Which is the most comfortable coilover on brz/frs??
 

I am looking for coil overs which are more comfortable than stock on street but holds better than stock at corners and once or twice on tract every year. Wife hate the ride saying is too bumpy on the road!! My tuning shop guy told me if I go for kw v3 it might be a little bit more comfortable on street for daily drive.

I searched over the forum, but doesn't look like any coilover will be more comfortable but holds better at corner than the stock.

Anybody can help me??

2013 brz wrb

kw v3, tarmac 0s or 2s, ST, or RS*R. just my .02 from reading and searching on these forums.

I'd agree w/ KW based on reviews. ST might be close, I don't think RSR will be a good choice though.

Why you say that? Reading their posts, they boast the Sport-i coilovers can handle the track and Black-i coilovers can be slammed all while retaining some of the ride quality of the stock suspension.

oooohlins!

Ive never heard anything focusing on comfort from rsr. Ive never used them. just speculation.

Any one knows about bilstein b14 euro spec, was reading their Japanese site and thet have a diagram shows its more comfy on street and little bit more sporty than the stock, but it looks the rear doesn't come with the springs. Wonder why?? Also I think the price will be high compare with the kw v3.

From the thread with the Ohlins on, doesn't sound like it is comfy on the daily drive!!

Any reasons why Ohlins!! I've never had Ohlins before.

I had the Ohlins R&T on my BMW 135i. They are super nice. They have a special DFV (dual flow valve) that makes them not so harsh over bumps and potholes, but I ran with spring rates that were so high that the ride was still too rough for me.
I also never utilized the adjustments or tracked that car like i had intended.

With my BRZ I decided this time around that I'd not make the same mistake and researched and found the ST coilovers had basically the softest spring rates, AND they were just about the best priced at $850.
ST coilovers are supposed to be the same as the KW V1 coilovers, made by KW, so I knew they were at least quality, and I couldn't be happier.

Ride is great, not too stiff, lowered my car 1.5" and can go lower if I want, handling is much improved.

also important to consider which coilovers use the factory rubber top mounts, they make a substantial difference to NVH

I've got the bilstein euro spec b14s. Their r&d department here in SoCal tuned them for me. I can say this: AMAZING!!

body roll is completely eliminated making for wonderful flat turns and easy transitions.

Ride quality is as follows, and my wife agrees....
You can feel approximately 5% more of the bumps on the road, but they are all 10% less harsh. This is on our renowned Los Angeles freeways that make cobblestone feel like a roller rink......

Just my input.

I have RCE Tarmac 0's. They are valved a bit stiffer than the ST's apparently. They are not comfier than stock.

In your case my vote would be KW V3 (then you can adjust the comfort level to your liking by adjusting compression/rebound). It won't be more comfortable than stock, but you can probably get it pretty close. Make sure to use the stock mounts, don't buy camber plates.

Second bet would be the cheaper ST's which are not adjustable (if you don't live somewhere with salty winters they're fine), these are likely more harsh than stock, but less than the RCE's.

"Make sure to use the stock mounts, don't buy camber plates".



Agreed. Camber plates will make the ride a bit harsher and can knock and rattle when they wear.

You can use camber bolts to adjust camber to an extent.

I had stiff springs and camber plates on my last car, and between the stiff ride, and the camber plates knocking over every bump, I got to really dislike the car.

@BRZ-y

I'm in LA also. Is there anyway I can buy you dinner or something for a passenger seat ride in your BRZ?

I've gone thru 4 suspension setups already and i'm willing to try the B14 or B16 before I truly throw in the towel and go back to stock.

Could you post any pics by chance? Very interested in your setup and been waiting for these to become available here in the US.

Thanks for sharing!! Can you let me know how much it cost? This is probably the comfiest coilover I heard so for from all the thread.
So when you say 5% more of bumps but 10% less harsh, does that mean more comfy than the stock one? Sorry don't get why you can feel the bumb but not harsh, can you explain a bit more please. Thank you so much

Thanks for the thoughts, I am going to use the stock mounts for sure. But you are saying even if I go for the v3 the ride won't be comfier than stock right?
That is my main problem. My Wife keeps saying the ride is too bumpy, but I don't want to spend money to get a weaker set of the suspension than the stock one, which I don't think anyone here does! That's why I am trying to see if there's any solutions here!

Leave your wife @ home... lol

Which is the most comfortable coilover on brz/frs??
 

Just put 16s on it and let the tires down a bit. You're not really going to get any significant improvement if at all with Coilovers. It's just not what they are made for.

Frs front springs maybe?

Comments in camber plates, I think this could be an opinion based on particular plates. I've now riden with a few guys with Tarmacs and kWs with vorshlaggs and didn't hear or feel a single thing from them?
These questions come up often, and I was one of them asking best thing to do is join local club preferably group of peeps with these cars. Then go for rides, as k to drive their suspension setups and get a feel for what you like. That's what I had to do and it was a real eye opener.

Metal is firmer than rubber. Yes some plates are better than others but all plates are firmer, you'll only really notice it on bigger bumps, ruts and bangs.
Test driving is great advice.

Hey HowL,
Sorry I don't know how much they are asking for them. I worked with the R&D department and "worked something out".

The car is also adjustable from stock height down to 30mm and is setup right around 20mm.
Car was corner balanced by WestEnd Alignment.

