Lowering Springs or Coilovers?

[hpanju]

Given that I don’t want to spend a lot of money on coils if I’m not tracking the car I might just go with RCE springs. Anyone year round drive the car and have any issues with snow?

[churchx]

Big issue on deeper snow or on unplown road with deep groves to me was limited ground clearance of twins. So i wouldn't want even RCE ones winter-driving wise, that are of mild drop vs some other aftermarket spring offerings, but still slightly lower then stock.

[sneaky_pete]

Originally Posted by hpanju

Given that I don’t want to spend a lot of money on coils if I’m not tracking the car I might just go with RCE springs. Anyone year round drive the car and have any issues with snow?

people rubbish lowering springs but they are a good option for the street.

I have said in other threads that i have the TRD lowering springs and the TRD sways. they probably cost a bit more than others but the kits come with all new fitting hardware including new shorter bumps stops - you don't re-use any bolts or nuts.

the sway bar kit is the same, all new hardware including bushings and grease. instructions are included if you want to DIY.

it's a well thought out kit and designed for the car.

[StraightOuttaCanadaEh]

Originally Posted by solidONE

Flex-Z? Or something else? I was referring specifically to the Flex-Z.

Best way to go about it is to get a test ride. Then you can determine how you want to spend your money with no ragrats. Im sure someone will do it for a couple of rolls of TP or hand sanitizer

Meisterr Zeta CRD+ but at that price they’re pretty much all the same I’m sure. They’re all okay at first glance and I would never be able to discern the limitations from a single drive. The experience is also dependent on tire pressure. By playing around with clicks and tire pressure I was able to reach an alright compromise but I still want some nice KW in the future

[86TOYO2k17]

Originally Posted by hpanju

Given that I don’t want to spend a lot of money on coils if I’m not tracking the car I might just go with RCE springs. Anyone year round drive the car and have any issues with snow?

Its a .8” drop. So you’ll have .8” more issue in snow vs stock.

Read up the comparisons of RCE vs TRD if you like. But many people have driven in both and/or even swapped from one to the other. It was pretty unanimous that RCE was better overall vs TRD springs. That’s not to say TRD are horrible or worse then stock though.

RCE springs aren’t going to be as good as a good coilover obviously, but they are an improvement over stock. And for 300$ it’s a great option for a street car. This car is already a phenomenal car for handling, everyone praises how great it handles and that its a true drivers car made for twisties but not straight lines. But then when talking about suspension act like stock is completely crap and doing anything but dropping 2k on coilovers will ruin your car. Cheap coils will ruin it sure. But a quality well designed lowering spring like RCE will be an improvement all around on a car that is already great. Slightly lower, slightly stiffer, you feel more planted, more responsive, and less body roll.

You will want rear lower control arms, don’t need to go fancy, spc lca work just fine. And spc camber bolts for front. Install and get alignment asap.

[solidONE]

Originally Posted by StraightOuttaCanadaEh

Meisterr Zeta CRD+ but at that price they’re pretty much all the same I’m sure. They’re all okay at first glance and I would never be able to discern the limitations from a single drive. The experience is also dependent on tire pressure. By playing around with clicks and tire pressure I was able to reach an alright compromise but I still want some nice KW in the future

Looks the same but very different inside. IIRC Meister uses a standard digressive piston (montube) where they enlarged the ports for more flow. Flex-Z is a twin tube like the kW. There are going to be noticeable difference in damping just based on this one difference, nevermind the valving.

Do you still have the Meisters on the car?

[solidONE]

OP if you REALLY wanna save money. Get a used set of springs and chop a half to one coil off. Or do it to your existing one. One coil off the OE spring should still have some decent preload on it with slight lowering effect without compromising the coilover assembly.
Old skool style. With a "K."

[ZDan]

You probably won't need aftermarket rear control arms. Especially if you go with something like TRD or even RCE yellows which only lower ~3/4".

The Swift BRZ Sport springs on my car brought it down 1.25", and rear camber went up to about -2.5 degrees. Which is fine for me as I track the car. And anyway, that much camber isn't terrible for tire wear as long as toe is kept reasonably near zero.

[86TOYO2k17]

Originally Posted by ZDan

You probably won't need aftermarket rear control arms. Especially if you go with something like TRD or even RCE yellows which only lower ~3/4".

