whitetiger Posted August 1, 2011 Share Posted August 1, 2011 Remember that WRXs are dirt cheap these days. Like WT said, a lot of these reviews are coming from suspension noobs. If all you want is a car with somewhat tolerable ride characteristics and slam it, then buy the cheap ones. Find independent shock dyno tests of the $1k coilovers and you'll see where the difference is. speaking of shock dynos, Konis have some of the most consistent shocks dynos around corner to corner. most of the bargain coilovers have as much as 25 percent difference in stiffness per corner. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
wpgspecb Posted August 1, 2011 Author Share Posted August 1, 2011 again, how much of these happy reviewers has had experience with a range of coils? I have driven on several different setups including the BC coils, tarmac 1s tein flex and my current setup is AST 4100 with custom valving and springs. now im not saying you should spend $3200 on a coilover setup, but the tarmac 1s are about the best option you can have with a reasonable budget. Ive got some credit to spend, with a vender from our forum, and it puts the ISC's about 1/2 price of the KW v2's that's why Im on the fence. I'm not looking for a slammed car, although I happy to have a more aggressive stance, thats not my reason for upgrading the suspension. When I quote guys on nasioc, I was talking about the guys with 2010-2011 wrx's and sti's talking about them. There will always be something better for me to buy. Id rather take that $3200 and upgrade the car to an S4 or something else before trying to make the car into something its not. Every time I would upgrade a component on the car, it would just shift the weakest link to something else, and boom I could be into upgrades for tens of thousands easy. If you beleive that ISC's, BC's or any other coil for that matter thats in the "inexpensive" range, is actually worse than stock/koni, then Ill take your word. Im not looking for for my car to be like LittleBlueGT's (which I almost bought) but as I said, if Im going to R&R, Im doing it right, which i guess is answering my own question. Thanks for your input. To be clear... If the car is not to be tracked, but want an aggressive street setup, with longevity the RCE T1's or KW V2s would be good choices? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
whitetiger Posted August 1, 2011 Share Posted August 1, 2011 the RCE T1's are the clear choice then IMO. you can even call RCE and have them give you a different spring rate and valving if you want. to me, thats how to buy a coilover correctly. RCE set my AST 4100s up for me. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
wpgspecb Posted August 1, 2011 Author Share Posted August 1, 2011 RCE setup competitors system for you ? edit: oh they are a manufacturer that also deals others components Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
whitetiger Posted August 1, 2011 Share Posted August 1, 2011 no, they are a vendor for AST as well as KW. afte rall the RCE T1's are just reworked KW V2's Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
wpgspecb Posted August 1, 2011 Author Share Posted August 1, 2011 Oh man the RCE T1s look like what I want, and they are stainless!!! I was about to say they look like Kw v2s Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SpecBGuy Posted August 1, 2011 Share Posted August 1, 2011 Oh man the RCE T1s look like what I want, and they are stainless!!! I was about to say they look like Kw v2s no, they are a vendor for AST as well as KW. afte rall the RCE T1's are just reworked KW V2's :icon_arro;) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bbc84 Posted August 2, 2011 Share Posted August 2, 2011 The RC1 (Custom KW's) won me over because, I dont plan on swapping out the suspension in the winter, and the KW's are stainless and corrosion resistent. So hopefully winter road salt wont eat it up. http://www.kw-suspension.co.uk/salt-spray-test.php Also the reviews about its ride quality are true, so much better than my springs and stock struts. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
LosAngelesLGT Posted August 2, 2011 Share Posted August 2, 2011 ... If you took the car out to the track 7 times and spent $3500 on coilovers, then it cost you $500 each each day to cut maybe a few seconds off your time. Is that worth it to you? Just gotta ask yourself. Go with what's in your budget and fits the bill. The koni setup whitetigdescribes is definitely not a bad deal. But don't rule out "value" coilovers as an option. Ive gotta throw a flag on the play because its this sort of "common sense" gets cheap crap sold to customers. DO YOU ONLY DRIVE YOUR CAR ON THE TRACK? NO Will cheap coils make every girl HATE your car? YES Do you want to ride similar to a slammed Honda or a M-series BMW? no, they are a vendor for AST as well as KW. afte rall the RCE T1's are just reworked KW V2's Maybe sending my KW2 to become RCE T1. 'bout time for a rebuld. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
cybonic Posted August 2, 2011 Share Posted August 2, 2011 over here, not much ppl are using bc even though there is local servicing & warranty here, but it's the most budget bang for buck coils, most will go for KW V2, Ohlins DFV, Aragosta, Cusco 02E or Bilstein B8 w Eibach springs, with deeper pockets Moton or Quantum Racing Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dmanaenk Posted August 2, 2011 Share Posted August 2, 2011 +1 for RCE T1s. If you search the forum - you'll find settings that are better than stock in terms of comfort, yet infinitely more composed. Kinda similar to sport-package BMW. If full new price bites - look for a used set and have them rebuilt. An in Winnipeg stainless steel is a must. If you're looking for lowering - factor in roll-center correction kit into your budget. 666 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
LosAngelesLGT Posted August 2, 2011 Share Posted August 2, 2011 Took me a long time but I got my KW2 for way under a $1000 used but in good shape. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MatsuDano Posted August 2, 2011 Share Posted August 2, 2011 Do you want to ride similar to a slammed Honda or a M-series BMW? . My ride isn't quite so bad. Then again, I've also only known stock ride, my ISC's, and a couple of slammed douchebagWRX's. I might be missing out on something absolutely fantastic but I'm satisfied. Just like anything else with a cheap price tag, just know what you are getting into. Buy a civic because it'll get you from a-b with good gas mileage and low maintenance cost. Get inexpensive coilovers because for the same reasoon. That said, I follow where you are coming from. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
