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The Coilover Dilema


Ceejay29

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Hi Guys,

 

First of all I would like to apologise for asking the age old question of coilovers; what to buy as there is too much choice.

 

I do actually have a set on the car but feel that these are most definitely cheap (they came with the car). I have the following installed already;

- Eibach front and rear ARB's with bushes.

- Adjustable camber arms front and rear.

- Whiteline adjustable droplinks front and rear.

 

So the next move is to find confidence in the coilover.

 

The Zed is never tracked and I doubt it will be, although at times it is driven hard (within reason). So I would categorise the use as 'fast road'. My budget has always been circa £800 which I believe puts me bang in the middle of the upper/lower threshold when it comes to products. I would rather save for a little longer in order to buy the right kit and have shortlisted the following in accordance to price/desire. Could somebody with experience point me in the right direction; I have no idea what technical information I should comparing or what to expect from each.

 

- KW V3

- Tein Mono Sport

- Eibach Pro Street S

- BC Racing BR

- Torquen S

 

Thanks in anticipation.

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All the above have good reputations from what I have read, what about adding MeisterR to your list they are traders on here.

 

I had BC Racing coilovers on my Skyline and performed admirably well.

Edited by coldel
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All the above have good reputations from what I have read, what about adding MeisterR to your list they are traders on here.

 

I had BC Racing coilovers on my Skyline and performed admirably well.

 

Zeta-S? I did come across a potential group buy, although the boat may have sailed on that one.

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Imho only the monosporta will give a good fast road setup put of those listed.

 

Bc and torquen are very much 'budget'coilovers, ie @*!#.

 

Kw v3 are a track orientated coilover. Theyre very good, dont geg me wrong but theyre designed for track.

 

The monosports have a dual flow valve which only tein and ohlins offer, tbis allows a firm dampening rate but if you hit a big bump the dual flow valve ipens amd softens the suspension thus absorbing the bump better.

Ive got monosports and was really impressed with them and ive had experience of a range of coilover brands

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I am going to stick my next out here and say the Torqens will be a rebranded something (bc or similar etc), so unless they are any cheaper, they are pretty much the same option.

 

Is it the height adjustment that you want or something that will perform well on track/fast road etc

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Imho only the monosporta will give a good fast road setup put of those listed.

 

Bc and torquen are very much 'budget'coilovers, ie @*!#.

 

Kw v3 are a track orientated coilover. Theyre very good, dont geg me wrong but theyre designed for track.

 

The monosports have a dual flow valve which only tein and ohlins offer, tbis allows a firm dampening rate but if you hit a big bump the dual flow valve ipens amd softens the suspension thus absorbing the bump better.

Ive got monosports and was really impressed with them and ive had experience of a range of coilover brands

 

That's a great bit of info Ben. How do the monosports hold up? Did you treat them?

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I am going to stick my next out here and say the Torqens will be a rebranded something (bc or similar etc), so unless they are any cheaper, they are pretty much the same option.

 

Is it the height adjustment that you want or something that will perform well on track/fast road etc

 

Precisely my thoughts; I have also read that eibachs pro streets are rebranded KW's?

 

Well I currently run quite an aggressive drop, but would happily lift it in order to achieve drivability.

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I havent treated them and theyre showing no signs of corrosion or siezing. I bought them second hand off here too, theyre really improved theyre coatings over their old reputation :)

 

Going really low knavkers the roll centres and will make the car roll more despite harder suspension just as a btw

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I have had Teins (varying models) on most of my jdm cars, i have never been disappointed, last set i had were the mono flex and thought they were superb. road and track. However, i did have a set on a mx5, basic streets and on the lowest setting were only like 25mm different on height, ride was quality though.

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While I agree that cheap coilovers can ruin the handling characteristics of a car it would seem to me that is unclear what you want from your coilovers apart from the fact that you don't track it or unlikely to do so.

You seem to have a lot of suspension mods and if set up right with even budget coilovers it should be ok for fast road use and DD.

I've seen it many times that mods are just thrown in but not set up right and results in worse handling. Like Fake Ben pointed out as an example if you lower a car to the point that you adversely change the roll center wrt the center of gravity you will get worse body roll that OEM. Same applies for damping setting, Spring rates and geometry. Not to forget tyres or the negative effect of worn parts like bushes or bent arms etc.

Of the list you put up KW and Tein monoflex sold as Monosport now gets my vote but the rest will be ok for what you are after provided the car is setup right.

Get someone to go over the setup before you start anything or post op more details if you want help.

 

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While I agree that cheap coilovers can ruin the handling characteristics of a car it would seem to me that is unclear what you want from your coilovers apart from the fact that you don't track it or unlikely to do so.

You seem to have a lot of suspension mods and if set up right with even budget coilovers it should be ok for fast road use and DD.

I've seen it many times that mods are just thrown in but not set up right and results in worse handling. Like Fake Ben pointed out as an example if you lower a car to the point that you adversely change the roll center wrt the center of gravity you will get worse body roll that OEM. Same applies for damping setting, Spring rates and geometry. Not to forget tyres or the negative effect of worn parts like bushes or bent arms etc.

Of the list you put up KW and Tein monoflex sold as Monosport now gets my vote but the rest will be ok for what you are after provided the car is setup right.

Get someone to go over the setup before you start anything or post op more details if you want help.

 

Thanks for your input GT4; thought you'd be able to advise. The coilovers I have are showing signs of rust and are very harsh. I am after a set up that allows me to drop the car (not loads) whilst providing confidence in the corners without throwing me everywhere.

 

So would you advise taking the car to a specialist before purchasing in order to establish a way forward? I would definitely pay for a professional set up

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i'm using the BC coil overs at the minute and yes they are at the cheap end of the market but they are good for the money i had a few fitting issues nothing major but not @*!# as they were described but make your own decision :)

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Imho only the monosporta will give a good fast road setup put of those listed.

 

Bc and torquen are very much 'budget'coilovers, ie @*!#.

 

Kw v3 are a track orientated coilover. Theyre very good, dont geg me wrong but theyre designed for track.

 

The monosports have a dual flow valve which only tein and ohlins offer, tbis allows a firm dampening rate but if you hit a big bump the dual flow valve ipens amd softens the suspension thus absorbing the bump better.

Ive got monosports and was really impressed with them and ive had experience of a range of coilover brands

 

Ben, what's a "torquen"? :lol:

 

If you're referring to the TORQEN S or R coilovers, could you elaborate the testing methods used and the length of time for such testing to take place, that made you label our products as "@*!#"?

 

Looking forward to a good long read of an in depth analysis/report.

 

Thanks!

 

 

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Bloody autocorrect adding the u again.

 

Theyre a budget coilover, not even comparable to kw v3 or the Tein monosports...... Yeah i was blunt but I have a dislike of budget coilovers :) My idea of good suspension is worlds different to others, hence bc being labelled a good suspension by some..... Genuinely I just think thats because they dont know any better.

 

If you want to send some my way onve the car is back together I'll happily back to back test them with the monosports and give an honest review if you think they would be comparable.

Or if youve got a shock dyno plot for them to show that might prove theyre comparable.

 

Budget suspension has its place in the market but lets not start making it out to be something it isnt

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