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The Cheap Coilover Thread, Pros & Cons...


WaspGT

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Copying and pasting from the basic google search homepages of the mfr's is not research. Research is buying the c/o and comparing them side by side.:)

 

I agree with you 150%, buddy... but sadly enough, i'm not working with your type of bankroll:(

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STD R7 Time Attack Coilovers- $1899.00

 

Anyone ever heard of these?

 

http://cdn2.importimageracing.com/media/catalog/product/cache/1/image/700x700/17f82f742ffe127f42dca9de82fb58b1/r/7/r71.jpg

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Cusco ZERO-2E Sport Coilovers-$2640.60

Not so cheap coilovers...

http://cdn2.importimageracing.com/media/catalog/product/cache/1/image/265x/9df78eab33525d08d6e5fb8d27136e95/s/c/screen_shot_2011-10-23_at_11.16.56_pm_2.png

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Fortune Auto 500 Series Coilover set- $1199.99

 

http://cdn2.importimageracing.com/media/catalog/product/cache/1/image/265x/9df78eab33525d08d6e5fb8d27136e95/f/o/fortune_auto_500_series_1_6.jpg

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Or we can just get jiggy with it:lol:

K-Sport Deluxe Air Ride Suspension Set Up- $3,060.00

 

http://cdn2.importimageracing.com/media/catalog/product/cache/1/image/700x700/17f82f742ffe127f42dca9de82fb58b1/t/i/timthumb_12.jpeg

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STD R7 Time Attack Coilovers- $1899.00

 

Anyone ever heard of these?

 

http://cdn2.importimageracing.com/media/catalog/product/cache/1/image/700x700/17f82f742ffe127f42dca9de82fb58b1/r/7/r71.jpg

 

:lol: Brand name fail

 

He said "STD".

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:yeahthat:

 

Cusco ZERO-2E Sport Coilovers-$2640.60

Not so cheap coilovers...

 

In a world where KWv2 and RCEt1 exist and are US rebuildable, why spend more on a JDM coil? Anyone know if Cusco's are rebuildable in the US or if you have to send them overseas? Don't get me wrong, not knocking Cusco (except maybe their thin aluminum camber plates on anything except a all out t/a car). I am running a lot of their static parts (have had braces, plates, sways, etc). I just don't know if there is a real market for those Zero2E in the LGT community in the face of KW/RCE.

 

Wish they made KWv3 for the 4thGLGT but thats not a cheap c/o thread topic.

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735103_502266459832204_424662806_n.jpg

LosAngelesLGT on AST 4100 riding the kerb, but still very flat with lots of tire contact. Attached picture shows the car turning in very flat (not on kerb).

 

Attached pic of my car on BC Racing c/o in a banked turn lifting the inside tire.

 

Keep in mind, the sedan is running nearly stock height. The wagon is severely dropped (1 finger clearance). The wagon has healthy preload set and is raked several degrees. Both vehicles are at nearly the same speed, +/- 10 mph.

 

Net/net. You can run fast on both, however, in mine I have to take a different line than the sedan. If I hit kerbing, I'm hosed (car unweights and gets very loose). Bumps or wavy pavement is unsettling, as well.

 

I've driven this same track (as wagon) in a caged/built WRX STi with Tein Basics. In the same spots that I had issues with my BC Racing c/o not "working", the Basics had similar issues. I've not driven the STi since they upgraded the c/o.

 

If the sedan & wagon ran the same track with the same driver:

1. track is smooth and time to run is short, the cars would be close in time.

2. track is bumpy and time doesnt matter, the sedan should be much faster.

3. track is smooth and time is long, the sedan should be faster.

 

2 & 3 are important because the cheap c/o will heat up and/or not have enough capacity to handle the lap after lap pounding.

1 would be a toss up depending on how short the time and how good the driver. An extremely good driver will be able to push both vehicles to their absolute limit the entire time. The cheap c/o is going to exhaust the driver more quickly than the more expensive set, as the concentration is takes to hold the line will be more.

 

I realize this all about tracking and shouldn't apply to the DD, however, it does. If a c/o cant handle a lapping day, it wont inspire confidence in the DD'er that the suspension will handle the one emergency situation. That most DD'ers who run cheap coils never goto the track, is their loss. What's the point of buying a suspension upgrade unless you go check it out in a safe environment to find out what you gained?

 

/soapbox

Turn15.jpg.4bf9a1e2d58d4a28a262249dbec5ea67.jpg

apex.jpg.ae68cfe9a3e7c4767153ecbda6ea68b0.jpg

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The more I ride in the wagon (especially after the track day in the Miata), the more I realize the BC c/o were really a bad choice. That said, I knew I was skimping on quality when I bought them. I knew I would be making a choice at season's end to either buy a racecar or build an uber-wagon.

