Looking for a good entry level coil over

[Cloud_Strife]

Can anyone recommend any good entry line coils that are affordable for the 240?

[Croustibat]

good, cheap.
chose one.

The less expensive coilover i found that does its job at making the car handle is the fortune auto 500. You can get them for around 1200$ excluding shipping, which is quite cheaper than i bought them last year.

If you just want the look and don't care about handling, pick any 300$ coilover, it won't matter much.

[TheRealSy90]

Fortune Auto 500's. Hands down the best performing entry level coilover and very affordable.

[Cloud_Strife]

Interesting, I've never heard of them. My main concern is that the previous owner had stock suspension with BIGGER coils. So the car looks like a rally car, it's ridiculous. I'm really just planning on it being a DD for now, and I think ebays will handle just as well if not better than now.. I would just get springs but I'm sure the stock struts are completely blown.

[Cloud_Strife]

I was thinking of these:

http://www.ebay.com/itm/TOKICO-HP-BL...ab9279&vxp=mtr

(especially if I can get away with 300 for an offer)

Or these:
http://www.ebay.com/itm/89-90-91-92-...62c65c&vxp=mtr

What do you guys think? Are these just bolt on? Don't have a compressor so can't mess with that..

[Croustibat]

Friend of mone has tein mono flex. Since he tried my car with FA500s, he wants to sell them to get FAs

Before buying FAs, you need to fill a form with your intended use and current car setup. They will advise on the spring stiffness and offer different hydraulics depending on usage (street, trackdays, track only, drag). And although they still use an entry level hydraulic system, they maanged to make a digressive valving out of it (meaning they handle both high speed and low speed bumps correctly). The bump/rebound ratio is also set properly. It is in no way superior to a KW V3 or penske 3way coilovers, but that is not the same price either.

Usual low price coilovers have a bad bump/rebound ratio, meaning you can set only 1 correctly ... so the car will either tramline on perfect road and break your spine everywhere else, or will break your spine slightly less on not so perfect road and be all over the road when the suspension moves. Buy cheap buy twice. I did, then i spend 1500€ on FA500s.

A cheaper good handling solution is this : for around 800$ you can get swift springs (which are the best spring makers ever, period) and kyb agx struts all round. that setup will beat any sub 1200$ coilover both in handling and comfort hands down.

[e1_griego]

You're in portland. If you need a suspension tutorial there is a group of us that have dinner every thurs night in tualatin. Happy to hold your hand and walk you through building a 240.

[Croustibat]

Originally Posted by Cloud_Strife

I was thinking of these:

http://www.ebay.com/itm/TOKICO-HP-BL...ab9279&vxp=mtr

(especially if I can get away with 300 for an offer)

Or these:
http://www.ebay.com/itm/89-90-91-92-...62c65c&vxp=mtr

What do you guys think? Are these just bolt on? Don't have a compressor so can't mess with that..

I would not buy second hand hydraulics, but that is a just me.

Both are oem replacement. The GR2 is meant to be a bit harder but is supposed to be used with oem springs, it wont take abuse without blowing.

It depends on what you want to do with the car. I'd take the cheapest of the 2 for a daily without abuse. For anything performance oriented i'd stay away.

[Ilya]

The suspension you have now is better than any sub $1200 of the shelf coilover you can buy. Yes your car is high and sways when you turn, but a shitty coilover handles even worse. Plus any girl you drive in your car more than once on your "Entry Level" coilover will decide that she wants to drive her self or she will pick YOU up, ask me how I know.

[Wheel Lounge]

BC Coils hands down! IMO The best option.

[TheRealSy90]

He's asking for entry level stuff lol. Hell if he wants the good shit i'd recommend DG-5/GPSports myself. I love mine.

[e1_griego]

There is a local guy that has a set of fortunes he'll be selling here in a bit.

Come out Thursday and meet some folks.

[Cloud_Strife]

You guys aren't like the EVO guys in Initial D are you?

[e1_griego]

As long as you're not like every other local drift shit head.

[pancakes]

Originally Posted by e1_griego

You're in portland. If you need a suspension tutorial there is a group of us that have dinner every thurs night in tualatin. Happy to hold your hand and walk you through building a 240.

