How to get a better street/stiff feeling
 

Hi,

I will start with my current setup :

Sway bar :
Rear 16mm Whiteline with link and braces
Front 25.4 Hotchkis

Rack and pinion Whiteline bushing

Subframe crossmember Whiteline bushing

Positive shift kit Whiteline bushing

Differential insert Whiteline bushing
Removed the front outrigger

Springs:
Mach v
Front: 0.75" / 3.4k 28% stiffer then stock
Rear: 1.0" / 4.5k 30% stiffer the stock

Tires :
Yokohama S Drive

Now, am looking for coilovers :

KW V1 : I love these because they are lifetime warranty and in stainless
ST : look pretty good and a nice upgrade for the price like V1 but less expensive (not in stainless) and only five years warranty.
Bilstein B14: I don't like progressive springs then am not really sure, I worry about what is the feeling that type of coils can give.
BC BR: I am not sure if they can handle more then stock after having read on the forum. They are Adjustable in damping and in front camber

KW V3 : lifetime warranty and 14 ways compression damping adjustable.

I want stiffer ride but without compromising the handling/feeling of the car. I don't want to be too stiff, harsh....

I can also stay on spring shocks but I prefer coilovers because they combine springs and dampers together. In my head, a good set of coilovers handle more compare to a separate set of springs and dampers, who was maybe not made to function together...I am maybe wrong but in my head it's look like this, you can give your opinion or try to help me to understand.

Thanks in advance.

everything is a compromise. you want it stiff but not too stiff, who knows what YOUR too stiff is? what are you going to use it for? what do you expect/want? what do you not like/dislike about your current setup? KW v3 seem to have good reviews. Rce tarmac zero seem to be up there too.

How to get a better street/stiff feeling
 

I want it stiff but not to reduce handling because too stiff is not really the best option to put tractions on the wheels. When you bounce, you loose traction...

I like everything of my current setup except I want a better suspensions/road feeling.

I want it stiff to handle more compare to my current springs with the OEM dampers... This is my DD car.

Read a few of the threads (The CSG SRC review is a good one) and you'll start to understand it's all about a proper match between the characteristics of the damper and the spring rate.

I regularly see the RCE T0 and T2 recommended - also the RS*R Sports-i... but of course you can find anything recommended, so it's tough to know - I've attempted to learn about the people making the recommendations; of your list, the Bilstein and KW are the only others I'd be inclined to put on my car if I were just looking to clean up street performance.

It's worth noting that tires, intended use play a role in selecting spring rate; Once you have a sense of the rates you want, you can match that with a damper that has the properties you seek, whether fixed or adjustable. I've read your post a few times looking for this info and either missed it, or it's not there. I no longer trust that I don't miss things, though. :)

edit: see, the title says "Street" - hah. Tires?

good tires go a long way.

First post Updated with my current tires.

The KW v3 on that list are by far and away your best bet and twice the coilover than any other there. With the double adjustments you can turn it from a luxury ride (dampers is what makes the car feel more firm, not springs. Springs handle most of the body roll and nose/squat dive), into a track ride.

You will definitely pay for that kind of adjustment though.

The ST are roughly $900-$1000.
The B14 are between $1000-$1100.
The BC BR are in the same ball park. Notice though how bilstein doesnt add adjustments to their b14, nor ST, thats because they cant do it for that kind of money, so how would a taiwanese company be able to do that for the same price? They cant; the adjusments dont really do anything.

In retrospect the KWV3 are $2300.

we can't help you if you don't know which direction you are going and what you want/like dislike etc etc. what size are your tires? what wheels? ETC ETC ETC ETC ETC ETC. If you don't give detailed information, then you will just get random answers.

1. alignment. (camber bolts)
2. how you use your car. and what you want/dont want. "daily" is not enough info "stiffer but not too stiff" is not enough info.
3. why do you want it "stiffer"?
4. understeer/oversteer/grip/response/comfort its all a compromise to a certain extent.
5. why did you buy sway bars? and did you install them at the same time? in what order?
at this point I would advise you to get camber bolts and get a decent alignment. and get some adjustable shocks, or just go coilovers and kill 3 birds with one stone (camber plates, stiffer/adjustable shocks, and stiffer springs).
I see snow in your profile pic so grip setup is totally different than snow setup, so compromise in that aspect. Tires, Balance(springs/shocks/height/alignment), all different for snow. What will make you grip good in dry will make you slip in snow.

How to get a better street/stiff feeling
 

I have the stock wheels with stock tire size Yokohama S drive.

1. No camber bolts yet but this is my next mod
2. I use my car in the street and I love curves and sometime on a track but not many times a year.
3. I'm looking for a stiffer feeling like my old R32 GT-R on Tein coilovers.
4. I have an oversteer/neutral setup and of course I want more response... If I can with the current setup... We always want more... For the comfort, I just don't want to be too stiff to not be able to make an long ride without a minimum of comfort.
5. I have installed my springs and after got sway bars to be able to play with the understeer oversteer feeling. I have the perfect oversteer feeling now and less body roll compare to stock I prefer the car with a little oversteer... The Mach V spring make the car a little bite neural.

