Coilover decision fatigue - would love a recommendation

[CSG Mike]

Originally Posted by jkamelo

What would be the advantage of using the stock tophat? I’d lose camber adjustment, right?

Lower cost, loss of camber adjustment.

Quality top hats are dead silent.

[DarkPira7e]

Originally Posted by jkamelo

What would be the advantage of using the stock tophat? I’d lose camber adjustment, right?

You'd lose direct camber adjustment, not all. Cost savings, better ride comfort (not unequivocally, some aftermarket top hats reportedly ride nicely and don't make noise, but I've yet to be in one of these unicorns)
YOu'll need to decide where you're drawing the line between " I'm a DD noob" and "I want adjustability". I'm not categorizing you into either of these, but adjustability and complexity also introduce heartache once it's installed if you're not sure what adjustments affect what and what noises are acceptable and which ones aren't.

In my own little opinion, the more OEM parts you retain, the better off you are. But I'm not you, and there are plenty of people who can argue either way. Just read the comments and make a choice you think it closer to what you want Worst that happens is you make a change later to fix something you don't like.

[Grady]

Originally Posted by jkamelo

What would be the advantage of using the stock tophat? I’d lose camber adjustment, right?

NVH improvement.

[CSG Mike]

Originally Posted by DarkPira7e

You'd lose direct camber adjustment, not all. Cost savings, better ride comfort (not unequivocally, some aftermarket top hats reportedly ride nicely and don't make noise, but I've yet to be in one of these unicorns)
YOu'll need to decide where you're drawing the line between " I'm a DD noob" and "I want adjustability". I'm not categorizing you into either of these, but adjustability and complexity also introduce heartache once it's installed if you're not sure what adjustments affect what and what noises are acceptable and which ones aren't.

In my own little opinion, the more OEM parts you retain, the better off you are. But I'm not you, and there are plenty of people who can argue either way. Just read the comments and make a choice you think it closer to what you want Worst that happens is you make a change later to fix something you don't like.

Precisely why the CSG FLA comes with settings. Install exactly as prescribed, and you get set dead square in the best part of the damper stroke, to enhance both performance and comfort. If you want to tweak things to taste, you have the ability to change many settings, and can always revert to the known good provided setting.

Spirited and Track settings are also provided upon request.

[fryfun]

I just went through this whole process choosing the right setup for my 14 BRZ. My options were:
1. RCE SS1.
2. RCE T0.
3. CSG Flex A.
4. KW V1.
5. RCE T2.
6. KW V3.
7. Fortune auto 500

I first crossed Fortune auto off the list. The only reason I did so is that I really don’t like how they make such a big deal about their coilovers are handmade. Firstly, handmade != quality, there is so much more needed for building good quality coilovers. If you are really confident in your products, show the performances and use the facts as the selling point instead of how you hand build the thing. It’s a performance part at the end not some luxury watches.

I quickly ruled out the RCE T2 and KW V3 since I am not pushing my car hard enough for those, and they seem to be an overkill for maintaining OEM+ ride qualities. I’m sure if you dial them in correctly they could be ‘shitty road’ friendly.

I then ruled out CSG simply because my friends who had experiences with RCE coilovers put their hands on their hearts and vouched for RCE.

Now I have the final 3 (RCE SS1, RCE T0 and KW V1). I then took V1 off the list because RCE’s two are based on V1 and should be better. Plus I really don’t think the road condition we have here is on the same level as European roads.

Choosing between the SS1 and T0 really drove me nuts. T0 uses stainless steel and SS1 uses zinc coating. I will be driving the car in winter so I was gonna get the T0. But I plan to get coilovers socks anyway so it should help the SS1 a lot from corrosion. At last I went with RCE’s recommendation which is the SS1 since I mainly DD my car. Now I’m on their list since it’s been back ordered.

Looking back to the whole process (took me 3 months), I’d say you should really prioritize what you want from coilovers. Then all you gotta do is to cross off those things that are either an overkill or not so good.

If the final two on your list are CSG Flex A and RCE SS1, it’s easier to just flip the coin IMHO cuz in the end you are gonna be happy with either ¯\_(ツ)_/¯.

[HaXx]

Can someone talk about progressive vs linear spring rates. Ie: Swift Springs

[jkamelo]

Originally Posted by CSG Mike

ALL dampers, zero exceptions, need regular rebuilds to maintain peak performance.

Got it.

