Question for Pros / Experts about coilover choice
 

Hello all, and TIA for reading.

I'm hoping you could assist with some suspension (coilover) advice.

I currently have BC coilovers (PLEASE STAY WITH ME), admittedly purchased for cost and simply wanting a "look". I've had them for a few years now, and am interested in a different route.

I would like to get something higher quality, but do not NEED something for the track. If they enable me to do a light, friendly open track day, once a year at most... Cool. If not, I don't care about tracking the car... This is primarily for spirited daily driving around Metro Detroit's HORRIFIC roads.
I've been doing plenty of reading of the forum and reviews and have decided to choose from a couple routes. Keep in mind, I am mechanically very sound, and have no issues performing the work, however I am incompetent compared to many here in regards to suspension design and setup.

A: TEIN Street A, or MONO Sport (I know the MONO Sport is more geared to the track performance, but if it will do EVEN BETTER on the street, with no negatives, I may spend the extra.) These would be paired with the EDFC Active PRO. This is because again, I don't know how to truly dial in suspension, but also having a system that can adjust to speeds and driving is pretty tits if you ask me...

B: Just a good coilover for the equivalent price ~$2000-$2500, and just adjust the damn things myself.. Haha

I know turning a dial on a c/o isn't very difficult, but to those who spent much time adjusting theirs to get them where they want I ask; Is it really set just right, or have you found the point you're willing to leave them at, and really would prefer an easy adjustment system like the EDFC...?

Thanks,
-Aaron :burnrubber:

I daily a car on track suspension so take my advice with a grain of salt. Regarding coilovers, you pretty much seem set and just want some confirmation so I will let others do that. For the adjustment part tho, you think you dont need the adjustment, but if you have good coilovers (aka you feel the change in the car with each change in suspension setup), you will come to love being able to adjust damping to suit your situation. For everyday street usage, I have a few settings I go thru, but they are usually around the same. I do change settings each track day, to suit the track's condition (damp or wet track requires soft damping, as do rough tracks, but smooth and dry tracks benefit a lot from stiff damping). I also adjust damping when hauling around a lot of gear (like tires and tools). I have never tried an EDFC or similar system, but my guess would be that I might like certain aspects of it (or settings should I say) but I may end up disliking certain others, so it will depend on how much control you have and how much "just happens" on its own.

Given stated budget and stated use .. imho new Ohlins R&T (don't be scared off with misleading "& Track" part) with softened spring rates should fit the bill well.

Every coilover is something of compromise chosen to fit/work best for specific needs/use. At higher budget ranges some may compensate that by higher quality/adjustment flexibility, but then again as expensive street coilovers still should do even better. Many track-specific ones do that at expense of something, for example comfort/compliancy. So if it will EVEN BETTER .. no. At least very probably will do worse then of similar price range but focused on DD. If use they are designed for doesn't matter to you and at same time you get less per buck of what you really want, it's not the best choice, simple as that.

At this point I read "different route" as "it was shit and I'm cutting my losses"

Just some opinions from a hack, I had Bilstein B14's and considered the ride close to stock quality and wouldn't bother with the EDFC, it shouldn't be that complicated to get out of the car and turn a few knobs. Ohlins has a good rep for cushy ride like church mentions but no personal experience.

Now I'll wait for sharkbait and jerrick to come pimp sachs and meister zeta crd.
:popcorn:

And Ubersuber to tell them they are all wrong.

I'm an optimist at heart.

I can't comment on the EDFC, but just a note about the Monosports, which I have, and which probably apply to any pillowball mount coilovers.

You have to be willing to accept a certain level of noise and vibration with a pillowball mount. I don't want to say it is bad or unbearable, you have to be the ultimate judge of that, but be aware that it will be louder and you will feel the bumps more than stock or a bushing based coilover.

I chose the Monosports for track performance and was willing to accept the extra NVH that I get on the shit roads we have up here.

Are you not expecting Gforce to show up telling him to fit a big front bar and 2017 OEM rear springs?

That's Suberman/UberSuber.

KW V3 or Ohlins R&T sound like they would fit the bill. Both are street coils that can work on track. With the KW just get them from a good vendor (RCE or CSG) so you can get help with the double adjustable set-up

Bilstein would also be a good option but is larger diameter so depends on your wheel specs if you have something super wide/high offset

Something like your usage, i would say the GT1 coilovers will fit the bill from MeisterR.
These are custom built to spec using CNC internals that we engineered and manufactured in the UK.

The main thing is the 2-stage compression valve inside that allows much better compliancy over uneven road surfaces.
This mean you can run higher damping force to provide better control, without the ride feeling harsh.

It is one way adjustable (compression and rebound combined), and that mean you don't have to worry about matching damping ratio as these are already pre-set within the adjustment.
The simple adjustment allow you to fine tune the damping easily.

They will look very similar to our ZetaCRD, but the internal are all different.
http://www.meisterr.co.uk/Pics/Post/FRS/FRS1.jpg

If you are interested, let me know.
The way I look at it, the GT1 is a custom built damper and that mean it is built to your purposes.
If you try and it do not like it, I am happy to take it back for a full refund because it mean we build it wrong.

Just another option for you to put on the table for your research.

Jerrick

bilstein, kw, ohlins -- these are what i will always suggest. use with oe top hats to reduce any potential noises. install, set, and enjoy.

SACHS would be another great option for your situation. They're similar to the Bilstein B14 and Ohlins R&T. I had them for awhile on my car in Chicago, and they handled the roads excellently. Ride felt better than stock in most situations. The slightly stiffer springs did mean bigger bumps were a bit harder but most road conditions felt better than stock, even with Chicago's terrible roads. Performance was great for spirited driving and occasional track time/autox too. The adjustment range felt good, and with the knobs located on the bottom of the shocks it made them easy to adjust.

They're tough to locate here in the U.S., not sure any retailers carry them for our cars. But if you're seriously interested I can put you in contact with someone at ZF Race Engineering to buy a set. They're just over $2,500. Office is in Northville too, so if you ever needed them serviced or anything it'd be easy.

So boys, what's my prize?