Which sub <$1,500 coilover?
 

Which coilover would you choose?

Looking for something sub $1,500, higher the quality the better, at least 6kgmm spring rates (which leaves out the nice Bilstein B14's) and suitable for DD (I am very tolerant of a firm ride for DD and don't care about "comfort") and occasional track/autox time.

Planning on mostly a stock car with just these few mods - 9" wide wheels, 245-255 tires (going to try PSS, RS3, D2, RE11 and others), upgraded brake pads and fluid, maybe a 4.56 or 4.88 FD and catted headers in the future and that's pretty much it..and of course, coilovers.

THe only ones that peak my interest that are <$1,500 are the Tein Street Flex and the Buddy Club Race Spec. I am more attracted to Tein's reputation and quality (and also them being able to be serviced in the states); but not sure if they are aggressive enough. And, I am attracted to the Buddy Club Race coilovers for it's monotube design, stiffer rates and upside down front dampers; but I am unsure of their quality, reliability, etc. (I think I read somewhere that BuddyClubs were made by a company whom made other cheap coilover brands, in China iirc. Not sure if this is true though. Also, I think i remember seeing pics of failed and broken BuddyClub coilovers on more than one occasion).

So, right now(unless I get more input/experience of these products, and/or recommendations to other coilovers), it's pretty much a choice of aggressive but with unknown and possible poor quality (Buddy Club RSD), vs, not as aggressive but with known good quality (Tein SF).

I would check out our SBD Pro Street Coilovers ;)

Have you considered Feal 441's? They would seem to fit all of your requirements.

What is your absolute goal for your car's driving application?

There many options out there, but the list quickly becomes limited the moment you specify your driving application: public roads and their conditions, canyon, autocross, autocross tarmac surface, track, and track tarmac surface.

Road surface is the reason of why you have suspension. Emphasis on this will narrow your list down very quickly.

Ground control gets my vote.

Buddy club racing spec are really awesome

+1 for Speed by Design. If you're wanting the drop without giving up ride quality then they'd be a great choice. They're pretty much focused towards daily drivers.

I think you are in the wrong forum. I think you want something like this:
http://forums.military.com/eve/forums/a/frm/f/380190923
(I didn't know those things had dampers, must be huge.)

How often are you going to be racing at all? Like autocross or track days? That is a huge determinant in deciding between coilovers. If it isn't often get something comfortable like the Speed By Design one. If you can afford 1500 dollars though, KW V1s are the way to go.

Yes, they look great..but they're also much more than $1500 and I also dislike how it's composed of various parts (GC sleeves on Koni dampers). I also dislike the Koni's full length bodies/stroke and I prefer something short bodied. Koni's are relatively inexpensive and I can't justify spending +$2k on a system that uses inexpensive dampers.

I am in SoCal, so the weather is always nice for track/autox days. Maybe at least once every 2 months, if not more, or once a month. In the future, more when finances are better, maybe once or twice a month and might get an extra set of track only wheels and tires.

I'd rather get RCE T0s than the KW's though, since I understand KW are less aggressive than the RCEs. But either way, they're both out of my budget. And, 1500 is stretching it; I won't go over 1500.

I stated that I don't mind giving up ride quality for performance. I definitely don't want something focused on DD. I want something more focused on performance, like the Monoflex, T2, Ohlins R&D, etc; but, I can't afford those so I am looking for the closest thing to them for $1500

Goal? A low hp (stock power), simple DD car and ability to push it relatively hard whenever I go to track/autox things. Just a fun car..not looking to make it a competitive national champ nor a 1000hp beast. Just a simple, no fuss, reliable car I can learn performance driving from, improve skill and just have fun.

Public DD roads? LA and OC ...but I don't mind a stiff suspension going through sections that are old and unrepaired. That would be super slow anyways and just "passing through"..otherwise, most of SoCal roads are pretty upkempt and have good infrastructure.

Tracks? Buttonwillow, Willow Springs

AutoX? I guess this greatly varies and depends on who's throwing the events. But, whichever come up I happen to attend.

Canyon? Several various in SoCal - Malibu, Palomar, Ortega, Lyons Valley, Azusa and several others.

go eibach r1 or r2, you can get used ones for around $1500, its a great coilover.

Oh, my fault. I just read through your post quickly and thought you said you didn't want to give up comfort.

