Struts / Springs VS Coils

[eddieEndo]

2x Koni Yellow Sport dampers(front)
2x Koni Yellow Sport dampers(rear)
1x RCE Yellow Lowering Springs
2x SPC Rear Lower Control Arm w/toe kit
1x SPC Front Camber Bolts

VS

Bilstein B14 PSS Coilovers


They are about the same price and I'm kind of torn....

[fatoni]

whats the difference between spings and shocks or coilovers? also, when i hear coils, i think of springs or ignition so if you could just say coilover that would help me out a bit.

[eddieEndo]

Pros and cons of both setups maybe? they are equal in price, if i wanted a mote "complete" suspension system what would i need on top of the coilovers, i want a moderate drop between 1-2"

[Fizz]

The term 'coilover' actually applies to the factory style setup as well, since its just a coil spring over the strut/damper. The B14 is very simply an improved version of this factory setup, with short body dampers and matching lowering springs. The only thing adjustable is the ride height. Doesn't come with adjustable top mounts.

But in the the aftermarket sense, coilovers generally means a combo of springs with struts/damper that has a million settings, attached to pillowball top mounts that itself has more settings like camber and/or castor.

Personally, I choose the B14 because it's idiot proof and I don't need to worry about adjusting damping etc, and also no need to hack your factory dampers to fit the Koni inserts. This is good because you can revert to stock anytime. Front camber bolts aren't expensive and can easily be done when installing the struts. I got mine thrown in for free when I purchased my B14 kit.

[Fizz]

Originally Posted by eddieEndo

Pros and cons of both setups maybe? they are equal in price, if i wanted a mote "complete" suspension system what would i need on top of the coilovers, i want a moderate drop between 1-2"

Depending on what you want to do with your car (i.e. DD or track/auto cross), adjustable top mounts aren't really necessary on a DD, as camber bolts can easily achieve -1.5 which is good enough for street. Similarly, rear LCA's can help get your rear camber back to factory setting, but as long as you don't lower more than 1.5" it should be an issue. More important is correcting rear toe, which the stock rear toe arm easily compensates. But if you must, SPC rear lca's does the job well without breaking the bank.

[FR-S Matt]

Coilovers because you can run aggressive wheels and get great camber adjustment with no clearance issues. They're slotted on most and you can use crash bolts for plenty of front camber without needing anything beyond the stock tophats. Camber bolts are unnecessary if the top bolt is slotted.

The SPC control arms are great for a DD and getting your rear camber/toe back in spec when lowering. I've been using mine for about a year and they're great. I'm upgrading to the Whiteline LCA's finally because they were not available when I needed them.

[eddieEndo]

Originally Posted by FR-S Matt

Coilovers because you can run aggressive wheels and get great camber adjustment with no clearance issues. They're slotted on most and you can use crash bolts for plenty of front camber without needing anything beyond the stock tophats. Camber bolts are unnecessary if the top bolt is slotted.

The SPC control arms are great for a DD and getting your rear camber/toe back in spec when lowering. I've been using mine for about a year and they're great. I'm upgrading to the Whiteline LCA's finally because they were not available when I needed them.

thanks for your knowledgable responses guys, so b14s , lcas, and camber bolts should be a pretty good system?? anything else you recommend?

[FR-S Matt]

Originally Posted by eddieEndo

thanks for your knowledgable responses guys, so b14s , lcas, and camber bolts should be a pretty good system?? anything else you recommend?

A good alignment once it's all on the car. Also, you may not want to slam the car either as the B14's don't have adjustable damping.

[Pacific Auto]

This is what I have and love it.

Bilstein b14 kit $1000
HVT Camber plates $400

-2.4 front camber, 6 3/8 Caster, 0 Toe
-2.2 rear camber, 1/16 toe in
Lowered 1 inch all around

Skip the rear arms they aren't needed.

[Captain Snooze]

Originally Posted by Fizz

The term 'coilover' actually applies to the factory style setup as well, since its just a coil spring over the strut/damper.

But in the the aftermarket sense, coilovers generally means a combo of springs with struts/damper that has a million settings, attached to pillowball top mounts that itself has more settings like camber and/or castor.

Originally Posted by fatoni

whats the difference between spings and shocks or coilovers? also, when i hear coils, i think of springs or ignition so if you could just say coilover that would help me out a bit.

[pedant]
"Strut" is an abbreviation of MacPherson strut. A MacP strut locates the wheel. That is, if you cut the MacP strut the wheel would flop around.
"Coilover" is spring over damper that provides no locating function. That is, if you cut the coilover the wheel would still have the same path of travel.
The 86/FR-S/BRZ have struts at the front and coil overs at the rear.
[/pedant]

Modern usage of the term coilover now means "because race car"

[Fizz]

Originally Posted by Captain Snooze

[pedant]
"Strut" is an abbreviation of MacPherson strut. A MacP strut locates the wheel. That is, if you cut the MacP strut the wheel would flop around.
"Coilover" is spring over damper that provides no locating function. That is, if you cut the coilover the wheel would still have the same path of travel.
The 86/FR-S/BRZ has struts at the front and coil overs at the rear.
[/pedant]

I know the difference, was just attempting (admittedly a bad one) to explain it to the earlier poster without going too technical....so yea

[eddieEndo]

Originally Posted by Pacific Auto Films

This is what I have and love it.

Bilstein b14 kit $1000
HVT Camber plates $400

-2.4 front camber, 6 3/8 Caster, 0 Toe
-2.2 rear camber, 1/16 toe in
Lowered 1 inch all around

Skip the rear arms they aren't needed.

are the camber plates needed?

[OICU812]

Originally Posted by eddieEndo

are the camber plates needed?

To get as much negative camber in the front as he mentions -2.4 at only 1" lower then likely yes.

[immaculate]

Originally Posted by FR-S Matt

Coilovers because you can run aggressive wheels and get great camber adjustment with no clearance issues. They're slotted on most and you can use crash bolts for plenty of front camber without needing anything beyond the stock tophats. Camber bolts are unnecessary if the top bolt is slotted.

The SPC control arms are great for a DD and getting your rear camber/toe back in spec when lowering. I've been using mine for about a year and they're great. I'm upgrading to the Whiteline LCA's finally because they were not available when I needed them.

Normally you're right about the additional clearance, but the B14's are a rare exception. The springs are the same diameter as OEM, so you don't get any additional clearance. After doing some research, I was dead set on picking up the B14's since it's a perfect DD setup, but I would not be able to fit the 18x9.5's I'm planning to run. I'm probably going with ST's for that reason alone.

To the OP, buy a system that tailors to your needs. If you plan on tracking, the Koni + RCE's will probably be a little stiffer and a great set up.

If it's mostly for DD'ing, go with the B14's, the ride is supposedly just as good as stock and you get the bonus of adjustable ride height. Just be aware that it can't handle aggressive wheel setups.