The Swift BRZ Sport springs on my car brought it down 1.25", and rear camber went up to about -2.5 degrees. Which is fine for me as I track the car. And anyway, that much camber isn't terrible for tire wear as long as toe is kept reasonably near zero.

It depends on your definition of “need” he can get away without it sure. But even factory alignment is pretty off and uneven side to side and messing with the suspension removing it and adding springs is going to mess with it even more. A custom alignment is really needed and rear LCA will allow proper camber adjustments while doing alignment. Proper alignment can be more important than the suspension in the first place, many people who do springs alone and then don’t notice an improvement or feel its worse is because they don’t have a proper alignment after. Even with RCE springs i had to pull in camber a good bit, and it was really uneven side to side before. I wouldn’t want more than 2 front 1.6 rear for a dd street car. Sure you can get away with more, and if weekend warrior go for it. But having peace of mind knowing when you install everything and being able to go in and get a custom alignment to your exact desired specs is worth it for 200$.

[shiumai]

Originally Posted by 86TOYO2k17

It depends on your definition of “need” he can get away without it sure. But even factory alignment is pretty off and uneven side to side and messing with the suspension removing it and adding springs is going to mess with it even more. A custom alignment is really needed and rear LCA will allow proper camber adjustments while doing alignment.

This was my experience - when I first lowered the car with Swift springs, the rear camber was noticeably uneven from one side to another. It's the way a lot of the twins come from the factory and you can't adjust it without LCAs. I installed LCAs and got a proper alignment done.

[ZDan]

Originally Posted by 86TOYO2k17

But even factory alignment is pretty off and uneven side to side and messing with the suspension removing it and adding springs is going to mess with it even more.

Sure factory camber can be "off" side-to-side, but IMO it's not nearly as big a deal as toe.

Lowering springs shouldn't really add any more to asymmetry though...

Even with RCE springs i had to pull in camber a good bit, and it was really uneven side to side before. I wouldn’t want more than 2 front 1.6 rear for a dd street car. Sure you can get away with more, and if weekend warrior go for it. But having peace of mind knowing when you install everything and being able to go in and get a custom alignment to your exact desired specs is worth it for 200$.

I wouldn't expect more than about -2 if lowered only 3/4". IMO even street only -2.5 isn't a big deal if toe is kept minimal.

For sure aftermarket LCAs aren't strictly necessary...

Curious, how far off was your left/rear camber?
At 1.25" lower, I was at -2.4L/-2.6R (or maybe the other way around...). For my usage, just about perfect, so done! I probably still wouldn't have bothered with LCAs even if L/R camber were different by as much as half a degree though.

Originally Posted by shiumai

This was my experience - when I first lowered the car with Swift springs, the rear camber was noticeably uneven from one side to another. It's the way a lot of the twins come from the factory and you can't adjust it without LCAs. I installed LCAs and got a proper alignment done.

How far were you out left vs. right?

Anyway, even for cars that have some built-in asymmetry (to a point), the *need* for LCAs is IMO overstated and in any case not a function of whether or not lowering springs are used.

[shiumai]

Originally Posted by ZDan

How far were you out left vs. right?

When the Swift springs were installed without LCAs, left rear camber was -2.13° and right was -1.65°.

[86TOYO2k17]

@ZDan after RCE install.
Before alignment
-1.44 FL, -1.16 FR
-1.32 RL, -1.96 RR

After alignment
-1.8 front
-1.6 rear
Exact same both sides.

To be fair i have no idea my true before because I installed springs, camber bolts, and LCA before going in.

[86TOYO2k17]

Originally Posted by ZDan

Anyway, even for cars that have some built-in asymmetry (to a point), the *need* for LCAs is IMO overstated and in any case not a function of whether or not lowering springs are used.

This statement is true to an extent, the springs don’t necessarily create the need for LCA depending on drop, car usage, and factory alignment.

But

A proper alignment, especially if your alignment is way out of wack from factory. Will be as beneficial if not more beneficial to your handling, response, driver feel etc... compared to lowering springs or even coilovers, and so spending less than 250$ for LCA and camber bolts in order to achieve an optimal alignment seems like a no brainer to do at the same time as spending 300$ on lowering springs when the benefits will be greater for less, and its very easy to install everything at same time, get one alignment and be done.