5% more bumps, means if you run over 100 bumps in the road. on the b14s you will notice 5 more of those bumps.
10% Less harsh means that all of those bumps are less jarring than stock. For instance if you hit a pot hole there is a noticeable difference in how hard the hit feels.
Here in Los Angeles with the terrible quality of roads, this is a very good thing.
Bad news.... I don't know if they are going to release the b14's in the US. They may have to be shipped over the pond.

I hope this helps.

The KW V3's are an awesome setup and can be really fine tuned to your desired comfort level, but they aren't exactly the most cost effective solution. If you'd like to keep your ride relatively comfortable and not break the bank, ST's or Tein are going to work very well. Another important thing, as mentioned already, is to retain your factory upper mounts as they will retain are more comfortable ride than an aftermarket upper mount.

ST's are a great entry level suspension and they are made by KW, so you really can't go wrong. One of the major differences between the ST's and the KW V1's is the material they are made with. ST's are constructed of high grade steel, and heavily galvanized for great rust protection. KW V1's are made from INOX stainless steel, which is 100% rust free.

Another great entry level setup is going to be the Tein Street Basis coilover. We have been dealing with Tein for a while now and they really do produce a quality, cost effective product. They're also a very comfortable coilover but do not sacrifice performance for that comfort.

You can't go wrong with either company if you're looking for a cost effective setup.

Spring rates will greatly determine your ride. Compare spring rates between the different coilover sets available.

From what I've seen, the KW and ST coilovers have the softest rates.

Damping will determine ride quality WAY more than spring rate.
Also, good coilovers with solid top-mounts are going to ride way better than lesser coilovers that use the factory isolated rubber top-mount.

I just replaced the 9F/7R Tein SS coilovers (factory rubber isolators up top) on my FD with 11F/11R Ohlins DFV coilovers with aluminum top mounts with spherical bearings, and the ride quality is VASTLY improved on the street.

This was an act of desperation on my part, I just couldn't stand the car over any kind of road imperfections, and I drive it a lot. On top of that, the car wasn't that great at the track with the Teins, either. They seemed to have no low-speed damping at all (kind of wallowy in pitch and roll), but infinite high-speed damping (bumps/potholes felt like the end of the world!). I just could not live with the car the way it was.

I haven't tracked it with the Ohlins yet, but I can tell there's a lot better pitch/roll control, *and* the ride is DEFINITELY way way WAY smooover over rough roads, despite springs that are 22% stiffer up front and 57%(!) stiffer in back, and aluminum/spherical bearing top-mounts.

I was really really worried that there wouldn't be a noticeable difference in ride quality, but it is NIGHT AND DAY.

My .02...

I have the RSRi installed and on CA highway speed they can feel like whoops (way too much front to back residual). I have mine at the moto spec. I probably need to play with them a bit more, but a 45 minute commute can turn into a headache. Handling wise they're awesome.

I have driven tuned / lowered cars for almost 20 years, but this one is the roughest between 70-80 mph, which is where I live on the highway.

That's interesting as their set that a few vendors sell here are more in the 7k/7k rates are they not? Given what you've explained the lower rates coupled with their calving design and so one would yield yet an even better street comfort ride yes??....or aside from spring rates are yours different somehow?

Shoulda stated more clearly, these were for my FD RX-7. Motion ratios are very different, so much higher spring rates vs. 86 setups.

Maybe you missed this topic: JRZ RS1 coilovers installed on Racecomp BRZ

@Racecomp Engineering can probably advice on specific spring rates and adjustment setting to get surely better than stock comfort while providing better handling.

Iam currently running ST coils and love the ride quality for a DD, living in NY this was a big concern for me as the roads here are absolute crap, you never know when a new pot hole will pop up. Spring rates are soft but still maintain good cornering, will be upgrading to KW3s in the future but for the meantime I am satisfied with my purchase.

Sport-i or Black-i?

lmao

Sporti

I have st's on my m3 and they are nice for dd. that car is a little more rough altogether because of its age but its still nice. I'm going to get a set for my frs once I get a chance especially that th has them for like 775 or something like that.

Guys bringing this thread back up. Need help. With my Lexus you can buy Coilovers with pillow ball upper mounts OR rubber mounts. Is there any Coilover for the FRS that DOESNT use the stock tophats, they use their own but are rubber instead of pillow ball?

Been running RS-R Sports-i for nearly a year now. Much more comfortable than stock in every situation and the handling is also improved. Important, the dampers need to be adjusted into the critical range after installation otherwise the can feel stiff. This is a fantastic coilover for what the OP is asking for.


Rode in another members ' SaT coilover car and the ride was even softer due to the STs having softer spring. That car was very GF / Wife friendly.

I've had Airlift, KW V3's, stock BRZ, stock FR-S, Bilstein HD's, and HKS Hipermax GT IV's, and the GT IV's are the most comfortable on the street. They also come with their own tophat/camber plates that are rubber isolated better than stock. They have 6k springs in front, and 4k springs in back, but adjusting preload and damping is critical to getting the best ride.

Also, in my opinion, the stock sway bars are better suited for the track then the street, so I just ordered a set of Cusco's "soft" hollow sway bars, front and rear.

The car also rides better if it's lowered 1 to 1 1/2 inches from stock height. Beware of parking lot curbs though, it will catch the curbs at the lower height.

The HKS Hipermax GT IV's have rubber isolated tophat/camber plates, and they are quite comfortable on the street

What settings are you running?