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Old 10-13-2021, 01:14 PM   #1
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I need a rundown version of suspension mods.

I feel there's a lot more info than I can possibly digest, especially since all I want is a slightly lowered vehicle, with a setup that can feel as OEM+, meaning, improve a DD. So I have a few questions.



1) Whats is difference between coilovers against say, a set of Springs with Shocks.


2) What's the difference of price between coilovers? For example, I see TEINs for $1100 versus $1500+, does this mean the expensive ones are better, or are they rated for more competition setups.



3) I plan on switching to Michellin AS-4, so what would be the recommended suspension settings?



4) As an introduction to suspension mods, what would be considered a good amount of money to spend, kind of tied to question 2.



5) Did Epstein really off himself?







I do not mean to insult anyone's knowledge, is just that suspension is very new to me, as a lot of you know, this is my very first sports vehicle and the very first vehicle that I have been able to start learning about modifications. I also like to ask a lot of questions. Thanks in advance.
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Old 10-13-2021, 01:40 PM   #2
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Answered question within the quoted section below:

Quote:
Originally Posted by spcmafia View Post
I feel there's a lot more info than I can possibly digest, especially since all I want is a slightly lowered vehicle, with a setup that can feel as OEM+, meaning, improve a DD. So I have a few questions.



1) Whats is difference between coilovers against say, a set of Springs with Shocks.
Height adjustability is the main one. Packaging is generally smaller with aftermarket coilovers as well. Also, the springs and shocks on a aftermarket coilover are generally developed together to work with each other. Where as damper Y may not have the ideal damping rate for spring X if you're mixing and matching and it's not adjustable.

2) What's the difference of price between coilovers? For example, I see TEINs for $1100 versus $1500+, does this mean the expensive ones are better, or are they rated for more competition setups.
Prices can be from under $1k to the moon, depending on use case. Lower priced ones may just be height adjustable, then you get into single damping adjustability, 2-way adjustability, 3-way, external reservoir, etc. Typically the amount of adjustability and track-worthiness drives the price.


3) I plan on switching to Michellin AS-4, so what would be the recommended suspension settings?
Totally depends on what you use the car for. For a daily driver, maybe do springs, stock dampers and call it done. For a track build you might go 2-way adjustable aftermarket coilovers so you can tune them at the track. This is entirely user dependent. You can always upgrade little by little and find a setup you like. Since you're going with an all season, I imagine you aren't too track focused, so a spring/shock or an entry level aftermarket coilover would probably be fine.


4) As an introduction to suspension mods, what would be considered a good amount of money to spend, kind of tied to question 2.
Similarly to 3, it is entirely dependent on what you want to do with the car.


5) Did Epstein really off himself?







I do not mean to insult anyone's knowledge, is just that suspension is very new to me, as a lot of you know, this is my very first sports vehicle and the very first vehicle that I have been able to start learning about modifications. I also like to ask a lot of questions. Thanks in advance.
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Old 10-13-2021, 01:55 PM   #3
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Answered question within the quoted section below:

Thanks!. The "depending on needs and use" comment is the one where I get a little confused on. Correct me if I am wrong.

Say I just want to keep the BRZ for daily driving/ spirited run, with All Seasons, best would be lowered springs with either OEM shocks, or something like the Yellow RCE with Blinstein combo.


On that note, TEIN CSG Spec would be also considered entry-level?



My goal is to reduce the wheel gap, by an inch, while slightly improving the performance compared to OEM. So basically entry level. I am completely open to tracking, but is not my focus, I understand that you can track/Auto-X with an OEM vehicle and still have fun.
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Old 10-13-2021, 02:18 PM   #4
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I had those same use cases as you, and went with the RCE Yellows/Bilstein setup and could not be happier. Honestly the dampers are probably overkill for most street driving but the car feels SO planted now.

I come from tracking motorcycles, where I had a zillion different adjustments I could make, front and rear. For me, adjustability for a street car is just more stuff I don't need to fiddle with.
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Old 10-13-2021, 02:23 PM   #5
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You are correct. What I mean when I refer to "use case" is what kind of usage the car will see. Those include daily driver, weekend-only toy, canyon carving, autoX, track days, time attack, or a mixture of any of them. Based on these, you can tailor a setup that will work best.

If you don't want or need height adjustability, then go with springs and either stock or aftermarket dampers. You can even get adjustable dampers if that's something you want to be able to play with.

