Chuhatsu Plus Lift springs review for the BRZ
 

This spring review is going to be a little different than your normal review. I am going to LIFT my BRZ for the winter to help with getting out and about (and occasional Hoon) here in Anchorage Alaska. FR.Sport sent these to me to test, evaluate and give my feedback so here we go…

Here are the springs, they come with the springs marked front and rear and a new pair of bumpstops.

https://i.imgur.com/tzTA0zc.jpg

https://i.imgur.com/0SIJuCI.jpg

I recently helped another brz owner install coil-overs on his car, and keeping his old suspension was part of the deal, so I took the shocks and springs to a local shop and had them swap the springs over…

https://i.imgur.com/YCWO3YT.jpg

Here are some shots of my car pre-lift

https://i.imgur.com/GBidQrT.jpg
https://i.imgur.com/euNyL4J.jpg
https://i.imgur.com/6hpDHk4.jpg
https://i.imgur.com/EtV6r5w.jpg

Once the snow really started to fall I jacked up the BRZ in the garage and started to go at it. I followed the coil-over install guide here: http://www.ft86club.com/forums/showthread.php?t=12864 with a few exceptions and I’ll discuss those below. The most time consuming and tedious portion of the job besides getting the car on jack stands and wheels off are these end links! Most review just gloss over the fact that these 17mm bolts rotate and most folks just have the little cheap 6mm allen keys lying around. So. I bought a allen key socket and a 17mm wrench and it made life MUCH easier, it just takes a while to get that off…

https://i.imgur.com/lWF0RCQ.jpg

Most review just gloss over the fact that these 17mm bolts rotate and most folks just have the little cheap 6mm allen keys lying around. So. I bought a allen key socket and a 17mm wrench and it made life MUCH easier, it just takes a while to get that off…

https://i.imgur.com/B3Hi8QS.jpg
https://i.imgur.com/ZyVJgGh.jpg

And here is a comparison between the 2017 Sach’s Performance Pack strut and a 2014 strut with the lift spring…

https://i.imgur.com/9WwTX2r.jpg


And following the directions in reverse torqueing everything to spec and repeating the same thing on the passenger side. Phew… half way there…
https://i.imgur.com/S7P0SST.jpg
https://i.imgur.com/ZVan5Sy.jpg

https://i.imgur.com/w7WaIox.jpg

On to the rear! Here again is where I deviated from the install guide. Since I was doing this by myself I wanted to take a longer but simpler/safer path. I removed the Shock, swaybar endlink and knuckle (?) bolts off to allow the shocks to come out with much less force.

https://i.imgur.com/6tIhF3r.jpg

The only downside to this method is you might have to use a spare jack to help lift the control arms while you are putting in the new lifted shock and getting all the bolt holes to line up. If you have a second person helping this part would have been quicker, but I was in no rush to do this, because I didn’t want to do it twice  . and here’s a comparison of the 2017 Sach’s rear damper vs a lifted 2014 damper.

https://i.imgur.com/SKAvq9K.jpg
https://i.imgur.com/ek9qgAu.jpg

And like the front repeat everything on the passenger side, torque it down, put it on the ground and admire your handy work…

https://i.imgur.com/Fq1HWfY.jpg

Here are some before and after’s wheel gap close ups of the front and rear…

Front (~25mm+)
https://i.imgur.com/hpVrIXx.png

Rear (~20mm+)
https://i.imgur.com/OwLTIXV.png

Took it for a wash then went to go play in the snow!

https://i.imgur.com/yyWaHBl.jpg
https://i.imgur.com/KjIKS28.jpg
https://i.imgur.com/gUFgEhJ.jpg
https://i.imgur.com/bhGd0ao.jpg


One more before and after…

Before
https://i.imgur.com/GBidQrT.jpg
After
https://i.imgur.com/PCtVQhR.jpg

Now… What’s it like to live with.

It’s a pretty significant difference. From the small to large the changes have been all positive (unless you have to have a low car). First off, you can really tell a difference getting in and out of the vehicle, it’s much easier. The day I did this I picked up wife from work in it and before I could tell her the difference she noticed. This is a gift that will keep on giving all winter.

Now with changing the springs and dampers, I wasn’t exactly sure what to expect, would it be a stiffer ride, would it be a pogo over ruts and potholes? None of that! That’s been the most surprising aspect of this swap, the ride is SUPER compliant! Remember, this is proper winter driving review so I can’t compare how the car corners vs the PP dampers because I’m not trying to be the next #totalled… But everyday driving it’s a smooth ride, ( I hate to say it, it reminded me of my camry). There is a main road near our house that has so much winter traffic there are ruts in the road from studded tires. I cross over this road every day. And with the PP dampers and summer tire it felt like a bucking bronco! It wasn’t so bad once I switched over to my winter tires (245/40 vs 215/50) but it is noticeable. The first time I crossed that road with the Chuhatsu Plus springs I didn’t even notice it. My wife had to point it out to me that the car didn’t bounce/buck like it normally does.

I have been nothing less than impressed with this seasonal upgrade. It just brings a sense of ease/relief when I’m driving. Some of you non winter drivers might not understand the sense of ease of knowing you can change lane without the worry of bottoming out on ice/snow. Or pulling up to a parking space and not have to worry about wondering is that parking chock or is it snow, doesn't matter I’m above it.

I’m not sure what else to report on… I know there is a small group of folks who would like a lift whether for rally and winter, and I’d go with these before a spacer any day!

Thanks

Thanks for review. For completeness sake i'd wish though review them also in summer both DD & on track, as i'm more of type of driving same setup all year round (with exception of tires of course), so it would be interesting, what (/if) i'll have to give up to pay for extra clearance.

Poor ride quality of the Toybaru is partly attributed to the lack of wheel travel, and therefore, jacking up the vehicle by 10mm should definitely help.

I have been interested in getting a set of taller springs myself. Chuhatsu offers several different sets of taller springs, but no information is available on the actual spring rates.

Any chance we could get some info on the actual spring rates?

I've been working on this for a while now.
If I don't get an answer this month I definitely will when I go to Japan next month.

Seriously tempted to try these springs, just for a little.

- Andrew

PM sent

Don't be scared.

A bit of winter lift is the best. If I had cash to blow for fun I'd grab a set for my stock suspension/lift spacer I run in the winter.