 

Still doesnt change the fact, I wish I had bought the AST 5200. Lots of coin, but would have been the right choice. The rest would have been a slippery slope, like some other guy on this forum. :-)

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Max if I go to LA with the LGT again I'm gonna make sure to get a track day. Even though I'm stock :p will def have the Konis and Epics

 

If you goto LA for a track day with Max, we should get a few others to show up. There's nothing like LGTs mixing it up on the track with normal cars. Wolves in sheep's clothing comes to mind. I'd fly down and rent a POS to drive.

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Max if I go to LA with the LGT again I'm gonna make sure to get a track day. Even though I'm stock :p will def have the Konis and Epics

 

C/o are not needed for track. NOTHING is needed for track except a desire to track. Nearly ANYTHING can be fun on the track as long as its not likely to roll. Body roll has a lot less to do with traction than you think. Likely I'd be able to scare you in your own car.

 

Still doesnt change the fact, I wish I had bought the AST 5200.

 

Me too but the 4100 were enough to make Whitetiger really fast and 5300 would have bumped me out of my class. If I get to the point I "need" 5200, I need to consider take the LGT off the track for competiton, use it for HPDE/fun and get a dedicated track car like a S2k.

 

LOL @ no need for KWv2 unless its a track car.:spin:

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Max if I go to LA with the LGT again I'm gonna make sure to get a track day. Even though I'm stock :p will def have the Konis and Epics

 

As Max says, you can run stock on the track. This is my wagon on Michelin Pilot Sport All seasons, stock everything, including roof rack and sno-park permit (had done snowshoeing the day before) - http://legacygt.com/forums/vbpgimage.php?do=thumb&p=5622&d=1328695311.

 

Running your LGT stock on the track will be an eye-opening experience. Mostly from the "I didnt think my car would do that" point of view.

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Me too but the 4100 were enough to make Whitetiger really fast and 5300 would have bumped me out of my class. If I get to the point I "need" 5200, I need to consider take the LGT off the track for competiton, use it for HPDE/fun and get a dedicated track car like a S2k.

 

I looked at Whitetiger's 4100s seriously when the BC's werent cutting it. However, the issue I was having wasnt going to be fixed by the 4100's either. I need/want a "2" or "3" series to get further adjustability to get rid of the backend squat and few other annoying cornering issues. However, like your comment, its hard to justify the expense when there are so many better suited cars.

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LALGT & Boxkita, thank you for posting those track pics and comments. I'd love to go to the track... if there was one around here. I used to drag at the Epping Drag Strip here in NH back in day... but i haven't been in years... and no, i've never owned a "10 sec car".;)
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I don't even agree that cheap coilovers are 'fine' for daily-drivers, unless you crawl around and avoid bumps.

 

I've tuned cars with about half the low-end coilovers featured in this little advertising supplement. I often tune on the same elevated section of highway since there's a light at the bottom of it which controls the traffic heading up there, which allows me to make WOT 4th gear pulls along it without worrying about slower traffic ahead. The ramp up to the top has a nasty expansion joint followed immediately by a dip about a meter long and the full width of the roadway.

 

The cheapest coilovers, like the Yellow Speed / STD / Racing Logic etc. will have the rear of the car kick so violently at higher speeds that the wheels will become airborne. I usually have to keep it down to 60~70kph to prevent this.

 

The better coilovers like the KW / better BC / high-end Teins are much more controllable though still uncomfortable. On these I can pass the hurdle at 80~90kph.

 

Fixed-perch systems with quality struts like Bilstein or Koni, with or without lowering springs, will go over this section at 100kph with only the slightest of upsets and the only reason I haven't tried it at higher speeds is the proximity of the stop light and how much turbo the cars are installed with.

 

The owners often ride shotgun with me while I tune and are dismayed at how badly their cars perform over this section vs. my (cheaper) Koni setup. At least a dozen so far have ditched their cheapo coilovers as a result of that comparison.

Obligatory '[URL="http://legacygt.com/forums/showthread.php/2008-gh8-238668.html?t=238668"]build thread[/URL]' Increased capacity to 2.7 liters, still turbo, but no longer need spark plugs.
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One of the main reasons that i need to tighten up my suspension is that the LGT's ass end sinks to the ground when i launch... i believe it's called squatting (which in turn requires more anti-squat?)? And because of this the car wallows at higher speeds particularly while corning. Or are those bike terms?:lol:

All i know is that i like lower, maybe not slammed, but definately lower, and much stiffer. The car rides way too soft for me, it feels like a Chevy!

I like the set of KW's in my Golf, i'm seriously considering buying a set for my LGT. Lifetime rebuilds? The KW's eventually pay for themselves.

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If I get to the point I "need" 5200, I need to consider take the LGT off the track for competiton, use it for HPDE/fun and get a dedicated track car like a S2k.

 

Out of all the amazing cars you could choose... why choose Johnny Tran?

 

http://memimage.cardomain.com/ride_images/3/2013/3601/30031800001_large.jpg

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