Switching from ST Coils to a more Comfortable Setup
 

Hey whats up friends,

I've honestly been looking up so much on these forums, facebook group, and any other place on google before I decided to post this but I really would like help.

Can I get some some recommendations for comfortable coilovers?

I currently have ST coilovers and after 6 months, I'd like to say I'm over them lol. I DD my FRS and am tired of the random clunks(yes I'm sure everything is tightened and what not) and awful ride comfort.


I have a few coilovers in mind such as Cusco Street Spec A(no mounts), Tein Flex Z, Greddy x KW, skunk2 Pro-C, etc.


Is there a way I can still drop the car 1.2-1.5 inches and still be comfortable? I don't track or do anything hard with the car, I just want to enjoy my daily commute without it being a pain.

Idk, the ST coils are some of the softest on the market. And anything with camber plates is going to make more noise then ones that reuse the stock mounts since it replaces the rubber ones with all metal.

RSR Black i are meant for lowering and comfort but dont know if they will ride softer then ST

I've only had experience w/ the Tein Flex Z's and RSR Sports-I coilovers. The Flex Z's are pretty good for daily driving but over LA roads it can get pretty gnarly. My Sports-I on the other hand are lot more smoother and comfortable than the Flex Z's. I'm not a race car driver or really track my car at all but to me the Sports-I offer the comfort that is missing from the Flex Z's and a bit more performance than the Flex Z's.

I don't think you'll be disappointed with the Flex Z's.

Yeah I had really wanted the Flex Zs back in July but they were sold out and vendors didn't get them until October-ish.

I'm tired of these crappy california roads! Lol

there's a guy in SoCal selling the RSR Sports-i for $500 used. check the local for sale thread.

@Roneezy, pick'em up quick :D

Don't buy cheap coilovers. The drop you're after is minimal and easily achieved with most lowering springs - RSR and Swift come to mind, but there are countless others.

Trying to save money here is going to cost you more in the end. ^Those used coils will need to be rebuilt sooner than new coils. That typically costs $150/corner, and who knows when you'll need to do that (you cant verify their internal condition nor past use / abuse)... then factor in downtime for your car, install costs, and alignment costs. I've been down that road, and it's not fun.

Save your money and spend wisely the first time. I have RSR Sports-i and they're good... stock-ish until you hit a turn. Start with those and work UP in price range, not down. Good luck.

You're not going to be able to drop 1.5" and still have comfort unless you can change the laws of physics. Coilovers were never really meant for street driving anyway. They can be a huge PITA and the only reason I use them is for AutoX and HPDE. If all you do is drive on the street, save yourself the headache and go back to shocks and springs.

If comfort is top of your list, and you want to be ~1.25" lower, then get Ohlins. Cheap ones will always ride rougher due to lower quality shocks.

Maybe Bilstein B14's, made to reuse stock top hats, I only had them about 1/2" lower than stock and they rode very similar to OE, can't comment on how comfy they are when you go as low as you want, maybe someone else has done it before idk.

The greddys are the same thing you have but with a rebound adjuster, and possibly stiffer springs.

Tein, cusco, skunk2, etc generally do not ride better than kw based stuff.

You want something that rides well, go with either struts/springs, which are usually softer, or the Bilstein B14.

Also, the lower you get, the less bump travel you have. So it has to be stiffer, or it will end up in the bump stops. Sometimes it is lower and stiffer and still in the stops.

^ "Low" and "stiff" or "rough" are not explicit trade offs. Having less bump travel does not mean the car rides rough. Shock valving matters.

Absolutely true but one has to pay for quality damping. While the above mentioned dampers are of higher quality than the $600 Ebay specials they are still not what I would call great dampers. Everything's relative.

I didn't say that. But with $1000 suspension it's generally the case. And you lower the suspension too far it doesn't matter what dampers you have- it's in the bump stops and has no travel.

Right, but in many cases replacing only the springs can result in a worse ride than replacing both springs and shocks (or buying a full coilover setup). Your stock shocks are valved appropriately for stock springs - changing stock springs to lowering springs reduces bump travel and typically increases spring rate, which your stock shocks may (or may not) be able to handle.

... and it's not *just* the bump stops that make your ride uncomfortable (and, not all bump stops are the same); how well the shock controls the spring during the rest of the stroke is also important.

Actually many believe the OE dampers to be valved too 'stiff' for the OE springs, that's why the car takes so well to a stiffer lowering spring and many report equal or better ride quality on aftermarket lowering springs and stock dampers when compared to the OE springs.

On another car that's likely a valid argument against lowering springs + OE dampers, but not so much for the 86.

I have the same problem as you, i have low tolerance for stiff suspensions.

Try Bilsteins B16.
Am on them now, very comfortable. Best suspension (for comfort) i have used on the 86 platform.

And i have been through 5 different setups to achieve my desired comfort level. Its not as smooth as stock, but then again, nothing i have tried is. The B16's are as close as i can get

Stock top mounts, reasonable lowering (1 inch down) and have your dampers set to 1 click up from full soft (position 2 the dial)

Funny,

I installed ST coils and didn't notice too much of discomfort change in the ride quality of the car. However I'm sure suspension changes are much like exhaust changes, everyone has different senses and opinions.

