Need Help! Help me find "STREETable" coilovers for DD/Freeway runner

[D1S13]

I see many different vendors come out with coilovers, but they all seem to be "drifting" coilovers.

According to your opinion give advice and quality street able coilovers, i frequently drive through CA, NV, and AZ- Lots of driving.......

even if you just post a name so i can do further research.

so far i know of; BUT which are the most "streetable" and not as ridged?

TEIN Basic $1000
Stance GR $1200
K Sport KP $800
Megan $900
Tanabe II $800
Footwerks $850
Greddy $1400
Cusco $1700
D-Maxx $1100
Function2 $1100

[Infamax]

Like it's been said many times... search.

In the search bar type in the name of the coilover you want to search for and type review behind it.

Example: You want to search for Tein Basics type in, in the search bar, " Tein Basics Reviews"

Do that, take notes, and compare. It's easy. :)

[GSXRJJordan]

The quality of a coilover, in my opinion, is in the range of damping - meaning, the quality coilovers are actually pretty soft/forgiving on 'full soft', and every coilover is kidney-pounding, chassis-flexing-stiff on 'full stiff'.

Cheap coilovers are stiff all the time, and the damping curves don't match enough of the time to ride 'well'/smooth. Full soft on cheap coils is very bouncy, or stiff for no reason (not improving traction in any way).

I would throw Tein Basics right out the window - they suck all around.

Megan/Ksport blow.

Stance GR+ is a great pick, as are Dmax - they both ride very well at/near full soft.

Some of the higher end Greddy stuff is good, don't know about the cheapies - I would assume it's the same as Apexi/HKS/etc - a lot of the JDM brands are made by the same people and are essentially similar products. Hit/miss as to whether it'll ride well at full soft, in my opinion.

I'm exhausted, and can't keep going down the list - best thing is to actually ride in some people's cars with 8k/6k coils, and tell them to set their coils at or near full soft and see how it feels. Really bouncy (like a Civic with cut springs) is bad, and still jarringly stiff is bad.

[D1S13]

The quality of a coilover, in my opinion, is in the range of damping - meaning, the quality coilovers are actually pretty soft/forgiving on 'full soft', and every coilover is kidney-pounding, chassis-flexing-stiff on 'full stiff'.

Cheap coilovers are stiff all the time, and the damping curves don't match enough of the time to ride 'well'/smooth. Full soft on cheap coils is very bouncy, or stiff for no reason (not improving traction in any way).

I would throw Tein Basics right out the window - they suck all around.

Megan/Ksport blow.

Stance GR+ is a great pick, as are Dmax - they both ride very well at/near full soft.

Some of the higher end Greddy stuff is good, don't know about the cheapies - I would assume it's the same as Apexi/HKS/etc - a lot of the JDM brands are made by the same people and are essentially similar products. Hit/miss as to whether it'll ride well at full soft, in my opinion.

I'm exhausted, and can't keep going down the list - best thing is to actually ride in some people's cars with 8k/6k coils, and tell them to set their coils at or near full soft and see how it feels. Really bouncy (like a Civic with cut springs) is bad, and still jarringly stiff is bad.

thanks for the info.
I was looking for personal opinions as much as possible;

I've been able to ride in my buddies Hatch w/ Tein Super street and another with s14 with D-Max, the D-max were way to bouncy but that's because he is slammed and probably on super stiff.

Thanks for the advice ill see if we can change the damping rate before deciding.

[D1S13]

Like it's been said many times... I BLOW! :)

Always has to be one idiot to start with dickheadedness :bash::fawkd:
:madfawk:

[zTheStig]

i would suggest KB coilovers but its kinda hard to get your hands on them now cuz i think they stopped shipping to US after the pirate incident LOL but i know a friend with the tanabe S-0C and he really liked them its really comfortable is your looking for something with handling and comfort.

[D1S13]

i would suggest KB coilovers but its kinda hard to get your hands on them now cuz i think they stopped shipping to US after the pirate incident LOL but i know a friend with the tanabe S-0C and he really liked them its really comfortable is your looking for something with handling and comfort.

i had JIC and Apexi on my track cars and K-Sports on my old weekend warrior, but it seems like the vendors are making the newer versions mainly for "track" use or thats how they always adverstise. Just do want a bouncy ride for this daily, never really had a 240 dd mostly weekend only cars

[Leo-kun]

Get D-max. When you set them to full soft it feels like stock suspension, but is stiffer around corners.

