Could use some suspension advice
 

Hey there, I have a 14 BRZ that I bought from a guy with 7400 miles on it a while ago. The car was mostly a garage queen (hence the low miles). Comically, the dude's daily was a leased GT-R he would trade out every few months with the Nissan Technical Center.

Anyway, I bought the car with said low mileage and slapped some Eibach Pro-kit springs on the stock dampers plus an alignment. Most everything I read said that I'd be fine to do this. Fast forward about 4k miles and the shocks are completely shot and bouncy as all hell. My guess is that they weren't used enough and so seals dried up and then with the lower springs and garbage roads they blew very quickly.

Moving forward, I don't have a ton of money to spend. I'm looking at about $1300-$1500 for the new set up (not including alignment, but is already budgeted separately). I am kinda okay with the drop the pro kit gave me, but I'd like it just a smidge lower. It seems to sit about 3/4" below stock and I'd like to push that to 1-1.25". Something to eat up that last bit of gap with my wheels. The ride (when it wasn't shit) was pretty okay. It was a bit harsh and didn't feel much stiffer except on turn in (I'll elaborate on what I'd like ride wise in a minute).

Usage of the car is very much a year round DD. I live in the rust belt, so please advise accordingly. The car will see a handful of autocrosses over the summer and maybe one track day a year (and that's a very strong maybe). Generally speaking, I'll be driving to and from work and cruising down winding roads that I live near. The suspension really won't be pushed to any limit for the majority of its life.

Ride wise, I only need something that is "comfortable". I know this is subjective as hell, but something stiffer than stock but not too much harsher is ideal. Potholes where I live can quickly become craters and despite how much I slalom in my lane I will inevitably hit a few. I'd like my spine to stay in my back for most of them if at all possible.

As for options I've been looking at mostly coilovers but am now starting to think picking up a set of upgraded shocks wouldn't be a bad idea. The coilovers I'd most likely buy are Bilstein B14s, KWv1s (the stainless steel ones), Fortune Auto 500s (without swift springs upgrade), or Tein Flex Zs. I liked the idea of coilovers because I could raise the car up in winter to not use the front bumper as a snow plow (which admittedly is rare, I live on a major road and the road commission does a fine job). I've been looking around these forums quite a lot and now I'm having second thoughts and that maybe getting upgraded shocks is a better idea instead of coilovers. Some threads I read said that a decent spring/shock combo will outperform most stuff in this $1-2k range.

I know this is a massive wall of text but from reading these threads I wanted to provide as much info as possible as that clearly determines what advice I'll receive. I read too many goddamn threads with OP going "What coils should I buy lol" with no extra info and then they peace out for the rest of the thread never to elaborate on their needs. I am trying to not be that guy.

Thanks for reading and any advice on the most cost effective direction based on my needs would be greatly appreciated.

PS: I could use some help with what I'll need for camber adjustment for a 1" drop. Can I use only camber plates? Do I have to buy camber bolts and rear LCA if the setup comes with plates? My understanding is that for that amount of drop you can get away with camber plates but if using stock tophats I'll want the bolts and control arms. I fully admit that I could be totally wrong. Once again, huge thanks for the help!

Easy button is to just add Bilstein B6 shocks and call it a day. I'd add camber bolts up front and rear LCAs to get the alignment dialed in just right and improve handling. You don't need camber plates. Get the Whiteline 14mm camber bolts, put them in the bottom strut mount hole, and move the bottom bolt to the top hole. The SPC rear LCA is a fine choice for you as well. Make sure you have a good shop do the alignment. Aim for -2 degrees camber front and -1.8 degrees rear. 0 toe front, tiny bit of rear toe in.

If you really want a little more drop than the Prokits give you then coilovers would be the way to go IMO. In your price range the Bilstein B14 and KW V1 are solid choices. I don't have first hand experience with the Teins or FA coilovers.

- Andrew

Why not the B12? Eibach recommend B12s for the Sportline spring.

@JD001, I have the Prokits not the sportlines. I assume that's why Racecomp recommended the B6s

Eibach pairs the B12 with either of the 2 spring types:


https://eibach.com/de/en/products/st...ension-systems

+1 to everything Racecomp said, that's exactly what I would do to a T. If you get serious about autox performance the B14's can be revalved and linear rate springs added for about $1k investment over the initial $1k purchase, camber plates will go a long way to being STX competitive after putting on good tires, but sounds like your a casual autox-er.

Can you find a place to buy B12's on their own? All I can find is Tirerack selling it as a set with the springs, it honestly looks like it's just a set of B6/8 paired with lowering springs.

Edit: A set of used dampers might be worth it on the cheap, and maybe selling a set of softer coilovers for a stiffer set off the shelf is worth the investment over revalving your existing set.

I fit B6 with stock springs. They work great.

They should be as good with the aftermarket springs.

For your intended use I'd buy a set of 2017 model year springs and the new rear roll bar and fit B6 all round. Or, if you can find somebody "upgrading" their 2017 already ditching the excellent Sachs shocks, new springs and roll bars then buy the full shebang from that wealthy individual.

The B12 is a kit with springs, and I assume it includes the B8 "sport" shock.

In general I don't recommend the B8 shock over the B6 since it's the same valving, just slightly less droop travel. No real gain.

