coilovers

[gsxcody]

Hey, so im in the market to upgrade my suspension on my 2g gsx. I have h&r springs, tokiko blue shocks/struts, and camber kits. But now I want full coils. I have never had coils before, or even really talked to anyone with coils on an awd dsm, so im just asking the fellow dsmers your oppinions on coils, and recomendations as to which brands u prefer.

Thanks
cody

 

[yepes281]

Do some searching and theres quite a few threads on here about coilovers. From what ive read ksport, megan, and bc are all the same, made in the same factory with the same parts. Ive heard good and bad reviews about them, but pretty much, longetivity, ride comfort, and reliablility comes down to the way thier adjusted.

I personally will be upgrading to k-sport soon.

http://www.dsmtuners.com/forums/handling-tech/362623-k-sport-pro-vs-megan-racing-coilovers.html

http://www.dsmtuners.com/forums/han...t-coils-delivering-plenty-dissapointment.html

 

[Bigmac88]

The only decent option available is a set from JIC Magic. Tein offers a set as well, but I've driven cars equipped with Tein's at the track and in the canyons. The damping completely sucks and is very inconsistent. If you daily drive you car you probably want to avoid coilovers anyway. The ride is usually quite a bit worse on coilovers

I have a set of Omni Power coilovers on my Honda track car. They are excellent at what they do - the damping is consistent and matched well to the spring rate, they have a shortened body, are good quality, and lightweight. However, if I had to drive them on the street every day my back would be killing me.

You should also investigate the effects of overlowering a DSM. There are major bumpsteer issues that can occur, and that's not a good thing.

If you're dead-set on coils then get a set if JIC's and don't overlower the car. You should be good

Do some searching and theres quite a few threads on here about coilovers. From what ive read ksport, megan, and bc are all the same, made in the same factory with the same parts. Ive heard good and bad reviews about them, but pretty much, longetivity, ride comfort, and reliablility comes down to the way thier adjusted.

I personally will be upgrading to k-sport soon.

http://www.dsmtuners.com/forums/handling-tech/362623-k-sport-pro-vs-megan-racing-coilovers.html

http://www.dsmtuners.com/forums/han...t-coils-delivering-plenty-dissapointment.html

You are correct. Megan Racing and KSport are crap, knockoff suspension products that do not perform up to par at the track.

 

[banichulo]

yeah i have ksport and they are great well it took a lot of adjustment till i got them where i wanted them. when i first got them i was so exited i just trew them on the car and didnt think about properly measuring the strut hight, i kinda eye bald it not a good idea, i began to think they where crap so i took them off and properly adjusted the strut high and the coil drop and there awsome, i ride on soft settings and i cant feel a thing but for agresive driving hard all the way is the key.

 

[gsxcody]

And I also might add that they are for my daily driver. So ride comfort is a big concern. They will however they will be tooken on the track and used for autox and road racing. I want some ridiculously good handling coils.

 

[Bigmac88]

And I also might add that they are for my daily driver. So ride comfort is a big concern. They will however they will be tooken on the track and used for autox and road racing. I want some ridiculously good handling coils.

JIC's as long as they're not over-lowered

Also get a set of sway bars, some Hawk HP+ pads, Ate SuperBlue racing brake fluid, and most importantly a good set of tires. On a road course or at an auto x, tires (and brakes) will make the greatest difference in the actual handling of a car. Coilovers, sway bars, etc. change the dynamic of the car in a turn and help utilize the tires better.

And of course the driver is the most important factor in how fast or slow a car is

 

[gsxcody]

Forsure. I plan on getting sway bars. And nice tires. But im not sure if the jic's are right for me because I want to dump my car.

 

[yepes281]

Forsure. I plan on getting sway bars. And nice tires. But im not sure if the jic's are right for me because I want to dump my car.

ide go with k-sport, megan, or bc. Thier all going to be good you just have to take the time to dial them in correctly, espcially if you want the car dumped. If you dont they will not last long, same as any other coil over.

 

[anthonydinatale]

k-Sport

 

[Bigmac88]

Forsure. I plan on getting sway bars. And nice tires. But im not sure if the jic's are right for me because I want to dump my car.

If you want to dump it then don't plan on taking it to the track. Slamming a car - especially a DSM - is just about the worst thing you could do to the handling dynamics.

I think you need to do some more research.

ide go with k-sport, megan, or bc. Thier all going to be good you just have to take the time to dial them in correctly, espcially if you want the car dumped. If you dont they will not last long, same as any other coil over.