For starters, you're not going to be completely satisfied with anything below $1500. We've tried almost most suspension setups on the market. Buttonwillow is the track that will basically determine how good a suspension kit is. Bilstein B14 and TEIN Street Flex are pretty much your options. Most single adjustable setups really only have 1 setting that works well since valving is based on that specific spring rate and length. :thumbsup:

The next level up is going to be Ohlins R&T, Bilstein B16, RCE T2 + camber plates, KW CS. Afterwards, you're going into true motorsport suspension territory where kits are proven in a motorsports setting. That's where the TEIN SRC, the JRZ RS-Pro, KW Motorsport 2-way and 3-ways, Ohlins TTX, Penskes, etc. are available. :)

I just went through the motions on coilover research and what I came up with is that everything under $1,500 is probably made by 1 or 2 different companies, because they all have very similar specs and features, and also look the same. Some will offer stuff like swift spring upgrades, bearing upgrades, and custom spring rates, but at their core they're probably very similar.
Ultimately, I decided to pony up and get some HKS Hipermax MaxIV GT's. My justification was that if I half did it when it came to coilovers and didn't like the ride quality, I would have to sell them and re-buy the ones I should of got in the first place, which would end up costing even more.

CSG probably has the best insight into this as they've actually used this stuff.

You can get their street set up for $1500. It re uses the stock top hats. GC also allows you to get whatever spring rates you want which is nice. They do come with koni's, but they are not off the shelf units. They are custom valved to GC's specs. The fronts are also an inch shorter to give you increased travel.

@protpibe: true true.. I'm a firm believer of "buy right, buy once" ..but coilover suspension is such a hard decision.. not to mention very expensive lol. I would like to cap it off at $1500, which is already a big notch above the super cheapy ones (ie: st, or other generic no name brands like bc, and something or other, etc.). I guess the $2k range has much better options; but really wanting to not go over $1.5k.

Btw..which HKS co's are more focused on track, and which for street? ...are the GT (like yours) more for performance, or the newly announced SP?

..I'm also kinda confused on the Evasive preview post of the HKS SP..since it states that the GT is more for "comfort", yet the name "GT" sound pretty darn hardcore imo compared to "SP" (not to mention the 550hp HKS 86 is using the "comfortable" GTs lol).. and it also states "SP" was more focused on both "DD and track" ..ummm, isn't that the same thing as comfort?

BC Coilovers

Buddy Club coilovers...or the "BC Racing" question-mark brand coilovers (china made?)? haha

Another confusing thing... people need to say BuddyClub and stop saying the acronym, since there's also "BC Racing"

YEP lol

Gts are dd comfort first but still good at the track. SPs are still a street and track mix but not as cushy as GT

Have you considered matched springs and struts ?

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If you aren't going to be doing 2 or so autocrosses a month go with something more comfortable. The added stiffness will get tiring. I say go KW V1s. They are just as comfortable as stock but they control the body roll much better, plus you can lower it a bit as well!

Also, have you thought about just springs? The stock suspension is really good for most people.

@IAmNotTheDriftKing @protpibe:
Yes, I seriously consider RCE Tarmac springs with B8 shocks; but, that would already run $1250... and I was thinking, for only a few hundred more I can get stiffer spring rates, adj and firmer dampening, upper pillowball adj camber mounts, adj height, all in a neat tidy little package....just too much good stuff which makes it impossible to justify spending a similar amount on a spring and strut combo.

Have you considered Suspension Techniques?

If quality is not a consideration then you are right. You can get all the bells and whistles for much less than $1500. How long will they last and how well they work would be questionable. With the Bilsteins and RCE you are paying for quality assurance. You get what you pay for, dude.

In that case, if I were capped at around $1,500 and would only get a coilover, then I would probably go with either the Fortune Auto 500 with swift springs and custom spring rates, or the Teins. With the Fortunes, they offer custom spring rates and will valve the shock properly based on the rate you chose.

Yes, of course I understand "you get what you pay for" ...but Tein or Buddy Club isn't exactly considered a super cheap, low quality nor generic brand is it? (I didn't say I wanted one of the other cheap coilover brands I've never heard of - BC Racing, ARK, Fortune, Function and Form, ISC, Megan, Stance, Pedders, etc...just naming the ones that I see online right now that I never really heard of (though, some may be good..I just don't know nor haven't heard/read about any of them yet) ... I never mentioned any of these).

