Suspension / Coilovers ~ How to Choose the Right Setup for YOU

[Racecomp Engineering]

With a budget coilover you are sacrificing the quality of the valving for height adjustment and stiff springs. With a Koni or Bilstein you get a good shock with quality valving but none of the extra features. It depends on what's important to you but a quality shock is very important to me.

Coilovers aren't automatically better.

- Andrew

[BAE]

One question to you suspension guys. I plan to go quality coilovers a year from now, KW V3 or Bilstein if they have a product at that time. In the meantime I would love to remove the fendergap without sacrificing lap times on trackdays. If I go with the Eibach Pro's and stock shocks will handling be worse because the shocks work in in a suboptimal area or will it actually improve with 1" lower CoG?

[Synack]

Originally Posted by Racecomp Engineering

With a budget coilover you are sacrificing the quality of the valving for height adjustment and stiff springs. With a Koni or Bilstein you get a good shock with quality valving but none of the extra features. It depends on what's important to you but a quality shock is very important to me.

Coilovers aren't automatically better.

- Andrew

Well if I can get the front and the rear near flush with springs and other mods then all I would need is just good shocks.

[Matt Andrews]

you might be in the bump stops at track days with a 1" drop on stock dampers, but not sure. These dampers can take a bit more spring than stock, so I would imagine that a drop spring would be fine to hold you over.

see the link in my sig. My car was only dropped .75". Not sure you really need more than that to close the gap...

[Synack]

Originally Posted by Matt Andrews

you might be in the bump stops at track days with a 1" drop on stock dampers, but not sure. These dampers can take a bit more spring than stock, so I would imagine that a drop spring would be fine to hold you over.

see the link in my sig. My car was only dropped .75". Not sure you really need more than that to close the gap...

It's at least 2" to close the gap even with my 19" wheels on 255/35/19's

When I mean close the gap, I mean NO GAP, I would be fine with 1/2" or less wheel gap. Looks like you've got around 1.5" gap still.

[mines13]

Originally Posted by Synack

It's at least 2" to close the gap even with my 19" wheels on 255/35/19's

When I mean close the gap, I mean NO GAP, I would be fine with 1/2" or less wheel gap. Looks like you've got around 1.5" gap still.

Shame what we have to deal with to go fast...

[Synack]

Originally Posted by mines13

Shame what we have to deal with to go fast...

This has nothing at all to do with "going fast". I just don't want any wheel gap on my car. It's a show car/bi monthly drifter/daily driver. If it was purely a race/drift car I could care less what the gap was. But the show car part require minimal wheel gap, and eases my conscious because I hate wheel gap.

[Circuit Motorsports]

Originally Posted by Synack

It's at least 2" to close the gap even with my 19" wheels on 255/35/19's

When I mean close the gap, I mean NO GAP, I would be fine with 1/2" or less wheel gap. Looks like you've got around 1.5" gap still.

With a 2" drop on stock shocks it will ride pretty bad, You'll be on the bump stops a lot.

That will go for any aftermarket shock too on 2" drop springs.

For something like what you want you're better of with a dual-height adjustable coilover, where you can drop it low but retain the travel of the damper. BC Racing makes a good kit for the money IMO.

[Synack]

Originally Posted by Circuit Motorsports

With a 2" drop on stock shocks it will ride pretty bad, You'll be on the bump stops a lot.

That will go for any aftermarket shock too on 2" drop springs.

For something like what you want you're better of with a dual-height adjustable coilover, where you can drop it low but retain the travel of the damper. BC Racing makes a good kit for the money IMO.

There isn't a 2" drop spring that exists, I was just saying that it would take about 2" to make that gap disappear. I'll be buying the Eibach Sportlines and might find additional ways to drop that extra 1/2" without affecting travel so I'm not constantly slamming on the bumpstops. Thanks for the coilover recommendation.

[Circuit Motorsports]

Yup, No problem.

[slyphen]

that was a really good read. i'm doing my research on which coil system to get right now. I suppose its really hard to want both form and function... I want a red coil system that is good quality and the setup i want. i know, i know no one is going to see it, but thats not the point.

I guess my question is, for autox and spirited driving on the weekends(not very competitive, yet.) as well as a daily driver, what should i be looking for spec wise. i'm hearing I should get lower spring rates on the front and stiffer in the rear, and that i ideally shouldn't run a square setup. While i know why it would be good to run a stiffer rear, is the spring rate the only thing controlling this? can i not adjust the damper while i have a square spring rate setup?

I hope i'm asking the right question, kinda of a noob... currently looking at the Apexi N1

[Shark_Bait88]

Originally Posted by slyphen

that was a really good read. i'm doing my research on which coil system to get right now. I suppose its really hard to want both form and function... I want a red coil system that is good quality and the setup i want. i know, i know no one is going to see it, but thats not the point.

I guess my question is, for autox and spirited driving on the weekends(not very competitive, yet.) as well as a daily driver, what should i be looking for spec wise. i'm hearing I should get lower spring rates on the front and stiffer in the rear, and that i ideally shouldn't run a square setup. While i know why it would be good to run a stiffer rear, is the spring rate the only thing controlling this? can i not adjust the damper while i have a square spring rate setup?