Of course if you ever want to take your car to the track, just adjust them to stiffer settings, and you have yourself a great performance coilover.

[adam s]

I have Megans on mine (bring on the hate haha).

And I absolutely love them, a friend of mine at work has the K-sports, and hes always telling me how much more he likes mine.

However, I always drive with the almost on full stiff, and like any coilover they suck set like that for road trips haha.

I wouldnt necessarily recommend Megan over any of those aforementioned coilovers, because I don't have any experience with them, except for the K-sports, which definitely blow.

Best of luck with your search.

[WildAsDaTaliban]

i like my tein super drift, and i daily drive my car. i heard tein flex is a good one too.

[D1S13]

thx guys for personal opinions

[GSXRJJordan]

Kbee is universally pretty low end.

Megan > KSport, yes, but wtf does that say?

[I LUV MY S13]

well i have the tein basics cuz im a broke bastard haha..my freind sold em to me for 300 with only a month use so i couldnt resist..they feel pretty good for everyday use (freeway, street)..havent tracked them and honestly wouldnt

[Sileighty_85]

LX+Plus (http://stance-usa.com/sus/products/coilovers/lxplus#LX+Plus-top)

They are listed for S14 but if you call Stance they can Valve you a Set for the S13.

The said there are very close to the stock ride feel. Im gonna order a set a set soon.

[coww-cho!!!!!]

i love my tein super drifts they're grrreat on my DD

[fliprayzin240sx]

tein flex...probably have the softest spring rate there is for any S-chassis coilover.

[5t341tH]

i have stance GR+ on my lexus and its smooth as silk. but then again, the spring rates are 16/14 which wouldnt apply 2 u

[CBS]

kw variants / ohlins

best coils for street use


hah

[flip3d]

^^ i like the KW but the list price is like $2k on their website.


I vote for Stance GR+ Pros if you want to spend closer to $1k.

[RurouniMidnight]

i have stance GR+ on my s14 and i would say they would be right up your alley, they feel smooth and not bouncy especially when set on a softer setting, ive also ridden in my friends s14 that he dailys with greddy coils and it feels very nice also, goodluck.

[FaLKoN240]

Making a coilover streetable is all about setting up your springs to not be preloaded too much, along with proper damping.

I had Tein Super Drifts which have very aggressive rates, and the car was compliant and drivable for me.

[PoorMans180SX]

I've had Tein Super Drifts (10/8 springs), and my Megan Track coils (12/10) ride better. Don't get Super Drifts if you're looking for ride comfort.

Like Sileighty 85 said, Call up Stance and have them valve a set of LX+'s for your S13. Stance is legit. Just knowing that they can re-valve their dampers let's you know that they're going to ride better than any off the shelf kind.

With that being said, BC Racing makes the dampers for Megan, Apex'i, HKS, and a couple other brands. They can also re-valve their dampers. You might give them a call and see what they can do.

[kevin_s13.5]

I'm running the stance coilovers with 7k springs in front and 6k in back and it is fairly comfortable on full soft.

[drift freaq]

i would suggest KB coilovers but its kinda hard to get your hands on them now cuz i think they stopped shipping to US after the pirate incident LOL but i know a friend with the tanabe S-0C and he really liked them its really comfortable is your looking for something with handling and comfort.

LOL Pirate Incident. WTF. Hahahahaha Aspec briefly brought KBEE coilovers in but KBee wanted them to purchase to big of an order to make it worth while to sell them.
Fact is it did Aspec a favor.

I tested a set of KBEE's they were good for the first 500 miles and then they started sucking ass. I.E. started riding like shit.
If you love feeling every damn crack in the road and poor rebound sure. On a smooth surface ok. Otherwise pretty much junk.

I suggest you get some more experience in coilovers before suggesting someone run KBEE . LOL they are in there with most of garbage $500 coilovers.
I.E. shit.

OP if you really are looking for a good streetable coilover they are not many real choices.

On the bottom end of the list is indeed Stance. Set up right Stance are not perfect but better than most and can be had for decent price.

