How to get a better street/stiff feeling

[Mikepage]

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.

[swarb]

Originally Posted by Mikepage

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

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.

[Mikepage]

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.

[cjd]

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?

[swarb]

good tires go a long way.

[Mikepage]

First post Updated with my current tires.

[cdrazic93]

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.

[swarb]

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.

[Mikepage]

Originally Posted by swarb

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.

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!

[KoolBRZ]

Originally Posted by Mikepage

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.

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.

[swarb]

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.

[swarb]

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

[Mikepage]

Originally Posted by KoolBRZ

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.

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

[Mikepage]

Originally Posted by swarb

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

I will look into it, thanks men!