Review: Pro Street Coilovers from Speed By Design

[Xovit]

Originally Posted by ericmpena

I had rubbing issues because my wheels poked out about 5mm. With my wheels still poked out and the damping on Max firm it fixed the rubbing, but the ride quality was pretty stiff. I ended up removing my wheel spacer to make the wheels stand within the fender just slightly. Car stance still looks great and I have much more clearance. No rubbing issues after that, even on Max soft.

Was this at your current ride height in the pics or did you have it lower?

[ericmpena]

Same as in the pictures.

[ericmpena]

I've raised it up a little since then. I like the wheel gap to be even around the fender. Right now it's sitting somewhere between where Sportlines and a Pro-Kit would sit...so between 1.5"-1" drop.

[Sniper2606]

A group buy for these are coming soon, just a heads up

[PNW FRS]

Alrighty... going to install my set on Tuesday... following are some pix. Will post some install observations and "first ride" observations afterwards. Going to use ericmpena's "dial-it-in" settings as a starting point as what I'm striving for sounds pretty much in-sync with his preferences.

[PNW FRS]

A friend who is a certified wrench helped with the install. He's built "WRX-type" rally cars and has lots of knowledge. A couple of things surprised him..

- Lack of documentation to explain "factory" spring pre-load (i.e., "how they came out of the box..."). Also, the lack of a packing list surprised him. (He kept asking me, "Are you sure they didn't have a small baggie with the replacement bolts?" See next.) Given the price-point for these, the lack of any documentation is odd.

- Lack of 8mm(?) bolts for the remount of the brake line to the bracket. (OEM is 10mm... won't fit in the provided mounting hole (threaded).) Luckily I had a couple of mis-matched (heads) 8mm bolts that we could use so we could complete the install.

Using the "Coilover Install" instructions Stickie on the Forum (from Grimmspeed), we proceeded (well, he did, I watched...). If you do this mod and do it using only jack and jack stands, be sure to have some 2x4 pieces since you might need them for under the tires as you get to the point where you evaluate your first attempts at the "drop" (i.e., drop one end, then the other...) in order to get your jack out (If you've used a 2x4 on the saddle).

We eventually ended up with a 1.5" drop in front and back. It looks amazing. (I'll post better pix tomorrow.)

Pix 1: Stock height (front)



Pix 2: 1.5" drop (front)



Top view...



Left-rear...





He recommended adjusting -2 degrees on the front end (camber) - so we did that.



Again, the lack of documentation on the torque for the hex bolts seemed odd. Anyone doing this should be advised that these are low-torque... do not over do these tighteners. And, have a good (accurate) torque wrench since the top bolts are also "low torque" (e.g., 17 ft. lb. front).

NOTE re: Grimmspeed Coilover Install instructions... Getting the rear OEM struts out required taking off the rear sway bar fasteners and even with doing that, strong-arming the rear OEM struts was a bear.

Anyway... the few "issues" mentioned above does not take away the smile on my face as we took the FR-S out for a test drive on some great back roads near my home. Bumps and such that used to produce a barely tolerable "jarring" feel were smoothed out to the point of being noticeably better. NOTE: I've started out with "12 clicks" on both front and rear settings -- a starting point mentioned by ericmpena in his review.

My FR-S is my DD.. and "tracking" is not in my immediate future... I was looking for drop and a more comfortable ride. I've got both now.

The project took about an hour longer than expected (3 hours -- mostly because of my wrench trying to figure out "how does this work? (lack of documentation) and the rear strut removal). And... I'm pretty happy both with how the car looks with its new "drop" and with the quality of the ride.

Now.. a couple of weeks for the suspension to settle in... maybe make a few adjustments here and there.. and then off for an alignment. Crossing fingers for even better results over time as this gets dialed-in.

EDIT: Install +2 days... starting hearing some weird noises from the front...

Well, I took off the front wheels off and lo and behold, the front-right spring collar tightening ring must not have been tightened enough (It was "up" -- I took a pix b4 putting wheel on...) and after a couple days of driving, it vibrated loose and spun-down about 1.5 inches. So, I'm guessing the sounds I was hearing were magnified sounds of the ring vibrating... and possibly the "spring sounds" was the front-right spring moving a bit.

Anyway, after going through both sides and making sure all adjustments and collars were buttoned down. The front had dropped about an extra half-inch, so I raised up the half-inch to get back to where I wanted to be... went out for a test ride and voila... no more strange noises.

So.. a few more days of letting everything set in... then a last check of drop height... make any adjustments and then off to the alignment shop.

Post alignment notes; scroll down...

[Boss Paco]

Alignment is crucial.

[PNW FRS]

Originally Posted by Boss Paco

Alignment is crucial.

Apparently so! (Kidding, I knew that!)

99% of the minor "creaking" sounds are gone. I believe the little bit I'm hearing during very low speed maneuvering over dips, lips, etc. are attributed to minor noises from the coilovers (e.g., minor movement of springs).

Kind of small side note... one of the most annoying noises (an intermittent "buzzing" that varied with speed and road conditions) ended up being two missing push-pin fasteners for the right-rear fuel tank protector. I think this is a result of running over something large and metal on the highway last week (unavoidable roll-over). New push-pin fasteners installed... "Bob's your uncle!"