Moving up from there, it all depends. The ultimate is build your own with Koni's. You can actually do this for anywhere from $900- depending on how far you want to go and what kind of Koni's you want to use.

For a completely assembled setup. There are only a few names
Ohlins! I have first hand experience with Ohlins and they are pretty damn good! Of course finding a decent set for a price under 1k not simple findng a good set for over 1k they come up but you have to look. Cool thing about Ohlins and Koni's is the fact that there are several licensed shops for servicing them. Two are in California one in Sonoma and one down here in the San Fernando Valley.

Another choice would be KW variants supposedly they are great and they are a European manufacturer. I have no personal experience with them though.

Another would be AST aka Aragosta. Both the Argosta and the KW are not exactly inexpensive though you do get what your paying for.

[ixfxi]

guys.....


if you havent learned from the other threads, learn from this one:


its all about TANABE. TANABE is the ONLY brand.

[s14l0v3r]

Right now on my car I have Apexi N1 ExV's...and honestly the ride is awesome..i swear i can feel a difference between every click. usually before me and a couple friends go out to a couple open parkin lots ill stiffin up but Ill DD everyday and its a comfortable ride everyday.. right now im runnin it a couple clicks from the stiffest dampening but thats jus me cuz i love a stiff ride...no homo lol but seriously they're sick. and my brother has the super drifts on his s13. and no lie...stiff as hell but hey it all depends on what you want =)

[midnight_rex]

i have stance gr+ on my s14. i have them set 2 clicks away from fully soft all around and it feel comfy and still stiff. not so much toward frame bending but the ladies love it :)

[s15specR]

Ksprts are very comfortable and cheap, rode on tein's, tanabe's and hks, all three were shaking my teeth loose

[D1S13]

Ksprts are very comfortable and cheap, rode on tein's, tanabe's and hks, all three were shaking my teeth loose

i had one pair of k sports long ago, but im sure i didnt have them dialed in as i didnt know much about suspension settings.


Anyway why do so many people here say they Blow?
are there horror stories dating back to their first batch or something?

[s15specR]

Not sure, mines run fine, I know a few folks with other coils like them better for DD purposes

[jr_ss]

Anyone had any experience with the Tein Super Sports? My buddy had them in his Supra, they felt amazing, but that could also be because the car weighs 3700lbs...

[ixfxi]

guys



i would suggest selling your S13/S14's and forgetting about doing suspension upgrades.


buy an S12, they have superior suspension design and are rare, you wont see one at every stop light (unlike the 240sx).

be unique... seriously.

edit: sorry, no tanabe for s12 but dont worry, i am speaking with the ceo of tanabe and they will be developing new products shorlty.

[Razi]

Doesn't the S12 have a live rear axle, or semi-trailing arm IRS?

That's superior? :\

[ManoNegra]

For a completely assembled setup. There are only a few names
Ohlins! I have first hand experience with Ohlins and they are pretty damn good! Of course finding a decent set for a price under 1k not simple findng a good set for over 1k they come up but you have to look. Cool thing about Ohlins and Koni's is the fact that there are several licensed shops for servicing them. Two are in California one in Sonoma and one down here in the San Fernando Valley.


Dave, I did some research about a year ago and only came up with Performance
if there's an authorized Ohlins shop in the Valley then that's great news.
Mind sharing who?

[GunmetalSR]

stance gr+ pro ftw

[ixfxi]

Doesn't the S12 have a live rear axle, or semi-trailing arm IRS?

That's superior? :\

dude



you didnt see the s12 threads?




so much to learn, young man

[singlecamslam]

Stance Gr Pros are great. Its the best coilovers i have owned so far. At first they felt like crap and stiff as hell, but it was because i set the preload wrong and it makes a big difference. If you do get them, just tighten up the spring by hand only, that is enough preload for them.

[GSXRJJordan]

dude

you didnt see the s12 threads?

so much to learn, young man

Hahahahaha, Mike I love your avatar. S12 FER LYFFFFFFHHHHH.

Lol. Glad to see that there's some actual driver opinions in this thread, not just "internet opinion" (I heard these were the best, etc).

[TravisSW]

+1 for Stance GR+ Pros.

I have them on my 14 with the dampening set to 4 in the front and 2 in the rear.