OP, jump on this opportunity

[Cloud_Strife]

He sounds fun enough to not handle a joke.

[e1_griego]

lol ok.

Well PM me if you want the details.

[Cloud_Strife]

Here ya go griego:

http://youtu.be/-aRVPo-sAUc
Look forward to showing up awkwardly sometime

[e1_griego]

I've seen all of Initial D a few times, c'mon now

Used to be mandatory viewing to be involved with 240s. Most everyone now hasn't seen it, it seems like.

[Cloud_Strife]

The funny part is me and my old buddy used to watch them and get drunk after working on either of our cars. Car work and drinking= I don't even remember the 180sx or 240 intro.

[e1_griego]

Really though, cheap and good are mutually exclusive when it comes to suspension.

A set of koni yellows and some coilover sleeves is prob the most cost effective. Or a set of AGX and lowering springs.

If you want to spend more than that, then a custom solution is almost always going to be better than what you can buy off the shelf.

Fortunately you live in the right area to make this sort of stuff happen

[S14DB]

Just bring the fava beans!

[jedi03]

I used to run Tokiko blues with h & r springs really nice an super cheap I currently have powered by Max an I got the expensive ones for 1300...they also have set for 1000...rides super smooth! Also nice and grippy with setup!

[angel mkiv]

Gtr garage is local and they carry the dmax coilovers which were about 800$ I beleive..not 100% sure but better then most at that price

[nick Ritter]

are the fortune autos really that good ? I've never even heard of them up until a month ago...

[e1_griego]

Best of the rest.

A koni yellow/coilover sleeve combo will out-do all the <$1300 coilovers, but it takes some effort to put together, and you can't get them in whatever your favorite color is.

If you're buying your first set of coilovers and/or just drifting, they're probably fine.

[AJZax]

fortune auto 500 series.

HANDS DOWN the best bang for buck.

They are outstanding.

[Croustibat]

Originally Posted by nick Ritter

are the fortune autos really that good ? I've never even heard of them up until a month ago...

IMHO this is caused by these coilies positionning.

The FA500s are way better stuff than the usual crap people buy, but still not good enough for serious racers that require 3 way coilies.

Zilvians are better known for slammed cars and the cheapest stuff you could buy than making reliable, powerful gripping cars. Most cars here have suspensions that wont move because they use PU bushes that are binded hard, uncorrected suspension geometry with tons of bump steer and toe steer, and cheap coilovers with blocked hydraulics or ultra hard crappy springs. Put functionnal coilovers and the car will be all over the road instead of just being very twitchy.

Even then, FA 500s are too expensive for them (even with the current cut down in price).

But if you head down to some serious racing forums, you will hear about penske, moton, nitron, koni inserts in coilover sleeves, kw v3 and so on. Simply put, these ARE better than FA500s. And they should, because they are at least twice as expensive.

My opinion is the FA500s are "stuck" in the place where someone would want a finely working suspension that can handle day to day driving and trackday performance, without the usual wear rate of race items (nor their performance, again).

To my knowledge, the FA500s are the cheapest WORKING suspension available on the market, and they are actually pretty good. They already were when the price tag was around 1500$. I recall they also offer a 5year warranty, complete parts availability, with possible upgrades (better hydraulics, swift springs, bearing mounts, additionnal testing ...). That kind of service usually comes with a higher price tag.

[bmaddock]

Originally Posted by Wheel Lounge

BC Coils hands down! IMO The best option.

+1 for an entry level coilover. Ive had BC Racing BR coilovers for some time now and really enjoy them. I actually live right next to Fortune Auto so i can attest to them being a good coilover and awesome customer service as well, but at the time i couldnt stretch the $400 more dollars for FA when i got a hook up with the guys at BC and got them shipped to me for $800.

GL buying, i had no clue Zilvia loved Fortune so much. They totally deserve it, just cool to see a 'local' brand get big.

[TheRealSy90]

Being that fortune have a pretty big presence in the Time Attack scene, I think they know how to make a functional coilover as well...