- Andrew

So it sounds like I should get B6s as B8s won't offer me much more for the price. Now, I know this could be googled but what are the spring rates for the pro kit vs say RCE yellows (as well as the yellows drop). I find the Eibachs to be bouncy but that might also be the shocks. I think I'll try the B6s with the eibachs but should I not like those I might do rce yellows. Would those be better with a different shock than the B6?

This has most options listed, but not all. Best to google each kit and double check with a couple sources if the manufacturer doesn't list it on their site.

http://www.ft86club.com/forums/showthread.php?t=8739

Aaand bookmarked. Thanks!

Noob question, how do you thank a post? There's a few in here that deserve it

You'll see the button after you make 10 posts.

Only the PP BRZs have the Sachs. They are not standard across the line.

Another thing you can consider is picking up someone's stock suspension for dirt cheap and swap that back during the winter. It's cheap if you can do the work yourself minus twice a year alignments.

So you have really bad roads, the old shocks blew out because you're too low and you want to go lower and you're going to DD it in a place that gets snow?

that's a tall order. I think you need bags so you can adjust the ride height. But that's more $$ than you want to spend.

Why did Bilstein decide to have less droop travel for those with lowering springs? Is there danger to having more droop travel with the lowering springs with them possibly "free falling" in big dips/potholes?

I'm really considering a B8 + lowering spring combo but if the B6s are better then I'll go with them.

Not a bad idea. Would still need something in the near future to replace what I have. As for work and alignment, I don't have an issue with that, I do my own work except in cases where I'm in way too deep. My local Racing Club has a sponsorship deal with a reputable shop for a screaming deal on lifetime alignments, so that's not much of a concern either.

The old shocks blew out because they sat around and weren't used. I'm on prokits, so I'm not really that low. My buddy has an absolutely slammed NA Miata and another has a tastefully low S2000 and they get by fine. The roads aren't the greatest yeah but it is what it is. Generally speaking I don't hit potholes or major bumps (though I've clearly hit enough lol). I understand I'll be putting whatever I get through hell and back and that will have consequences down the road. It's all a game of give and take.

As for air, I have thought about it but I'm not too keen on the idea at the moment. Maybe when whatever system I go with needs replacing I'll take a look at air, but that too has pros and cons.

I don't really have a great answer for that. Droop travel is a good thing...my guess is they designed the shorter extension so that with shorter than OEM springs they remain captive at all times. But I don't think there are any aftermarket springs (for this car) that are so short that you need to worry about that. So yeah, get the B6 shocks. Same bump travel and valving.

- Andrew

When I paired RCE Yellows with Raceseng Caster camber plates on stock dampers, I had an issue with the springs not being captive at full droop. The Raceseng plates have a reduced stack height; when combined with the lowering springs I managed to create this issue. I switched out the stock dampers to B8 dampers, and it solved the problem. I am not knocking RCE's or Raceseng's products; both are great. It was me that came up with the 1 - 1 = "oh damn" equation. Just for info, I ended up moving to RCE Tarmac springs from the Yellows. I wanted a little firmer spring rate. I think Tarmacs on B8s is a fantastic combo. I run a fair amount of autocross; the car is so much better than I am now.

Thanks for the responses guys. I think B6s/B8s + RCE Tarmacs or something similar would be my ideal setup. What is a good bang for the buck/budget camber plate? Or maybe I'll just try getting around -2.5 camber up front with just camber bolts and using the lower strut bolt in the upper hole. Thoughts? I don't think I'll ever go more aggressive than the sub 300TW tires so Pilot Super Sports and the like are probably what I'll be running.

If with drop, -2.5 should be doable with just bolts, due car naturally gaining camber from lowering. Don't forget LCAs for rear though.

My DD alignment after swapping out my coilovers with a set of MY15 OE dampers. Completely stock save for camber bolts. Front camber "before" numbers were with max adjustment on top with the bottom one at or close to neutral position (no camber added). So you can expect as much as -1.7 with just one set of SPC camber bolts.

http://i174.photobucket.com/albums/w...28D391B52C.jpg

Using RS3 Hankook tires the result of this combo is still an understeering car. The toe was more than I'd like but.. Sears auto alignment. My previous alignment tech no longer works at the same location, so I'm just glad it's close to what I want.

So one final question, is there any appreciable difference between the Koni Yellows and Bilstein B6s? I looked on ft86sf and found I would be all in for the B6s (or Konis, I checked both), SPC camber bolts, and SPC LCAs for about $100 less than the kit they sell on the site with RCE Yellows, Koni Yellows, and SPC camber bolts and SPC LCAs. Having delved through numerous threads over the past couple days, the RCEs would give me more neutral handling than the more oversteer-y Pro Kits, right? I think I could live with myself sacrificing some low for more neutral performance. In my mind, it'd be worth the extra money to essentially get RCE Yellows for $100, even if that means I sell one of the two spring set I have down the road. I know the Konis have adjustable dampening, but in reality I'd set it once and forget it, so that's not really a point for or against them.

As for ride, it seems like everyone is pretty darn happy with their RCEs, so that doesn't sound like a problem either. Though I guess I should've done more research before the Pro Kits because many say they're a bit harsh on stock shocks. Whoops (But that's why I'm doing it now, right? lol). Once again, thanks for the help!

I would recommend the Bilsteins over the Konis.

I would also recommend that you call Racecomp Engineering directly and give them the opportunity to earn your business - nothing against FT86 SpeedFactory, but they're not posting on this very thread trying to help you out. Just saying...

I was more or less just using ft86sf to price things out and get an idea, but would rather buy from RCE directly if I get RCE Yellows