Lowering Springs - Best Option

[joeDoe]

Hi All,

new to the forum. So excited for the new GR86! Already ready for mods. Want to ask what brand of lowering spring that will lower the car about an inch, and offers the best handling? Also, if i lower one inch, do i need to purchase a camber kit?

thank you!

[timurrrr]

I had the same question for the 1st gen and one wise man told me that if I care about handling I'll ultimately do coilovers anyways. In which case I might as well save money on installation for the springs, alignment, removal, installation of something else, alignment, ... and just go straight to coilovers.

I don't regret hearing that advice.
Some of my friends did go the route of lowering springs, and nobody was happy with the result.

[joeDoe]

Originally Posted by timurrrr

I had the same question for the 1st gen and one wise man told me that if I care about handling I'll ultimately do coilovers anyways. In which case I might as well save money on installation for the springs, alignment, removal, installation of something else, alignment, ... and just go straight to coilovers.

I don't regret hearing that advice.
Some of my friends did go the route of lowering springs, and nobody was happy with the result.

thank you! this makes sense. I am too old school...lol. So what brand of coilovers would you recommend? i want something that is comfortable for the ride, but good handling, if this combination even exist.

[timurrrr]

Originally Posted by joeDoe

thank you! this makes sense. I am too old school...lol. So what brand of coilovers would you recommend? i want something that is comfortable for the ride, but good handling, if this combination is even exist.

That's exactly what Annex Suspension claim to be delivering.

I personally haven't tried their coilovers
(got a different brand before Annex even revealed themselves as a company),
but they're on my short list for the 2nd gen.

[teppey]

I heard ohlins or KW is good.

[puppers]

Originally Posted by teppey

I heard ohlins or KW is good.

Was just going to suggest Ohlins. Probably one of the best coilovers for the S2000 at least. Can’t imagine they wouldn’t be spectacular for the GR86.

[joeDoe]

Originally Posted by timurrrr

That's exactly what Annex Suspension claim to be delivering.

I personally haven't tried their coilovers
(got a different brand before Annex even revealed themselves as a company),
but they're on my short list for the 2nd gen.

thank you again! i am reading up on Annex Suspension now. But say i want the best handling coilovers, from a well known brand, for a budget of $1600 or less, what would you recommend?

[timurrrr]

Originally Posted by teppey

I heard ohlins or KW is good.

From what I know, nah.

KW are expensive, and from what I know you can get similar performance for significantly cheaper.
I don't think I met a single person at track events who got KW's for a BRZ/86 recently.

Originally Posted by puppers

Was just going to suggest Ohlins. Probably one of the best coilovers for the S2000 at least. Can’t imagine they wouldn’t be spectacular for the GR86.

Ohlins for our platform have changed dramatically over time, and the newer ones are known to be meh.

Originally Posted by joeDoe

thank you again! i am reading up on Annex Suspension now. But say i want the best handling coilovers, from a well known brand, for a budget of $1600 or less, what would you recommend?

A common choice in that price range used to be CSG Spec TEIN Flex A.
That's what I currently have and I'm not too happy how they behave on the street.
Here's a thread with more details: https://www.ft86club.com/forums/showthread.php?t=126107

You might also be able to find used Annex coilovers in that price range.
Some folks have been parting out their cars for various reasons, and I've seen a few Annex on sale at decent price.

[ACT86]

Depends on the use, but I’m very happy with the ST Coilovers I have fitted. Perfect for the street and basically a KW V1 underneath.

[Dylans47]

Highly recommend against lowering springs

[Yoshoobaroo]

Counterpoint, lowering springs can work very well if they’re paired with a good damper. RCE yellow springs with Bilstein B6 shocks is one of the best DD supspension combos for this car.

ST coilovers are also really good, it’s really a KW coilover with galvanized steel bodies instead of stainless. They also make the Greddy coilovers.

CSG spec Tein Flex A sounds like a great kit but the spring rates are really high for a daily IMO.

[Varelco]

Absolutely nothing wrong with lowering springs. Its all dependant on what the intentions are. If you want to increase performance then yes a decent set of coilovers is what you want. If it's simply for cosmetic reasons and you want to close that arch gap then springs are the way to go. There are plenty of well proven options out there. There are no issues with longetivity on stock dampers too, just a typical internet myth.

KW V3 are popular in Europe they are very good but I've heard the 2 way adjustable dampening is probably a bit excessive and takes some skill to get setup right. Their resistance to corrosion is probably the best out there.

Tein flex A are also very popular they are good value for money you get adjustable top mounts and they offer the unique HBS feature. Tend to get a bit scabby over time though.

Ohlins R+T work really well but not on this platform, they have gone through a couple of iterations and the latest have peculiar spring rates. I've also heard of a few people needing premature rebuilds. Not what you expect from a premium brand.

[RToyo86]

RCE yellows are a good spring option. Eibach pro/TRD are popular as well. Yellows lower a bit less and have stiffer front springs which help with bump travel, and keeping you off the bump stops.

I will be curious if racecomp engineering make any changes to their yellows to optimize differences on the second gen.

[dsc_pat]

Originally Posted by timurrrr

That's what I currently have and I'm not too happy how they behave on the street.
Here's a thread with more details: https://www.ft86club.com/forums/showthread.php?t=126107

Anywhere I can read more about your take ? In this thread ? Thanks