Recommendations for Coil-overs??

[GSTnewbie]

I'm looking to invest in some good quality Coil-Overs. Can anyone with experience or those who heard good and bad things about them help me out? I'm looking for either one of these:

1. TEIN Type Flex
2. B+G adjustible coil over
3. JIC FLT A2
4. H&R coil-over system
5. APEX World Sport

What is pillowball uppermounts and why is this better?
I see some has "helper" spring. Does this make it better?

Thanks in advance for your expert advice.

 

[candela]

Ive heard very good htings about Tein and the JIC systems

 

[GSTnewbie]

I'm leaning more on TEIN because of the EDFC unit (the one that changes the damping within the car). Just wanna make sure I pick the right one for my hard earn money. I put JIC up there because the guy at the shop carries them. Still, why is it better to have pillowball upper mount? What about "helper" srpings?

Thanks for the response.

 

[DSM BLUE TURBO]

I have no experiences, and have not heard anything about the B+G or the H&R coilovers. But I know that H&R make a spring that's pretty good. I don't like how they tend to make the rear lower than the front tho. I wanted to get the apexi n1 coilovers but they didn't make an application for my car, but they are DAYAM good coilovers. Haven't heard anything about the JIC either, but candela heard good things. I have the tien SS they good. If I were to do it again, i'd rather get the HA's. And don't even think of getting the EDFC. It's such a waste of money. Again is a REALLY COOL TOY. But thats just what it is.. a toy. It's the easiest thing to adjust damper. Just a turn of the knob.

Pillowball uppermounts, are somewhat of a cushion. All it means is that it will be more comfortable for street driving. Personally, I rather have my car stiff as hell. I like to feel every single dip, speedbump and pothole. If your concerned about stiffness after getting your new coilovers.. think softer or stiffer spring.. that is if the damping does nothing for you.

 

[cait sith]

Originally posted by DSM BLUE TURBO


Pillowball uppermounts, are somewhat of a cushion. All it means is that it will be more comfortable for street driving. Personally, I rather have my car stiff as hell. I like to feel every single dip, speedbump and pothole. If your concerned about stiffness after getting your new coilovers.. think softer or stiffer spring.. that is if the damping does nothing for you.

Holy crap, you could not be more incredibly wrong.

Pillow ball upper mounts are referring to the idea that your upper shock mount is attached to the actual chassis of the car. Think of a CV joint and how it can flop all around while one end stays in one position, or for that matter, your arm in its socket. Same type of theory.

The stock DSM upper suspension mounting points are awful rubber pieces of crap that are completely and totally the opposite of what you want for a quality suspension.

Pillow ball mounts will usually also give you more suspension travel by an inch or two (At least on 2G's), and are pretty much a standard requirement of what you want to have with a suspension kit.

 

[GSTnewbie]

Thanks for the response. Cait Sith, does having a pillowball upper mount gives better handling and without (hold everything else constant)? I head Tein SS is really good but it does not have the pillowball thing. Tein Type Flex does but I don't really heard much about them.

DSM BLUE TURBO, you are right. Apex does not make coil-overs for 2G or I just couldn't find them. I know EDFC is just a toy...but it's pretty neat tho. Just considering...since I can get it from ### directly, just don't know if they have one made for 2G. Don't think the Lancer version will cut it.

Oh, what about "helper" springs? B+G has them. H+R has them (i think) but TEIN doesn't...does it make any difference?

 

[GSTnewbie]

That ### thing in the above post is suppose to be Japan. Don't know why it didn't show.

 

[cait sith]

If you're going to go tein, I'd reccomend getting the FLEX system over the SS, but the bigger question is, what are your goals for this car you have? FLT-A2's I've heard are the next big thing before going to a full custom Penske/Shocktek Remote Resivoir style shock ($$$$ BLING BLING $$$$), and they (The JIC's FLT-A2) allow full travel even if lowered 2 inches.

Of course, I bet they ride like absolute ass too on the street.

Me personally, I'd get the most expensive set I could swing. Finding out that your suspension system is sub par is just not that great.

I myself am in a big debate as to what kind of suspension setup to go for. Ask the companies directly. They're pretty good at answering questions.

 

[GSTnewbie]

Great info cait sith. My ultimate goal is to get a street drivable (not too harsh for long commute) and about 350+ WHP. It's work in progress and I think suspension must be upgraded first before power. Like they say...power is nothing without control. For suspension, I look for the kit that would provide 1) drivability in city with road clearance height adjustable. Looking good on the street but scraping everytime going in to taco bell is not what I want. 2) can be use on tracks 3) can adjust the damping so that my gf and parent doesn't complain about back pain from riding in my car. and 4) most importantly, must be durable. I can't afford a new set every year...heck, not even every 2-3 years.

Just what is the best bang for the buck....that satisfy the above criteria.

 

[snox135]

The helper spring is actually just a softer spring than the main spring. This is referred too as a dual rate spring set up. The smaller spring takes some of the harshness out of the initial movement of the shock. Giving you a for friendly ride for the steet and not taking away from track performance too much. Dual or tri rate spring set ups offer the best of both worlds good track performance and a decent ride for the street. Some road race cars do use a dual ot tri spring set up so when you run up over a curb on the inside of a corner it will not upset the car as much, allowing you to keep controll of the car easier. There are also dual rate springs which is bascilly both springs combined into one.

