some basic tech articles and random stuff sprinkled in.

Here's one on coilovers vs springs:
https://www.instagram.com/p/CLEl6v5n..._web_copy_link

And a more advanced one on shock valving:
https://www.instagram.com/p/CJd5GH4H..._web_copy_link

+1. I went with the TRD lowering springs and TRD swaybars for a few reasons. First this package was developed for the car so it's going to be a good setup with the stock dampers - which I've found, like it a lot. the cost is way less than decent coilovers. I don't track the car but love a spirited drive in the twisty bits so I just cannot see myself farting around adjusting coilovers - I'd set them up and forget about them.

I had the TRD springs on my Gen1 and loved them, so I was looking for GR\TRD to release a set for the gen 2 they were perfect for my requirements,.

Quote:
Originally Posted by Tcoat View Post
Like anything else using a good lowering spring that has been specifically designed to use with the stock dampers is every bit as good (and usually a great deal cheaper) as going to a "coilover" set.
Any particular lowering springs you have in mind?
I have a few friends with RCE Yellows and Eibachs who are unhappy with how they cars behave.
One of them puts stock springs every snow season, and every time notes an improvement in comfort.

I have the Eibachs on OEM shocks and I like them. It lowers the car just right with very little effect on ride quality. I don't worry too much about "snow season" but I can understand how lowering springs would not be ideal in the snow.

TRD springs in the us were maybe by eibach

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reported buddy

I have KW V3 on my car now, moved from Eibach Sportline springs.. not even started to fiddle with the set-up... And have a very strong feeling that I never will..