If you want height adjustability and damper adjustability, go with aftermarket coilovers that offer such. Tein is a good brand. I've had the FlexZ which were fine for daily driving and AutoX, Fortune Auto 500's are good as well, Basically in the $1-1.5k range is the going rate for a good set of daily capable aftermarket coilovers. Single adjustability is being able to adjust one characteristic of the shock (typically rebound). 2-way let you adjust rebound and compression.
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Old 10-13-2021, 03:01 PM   #6
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Quote:
Originally Posted by BigTuna View Post
You are correct. What I mean when I refer to "use case" is what kind of usage the car will see. Those include daily driver, weekend-only toy, canyon carving, autoX, track days, time attack, or a mixture of any of them. Based on these, you can tailor a setup that will work best.

If you don't want or need height adjustability, then go with springs and either stock or aftermarket dampers. You can even get adjustable dampers if that's something you want to be able to play with.

If you want height adjustability and damper adjustability, go with aftermarket coilovers that offer such. Tein is a good brand. I've had the FlexZ which were fine for daily driving and AutoX, Fortune Auto 500's are good as well, Basically in the $1-1.5k range is the going rate for a good set of daily capable aftermarket coilovers. Single adjustability is being able to adjust one characteristic of the shock (typically rebound). 2-way let you adjust rebound and compression.

Right now I'm looking into either the RCE Yellow combo, RCE Superstreets-1, and TEIN FLEX-A CSG Spec, slightly similar in price. They all seem to have what I'm looking for.
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Old 10-13-2021, 03:23 PM   #7
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Quote:
Originally Posted by spcmafia View Post
1) Whats is difference between coilovers against say, a set of Springs with Shocks.
https://www.instagram.com/p/CLEl6v5n..._web_copy_link

Not 86/BRZ specific, but a general overview. For this car, lowering more than an inch on just springs is when you start really feeling the lack of travel.

Quote:
Originally Posted by spcmafia View Post
2) What's the difference of price between coilovers? For example, I see TEINs for $1100 versus $1500+, does this mean the expensive ones are better, or are they rated for more competition setups.
https://www.instagram.com/p/B7qn-gnn..._web_copy_link
Some more background here on different coilover features.

Really expensive coilovers can be awesome, but are generally designed for motorsports. They sometimes also require more frequent rebuilds or maintenance. Really cheap coilovers usually have poor quality damping or just aren't as well thought out. The reeeeeeally cheap stuff don't have the best build quality. Lots of sub $1k coilovers use the same damper part for different cars (i.e. 350z using same shock as WRX or BRZ etc). Factory dampers are better than those in some coilovers.

Quote:
Originally Posted by spcmafia View Post
3) I plan on switching to Michellin AS-4, so what would be the recommended suspension settings?
With an all-season tire, you don't need anything too stiff and you don't need tons of camber. Exact specs should depend on whatever you end up with.

Quote:
Originally Posted by spcmafia View Post
4) As an introduction to suspension mods, what would be considered a good amount of money to spend, kind of tied to question 2.
You don't have to spend a ton of money for an all-around fun fast easy to live with suspension for an 86/BRZ. The 3 you've narrowed it down to are good options.

https://www.instagram.com/p/CFzNtLPH..._web_copy_link


Quote:
Originally Posted by spcmafia View Post
5) Did Epstein really off himself?



- Andrew
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Old 10-13-2021, 03:56 PM   #8
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Quote:
Originally Posted by Racecomp Engineering View Post
https://www.instagram.com/p/CLEl6v5n..._web_copy_link

Not 86/BRZ specific, but a general overview. For this car, lowering more than an inch on just springs is when you start really feeling the lack of travel.


https://www.instagram.com/p/B7qn-gnn..._web_copy_link
Some more background here on different coilover features.

Really expensive coilovers can be awesome, but are generally designed for motorsports. They sometimes also require more frequent rebuilds or maintenance. Really cheap coilovers usually have poor quality damping or just aren't as well thought out. The reeeeeeally cheap stuff don't have the best build quality. Lots of sub $1k coilovers use the same damper part for different cars (i.e. 350z using same shock as WRX or BRZ etc). Factory dampers are better than those in some coilovers.



With an all-season tire, you don't need anything too stiff and you don't need tons of camber. Exact specs should depend on whatever you end up with.