That's not true at all. Ever seen a shock dyno test? Not all dampers are created equal. And KSports definitely aren't the best option for road course driving.

 

[gsxcody]

Then what is the best option for road course driving "bigmac88"?

 

[sax_man]

I can't believe no one has suggested this...Go with Ground Control sleeves and perches and Koni Yellow struts. Best combo for the money out there for DSM's. They will run you about half as much as anything from JIC and they will perform nearly as well. This combo is also a proven DD setup too. Just do your research and go with what best fits your needs and budget. There's no reason to buy or run a full blown race setup unless it's a 100% track car.

Remember- There's nothing wrong with buying something "lower quality" now and upgrading once you're ready to and can afford to move up.

EDIT: Also, you're going to need to correct for camber once the car is lowered, so don't forget to look into camber/caster plates and all that fun stuff.

EDIT pt2: THis page is more or less the DSM bible on suspension. I suggest you go through and read all the pages more than once. http://farnorthracing.com/autocross_secrets5.html

 

[Bigmac88]

Then what is the best option for road course driving "bigmac88"?

If you're going to lower the car more than an inch, you need to get parts to eliminate bump steer. There are probably extended ball joints on the market, they're the easiest solution. Either use Koni shocks with Eibach springs or JIC full coils for road course and auto x driving. Most of the other options simply don't measure up at the track - thus you are less competitive.

Why over-lowering is bad:
The Ultimate Handling Guide Part V: The One Unforgivable Sin, Overlowering Your Car

Full MotoIQ suspension and handling guide:
The Ultimate Guide to Suspension & Handling

I'm not trying to shoot you down man, I just want to give you accurate information. Simply spouting part names won't help you make an informed decision IMO.

I can't believe no one has suggested this...Go with Ground Control sleeves and perches and Koni Yellow struts. Best combo for the money out there for DSM's. They will run you about half as much as anything from JIC and they will perform nearly as well. This combo is also a proven DD setup too. Just do your research and go with what best fits your needs and budget. There's no reason to buy or run a full blown race setup unless it's a 100% track car.

Remember- There's nothing wrong with buying something "lower quality" now and upgrading once you're ready to and can afford to move up.

Stupid me completely forgot about GC! They're equally as popular and effective in the Honda racing circles I'm use to as well.

Koni definitely makes the best shocks on the market short of Sachs or Ohlins. Billstein non-adjustables are pretty consistent too, but not quite on par with Koni yellows.

 

[Zdrummer15]

Then what is the best option for road course driving "bigmac88"?

Unless you're willing to spend like 3 grand or more, not coilovers.

 

[Strm Trpr]

Then what is the best option for road course driving "bigmac88"?

For Road Racing a DSM, a set of Muellerized JIC FLT-A2's from RRE are the best bang for the buck without stepping up to custom set-ups which cost mega scratch.
You can get them for your car already set-up from their experiences with our cars. Read the following link to it's entirety and report back with your thoughts.
RRE Eclipse JIC Coil Over Suspension Info

Bigmac88 has experience on and off the race track.

I have a set of over the counter Tein Flexes and they're a pretty damn good coilover for the money I paid, $1266 shipped back in 2006.

All mods are all up to date.

I find out this Friday at Thunderhill Raceway in Willows, CA what's really going on since the addition of the RRE Front Under Stress Bar coupled with the Tanabe Front Under Stress Bar, 13.3" Wilwood Rotors w/Wilwood W6A 6 piston calipers w/BP10 brake pads and 255/40/17 Toyo RA-1's on 17x9 Work Emotion CR Kai's...

Should be a kick, in the pants!

 

[Bigmac88]

For Road Racing a DSM, a set of Muellerized JIC FLT-A2's from RRE are the best bang for the buck without stepping up to custom set-ups which cost mega scratch.
You can get them for your car already set-up from their experiences with our cars. Read the following link to it's entirety and report back with your thoughts.
RRE Eclipse JIC Coil Over Suspension Info

Bigmac88 has experience on and off the race track.

I have a set of over the counter Tein Flexes and they're a pretty damn good coilover for the money I paid, $1266 shipped back in 2006.

All mods are all up to date.

I find out this Friday at Thunderhill Raceway in Willows, CA what's really going on since the addition of the RRE Front Under Stress Bar coupled with the Tanabe Front Under Stress Bar, 13.3" Wilwood Rotors w/Wilwood W6A 6 piston calipers w/BP10 brake pads and 255/40/17 Toyo RA-1's on 17x9 Work Emotion CR Kai's...

Should be a kick, in the pants!

