Stiff coilover options?
 

Hi, I was wondering if the FR-S had any options for stiff coilovers besides Buddyclub? That's really all I could find when searching through the forums, and BC racing coilovers as well. I am used to the HKS Hipermax III coilovers on my old s2k with spring rates of 13k/11k that goes fairly low (track fitment, not laying frame). Was wondering if there were any setups that would be equal to these coilovers that are available for the FR-S?

those numbers arent really going to be comparable to the frs considering the different motion ratios. how much tire do you plan to run? full blown race miatas dont really run anything higher than 7.5kg/mm (cant really compare the front) and that is on much more serious stuff than buddy club has to offer. why do you want it that stiff?

I am pretty sure a lot of the coilover companies/vendors would help you get the spring rate you want. All you have to do is probably shoot them a message and see what they say about different spring rates than their usual. With that being said I think I remember Fortune auto giving people the option of the swift spring upgrade and the option of having different spring rates. My friend just bought FAs with 10k/10k spring rate with the swift spring upgrade so I am assuming it wasn't a fluke. btw 13k/11k seems pretty damn stiff. you must be a man...

Well, I dont want to run 13k/11k on the frs because of the different weight and the different motion ratio, I was hoping for something maybe more along the lines of 10k all around. And I can't really explain it, but there's something about the very stiff ride that I just enjoy, I got really used to how my s2k drove and when I got rid of it, almost every drive felt like ass to me lmao.

So an important question before you get into this is what tires are you planning on running?

If your cars sees any real world street time at all and is on a DOT tire, 10K will be very stiff, but it sounds like thats what you want, just want to make sure you get that its gonna knock loose your fillings around town - at least at my preferences for rides, and traction, 10k is stiff. but you'd know what your goal is for the car long term. If the desire for stiff is for track use, you may wanna pass on the BC stuff.

If its a trailer queen, thats another setup for R-comp rubber.

I am not sure you 'need' to go past 7.7kg/mm, that feels just right back there on my ride, esp if you track it without the spare tire and jack weight back there. For me 7.7 in the back is the firmer side of my preferences to be honest, Adam@GC and I were chatting this past weekend about a softer rear end for DD use, but I decided this is right for the track, so I will live with a bit of stiffness on the street.

6.0kg/mm up front is fine for me as a track car that wears DOT, I also street but you could go stiffer here too tho I like a spring that has some compliance for cornering I setup the compression and rebound to my driving style/track needs,and seem to get a car that handles both short and tights as well as the straight-ways and fast swoopy stuff

in LBS, I am on 350F/430R and would say its not full on stiff, but is waaaay stiffer than stock. Stiffness, as percieved isnt all spring rate, the damper forces have alot to do with it too. Some compliance is need for traction, and some spring rates are too stiff once you add in sway bars.

You can consider both kw3 and GC. I too wasnt sure what rates to get and what vendors had what rates.
I run the GC myself, and had to turn down the dials, felt too stiff for me.

With GC, talk to Adam, and they let you select your own spring rate- its not like he ships them with a fixed rate like many other products. If you want full on stiff, he can mate the coils to the damper, and make sure you are set with a matched setup, custom spec'd. Sounds like it may be worth your while to look into it, if the pricepoint is ok with you. No fixed rate is a nice for those of us who are very picky.

Unless youre budget limited, you will get better performance out of something north of the Buddy Club pricepoint if going stiff. I'd be cautious going past the 9kg/mm mark up front if you want road grip-unless the damper is up to the task, a stiff spring can hurt more than help if not well dampened.

Maybe look at a 8k/9k setup paired with good dampers at those rates. I'd say drive something setup with a quality damper that can be made stiff, and try a rate that isnt as stiff, and you may like a setup like mine rides-I can dial in stiffness for the track, and go soft for the city. See if you can get into something setup like my car and see what you think. I'm not over sprung, but can be over dampered if I desire it so, that translates to that stiff feel too.

hope that helps

Like fatoni said, what kind and what size tire do you run? Most suspension shops will let you customize rates but a good one will help you choose one to match your complete set-up (most importantly tire choice).

- Andrew