LosAngelesLGT Posted August 2, 2011 Share Posted August 2, 2011 If you were local I'd happily take you for a ride. Dano I can roast most LGT on the forum AND clip a 2" bump in the road without spilling the hot coffee everywhere. That being said, I can just as easily OVERDAMP my coils and make them ride like a Honda on ebay coils. (I am not bagging on Honda guys, I had plenty of Honda filled with mostly functional cheap parts, it was a great learning platform). Money and parts wont fix foolishness nor will a more expensive part make someone a better driver, merely make the car more driveable. EDIT: So IMO, obviously I think the more you DD your car and are on public roads the more you need better coilovers. If you hit the track infrequently you probably wont be able to take advantage of an expensive set of coils so infrequent driving and track use means cheap coils are fine no? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Spec B Posted August 3, 2011 Share Posted August 3, 2011 My BCs are the non inverted and they are okay on the street - They are somewhat harsh but not significanlt more than my lowered setup on Bilsteins. With that said I have not ever had any other coilover (although i have rode in tien Flex setup- seemed to me to ride about the same as my BCs) - I don't know how good the higher end setups are. Based on what I have read, the hgh end stuff are much better and probably worth the money. With that said, my BCs cost me $1G and I have had them for about 20K miles (4 years) and they have held up very well over that time, they handled better than my bilstein Tein H-Tech setup and do not ride obnoxiously harsh or noisily. Of course, I do not AutoX, I wanted better handling and the ability to get my verison of the perfect drop. They worked for well for me and my needs. I think if I would have bought a higher end coilover - I doubt I would be significanly happier than I am with my BCs mainly because I do not track or autoX the car. Bottom line - They handle better than my lowered setup, they allow me to set it to my preffered drop and they have not broken in 20K miles. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
nm Posted August 4, 2011 Share Posted August 4, 2011 Maybe sending my KW2 to become RCE T1. 'bout time for a rebuld. If you're going to get them revalved, it might be worth looking into the whole custom rebuild with a shock dyno thing. If you're in LA, there should be a number of options. Though obviously, this would be a few more bills than some stock stuff. KW themselves are just up the road in Fresburg, and I've heard that they can do quite a bit more than stock (though i don't know for sure). I have about 40k mi on my RCEs including a dozen track days and a few seasons of AX (also, ice racing one winter) and am starting to think about it. They're still doing their job pretty damn well though. ---- I've ridden in cars with cheap coils and my personal opinion is that for less than $1500 (new) or so, you should just buy some bilstiens and some well matched springs. Really, the key to good suspension is good damping, and these cheaper coils really really skimp on damping. Being 23 billion way adjustable just doesn't matter when the damping is crap. I take people who don't track/ax/rally(?) with a grain of salt anyhow. "Firmer" is not better handling, for example, but the average street driver seems to equate this with better handling. Real tracks, parking lots, and even *gas* streets have bumps in them and you need a system to keep the wheel in contact with that surface. An overly hard suspension doesn't do this. If hard suspension did the job, F1 cars wouldn't bother with suspension. Too many cheap coilovers and even shocks (*cough* most anything from Asia *cough*) try to compensate for bad dynamics with high spring rates or stiff shocks. This is a bad thing. clip a 2" bump in the road without spilling the hot coffee everywhere. My cupholders broke 30k mi ago Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SpecBGuy Posted August 4, 2011 Share Posted August 4, 2011 My cupholders broke 30k mi ago how do you break the cup holder? are you talking about the center piece? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
nm Posted August 4, 2011 Share Posted August 4, 2011 how do you break the cup holder? are you talking about the center piece? Basically, the sides of the cupholder have spread so that center piece doesn't lock into place any more. The center bit can move freely. It kind of works, but I wouldn't trust it with coffee. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DocHolladay23 Posted August 4, 2011 Share Posted August 4, 2011 ^ If you take that center piece out you should be able to push the sides and it will snap back together again, that is if it's doing the same thing mine did... [sIGPIC][/sIGPIC] You want stickers? Hit me up here!!! You want a shirt? Hit me up here!!! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bnguyenbb6 Posted August 4, 2011 Share Posted August 4, 2011 Why are people getting coilovers for daily driving and comfort? << AutoX's...ISC's> Koni+HR springs in both daily driving and autoX. The konis were only a tad more comfortable but I feel like the ISC's actually dampen BETTER than the Koni's did. Actually FWIW, I prefer my ISC's with stock sways over my Konis+HR springs+whiteline sways. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
nm Posted August 4, 2011 Share Posted August 4, 2011 ^ If you take that center piece out you should be able to push the sides and it will snap back together again, that is if it's doing the same thing mine did... Tried that, it won't come back together. I'd need to take apart the center console, I think. And I'm a bit lazy. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SpecBGuy Posted August 4, 2011 Share Posted August 4, 2011 well i guess you cant drink coffee in the car for a while unless you get iced coffee! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MatsuDano Posted August 4, 2011 Share Posted August 4, 2011 iced coffee ftmfw! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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