If you really work at dialing in the damping or get custom valving done, the Tein Flex can be a decent coil. Minus the factory damping, they are extremely well-built coils.

Dude BTW post up some lap times from Thunderhill! Are you running the hill or the bypass? CW or CCW? You should be able to lay down some decent times on RA-1 and those fat brakes!

 

[dsmdeliveryboy]

For Road Racing a DSM, a set of Muellerized JIC FLT-A2's from RRE are the best bang for the buck without stepping up to custom set-ups which cost mega scratch.
You can get them for your car already set-up from their experiences with our cars. Read the following link to it's entirety and report back with your thoughts.
RRE Eclipse JIC Coil Over Suspension Info

Bigmac88 has experience on and off the race track.

I have a set of over the counter Tein Flexes and they're a pretty damn good coilover for the money I paid, $1266 shipped back in 2006.

All mods are all up to date.

I find out this Friday at Thunderhill Raceway in Willows, CA what's really going on since the addition of the RRE Front Under Stress Bar coupled with the Tanabe Front Under Stress Bar, 13.3" Wilwood Rotors w/Wilwood W6A 6 piston calipers w/BP10 brake pads and 255/40/17 Toyo RA-1's on 17x9 Work Emotion CR Kai's...

Should be a kick, in the pants!

I won't ever run Muellerized JIC's again, my sleeve snapped completely in half and caused my tire to fall into my fender-well ruining brand new Azeni's..

I'm running GC sleeves with AGX struts, I am on the hunt for some Koni Yellows because they actually dis-continued them and no longer make them for 1g's..

And Ksports, Teins, and Megans are all different. The spring rates etc are all different. I've heard good and bad things about them, if it was me I would run the new Megan Racing blue coilovers that just came out or run the BC coilovers(I heard they're the next best thing to JIC's)

 

[my dreamt dsm]

If you like the slam look I would say tein basic. First I thought it was a useless coilover system but once I bought it and drop it only 2 inches it still felt bouncy. I then slam it and it was all good. I guess it's better low because it's made for drop cars meaning it works more efficient. Going over the train tracks at 40mph is a breeze. Not to hard and just the right touch of softness.
I don't have k sports but you dont have to take my word for it. My honda buddies have k sport. Nice because it's basic and has that adjustment level but many of them end up blowing it up for unknown reasons.
Omni on the other hand are very great from the people I know. Many of them like em and say it's worth the price.
Ground control are great but you'll have to buy the right shocks for it... koni imo.
But for my teins I'm happy enough with it to not buy another brand. Stay away from EMusa or something. There's a thread on here about being bad and noisy.
Good luck with your choice!

 

[pboglio]

Ksports blow because people set the damping too stiff.

 

[Strm Trpr]

If you really work at dialing in the damping or get custom valving done, the Tein Flex can be a decent coil. Minus the factory damping, they are extremely well-built coils.

Dude BTW post up some lap times from Thunderhill! Are you running the hill or the bypass? CW or CCW? You should be able to lay down some decent times on RA-1 and those fat brakes!

We're running normal direction turns 1 - 15.
We'll run the cyclone during the morning and the bypass in the afternoon.
I'm also renting a transponder this time too, so I will have lap times.

 

[Strm Trpr]

Well I ran Thunderhill with the new brakes and Toyo RA-1's, and man what a ride.
They didn't offer transponder rentals, so my lap times are going to have to wait until next season.
Next time my passenger will have a stop watch.
I could out brake and out corner pretty much anything in my mixed intermediate class.
I need to dial in a little more camber up front and play around with different tire pressures.

 

[jm1080]

I'm also in the market for coilovers, but am so undecided. I hear bad things about coilovers such as ksports, megans, tein, etc, for a DD. Is it true that Konis w/ GC are much better than true coilovers? I'm all DD and I do not want to feel every bump on the road, etc. The Konis are around 600 dollars, plus GC are 400 dollars, that is more than ksports or megans, which makes me think I should just buy a true coilover setup and be done with it. Opinions?

 

[ViciousLord]

It's all about suspension settings. I've tried different camber settings and Toe settings. Best thing i can say is if you do buy coilovers, head over to a Firestone auto center and get there lifetime alignment plan ($120). You can go there daily and try different settings.

I've used Megan coilovers in the past. And i will buy another set for my GSX.

 

[AWDtalonPt2]

I'd say D2's. They are supposedly the lightest (if you care about weight). My buddy runs them on his Evo and they are impressive. Installation and adjustment is straightforward and the ride is tight but not too harsh for the street.

 

[SpawnedX]

+1 for D2.

Source: Myself. I have them.