Originally Posted by CSG Mike

Quality top hats are dead silent.

Even though it’s metal-on-metal contact? Not saying I doubt you, just curious.

Originally Posted by fryfun

I just went through this whole process choosing the right setup for my 14 BRZ.
...
Looking back to the whole process (took me 3 months), I’d say you should really prioritize what you want from coilovers. Then all you gotta do is to cross off those things that are either an overkill or not so good.

If the final two on your list are CSG Flex A and RCE SS1, it’s easier to just flip the coin IMHO cuz in the end you are gonna be happy with either ¯\_(ツ)_/¯.

I appreciate you posting this - it really has come down to process of elimination for me. I crossed off the FA 500 because for that price I might as well go for the CSG or RCE and have a coilover fine-tuned for my platform. And I’m worried that I’d regret the cheaper options down the line.

I’m still saving, but I plan to purchase my wheels, tires, and suspension all at once in April. Between RCE and CSG, I’ll go with whoever can ship sooner

[CSG Mike]

Originally Posted by jkamelo

Even though it’s metal-on-metal contact? Not saying I doubt you, just curious.

There's only noise if there's play. If there's no gap, there's no noise, and there shouldn't be any noise if your top hats are in good condition.

Check out the CSG Flex A review thread. Not a single noise complaint about the spherical bearing top hat.


I recommend you place pre-order deposit now for the March 2021 batch before it sells out to hold an allocation.

[Calum]

I'm a bit of an RCE fanboi after using their products a couple of times. The support alone was enough to make me a believer. Their yellow springs paired really well with the stick dampers, imo better than the factory ones. After that I went to their T0 coilovers. I love the feel and predictably. They mask my lack of driving abilities really well. They also ride well enough, though not as soft as I'd like. What I don't like is the nvh. The amount of tire noise in the cabin with them is really annoying. I'd love a softer rear shock bushing to hopefully reduce that noise transmission. With that they'd likely be perfect or very close to it for my use. Short of that though, I've considered going to B6's and yellows. I just don't want to throw that much more money at this car.

[ZDan]

Metal-metal "solid" mounts are not a problem for ride comfort. As long as you have bump travel and decent damping with some high-speed blow-off...

My FD's ride quality improved by *orders of magnitude* going from Tein SS coilovers (ridic excessive high-speed compression damping) with the factory rubber isolators , to Ohlins Road & Track with solid ball-joint uppers. It was unliveable on the Teins, I'd have to practically park the car before going over bumps/potholes. With the solid-mount Ohlins I was literally laughing as I glided over the same bumps/potholes at speed. Ohlins spring rates were quite a bit higher as well...

My BRZ on Swift Spec-R springs, Bilstein B8 struts/shocks, with solid Raceseng camber plates has a MUCH better/smooover ride than the stock setup with rubber isolators and the PP/Sachs dampers, which are kinda harsh...

Noise has never bothered me, but I probably have permanent hearing loss due to dailying/commting an S2000 for 200k+ miles...

[strat61caster]

Bilstein B14/B16
KW V1/V3
Ohlins R&T

European road certified coilovers. Don't get anything with stiffer springs then you need, good damping will cover stiffer springs in the ride quality department, but if you're not hitting up the track/autox going over 5kg/mm isn't adding anything, you can add stiffer swaybars if you want less body roll with minimal sacrifice to ride quality.

Agree good camber plates are fine, but it's another maintenance item with a shorter replacement interval and ways to screw up installation then OE top hats.

[Leonardo]

I sold my FA500 after only driving 5k miles. I wouldn't suggest them. My original plan was KW3, but I ended up "cheaping out" and not ponying up the money for the German stainless steel.

[ninjan00dles]

I purchased Tein Flex A from redline360 new for $850. I think that’s hard to beat for price. I am very pleased with them. My girlfriend hasn’t really noticed the difference from stock. I used out of the box settings.

I explored using the B8s plus RCE springs, but once you price it out it doesn’t make any sense to pay more for a fixed damper setup with no camber adjustment.

I wouldn’t factor rebuildability, most people will never get their suspension rebuilt.

[jkamelo]

Originally Posted by Leonardo

I sold my FA500 after only driving 5k miles. I wouldn't suggest them. My original plan was KW3, but I ended up "cheaping out" and not ponying up the money for the German stainless steel.

Thanks! I’ve ruled out the FA’s, but am still curious as to what you didn’t like?