I hope i'm asking the right question, kinda of a noob... currently looking at the Apexi N1

If you're just autocrossing and doing spirited weekend driving, go with adjustable dampers/shocks (like the Koni Yellows) and lowering springs. The Eibach Pro*Kit and TRD springs, which are just rebranded Eibach Pro*Kits with slightly different rates, are both red and will give you a slight drop (slightly over 1" once they settle).

For the money, properly chosen springs and shocks will generally be better than a cheap coilover system.

[Calum]

Originally Posted by slyphen

that was a really good read. i'm doing my research on which coil system to get right now. I suppose its really hard to want both form and function... I want a red coil system that is good quality and the setup i want. i know, i know no one is going to see it, but thats not the point.

I guess my question is, for autox and spirited driving on the weekends(not very competitive, yet.) as well as a daily driver, what should i be looking for spec wise. i'm hearing I should get lower spring rates on the front and stiffer in the rear, and that i ideally shouldn't run a square setup. While i know why it would be good to run a stiffer rear, is the spring rate the only thing controlling this? can i not adjust the damper while i have a square spring rate setup?

I hope i'm asking the right question, kinda of a noob... currently looking at the Apexi N1

Lots of us are running square spring rates. Racecomp Engineering basically pioneered it on this platform when they brought out their "Yellow" lowering springs. I ran their yellows for a couple of years and was very happy with them. The spring rates and drop were a perfect pairing for the stock dampers and the suspension geometry. They worked very well together without putting undue stress on the dampers. To my surprise, the result was a car that felt better at spirited driving and cruising. The ride wasn't smoother, but more composed and less jarring over bumps. The chassis was much more composed over mid corner bumps that seemed to upset it. I honestly don't know if grip was significantly increased, or if it was driver confidence from the more predictable setup, but I was noticeably faster in the corners.

This year I moved up to a set of Racecomp Engineering's T0 coilovers. These still use a square spring setup. The main reason I stayed with Racecomp Engineering is because of how well their lowering springs worked. I figured if they could do that with just springs, then a complete setup from them could only be better. I had to play with the tire pressures to get the ride perfect, but with a good alignment, corner balancing, and the T0's, the only word I can use to describe the way the car handles is nirvana. Turn in is crisp, the grip is immense, the ride is stiff but still very comfortable, and the car is flat out amazing at the limit. I didn't know this level of control would be possible at this price range.

Tein has also released a square spring setup recently. I regret that I don't have any first hand knowledge to offer, but there's a couple of threads about them if you'd like to read more.

To my knowledge, neither of these come in red, but you might be able to change that manually, or speak to a vendor about sourcing springs from a different company. Honestly that red requirement is going to be very limiting, especially if you stay with a lowering spring and fixed perch damper. But don't be afraid to look at square spring rate setups. At higher spring rates all reports are that they don't work as well, but with a modest spring rate setup they do work very well.

[slyphen]

Originally Posted by Calum

Lots of us are running square spring rates. Racecomp Engineering basically pioneered it on this platform when they brought out their "Yellow" lowering springs. I ran their yellows for a couple of years and was very happy with them. The spring rates and drop were a perfect pairing for the stock dampers and the suspension geometry. They worked very well together without putting undue stress on the dampers. To my surprise, the result was a car that felt better at spirited driving and cruising. The ride wasn't smoother, but more composed and less jarring over bumps. The chassis was much more composed over mid corner bumps that seemed to upset it. I honestly don't know if grip was significantly increased, or if it was driver confidence from the more predictable setup, but I was noticeably faster in the corners.

This year I moved up to a set of Racecomp Engineering's T0 coilovers. These still use a square spring setup. The main reason I stayed with Racecomp Engineering is because of how well their lowering springs worked. I figured if they could do that with just springs, then a complete setup from them could only be better. I had to play with the tire pressures to get the ride perfect, but with a good alignment, corner balancing, and the T0's, the only word I can use to describe the way the car handles is nirvana. Turn in is crisp, the grip is immense, the ride is stiff but still very comfortable, and the car is flat out amazing at the limit. I didn't know this level of control would be possible at this price range.

Tein has also released a square spring setup recently. I regret that I don't have any first hand knowledge to offer, but there's a couple of threads about them if you'd like to read more.

To my knowledge, neither of these come in red, but you might be able to change that manually, or speak to a vendor about sourcing springs from a different company. Honestly that red requirement is going to be very limiting, especially if you stay with a lowering spring and fixed perch damper. But don't be afraid to look at square spring rate setups. At higher spring rates all reports are that they don't work as well, but with a modest spring rate setup they do work very well.

thanks for the input. i'm looking at the Apexi N1 ExV, spring rate are square at 6K. I was pretty set on getting this one till someone told me not to run square setup. i'll be lowering my vehicle by 1" and will send it to a notable tuner shop for balancing.