Suspension UPGRADE - Shock/Spring Pkg vs. Coilover System - Which to choose?

[Racecomp Engineering]

It's hard for me to explain and I think part of it is me being a shock nerd...but quality shocks matched well to the spring rate is one of the biggest things for me on the street. It's just something you feel over every bump, every time you enter a corner, and every time you power out. No matter how fast you're going. You don't have to be pushing the car hard trying to pass a 911 on the inside in a traffic circle to feel a difference. It's what your passengers feel too when you're taking them out to lunch. If you have to apologize because their head hit the ceiling...well then I'd feel embarrassed.

Which isn't to say the stock spring and shock package are "bad"...they're not. But if I'm going to improve things, that's what I want to improve on a car that I drive daily. RCE Yellows (and a few other springs) feel pretty good on the stock shocks. It's an improvement. Konis or Bilsteins bump things up a pretty noticeable notch. And a quality coilover system can be several notches better.

Alignment is still HUGE. It needs to be right for your application and a crappy alignment means crappy handling. No way around that. It must be set well and you need some negative camber to handle well. For some that means bolts up front are good enough. If you are tracking the car often and definitely if you're competing in auto-x, then you will want all the camber that plates can give you.

- Andy

[MidnightRunner]

When I first got my car I did the cheapo route: Brz swift springs, camber bolts, and spc lca. Bouncy ride, but nothing too harsh. I spent about 500ish, I think.

Then I moved to some middle ground: hvt plates, st coils, and isc lca. Got em all for a little over $1500. Ride quality is meh, but my real advantage is the camber adjustment when I need it.

If you're really on a budget, you could look into the wrx camber plates for around $100, camber bolts, and the newer version (at least newer to my old one) spc lca. Koni shocks are usually on sale, and just invest the rest in wheels and tires.

Sent from my LG-P769 using Tapatalk

[CSG Mike]

Originally Posted by Turkish

*cough*oemdampers+springs+tophats+LCA*cough*

That's actually a very cost effective performance setup with room for growth, but it's not a comfortable setup.

[themajesticone]

Originally Posted by CSG Mike

That's actually a very cost effective performance setup with room for growth, but it's not a comfortable setup.

Given your suggestion, how comfortable would, with stock shocks:

1) Swift Spec-R Springs be?

2) Swift Spec-R Springs + HVT camber plates be?

3) Swift Spec-R Springs + HVT camber plates + SPL LCAs be?

Would I be bouncing around with option 1 if i were to start off with that?

[CSG Mike]

Originally Posted by themajesticone

Given your suggestion, how comfortable would, with stock shocks:

1) Swift Spec-R Springs be?

2) Swift Spec-R Springs + HVT camber plates be?

3) Swift Spec-R Springs + HVT camber plates + SPL LCAs be?

Would I be bouncing around with option 1 if i were to start off with that?

You'll definitely get a harsher ride; don't go that route for comfort.

[Firestorm_86]

Originally Posted by Racecomp Engineering

If you do track the car and are comfortable with -3 or so degrees front camber (and all that comes with that), then camber plates + rear LCAs is not a bad way to go if you only have that much cash to spend. It gets you good gains and you can keep the parts if you upgrade to quality coilovers or a strut + spring package down the line.

If it's more of a 98% DD street car with some fun track time thrown in when you can, then I would go a different route. The reason I say that is that when you upgrade your shocks, it's a more noticeable improvement on the street. Not "faster"...just a better drive for me personally. At the track, you'll likely increase cornering speeds more with a bunch of camber, but the drive on the street even when not pushing the car to the limit will be more enjoyable with a good shock and spring package AS LONG AS your alignment is still pretty good and balanced, meaning at least get camber bolts.

To keep it under 1500, this package with the WL rear LCA upgrade would be tempting.
http://www.ft86speedfactory.com/ft-8...-rce-1081.html

Koni Yellows
RCE Yellows
front camber bolts
Whiteline rear LCA

Maybe swap the Konis for Bilsteins but you'll just barely go over the 1500 mark. Or go with Bilstein B14 or ST coilovers if you really want height adjustability (I'm fine with a set 20mm drop).

Or go without the rear LCA and spend the money saved on something to make your gf/wife/whatever happy. And pizza and beer. And entry fees. Probably brakes too.

- Andy

So... You're basically saying this:
http://counterspacegarage.com/produc...0-brz-frs.html

but with RCE springs.

[themajesticone]

Originally Posted by CSG Mike

You'll definitely get a harsher ride; don't go that route for comfort.

My buddy has the Eibach sportlines and he is at 1.4" with the same rear spring rate. He drives that car everywhere so I think I should be fine then. I don't want strict comfort, but I don't want something that would make me grind my teeth haha.

[themajesticone]

Is there a thread that shows and explains what the maximum spring rates are that the stock shocks can capably support?

[CSG David]

Originally Posted by themajesticone

Is there a thread that shows and explains what the maximum spring rates are that the stock shocks can capably support?

Stick to RCE and Swift for that. They did their R&D and testing already.

[themajesticone]

Originally Posted by CSG David

Stick to RCE and Swift for that. They did their R&D and testing already.

Haha ok. I am trying to get all technical over here.

[CSG David]

Originally Posted by themajesticone

Haha ok. I am trying to get all technical over here.

It's good to be skeptical and to ask questions, but it's also important to develop a sense of quality vs. performance vs. time vs. budget. Developing this sense will help you make a much more informed decision. Keep in mind stock suspension may seems lame, but it is the same suspension that engineers signed off and agreed upon after extensive testing all over the world and in various road conditions.

[Firestorm_86]

Originally Posted by CSG David

quality vs. performance vs. time vs. budget.

Keeping that in mind...

~$1100
1. Bilstein B14's
2. Camber bolts

or

~$1650
1. Swift Sport or Spec-R springs. ~$300
2. Camber bolts ~$35
3. Bilstein B8 struts ~$910
4. LCA's ~$375
5. Be done with my budget affordable one step at a time setup.

or...

~$2300-2600
1. Get some RCE Tarmac 0's/KW v1
2. CasCam platers
3. LCA's

oooooor...

~$3000
1. just get them Ohlins
2. LCA's

[Turdinator]

Great thread. It confirms a lot of what I had been feeling and the direction I want to head. I also love the mutual respect RCE and CSG show on the forums. Other vendors, particularly in the tuning section, could learn from you guys. I wish we had vendors like you here in Australia.

[themajesticone]

Originally Posted by Firestorm_86

Keeping that in mind...

~$1100
1. Bilstein B14's
2. Camber bolts

or

~$1650
1. Swift Sport or Spec-R springs. ~$300
2. Camber bolts ~$35
3. Bilstein B8 struts ~$910
4. LCA's ~$375
5. Be done with my budget affordable one step at a time setup.
$15

or...

~$2300-2600
1. Get some RCE Tarmac 0's/KW v1
2. CasCam platers
3. LCA's

oooooor...

~$3000
1. just get them Ohlins
2. LCA's

Depending on the direction you decide to go there is also,

http://www.mann-engineering.com/cata...sion/coilovers who works with http://www.ast-suspension.com/ but have done their own tuning to the coilovers themselves, if I have that right