"The Setup" as of 6/6/14

Front Drop: 1.5"
Camber: Set to -2 degrees
Toe: 0 (range: -1/16 to +1/16)
Caster: 5.2/5.3 (range: 2.3" to 3.8")
Dampening: 8 clicks from 100% soft (DD preference)

Cross-camber: .3 degrees (range: -.8 to .8 degrees)
Cross-caster: -.3 degrees (range: -.8 to .8 degrees)
Total Toe: 0 in (range: =-3/32" to 3/32")

Rear Drop: 1.125"
Camber: -2 degrees as result of drop
Toe: 1/16 (range: 1/32 to 1/8)
Dampening: 6 clicks from 100% soft (DD preference)

Cross-camber: .3 degrees (range: -.5 to .5 degrees)
Total Toe: 1/8" (range: =-1/16" to 1/4")
Thrust Angle: -.02 degrees

[BRZPDX]

driving impressions?

[PNW FRS]

Originally Posted by BRZPDX

driving impressions?

Acceleration: With the coilovers... lost a few more lbs of weight... that helps. And having the rear down a bit make the "launch" feel stronger (i.e., a bit less "squatting" under throttle -- not that there was a lot of that... but it does feel better).

With a bit less air in the wheel wells, the sound of rocks and such that get thrown up by the softer rubber (Michelin PSS) has less "echo" - sound is more distinct (not sure that is a positive change...)

Turn-in seems quicker and "tighter" (pretty subjective, take with a grain of salt... YMMV)

No adverse effects on hard (tight) turns.. in fact... feels "tighter" in the apex (again... subjective... YMMV) -- this may be a case where the new suspension setup is bringing out the best of the Mich PSS shoes.

Dampening will probably be an ongoing project; depending on what kind of driving I anticipate doing. The best thing.. regardless of "soft vs. stiff" is that the rebound is far less harsh than OEM. The train track crossing... asphalt heaves... small pot holes... the harshness is gone... far more enjoyable. For comparison... a RR crossing by my home... just went over it in my Chrysler Pacifica... and the FR-S beats it in terms of the "jarring" when going over the ties at about 30 mph -- i.e., the FR-S is "smoother" and the typical "crashing" sound as the suspension deals with the multiple bumps is far less. Pretty cool...

Re: "Soft" Dampening Setting - yes... it is a bit "floaty." I don't think I would set this lower than 5 or 6 clicks up from "Full soft."

Note: with the little bit of drop I made... using a traditional jack requires putting the tires up on flat 2x4 in order to get the jack under lift-points. And I'm guessing... going through car washes is pretty much not going to happen.. so more hand-washes are in my future! I still need to see what this means with any future use of the car's scissor-jack... it might not fit under the pinch-weld lift points.

All-in-all, this mod has been the most expensive mod to-date... but it, along with the change to lighter wheels and better "summer" shoes (2nd most expensive mod)... has IMHO made the driving experience better than it was (OEM) -- and the "look" is 100% better!

Side note: Anyone in the greater Thurston County area of SW WA... If you need a great wrench for work like installing suspension components, PM me... I have a great referral for you.

[spdbydesignchris]

Excellent news man, glad to hear!


Diego, here at the shop, has been begging me to give him a set after spending extensive time driving the shop BRZ.


It's a big improvement over factory suspension indeed!

[spdbydesign]

Appreciate the review, thanks again!

[PNW FRS]

Same stuff I've been reading about all over this forum and the "Net" -- chunk/clunk/spring noises. Did some reading and was pretty sure it was attributed to some loosening of bolts, etc.. So despite the dang heat this afternoon (90's)... I put the front end up... took off the wheels and lo and behold... some surprises...

Right coilover: Lock rings had vibrated loose -- and moved! This was probably the cause of the spring "winding" - "unwinding" noise. Top three mount bolts were a tad loose... tightened up...

The last few days of twisting of the unit had actually cause the drop to change... returned to my spec.

I also took this opportunity to tighten up the spring preload by half-inch... I just dyno-butt felt it was a tad too soft.

Upper end-link (replacement that came with kit) mount bolts -- right and left were a tad loose -- tightened

Given the design of the locking rings -- I took a soft mallet and made sure all lock rings were snugged down nice and tight.

Went out for a test ride and after the initial small "chunck" of the assemblies settling in... NO MORE NOISES! Whoo Hooo!

Now.. the question will be whether I'll need to monitor the lock rings over time. I guess once I start hearing some minor clunk/chunk/sproing noises... I'll know...

Anyway... for NOW.. I'm a happy camper! Nice and tight again.. and riding like a champ.

And yes... during the install, we made pretty dang sure everything was buttoned down... so maybe chalk this up to DD taking its toll and in hindsight.. I probably should have done a full check of bolts etc. BEFORE doing the alignment. Oh well... water under the bridge at this point.

IF Speed by Design were to re-issue this setup... my suggestion is to have the manufacturer design (add) some sort of way to lock down the lock rings with set-screws or something similar.

[spdbydesign]

Thanks man for the feedback. I think a set screw insert is very possible to add for the next production run.

I'll definitely have a chat with the factory tonight.

Thanks!