You don't have to spend a ton of money for an all-around fun fast easy to live with suspension for an 86/BRZ. The 3 you've narrowed it down to are good options.

https://www.instagram.com/p/CFzNtLPH..._web_copy_link






- Andrew

Amazing info! Thanks a lot! I’ll be getting in touch soon!


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk
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Old 05-12-2022, 10:01 AM   #9
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Quote:
Originally Posted by Racecomp Engineering View Post
https://www.instagram.com/p/CLEl6v5n..._web_copy_link

Not 86/BRZ specific, but a general overview. For this car, lowering more than an inch on just springs is when you start really feeling the lack of travel.


https://www.instagram.com/p/B7qn-gnn..._web_copy_link
Some more background here on different coilover features.

Really expensive coilovers can be awesome, but are generally designed for motorsports. They sometimes also require more frequent rebuilds or maintenance. Really cheap coilovers usually have poor quality damping or just aren't as well thought out. The reeeeeeally cheap stuff don't have the best build quality. Lots of sub $1k coilovers use the same damper part for different cars (i.e. 350z using same shock as WRX or BRZ etc). Factory dampers are better than those in some coilovers.



With an all-season tire, you don't need anything too stiff and you don't need tons of camber. Exact specs should depend on whatever you end up with.


You don't have to spend a ton of money for an all-around fun fast easy to live with suspension for an 86/BRZ. The 3 you've narrowed it down to are good options.

https://www.instagram.com/p/CFzNtLPH..._web_copy_link






- Andrew

Reviving this thread as I am getting ready to upgrade suspension. I'm having a hard time deciding between your RCE Yellows/Bilstein Combo or RCE SuperStreet-1. Budget wise, the combo would make more sense. But I'm also thinking in the long-run when I track, if having the SS-1 would be better suited for track/street uses.



Tracking is a bit far, so the car sees mostly highway and back roads. I think a 20mm drop is more than enough as I wouldn't go any further than 1 inch drop, also so that @NoHaveMSG stops making fun of my wheel gap.



Are there settings I would have to change/set with the SS-1s or does it come with a standard setup from factory. Also, do you recommend getting the shock mounts, mine are fairly new (2018) I only have 34K miles. Thanks!


Forgot to mention, I did end up getting AS-4 Michelin Tires, slightly bigger than OEM 225/45R17, I'm assuming getting either suspension wouldn't necessarily need much adjustment.
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Old 05-12-2022, 11:22 AM   #10
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Quote:
Originally Posted by spcmafia View Post
Reviving this thread as I am getting ready to upgrade suspension. I'm having a hard time deciding between your RCE Yellows/Bilstein Combo or RCE SuperStreet-1. Budget wise, the combo would make more sense. But I'm also thinking in the long-run when I track, if having the SS-1 would be better suited for track/street uses.



Tracking is a bit far, so the car sees mostly highway and back roads. I think a 20mm drop is more than enough as I wouldn't go any further than 1 inch drop, also so that @NoHaveMSG stops making fun of my wheel gap.



Are there settings I would have to change/set with the SS-1s or does it come with a standard setup from factory. Also, do you recommend getting the shock mounts, mine are fairly new (2018) I only have 34K miles. Thanks!


Forgot to mention, I did end up getting AS-4 Michelin Tires, slightly bigger than OEM 225/45R17, I'm assuming getting either suspension wouldn't necessarily need much adjustment.
In terms of settings, we have some good guidelines for the coilovers on how to set height, alignment, damping, etc. You won't need to mess with them much once it's set. It's helpful to get an extra set of rear mounts just to make assembly easier (so you don't have to take apart your OEM stuff).

You're okay on tire fitment with either suspension.

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Old 05-12-2022, 11:26 AM   #11
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Quote:
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also so that @NoHaveMSG stops making fun of my wheel gap.




Both would be serviceable but considering your usage the Yellow/Bilstein combo will be more practical and enjoyable when you are driving the car regularly.
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Old 05-12-2022, 11:39 AM   #12
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Both would be serviceable but considering your usage the Yellow/Bilstein combo will be more practical and enjoyable when you are driving the car regularly.

As long as it reduces my wheel gap to your approval, I'll get it lol.
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Old 05-13-2022, 09:49 AM   #13
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I'm on RCE Yellows and Bilsteins and found the wheel gap improvement to be just about perfect.

Plus if I was any lower I couldn't get in my driveway, so...
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Old 05-13-2022, 10:29 AM   #14
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Bilstein B6 finally back in stock after almost 6 months or whatever.

(SS1 in stock too).

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