I know camber bolts, and camber, can do a lot of change on the car handling but maybe not like when combined with coilovers? What is the advantage to have a good set of coilovers if this is not to get the car handler more?

Can we do a good setup on stock strut to make the care handle like on coilovers?

Maybe i can take Whiteline front top plate with camber bolt with rear LCA? And from there I can maybe make the car handling better? With this solution we need to forget the more stiffer feeling.

If camber is the way then I will save a lot and take camber plate and LCA....

Thanks!

These cars already come with coil-overs front and rear. They are not separate springs and struts, they are held together as an assembly by their top-hats. They just aren't adjustable coil-overs. They aren't adjustable for height, spring preload, compression, or rebound damping, but they are coil-overs.

Do you want to lower your car? Many coil-overs MUST be lowered. KW V3's don't have adjustable mounts, so they must be installed lower than stock height. At least an inch. They ride better than stock though, and are much more adjustable than any of the coil-overs available at the same or lesser price. They use a standard 2.5" coil spring, so they can be stiffened or softened with aftermarket springs as well. They don't come with top-hats though, so you'll need to get some adjustable camber top-hats for the front, but you can use the stock top-hats for the back.

I'm not using my KW V3's because they won't work at stock height, and I need stock height or better for my winter setup. PM me if you're interested in them.

:burnrubber:

you still are not being detailed enough. so I will give these suggestions.
1. alignment. camber, toe, front/rear, learn what each does, stock is zero camber out front.
2. shocks or coilovers. adjustable. learn to adjust it for your preference.
3. tires selection and size and wheels, learn it.

look at autocross setups, they usually use their cars for street also, so its a good balance between street and track. most of it is in those things i mentioned plus sway bars and bushings which you have. and a little bit of brakes/pads

My car is already dropped and I want to stay like this or not more then 1 inch.

I want brand new because used they are not anymore warranty :(

I will look into it, thanks men!

I notice you, Mikepage, are from the great white north, so I would suggest using a different suspension setup for winter, so you have more ground clearance to clear the snow on the road, and more traction on the slicker surfaces. Since you already have the OEM FR-S front springs, I would suggest getting some stock BRZ rear springs, and mounting the FR-S springs in front, and the BRZ springs in back. The stock BRZ rear springs are softer, so they will hold your back tires to the ground better.

I'm using this setup right now, and it gives more traction to my stud-less snow tires, because the tires stay in contact with the ground better with the softer suspension. Stud-less snow tires have less rubber in the contact patch, so they are actually more prone to spin than my summer Michelin PSS2's.

How to get a better street/stiff feeling
 

You can just say Mike :) and I live in Quebec Canada.

I ride on Michelin x-ice xi3 since last year and it's fine with my current clearance. I don't want 2 different setup...

Do you watn a more firm ride, or a harsher ride?

Both fall under "stiff". Harsh is easy to do, firm will require a bit more money.

How to get a better street/stiff feeling
 

Are you able to give the solution for both then I will decide after that :) but maybe more firm anyway...

Why do you want stiffer? Do you find that your current spring rates aren't high enough for the grip you have? Do you have a specific issue you're trying to fix, or just want it to ride more like a race car?

Stiffer doesn't automatically add grip, same thing with removing body roll.

As for bouncing, that comes from poorly matched springs/shocks, typically spring rates too high for the valving in the shocks.

This.

If you want stiff without sacrificing grip, it's not going to be cheap. I'd budget at least $3000 for the coilovers, plus alignment components.

Mmm ok then maybe I will concentrate my budgets on alignment components only then I will got a better handling.

dollar per dollar, nothing beats suspension mods (driver mod omitted ofc). Was a mantra at nastysoc (nasioc ;) ) and holds through on this platform.

But as wisely said above, a goal should be in mind and wallet loose if you want a comfortable stiff setup

It seems @wparsons already beat me to it :)

What do you suggest?

Camber plate and camber bolts for the front and LCA on the rear?

Do you want it to handle better, or feel stiffer?

If you want it to handle better, you'll need to know what exactly you're trying to address. "Better" without knowing what you're trying to improve is impossible to help.

How to get a better street/stiff feeling
 

I think I will start with Tein Street Flex and make my setup from that :) I got a good deal on the forum right now. Not everyone will be agree with that but anyway... It's my car.

I really appreciate advices you gave me @wparsons @CSG Mike.

At the same time I will be able to adjust the camber on the front because they have camber plate.

What do you think?

You may want a rear LCA for best results (may not need it either) but that sounds like a change that may get you where you want at the moment and help you learn a bit too.

Perfect! I can't wait to install them now.

I don't think I need LCA for the moment I will not drop more then 1 inch anyway and I am already dropped an inch without LCA and any issue on the rear camber.

Now I will be able to give some camber on the front.

I will keep you updated concerning my new setup and maybe make an little review about these coilover.

Thanks!

How to get a better street/stiff feeling
 

I have finally installed my Tein street flex and this is exactly what I was looking for!