Correct me if I'm wrong, but KW has adjustable dampening on their coils. On-top of that, ST is a daughter company of KW, so if you liked the build quality of the STs, you shouldn't have any issues jumping over to the more pricey KWs :)

Mann Engineering Type-25 (based on AST 4150 I believe...)

get ground control coilovers. they use custom valved konis which you can adjust damping with and you can choose whatever spring rate you want:

http://www.ground-control-store.com/...ion.php?II=931

I have the complete kit with the camber plates and strut bar and I switched from BCs.... best decision I have ever made. the BCs made noises like I was driving on moon with banging and clunking. switched over to GC and I have been very happy. Both installed myself. Installed BCs multiple times taking it on and off and retorquing to spec, but I never got them to stop clunking. so out they went in GC in.

I just switched out my ST coilovers for the same reason.

I almost went with TRD coilovers or Cusco Street Zero (same manufacturer as TRD) but shut that down once I reasoned I would still hear random clunks or coil binding with all coilovers in general unless they use rubber insulators between the springs and top hat like the stock setup. Even Moto Miwa who is a Cusco rep posted somewhere in this forum that noises can still be present in the Cuscos.

If spring perch clearance with wide front wheels isn't an issue, I recommend Bilstein B8 shocks with lowering springs of your choice. Eibach Sportline might give you the height you want. Before I had ST years ago, I had Sportlines on stock shocks which occasionally bottomed out in the rear over big bumps but Bilstein B8 perfectly accommodates for bump travel with lowering springs (a thread on here praises this exact setup if you search).

I'm over going that low so I went with a conservative drop TRD springs by Eibach, seemingly identical to their Pro-Kit.

Bilstein B6 and Eibach Pro-kit. Done.

- Andrew

What he said. ^

Is there a reason not to go with B8?

I actually just ordered the B8 and sportlines lol


I tried looking up tons of info on the forums but it seems limited.

Big difference in comfort and daily driving on the B6/B8 paired with sportlines?

I believe the B8s have slightly less overall travel, but a bit more bump travel (the spring perch stays in the same position relative to the lower mount but the damper is a bit shorter). I'm not sure on the exact numbers, but RCE has had them side-by-side I think.

It seems like the B8s would be fine with eibachs since they offer that as a combo. Possibly better for many lower spring options and GC sleeves depending on height.

ST coilovers are probably the most comfortable (imo) for any drop in the area of 1.5"-2". if you're ok with having less of a drop, a combo set of quality lowering springs and shocks/struts should be more than sufficient. if neither of these are good enough, then i'd recommend just staying with stock suspension.

yeah you have 230lb spring rates up front...doesn't get much softer than that.

As a product I received in the beginning, I'd say that yes this suspension is comfortable and didn't have any complaints.

But this is my 2nd set already and I'm not about to get a 3rd.

First ST Coilovers I had were great, but one sunny san diego day I was driving down the freeway on my way to work and wasn't able to slow down in time for the accident ahead of me. A semi truck had its load full of thick wooden construction material spread out and I ran over a couple pieces at around 40-50mph and ever since I felt a major degradtaion in the ride. I could literally feel everything that I couldn't feel before and it went down pretty bad. (Not mechanically sound so I apologize if I'm incorrect) I was thinking the dampers were destroyed possibly? I don't know but the ride went to shit lol.

So on to my 2nd set of ST's which are the replacements for ^. No accidents or damages this time and it was working fine and comfortable as expected. Then about 1.5-2 months ago the ride quality went downhill. City driving is decent, not expecting much especially with road imperfections. But for freeway use, the rear of my car is literally bouncing. Again before it was just fine, but now on freeway speeds(around 70-75) the car is literally bouncing and not as solid and stable as it was before. I can't cruise at all with the car being unstable.


I do not track nor drift nor any crazy stuff.
I daily drive the car with some spirited driving once every blue moon.
I have never even attempted to drift, burnout, etc.



So in short, yes the STs are comfortable but I've just had bad experience with them and am looking for something else. I don't slam the car either, I'm still able to put 2 fingers or so in the wheel gap.

Just went from PSS B14 Bilsteins to ST coilovers yesterday.

I find the ST ride quality to be quite soft, almost floaty. The Bilstein B14 coilovers definitely rode firmer but it has a very well damped firm feeling. The best way to describe it was it feels like the engineers at Bilstein really took their time to dial in the setup for our cars, it feels like it should come this way from the factory. Firm yet comfortable, feels really stable!

The build quality and attention to detail on the Bilsteins are better also, for example the bracket that holds the speed sensor line clips fit perfectly. On the ST coilovers the top hole is drilled too wide so it feels like the clip is loose and about to fall out. Also the top of the shock stud on the ST coilovers extends too high above the top hats, you won't be able to reuse the rubber dust covers, by leaving them off your top hat bearings are exposed to the elements and dirt and grime can get in. No issues with the Bilsteins, they fit perfectly like OEM.

I would have kept the Bilsteins but unfortunately they use a wider spring similar to stock up front so with wide 9.5" tires and a 40 offset, it gets really close to rubbing. I'm planning to run more camber up front so I'm pretty sure it will make contact if I add more aggressive front camber.

How much more camber were you planning on adding?