 

[treimche]

I too am in the same situation here trying to decide between full coilover setups. I'm leaning more towards the Tein Flex as well. I think they're a little cheaper than the JIC FLT A2. I did hear from a shop that they are staying away from Tein because they will rust. I don't really see how that is? Anyone? If I'm spending $1500 on suspension it better not rust ever. I'll post anything I hear about the suspension.

 

[GSTnewbie]

What? Tein may rust? That's not good. I live in area where it rain quite a bit in the winter...and that's definitely no good with rust. Anyone else had heard anything about this Tein rusting thing? Like treimche, I don't wanna spend $1500 for something that'll rust.

 

[treimche]

That is just what I "heard", so I have no input on it yet. But I thought I would ask since that would be a really important factor in which coilovers to buy.

 

[ILLMINDED]

Originally posted by treimche
I did hear from a shop that they are staying away from Tein because they will rust. I don't really see how that is? Anyone? If I'm spending $1500 on suspension it better not rust ever. I'll post anything I hear about the suspension.

Tein has supposedly fixed this problem. They did not have a corrosion repellant program when they first began selling there products heavily in North America. There were numerous complaints from customers about rusting and corrosion issues. Tein has since put there program in use for parts being sold in the US. I would call an authorized Tein dealer and check to make sure your application is currently being produced with the changes for protection since Tein made these changes.

 

[ILLMINDED]

By the way............ www.shox.com sells the B&G coilover setup for $999-. Thats not a bad price considering the package that your getting. These are geared for the person who wants a comfortable ride + have the suspension support to do some good spirited driving, hence the reason a dual spring setup is used. I have a set of the JIC FLT-A2's that I'm dying to get installed............... I just have not had the time because of the holidays and a conflicting schedual with my friend who has a lift at his house.

 

[GSTnewbie]

Thanks a lot ILLMINDED. That's a great deal for B+G. I don't think it has pillowball upper mount but hey, it's a great price....save $500+ as supposed to TEIN TYPE FLEX. Does anyone has B+G installed?

The JIC FLT-A2 looks awesome and I heard good things...the drawback is a steep price tag. I have budget around $1500 or so and JIC is like $1700+.

BTW, love your sig.

 

[snox135]

Heather at Mach V has a pair of B+G's and she says she loves them. I have heard of people getting the JIC A2's for $1500 but I'm not sure where. I'm personally awaiting the price to be set for the A2-RS's.

 

[ILLMINDED]

Originally posted by snox135
I have heard of people getting the JIC A2's for $1500 but I'm not sure where. I'm personally awaiting the price to be set for the A2-RS's.

I dont know where either at the $1500- price............. I got my JIC FLT-A2's from Scott Belcastro at www.victoryperformance.com for $1650-

 

[ILLMINDED]

Originally posted by GSTnewbie
Thanks a lot ILLMINDED. That's a great deal for B+G. I don't think it has pillowball upper mount but hey, it's a great price....save $500+ as supposed to TEIN TYPE FLEX. Does anyone has B+G installed?

The JIC FLT-A2 looks awesome and I heard good things...the drawback is a steep price tag. I have budget around $1500 or so and JIC is like $1700+.

BTW, love your sig.

Your right. They do not have pillowball uppermounts. But at the price its still hard to argue............ Even a Ground Control/Koni setup costs near this setup. The only reason I did not purchase the B&G coilovers is because I wanted to have a single linear spring setup. I just was'nt concerned about ride quality in which the B&G's help preserve by using a dual spring configuration. For the most part i beleive that most people would be happy with the end results that the B&G coliovers would give them......... especially at the price that they can be purchased for by going through www.shox.com This was the absolute cheapest I could find them for when I was originally considering them.

 

[GSTnewbie]

Say if I'm going with either the B+G, TEIN Type Flex, or JIC A2. Do I still need to use camber kits? I heard for pillowball uppermount helps to eliminate the use of camber kits on some cars (I think 240SX) but I could be wrong. Just making sure I got every parts required down before purchasing. Shox.com does sell B+G for cheapest. Thanks ILLMINDED!

 

[ILLMINDED]

On our cars because of our suspension layout the upper mounts are'nt adjustable like some other applications. If your gonna go low you will need camber kits. To what degree will depend on just how low you go.

 

[cait sith]

Bah, you don't need front camber adjustment, unless there's a way that you can get MORE negative camber out of the front. Kicked in front wheels = GOOD. Kicked in REARS = Bad, at least for turning.

 

[Hobbes =^.^=]

RRE recommends JIC. Mike quoted me $1800 for the whoel setup.

 

[GSTnewbie]

$1800 for whole set up of JIC. That aint bad. Does that include labor or just parts?

Without camber adjustment on the front, doesn't that eat up the inner part of the tire really fast?

 

[treimche]

So I think I'm gonna go with the Tein coilovers. Does anyone know of a place that sells them for a 2G GSX? Or who has the best price? I guess I would go with the JIC if the ones with upper pillowball mounts are cheaper than the Tein Flex coilovers too. Thanks.