All-Round Mods
 

So I was recently in an accident (not my fault) and my '13 whiteout FR-S was totaled. The insurance payout should allow me to pay off the remainder of my loan with a few grand to spare...so you know what that means. Buy another FR-S and put some mods on.

Here are my goals for the car:

(1) Comfortable daily. I'd ideally like to improve comfort/ride quality over stock. I'm not one of those people who believes that harsh ride=better handling. But at the same time...

...I want to (2) improve performance, while keeping the car N/A. I don't necessarily need more HP, as doing that N/A isn't cost effective.

In summary, I was wondering what people's opinions were on the best mods to achieve these goals with a few grand. Obviously there are a few routes, wheels/tires, suspension, brakes, etc. What specifically to people recommend?

Well as for the ride quality you can get some adjustable struts like Koni or some coilovers with good dampers.

As for getting for performance whole being NA, either swap engines or upgrade your driving skill.
Get a second pair of light weight wheels and sticky tires and hit the track/autoX.

comfort/usability upgrades: normal headunit, armrest, rear camera, replace useless tire repair kit with donut spacesaver spare.
performance upgrades: aftermarket dropin filter, ACE Type B 350 header + delicious tune
suspension/rest upgrades: Tein Flex Z (or if higher budget Ohlins R&T), Kosei K4R or Enkei RPF1 wheels, Michelin PSS tyres of 215 or 225 width.

Of course, there are other things that can be improved, eg. brakes. But your (1) & (2) makes need for them arguable, as you are mostly set on daily driving, not on heavy track use. For that many of stock parts are very adequate.

For ride improvement, are you going lowered? If not I would definitely throw Koni yellows on there. Their infinite adjustability allows them to compliment a wide range of spring rates.

If you want to go lowered and would like to be more pampered while driving, I would err to the side of coilovers over separate springs and shocks. In my experience, they always seem to ride better than purchasing separate springs and shocks. Generally the more money you can throw here, the better off you are (in terms of comfort).

For performance improvement, I personally do not like the torque dip at all. And once warranty expires, I am looking towards headers and a very mild tune (at the very least) to help get rid of some of that torque dip. Overall acceleration of the car I'm actually fine with, so I think we share that philosophy.

Other than that, tires. Tires alone are, for many people (myself included), the best bang for the buck mod.

My ultimate canyon/DD

RCE Yellow Springs
Stock struts
Project Mu HC+800 pads
SS lines
RSR/SPL rear LCA
SPC front camber bolts
17x8 wheels that weight under 20lbs with a 225/45 Bridgestone S-04 or Michelin PSS
A Good Alignment
OFT
Tomei UEL
Berk HFC front pipe
Berk OP
whatever catback you want
drop in air filter

Would the Ohlins make a big difference in ride quality? My main concern is getting better ride, more supple, plus a slight boost in performance. Nothing extreme.

Sounds like you might like some lightweight 16 inch wheels with a thicker sidewall...

discretion: simply look up their reviews here. Sounds very like. Ohlins have one con though - they are expensive, hence maybe also Zs will do the job.
P.S.
And as others have mentioned, it's worth rechecking/redoing alignment, even on completely stock suspension.

Take that few grand and put it into the "next car fund"

:D

Thanks! I thought I'd be okay going expensive, but 3 grand is just too much for the Ohlins. I wonder if there's something that does 90% of the job with half the price? Suspension manufacturers, frankly, are intimidating to research so I was hoping for a consensus opinion.

Suspension is generally a case of you get what you pay for. Except for the Tien Flex Z and ST.

KW V3 is more aimed at street with the new rates. But they can be terrible if you dont set them up right

Is there a simple setup that's good for spirited street driving (I do quick driving on the backroads in my area pretty much every weekend) but has great comfort? Something around 1-2 grand? Or am I better off sticking with stock until I can spring for something really good.

A good simple set-up would be RCE Yellow and Bilstein HD shocks. Shocks really do make a good difference and are NOT a place where you should skimp. Most of the lower end coilover make sacrifices right there to meet a price point...you get all the coilover "features" but a not so great shock with poor valving and a lack of travel. With the Bilstein + RCE Yellow set-up you get a quality, durable, rebuildable damper and mild drop performance spring. No height adjustability, but if you're not the type to slam the car really low, a 20mm drop is a good place to be for comfort and performance.

Add some camber bolts, rear LCAs, a good alignment, a few key bushings, and you've got yourself a great all around street set-up that would still be a lot of fun on the track if you found yourself there OR just really fun to tear up back roads. Fast, fun, and easy to drive. :)

EDIT: I'm not the type of person that just assumes all coilovers are automatically better than a good spring + strut combo. I've had experience with the full range of options at all price ranges. That said, there are a few coilovers out there that would work for you but IMO the strut + spring combo is a really good fit.

- Andrew

Sounds like exactly what I'm looking for. Do you actually think it would improve ride quality though? And about how much would that set up cost me?