Honestly, I would consider Bilstein first to be a "cheaper brand" over Tein (not saying Bilstein is cheap.. just saying it is more susceptible to low quality designs, as it can be more mass-produceed with cost-cutting manufacturing than Tein) ..since Bilsteins are available at mainstream(ie: tire rack) and/or cheapy retailers and more readily available and designed for consumers (mass made & lower quality) over prosumers/hobbyists (attention to detail, better quality). Just my 2 cents, opinion and philosophy ;) ......but then again, on the flip-side/other-hand, "mass-producition" could also be seen as a good thing; since the company doing the mass producing has a much higher risk of law suits and safety concerns of that mass produced product - forcing them to be even extra sure of the quality control and the design's safety/solidity of the product. I would like to think the latter of Bilstein :)


Anyways.. of course "you get what you pay for" ...That's why I am willing to spend a little more on Tein SF or BuddyClub RSD, over all those aforesaid "cheaper brands"..maybe even HKS Sp or the MonoFlex. ..I wouldn't go as far to say those coilovers are for people that "don't take quality into consideration" though ;)


But..I think I made my decision for a sub $1500 coilover: The Tein Street Flex. Maybe not that aggressive; but it sounds like the best bang for the buck and also good quality. Another main deciding factor - they can be serviced in the US (Idk if the buddyclubs can be as easily serviced in the states).

And, if I can spend a little more, for a $2k coilover, I think I would have to choose the Monoflex or the new HKS SP (if the SP costs the same as the GT, at a little more than $2k). But then again, the MonoFlex might have the lead; reason being as the MonoFlex can be serviced here in the US (not sure about the HKS).

Did you find a lot of negative reviews for buddy club? Most of the reviews i found from google via different forums were positive. I'm considering them as well or ST coilovers. If Buddy club isn't reliable then i'm going ST. I was even thinking about getting the buddy club BBK.

Ahh..found it. I knew I remembered reading about Buddy Club coilovers breaking and it being made by a korean company that made cheap coilovers:

http://www.ft86club.com/forums/showthread.php?p=638111

Also, google "buddy club broken coilovers" and browse the google pics. You'll see several instances of the brackets breaking on hondas, RSXs and S2000s..not to mention the finish and paint easily chips/comes off and begins to rust like crazy.

well... I guess that makes my decision even easier.. I'll stick with Tein, HKS or other higher brands.

lol i just did a google search after my first post and ended up at that same thread as well. I'll probably go with something else as well.

First off, thanks for responding to the thread. My situation is very similar to OP's.

So, are all these coils you just listed coils that you personally endorse for their quality/performance, or just coils you know of in "that level" ?

I got a t1r right now, no doubt it is a lower end product, but it is good enough for me now, it got those camber kit with it and ground control, if I gonna go next step will be a airlift performance

National championships have been won on koni's a few times...

So much bad data in this thread. Just go with what CSG is telling you. People who recommend random eBay brands probably don't have the same level of experience.

* edited because I was apparently talking out of my ass.

We list the parts that we've tested and approve. We have a plethora of roads we test on and use as proving grounds in southern California so we have a good amount of experience with multiple kits that need to pass "the girl test".

We also dial suspension settings specific to each individual driver's driving style and car setup. Damper construction quality also reflects on how the suspension will perform, but is not always directly related.

Fortune Auto 500 series

I understand many coilovers are...but Teins too? I am unsure about that. Can you please post a link, info or article to confirm this??? Tein is a coilover specific brand that only makes 1 thing - coilovers.

I can easily understand and see how other big companies, even reputable companies (ie: HKS, Greddy/Trust, BuddyClub, Apexi, RSR, Tanabe, etc.), can outsource, and possibly may even outsource to that cheaper "the same place" for the entry level products, because they make many many other products (exhausts, turbo kits, suspension parts, gauges, etc., etc.) and just cannot produce them in-house.

But, Tein? ...I am unsure if they would truly outsource to a cheap manufacturer, and would like to know if this is fact or not. Tein is very much able to build all their products in-house, no?

"Bad data" - this would be assuming and spreading rumors that Tein outsources to cheap manufacturing companies, when they probably do not (I haven't read anything about that yet). Please post link to your source that says this. Otherwise, you'd be giving the "bad data." ;)

Yes, CSG has great, knowledgable, valuable recommendations and insight...but he recommended Tein SF too (and the B14) for a lower cost coilover ;)

I think I will go with the Tein SF. And maybe in the future, 5 or so years from now when they need to get serviced, get them revalved with firmer dampening.

Yes, I agree to avoid eBay or chinese made looking coilover brands..I wouldn't touch them with a 10' pole.

All Tein coilovers are made in-house. Suspension is literally all they do; they're not a "me too" company.

They just happen to have offerings at a wide range of price points ($1000-$15,000), as do many other dedicated suspension companies.

Very good to know.

Btw: do you know who makes HKS, RSR and Cusco coilovers? (the other coilovers that peak interest)