Minus the fact that I have bad tires, no alignment and suspension is still in work, they feel great, but are a still bit rough on horrible roads. Remember, could also be due to my bad tires and stuff.

When my stuff was good, the Stances and a Nismo Power Brace made the car feel like it was brand spanking new. Then I had a tire blow up, skidded across the freeway and the car feels like shit now.

[viperbite]

all i have to say is fuck megan racing products


get stance. or any of the more expensive ones on that list of yours :)

for a more streetable car get coils with helper springs. run the 6k - 8k springs on them and the car will be firm and still streetable. even 6k-8k on shitty megans are streetable.

also, turn the stiffening knobs to somwhere in the softer setting for daily driving. i use 20 / 32 (higher being softer) on my shitty megans. and it rides aight

[steve shadows]

I see many different vendors come out with coilovers, but they all seem to be "drifting" coilovers.

According to your opinion give advice and quality street able coilovers, i frequently drive through CA, NV, and AZ- Lots of driving.......

even if you just post a name so i can do further research.

so far i know of; BUT which are the most "streetable" and not as ridged?

TEIN Basic $1000
Stance GR $1200
K Sport KP $800
Megan $900
Tanabe II $800
Footwerks $850
Greddy $1400
Cusco $1700
D-Maxx $1100
Function2 $1100

Honestly all of the ones you listed are complete trash.

I mean that whole heartedly

I think the Tanabe and the Function II could be ok, but when I first started racing SRs everyone still pretty much though Meagen was a joke (like lower than OBX ebay crap) and the quality has not improved, just their marketing budget....seriously guys.

FOR THE MONEY, and I have used almost all of the above in the last 8 years of nissan driving/tuning - KTS is the best unit. If that means they share the same mass produced body as another crap unit, whatever, all I know is the standard 8 FR 6 RR Coilover SPL's site sell is great for everything and the car has a very FLAT and NEUTRAL feeling when cornering. When the dampers are tuned down to about 3 from softest the car actually drives VERY comfortably. It also launches great and is extremely stable under load (does not bounce back and forth or slam your ass when you hit the slightest bump) (which btw should be a huge warning sign that you bought CRAP dampers).


If you want to spend a little bit more money the TEIN Flex are also great quality for the price. I would also look into Ground Control + Koni Yellows with Tien Pillowball mounts. You can put this setup together for about 1500 bucks give or take a few hundred dollars and you will have a setup that handles better than some 3000-5000 dollar pre-made kits for serious grip racing. Or at least better than KW ;)

Anyways that is my two cents, I did a couple hardcore track days at Buttonwillow, once with TIEN, once with AGX + GC and once with KTS.

I have driven Stance, and I am not sure if they are related to KTS coils I had in heritage but from my impression the Stance were garbage too.

You really cannot tell unless you drive the car with REALLY sticky tires and a lot of HP, then you get to compare body roll, damper rebound, and the y naturally induced conditions on the chassis that are purely being caused by the change. I know drifting is huge but I think the hype is most pushing people to buy the coils that can get their car the lowest for cheapest, not which suspension can make the car handle the best first and then how much adjustment you have in ride height

KTS rocked and I got them used for 700 bucks. couldnt go wrong best coilover I ever drove on in an S13. :( car is gone now though

But hey I am just a Dyno Tuner...what do I know?

(giggles)

[D1S13]

Honestly all of the ones you listed are complete trash.

KTS rocked and I got them used for 700 bucks. couldnt go wrong best coilover I ever drove on in an S13. :( car is gone now though

But hey I am just a Dyno Tuner...what do I know?

(giggles)

thanks for your imput and as regards my set up just because its a Nissan doesnt mean I "drift" lol jk, but seriously even the track car to be built soon will be set up for time attack/grip. Im just a noob though and want to really learn to "DRIVE"

The daily has plenty power sr cams 3076 2 way etc, thats why i requested others opinions about coils as i have not been able to try many.

Thx again for all the input!!!

[manglobe01]

DMAX, 4 clicks from soft feels better then my old struts and spring.

[DataXUnknown]

You get what you pay for on coilovers. Judging by Jeff's comment, the tein basics are an exception to that rule.

