Lowering Springs vs. Coilovers for a 1 in. drop?
 

I am looking into suspension options for my 2020 BRZ and have come across alot of mixed views on the coilover vs. springs debate, so I figured I would come to people who can give valid opinions about the twins. I am looking to drop an inch or so, possibly less depending on wheel and tire size I go. I drive my car as a daily, but I also shred backroads almost everyday. I would enjoy a good ride quality, but a little more rugged is okay with me. Money isn't really a problem either, I have a while before I plan to do this and don't want to cheap out. So, my question is, coils or springs for my style?

Put springs on and call it a day.

Yep id say get Springs as well and call it a day. If you know you dont need adjustability of coilovers then go with springs. Get good quality springs such as RCE Yellows, TRD Springs, Eibbach Pro-Kit all these springs lower the car an inch. I personally have RCE Yellows and would 100% recommend them and i think for your case these would serve you well as well.

There is no need to go and spend on coils, especially cheap ones when you can just get good springs instead if you just want to be a bit lower.

Dunno about non-PP, non-Sachs, but the PP Sachs struts don't have enough front travel for much lowering. I was hard on the bump stops static at -1.25" ride height on Swift lowering springs. Ride was intolerable, the smallest bumps were like a car crash. I wouldn't go more than the 0.8" lowering from RCE yellows with stock struts. Bilstein B8/B6 have a ton more travel fwiw, I'm fine now with them on the car. Recommend getting B6s if you're lowering an inch or more.

I second the B6's. They made a big difference and not just in ride.

I had the Eibach Sportlines on my car for about 6 years, replaced them last year for KW V3s. Replaced beciase one of the springs had snapped.. no idea why it broke.. But saw it as an opportunity to 'upgrade'..

If you do shred backroads everyday, then quality coilovers are a no brainer.
Any excuse for proper dampers is worth taking.

I've had vehicles with just lowering springs and they tend to be a bit bouncy if stiffer / better shocks are not replaced. Depending on where you normally transit or what roads (how bad they are) you might still want to replace shocks. By then, you might want to check top hat/mount condition, and replace if necessary. And by that point, you might just dish out for a complete replacement into coilovers.

I'd only recommend lowering springs lone upgrade if roads are in excellent condition, or leveled at least.

Swift Spec R springs w/ PP Sachs myself on 17" wheels. After about 2/3 months the springs settled and softened up some. My use case is daily and mostly mountain runs. I've enjoyed this setup for 2 years now. Plenty of grip and perfect drop 1" drop all around. It has its rough moments like any other setup on really bad roads/deep pothole. Surprisingly good clearance on the bottom of the car for daily use.

I did cut my bump stops in half when installing mine. I believe this may give the extra clearance needed. I've never bottomed out and that says a lot for some roads in my area. It's not popular on these forums I guess but I highly recommend Swift Spec R.

Parked
https://i.imgur.com/jLmbDKy.jpg

Cornering Hard
https://i.imgur.com/bpyFdHt.jpg

My only con was the settle time but worth it in the end.



Other popular setups like ZDan mentioned:

Swift/Racecomp on stock or bilstein struts
Eibach Springs (fyi TRD rebranded these as their springs)

a bit outdated on the list items but the info is still good
https://www.ft86club.com/forums/showthread.php?t=8739

Good luck with your decision!

I had a similar setup, but with Raceseng camber plates which cost probably ~15-20mm of bump travel. Still, with the stock struts I'm not surprised your setup is rough (UNlike *any* other setup, but like many I suppose!) over deep potholes. The PP struts just have woefully limited bump travel. Bilsteins are a HUGE improvement in this regard.

I cut mine in half, then down to 1/3 (20mm down from 60mm). This isn't the best solution because though it delays the onset of being into the bumpstops, it also makes hitting the bumpstops much more jarring.


If you're noticing a rough ride over deep potholes, you're bottoming out.

Again, my setup was particularly compromised with bump-stop-robbing camber plates, but even so I'd still only recommend Swift Sport or Spec-R springs (which lowered my car 1.25") with Bilsteins for increased front bump travel. At least for PP/Sachs (for all I know non-PP cars have more bump travel to begin with?).

I've never noticed "settle time" when swapping springs or installing coilovers on cars. Springs should operate well below yield strength and fatigue limit of material, they should not sag appreciably over a reasonably long time.

Did you only tighten control arm bushings with the car on the ground after rolling back and forth a bit to get it at proper settled ride height?


I drove on my setup with Swift springs (-1.25"), Raceseng camber plates, and stock PP struts/shocks for a couple of years and while it performed well enough at the track, ride on the street was intolerable (though I stupidly tolerated it for that long!). Again, that's with another 15-20mm bump travel lost to the camber plates. But still...

I'd still suggest no more than ~0.8" lowering with stock struts, at least in the case of PP/Sachs. With Bilsteins, 1.25" is no prob even with camber plates and reduced bump travel.

I don't think your Bilsteins are a huge improvement in bump travel...they're roughly the same. I think the valving is just a lot better. PP shocks can be a little harsh (and anything from 2016 earlier too).

- Andrew

My impression is *VERY* different! My car felt like it was hard on the bump stops with Swift BRZ Sport springs + Raceseng camber plates with the factory PP/Sachs struts. Initial install also had the front much lower than advertised, close to -1.5". This was IMO a combination of the Swift springs maybe lowering a bit more than 1.1" advertised, perhaps some additional lowering due to the Raceseng spring perches, and with them adjusted to max camber (-3.2 ish).

I had 6mm aluminum rings machined to act as spacers between front spring perches and springs to even out front/rear ride height and gain back some bump travel, and also severely cut down the factory bump stops from 60mm to 40mm and then to 20mm. The car was *still* hard on the front bump stops and crashy over the smallest bumps. At the track the outside front would just load up and push in extended turns.

IMO the *only* way it was a damping issue, is if the factory PP/Sachs have a variable orifice that essentially closes off completely with bump travel. Which is possible and was a theory I've considered...

In any case, based on my experience the *usable* bump travel with the PP/Sachs (whether limited by physical travel or some kind of variable compression damping vs. bump travel) is WAY less than with Bilstein B8s. I pretty much cruise over pretty big bumps/potholes now and they are soaked up no problemo. The difference was PROFOUND for my car/my setup.

I also thought about camber plates myself. I think it was one of your previous reviews about bump travel I read actually lol and went camber bolts instead. Once the time comes, I will be moving into Bilstein’s as well!

Well.. I’m familiar with what bottoming out feels like. As an experiment we drove the same streets in a completely stock c6 vette and my wife’s Mazda3 on stock suspension (and with her lowering spring setup now) all cars including mine don’t bottom out but the BRZ felt the bumps the most. The Swift Spec R springs are certainly a “hard” spring. Especially compared to the STI Ts Springs lol (soft)

I agree! On this platform if anyone is looking to improve handling on a lowering spring setup, Either Swift or Racecomp (buddy of mine has these) is the way to go!

Its hard to explain but its just a noticeable difference after sometime the springs dont feel as stiff. I've had coilovers before on previous builds I've only experienced it with spring setups.

I did, well Gran Turismo East here in ATL did it for me.

Good to know though about the camber plates with Bilstein! Can’t wait to make the move to Bilstein’s myself especially feeling the difference it made on my friends 350z. I for now am thoroughly enjoying the Swifts on Sachs until the time comes to make the switch. Of course, nothing wrong with a good set of coilovers aswell! :thumbsup: