coilover thread to end it all

[ZX88]

i decided to create this thread because i noticed that every week we get the same question "What are good coilovers?" or "what should i buy?" Instead of us wasting space on zilvia creating new threads on the same topic why not create a thread that will inform a noob to help them decide what coilover they should get.

-This is just a list of different companies that make coilovers for our car i categorized the list based on information from past threads and from reading review on this site as well a NICO.

companies

----Price is not directly proportional to the quality------

Expensive sets($$$$$$$)($1500-$2600)

- Swift
-Super March

-Sard
- Gt Spec

-Toda Racing
- Type FS

-Cusco
-Comp Zero-2(R)
-Comp Zero-1
-Apexi
-

-JIC
- Magic FLT-A2

-Tein
- RA
- RE
- RS
-Kei office
-( discontinued but can be found used) warning no rebuilds

-Zeal
- Super function
- Function xs
- Function x
- Function D

-Yashiro factory
- http://www.yashiofactory.co.jp/

-HKS
- Hipermax DRAG
- Hipermax RS

-Tanabe
- Sustec Pro SEVEN

-Buddy club
-P1 Racing Damper

-KW
-Variant 3

-Apexi
- N1 Damper Pro
- N1 Damper Type V

- G6R


__________________________________________________ _______________________

Midrange sets[( budget friendly and really good)($1100-$1499)

-Stance
- GR+
- GR+ PRO

- G-Master

-Tanabe
- Pro SS Type II
- Sustec Pro S-S

-Power by max
- Competition coilover

-Tein
- Flex
- Super DRIFT SideWay Master

-JIC
-Magic SF-1
-Magic FLT-A1

-Silkroad
- RM/A8
- Section

-Greddy
- Type S

-KTS

-BC -
- BR
-RS-R
- Sports I

- Cusco
- Comp-S

-Ksport
- GT pro damper
- Kontrol drift

-Apexi
-N-1 Damper ExV

__________________________________________________ _________________

Cheap stuff ( usually below $1000)

-Apexi
- World Sport Damper

- Tein
-super street
- basics

- STANCE
- GR Basic

- Ground control
- coilover sleeves and decent shock combo

- Buddy club
-N+ Spec

- Tanabe
-Pro S-OC Type II

-Megan
- Track
- Street

-Ksport
-kontrol

-KBee

-NEX
- GT
- SS

unknown brands

-Motorwerks

stuff that never should be used
-ebay coilovers sleeves
-aerospeed sleeves
- in fact any sleeves besides the ground control ones should never be installed.

Where/ Who to buy from

On Zilvia

-Any of Zilvia.nets Approved advertisers located in the advertiser directory
-Group Buys (forums) "check the review forums to see how good the seller is"
-For sale Forum

Websites
( these three companies pretty much have all the brands mentioned above)

-http://www.240sxmotoring.com
-http://www.phase2motortrend.com
-http://www.aspecproducts.com/default.asp

Disclaimer when buying used coilovers

-the gamble with buying used coilovers say over ebay is that you never really know what the condition the shocks are in. Even though they might seem cheaper chances are that they have been ridden hard and will most likely need a rebuild. Rebuilds can be costly especially if the coilover is discontinued or you have to ship it out to japan/etc. Unless you are 100 percent sure of the condition of the coilovers i would not bother buying used rusty coilovers over ebay/etc. Nothing is worse than bouncing around on blown shocks.

This thread is pretty open if anyone else have any other brand that they know feel free to post and if you have it give us a review on what you think.

Post your reviews like this

Company:__________________
Model:______________________
Review:__________________


More info on certain brand/models and on coilovers in general.

http://en.wikibooks.org/wiki/Nissan_...ilover_reviews

http://driftkat.com/Nissan240SXCoilovers.php

[Bobafreak]

i give you one good rep my friend this is a good post.

[x'ed]

Glad to see im getting some changes made around here, lol, whatever the cause may be.

[Matej]

The quality isn't necessarily directly proportional to the price.
Also, there are other things to consider, such as warranty, support for rebuilds in the U.S., and etc.

[ayuaddict]

i didnt see KTS anywhere on that list...maybe you should add it.

[MomentumGT]

Maybe add Buddy Club P1 Racing Damper to the top list along with the Racing Spec Damper. And the N+ Spec to the "Cheap Stuff" but decent list. My experience with BC has been pretty good as of late. Also add KW as well

Also maybe add a Grip/Road Race/Top of the Line list as well. Starting with Progress, Moton, Penske, etc...

Good post!

-Jon

[BAY240]

awesome nice thread i keep researching old threads for this exact information. you helped out a ton and actually kept me from making a horrible mistake!

also what do you guys recomend for a college student not makin any money but a budget of about a grand? i have a blown stock shock and the tension rods need to be replaced too. my car will be my DD and its going to see a lot more road than track.

Thanx

[AceInHole]

You forgot to post about stuff that actually works.

High end:
Ohlins/ JRZ/ Penske: Currently no off the shelf model. Not expecting 240 owners to look towards these anyways as they: a. actually work, and b. actually cost money. Ohlins did bolt on stuff for the S13 and S14, not available in the US, though.

Moton
Motorsport: $5500 to $11000
Available in 2-way, 3-way, and 4-way adjustable, external reservoir shocks/ struts. They have probably the largest range of adjustment, with an equally impressive damper setup. Among the features is a blow-off-valve system which allows large bumps/ impacts to go by without upsetting the car.
Clubsport:$Unkown (No app listed for Nissan, but I'm assuming they could be custom made for around the cost of the Evo/ Sti app).
Cheaper version of Moton Motorsport shocks, which still retains a large adjustment range. Double adjustable shock with external reservoirs.

Koni:
28-series: $5500
Aluminum body double adjustable monotube shocks/ struts.
Available through most shops that do custom setups, although I believe TrueChoice has already made a set. Proven through SCCA National level autocross on Jason Rhoades' STS winning car.
86-series: $2000 w/GC perches/ springs
Double adjustable twin tube shocks. Not as digressive, but huge range in damping. Modular setup allows easy replacement/ rebuilding. My front struts currently have 11kg springs on them, with damping adjusters at 1/3 from soft, and they're just a bit overdamped.
Yellows:$1100 w/GC perches/ springs
Single adjustable twin tube shocks. Very digressive, but not quite as capable of higher springrates as the 86 series. I've run up to 8kg springs on the yellows and the seem to hold up fine.
I run these personally with close to 11/ 8 kg springs (F/R).

Bilstein
Cost unknown, although from Wiisass' review they'd be around $1200- $1500 with springs/ perches. I've seen what looked like a PSS9 setup for an S14 around but most of the stuff is from Europe or Japan.



My pick: I'm currently running Koni 8611's up front, with Yellows in back. I'm on 11kg/ 8kg springs, and my ride comfort is pretty decent. It's probably equivolent to a JDM coilover setup on 8kg/ 6kg in terms of harshness, although with less "bounce". My setup including springs and camber plates would run about $1800.

What I'd get next:
I've seen extremely good results with Ohlins. Mark Daddio's Evo is on roughly 800lb springs (14kg) up front. It weighs only slightly more than my S14 (i've heard he's near the 2800 mark) and it rides amazingly smooth. I've yet to hitch a ride with a Moton shod car, but from what I hear it's the basic upgrade for Porsche owners, and a lot of BMW racers run them as well, with fantastic results. Both companies offer solutions that should land in the sub $5000 range.

[Bobafreak]

woot woot. i thought kei office went out of business though? Someone inform me.

[ZX88]

kie office has stop making there coilovers but you can find them used.

http://www.driftfactory.com/keifaq.php

[ZX88]

Originally Posted by BAY240

awesome nice thread i keep researching old threads for this exact information. you helped out a ton and actually kept me from making a horrible mistake!

also what do you guys recomend for a college student not makin any money but a budget of about a grand? i have a blown stock shock and the tension rods need to be replaced too. my car will be my DD and its going to see a lot more road than track.

Thanx

tein SS and basic would be under 1000 and are decent you wont be able to slam your ride but it will be lower and you can preload the springs. they don't have any camber plate either so you have to use your old boots.save up a little more and get stance or other mid range coilovers.that will allow you to adjust more things.

[Aoshi112]

Don't forget about KW Variant 3's. They're about 1700ish. Highly decorated coilovers recommended by Robi of Robispec. Lots of evos run them with great results.

[aznpoopy]

this is a good guide as to prices, but doesn't really get into the meat of what makes one coilover better than another (all other options being equal)... the shock.

few here have the technical background (or the money and resources) to make a really objective in-depth evaluation (or dyno) of every shock that comes in every coilover. and most people wouldn't understand it anyway. hell i know i don't. so i would take the list with a pinch of salt.

[ZenkiKid]

+ Repp on the thread. Yeah used coilovers are a gamble, so far it looks like i won my gamble on my gab sport revo stroke 2s. Over a year and still strong!!

[Wiisass]

Originally Posted by aznpoopy

this is a good guide as to prices, but doesn't really get into the meat of what makes one coilover better than another (all other options being equal)... the shock.

few here have the technical background (or the money and resources) to make a really objective in-depth evaluation (or dyno) of every shock that comes in every coilover. and most people wouldn't understand it anyway. hell i know i don't. so i would take the list with a pinch of salt.

I would love to do this, but the logistics of it make things pretty impossible. It would require cooperation from the manufacturers or distributors and then the costs of dyno time and fixtures to mount the dampers on a dyno. But it would allow for objective analysis of the many available options on the market. Who knows if the higher priced JDM dampers have the same valving as the lower priced stuff or where the valving is in relation to where it should be.

But there's a good chance it would never happen.

[TheSquidd]

Yeah would never happen, because I guarantee half of those coil overs all come from the same damn factory in Taiwan. Mine included. No company wants to see that kind of information become common knowledge.

My main thing is who the hell is giving the review?

So far, the reviews posted are wholeheartedly trustworthy, but if we could avoid the whole:

"Oh yeah I bought some Megan Racing coil overs, they drift good, stiff, I slammed my car!"

type of review, it'd be great.

Please, only people that know what a coil over does and should do post reviews. People that have tested the coil overs in an environment where their performance MATTERS (drift, time trial, SCCA, auto-x) This excludes me as well since I don't know the first thing about suspension.

Links to other sites, as basis for some of the claims for the reviews, would also be excellent.

you might want to add these http://cgi.ebay.com/ebaymotors/S13-o...QQcmdZViewItem

there super cheap so someone is going to ask about them.

[AceInHole]

Originally Posted by Wiisass

I would love to do this, but the logistics of it make things pretty impossible. It would require cooperation from the manufacturers or distributors and then the costs of dyno time and fixtures to mount the dampers on a dyno. But it would allow for objective analysis of the many available options on the market. Who knows if the higher priced JDM dampers have the same valving as the lower priced stuff or where the valving is in relation to where it should be.

But there's a good chance it would never happen.

Dennis Grant claims to have done something similar.

http://farnorthracing.com/autocross_secrets6.html

[Okinawandrifter87]

Kei Office is continued but I think he is making a new line called Dg5? Someone correct me if I am wrong thanks, just trying to contribute to this helpful thread.

[Antihero983]

dont forget that if your coilovers dont come with camber plates, you can usually buy them, and if you keep your strut/spring setup i believe cusco makes camper plates for the front for that setup.

[robtheflyer]

Just came across a website the other day and was surprised by some names of the coilovers they had for s14s. Sard GT Spec and Swift Super Mach, pretty rare and I wonder if they would be as good as I think they are. Don't forget Silk Road.. heard some good reviews about those.

http://www.autornd.com/catalog/index...e9c57d69216ee6

[usdm180sx]

Kei office is now DG-5. Bad ass and just as expensive. I would also add Tein Mono Flex to the middle range price list

[Silvia_S13]

move the MAX coilovers to 1000> as they only cost 1000, and are great coilovers especially for the price. ALL my friends run these, me included, and i know of people selling 1400+$ coilovers jus to get the max ones.

great post.

[Wiisass]

Originally Posted by AceInHole

Dennis Grant claims to have done something similar.

http://farnorthracing.com/autocross_secrets6.html

I'm a fan of what Dennis wrote. It's a good guide based on actual experience and what seems like mostly unbiased reports. I mean if you really want good track coilovers, look at what real race teams and privateers are running. There aren't many using JDM coilovers and if there are, there's a good chance they're either revalved and tested. Or there's a good chance, they could be faster if they were using better shocks.

But I also agree with Squidd, who is giving these reviews. No offense meant, but I don't trust the detailed suspension reviews of many people on this site. It's not that I don't think the people know what they're feeling, it's that I think they don't have a good benchmark to compare their current setup to. Not many people have actually driven and raced on a well setup damper system. That's not saying that people don't know how it should feel, but some people aren't experienced enough to give a good review. Saying coilovers are harsh could mean many different things and may be misconstrued as something else. Which is what I've seen on paper when comparing the MAX plots to people's feedback.

[Aoshi112]

Originally Posted by Wiisass

I'm a fan of what Dennis wrote. It's a good guide based on actual experience and what seems like mostly unbiased reports. I mean if you really want good track coilovers, look at what real race teams and privateers are running. There aren't many using JDM coilovers and if there are, there's a good chance they're either revalved and tested. Or there's a good chance, they could be faster if they were using better shocks.

But I also agree with Squidd, who is giving these reviews. No offense meant, but I don't trust the detailed suspension reviews of many people on this site. It's not that I don't think the people know what they're feeling, it's that I think they don't have a good benchmark to compare their current setup to. Not many people have actually driven and raced on a well setup damper system. That's not saying that people don't know how it should feel, but some people aren't experienced enough to give a good review. Saying coilovers are harsh could mean many different things and may be misconstrued as something else. Which is what I've seen on paper when comparing the MAX plots to people's feedback.

I wholeheartedly agree as well

[keioffice]

edited edit

[aznpoopy]

it goes farther than that. it says some of those uber high end japanese coilover shocks are complete and utter trash... and then it gives you ten reasons why.

[x'ed]

Originally Posted by aznpoopy

it goes farther than that. it says some of those uber high end japanese coilover shocks are complete and utter trash... and then it gives you ten reasons why.

like which ones?

[aznpoopy]

its always good to get another point of view
just read it
he even labels it 1-10
he has another section that defines "crap" 1-6

[glitched]

This list is half useless as half the names are either mis categorized or are basically saying all of a companies models of coilovers fall into a certain category.

the autocross secrets linked above is far more usefull. most JDM stuff is the same crap, outsourced manufacturer's, rebranding , etc etc....