I've heard nothing but good on the DMAX ones, and those are the coilovers I will be purchasing (I daily drive/daily drift/track/freeway run/beat the shit out of my car).

[sp3ckz]

i road in tein basic, d2, megan track, and tanabe pro so-c and i prefer the so-c, so like ixfxi said

guys.....


if you havent learned from the other threads, learn from this one:


its all about TANABE. TANABE is the ONLY brand.

[ManoNegra]

Driven on Tein HE's - both S13 and S14 - corner balanced they still sucked
Driven the first gen of Stances and found them decent for the price
Best set up I've ever ridden on was Koni Yellows w/ GC, Eibach springs and Whiteline swaybars.

Amazes me how these days a $1500 coilover is the benchmark everyone aims at.
What happened to the days when everyone knew/understood that good set ups started at $2k and up.
Also wonder how many people bother to corner balance their coilovers and fix the suspension geometry?

[adictd2b00st]

I have the Tein Flex on my car..........alot of people seem to think they are the most "daily driveable" coilover from when i was searching ~2 yrs ago. They are definitely more comfortable than the mazdaspeed coilovers i ran on my rx7, but alot of times I still feel they are too harsh for what I want.

[roplusbee]

I had JIC Magic FLA2 on my '90 200SX (Euro S13 Fastback). It handled like ultra awesomeness (an overstatement). Well, it was pretty good for what I paid for them. On the softest setting it was still pretty unforgiving on cobblestone (downtown Naples, Italy). On the hardest setting, anything outside of the smoothest road was an experience. My '89 240SX is getting Stance GR+ when I get back from deployment. I loved my JICs, but dodge bumps, potholes, and cobblestone if at all possible.

[Razi]

dude



you didnt see the s12 threads?




so much to learn, young man
Hahahaha :rofl:

[ixfxi]

Driven on Tein HE's - both S13 and S14 - corner balanced they still sucked
Driven the first gen of Stances and found them decent for the price
Best set up I've ever ridden on was Koni Yellows w/ GC, Eibach springs and Whiteline swaybars.

Amazes me how these days a $1500 coilover is the benchmark everyone aims at.
What happened to the days when everyone knew/understood that good set ups started at $2k and up.
Also wonder how many people bother to corner balance their coilovers and fix the suspension geometry?

i have tein HA's on my miata.



i fuckin hate these coilovers

[LugNut18]

kw variants / ohlins

best coils for street use


hah
Yes they are :) I hope to have these installed very soon. If I remember, I will try to post a detailed review of these, since very few know they exist.

^^ i like the KW but the list price is like $2k on their website.


I vote for Stance GR+ Pros if you want to spend closer to $1k.

You do know that every website sells them for around $1700, and there is even an advertiser's special on these. http://zilvia.net/f/advertiser-specials-sales/209895-kw-coilovers-variant-3-s13-s14_____sale.html

[clark]

hey, i've been doing some research on stance's new luxury coils BUT sucks...they only appear to have them for the S14 as of now but i know for a fact they are developing an S13 application

LX+Plus (http://www.stance-usa.com/sus/products/coilovers/lxplus)

so how long can you wait?

[Sileighty_85]

hey, i've been doing some research on stance's new luxury coils BUT sucks...they only appear to have them for the S14 as of now but i know for a fact they are developing an S13 application

LX+Plus (http://www.stance-usa.com/sus/products/coilovers/lxplus)

so how long can you wait?

Yeah i posted this on the first page lol

I talked to Stance about a month ago asking about the S13's LX+Plus

They said if needed they would valve you a set for the S13's

[babowc]

I had PBM
at full soft, it was bearable.

not too bad imo.
full hard it was hard as balls.

[krazyfil]

wel what about silk roads? granted they are mainly a drift setup coilover but my buddy has them on his s13.5 dd and they ride smooth to him, and he a biiiig dude too.. just too bad they so expensive lol

[lflkajfj12123]

zeal functions....

splurge on suspension parts

mmmmm

http://bhworld.files.wordpress.com/2008/12/1216080929.jpg?w=450&h=337

[D1S13]

zeal functions....

splurge on suspension parts

mmmmm

http://bhworld.files.wordpress.com/2008/12/1216080929.jpg?w=450&h=337

price on those right there?

[jr_ss]

Zeal Functions are in the 2k range...

[Wake]

thar ya go
Zeal Function-Xs Coilovers Nissan 240SX S13 89-94 Vivid Racing (http://www.nyxracing.com/zeal-functionxs-coilovers-nissan-240sx-s13-8994-p-23489.html)

zeal are proper but are they good as "streetable" coils?

[ixfxi]

price on those right there?

more than you can afford, pal.................... FERRRAAAWWRI

[s13skank]

I see no problems in the Ksports theyre awsome and theyre pretty bad ass. Have a few friends with them and i like 'em. Godspeed arnt bad either

[usdm180sx]

The quality of a coilover, in my opinion, is in the range of damping - meaning, the quality coilovers are actually pretty soft/forgiving on 'full soft', and every coilover is kidney-pounding, chassis-flexing-stiff on 'full stiff'.

Cheap coilovers are stiff all the time, and the damping curves don't match enough of the time to ride 'well'/smooth. Full soft on cheap coils is very bouncy, or stiff for no reason (not improving traction in any way).

The first paragraph describes my kei office xr's. The second paragraph describes my tein flex's and pricewise flex's aren't cheap.

[JAYTRON]

Honestly all of the ones you listed are complete trash.

I mean that whole heartedly

I think the Tanabe and the Function II could be ok, but when I first started racing SRs everyone still pretty much though Meagen was a joke (like lower than OBX ebay crap) and the quality has not improved, just their marketing budget....seriously guys.

FOR THE MONEY, and I have used almost all of the above in the last 8 years of nissan driving/tuning - KTS is the best unit. If that means they share the same mass produced body as another crap unit, whatever, all I know is the standard 8 FR 6 RR Coilover SPL's site sell is great for everything and the car has a very FLAT and NEUTRAL feeling when cornering. When the dampers are tuned down to about 3 from softest the car actually drives VERY comfortably. It also launches great and is extremely stable under load (does not bounce back and forth or slam your ass when you hit the slightest bump) (which btw should be a huge warning sign that you bought CRAP dampers).


If you want to spend a little bit more money the TEIN Flex are also great quality for the price. I would also look into Ground Control + Koni Yellows with Tien Pillowball mounts. You can put this setup together for about 1500 bucks give or take a few hundred dollars and you will have a setup that handles better than some 3000-5000 dollar pre-made kits for serious grip racing. Or at least better than KW ;)

Anyways that is my two cents, I did a couple hardcore track days at Buttonwillow, once with TIEN, once with AGX + GC and once with KTS.

I have driven Stance, and I am not sure if they are related to KTS coils I had in heritage but from my impression the Stance were garbage too.

You really cannot tell unless you drive the car with REALLY sticky tires and a lot of HP, then you get to compare body roll, damper rebound, and the y naturally induced conditions on the chassis that are purely being caused by the change. I know drifting is huge but I think the hype is most pushing people to buy the coils that can get their car the lowest for cheapest, not which suspension can make the car handle the best first and then how much adjustment you have in ride height

KTS rocked and I got them used for 700 bucks. couldnt go wrong best coilover I ever drove on in an S13. :( car is gone now though

But hey I am just a Dyno Tuner...what do I know?

(giggles)

I completely agree with you. For a while I was really reluctant to get coilovers because of my friend's 13.

He had GR+'s and on 8/6K and 8/6 dampening they rode pretty rough surprisingly. Def didn't want a set for myself at the time.

I eventually came up on some KTS's for $650 and lemme tell you, I drive 30-40ish miles back and forth from San Jose to Sunnyvale (And to De Anza) everyday and they're really not that bad compared to my old tokico/eibach setup. Just avoid potholes and tell your girl to wear a sports bra and your good to go.


Try out KTS!

[MongolPup]

Megan was the original ebay brand. There is no disputing that.

On to the meat. I have Sustec Pro S-OC II's or whatever the god awfully long name is. I'm an average Joe, S14, S14 SR, ST sways. They are just fine for what I use them for. I drive a couple hundred miles on them every few weeks, they aren't the best thing that happened to the interstate but I like them. The height is fine and they certainly made the car more fun to drive. I don't drift or go to any road courses/the drag strip.

Interesting thread.

[beeracing s14]

go with stance lx ... they will make your car ride like a LEXUS.