I can't really help with which setup you should choose for "smoothness", however, I thought I would throw in my 2 cents in regards to getting them tuned/adjusted.

Basically, it is recommended that you get your car corner balanced and aligned by a shop after installing coilovers. Although corner balancing is not necessary, it will allow the suspension to work at it's best (the reason you buy coilovers in the first place). If you have it done, just tell the shop doing it how you drive the car.

About a week ago, I actually had a shop install, set the ride height, corner balance and align the car and I am (so far) very happy (although mine rides a little firmer than stock). I am taking the car to the track this weekend so I will be able to evaluate how well it handles at 10/10ths.

You can probably search and find a few posts which will tell you a little more about corner balancing.

 

+1 to that. My MR Bilsteins beat the crap out of me on bad roads.

Several people in other threads have said that the Megan street coilovers ride significantly better than the MR struts. The only serious drawback I can see to going with coilovers is an increase in cabin noise. Another drawback is that they will probably have to be rebuilt every 2-3 years.

 

https://www.evolutionm.net/forums/sh...=224246&page=3

good price
full compression and rebound adjustable
with 42 way adjustments you can't go wrong if you want best of both street and track..

Only caution is the recommended springrates is too soft.. so you need to upsize

 

Isn't that a rally suspension designed for gravel and dirt?

 

Then you'd be wrong making a blanket statements like that regarding ANY coilover being harsher than the stock suspension. As mentioned earlier what determines the ride quality is shock/strut valving along with the spring rate. If the correct spring is matched with the suitable adjustable damper you can achieve better ride quality and handling than either the stock GSR or MR suspension offers. All of this is taking into account that the car has been dialed in properly,or else the car can handle and/or ride worse than stock.

 

There's 3 different types you can get

Street setup - softer spring rates / slightly lowered stance and milder damping

Race setup - stiffest spring rates / lowest ride height and hardest settings

Rally setup - compromise of both with highest ride heights

Mine is a mix of everything above .. and that's the best part .. I built my combination based on what I wanted ..

 

Don't let the umpty frumpty frats of multiple rebound/dampening adjustment(settings) fool you. Most people can not tell the difference between the settings and most shocks for the street are not valved to allow for full use of all of the adjustment "clicks".

True adjustments:
Independent rebound setting (multiple points)
Independent dampening setting (multiple points)
Rebound and dampening setting (multiple point)
Height setting
Independent preload setting
Slow valve setting
Fast valve setting
Sag adjustment (for vehicles that catch air

Eight items are listed because of rebound/dampening and sag but normal street use setups rarely offer more than 4 way adjustment. Some of the really high-end setups ($4k+ for a set) offer 4~6way adjustment. The high/slow valve settings are mainly seen on vehicles that run on rough surfaces (desert, rally, dirt bikes, ATV's...)

There are many factors to consider when picking a coilover setup:
Coilovers with independent height and preload adjustments (2way) are preferred over the older 1way setups that change preload as you lower/raise the vehicle. If you preload a spring too much you reduce its ability absorb the big bumps since the stroke is reduced and cause premature spring failure and/or destroy internal parts because of bottoming out. Shock oil life will also be shortened because it will be constantly under pressure and will get heated faster by the short strokes.

Valving to match the surface type, intended usage and spring rate is VERY important. My first set of high-end coilovers were the old school 1way Tein N1's that did not have independent preload adjustment and came with 14kg/12kg springs matched to smooth surface short track valving. When I got the shocks overhauled I had them revalved for street usage (Touge/Gymkhana) and there was almost a 180* positive change in feedback and performance on the street. The car's tendency to oversteer when pushed hard in a turn was pretty much alleviated. When I upgraded to 3way adjustable Zeal Function S6 with 20kg/16kg springs and valving for street/track (Touge/Gymkhana) I experienced a huge improvement over the 1way adjustable Tein N1's. Unbelievably my girl actually complained less about the new 20kg/16kg setup and most people do not realize the shocks are that stiff until I tell them. The Zeal's are only have 6 dampening/rebound adjustments that are more than enough for me. 4/4 on the street, 6/4 for Touge runs and 3/6 for drag events.

Overhauls are very important so it is essential to do some research on overhauling a particular setup before making a purchase. It is also important to choose a GOOD shop for the overhaul. My Teins were sent to Tein for overhaul and the Zeals were sent to Endless (Zeal). Both sets took about 3 weeks including roundtrip shipping. The Zeals were more expensive to overhaul because I had them upgraded from Function S to Function S6 and I requested a specific re-valving setup and oil weight. Average rebuild over here is about $125 per shock. A simple oil change is about $40 per shock. I bought the Zeals used for CHEAP and then sent them directly to Endless for rebuilding.

The body of the shock, tube design and oil capacity are very important if you plan to put the car on a track or do Touge runs. Aluminum shocks dissipate heat much better and you don't have to worry about rusted shock cases if you live somewhere that has a lot of salt (seaside or snowy winters). NOTE: Always add anti-seize compound to the lock rings or you will be hating life when you have to raise/lower the vehicle. Higher oil capacity will keep the shock cooler.

If you are mainly going to cruise the street and want a "smooth" ride, there is very little need for spring rates over 7kg because you will spill your Latte or lose your cell phone will driving . Also, most people do not realize that JDM shocks can be ordered with user specific spring rates and valving for as little as $50 extra per shock if the setup is ordered from the correct place.

I hope my input was somewhat heplful

 

You might be right that Tein springs did this. When I bought the car it had 23,xxx miles on it, right now it's 41,xxx and I just took them off. Who knows how long they have been there before me. I get a big knocking noice when there is a bit bigger bump than usual, I was told that it's either strut mount or the bering inside there. The knock can happen on each side.

Where can I find MR bilstein for a good price?

 

Bilsteins soak up bumps much much better than the stock KYB, but maintain a nice firm ride, I think the Bilstein tamed the ride by far.

 

Why are there three distinctions made here for damping (and, not to be picky, but the term is damping and not dampening)?

In actuality, there are a maximum of 4 ways of damping adjustment. Those are: low speed compression, high speed compression, low speed rebound, and high speed rebound. Only relatively recently have 4-way adjustable shocks been released, most notably by Penske and Moton, among others.

Height adjustment and "preload" adjustment aren't typically considered "ways" of adjustment, and certainly shouldn't be referred to as "ways" of adjustment in the same vein as damping adjustment.

Actually, if you heavily preload the spring, you are not reducing stroke, you are reducing the distance that the spring has available to be compressed before coil bind.

The oil in the shock is always pressurized no matter what - the pressure is independent of where your static ride height (piston location in the shock) is set to.

It is the larger surface area of the shock body that directly helps dissipate heat more quickly.

Otherwise, very helpful insights.

 

You should get a ride in an Evo with the MR Bilsteins before you buy. They may be somewhat more cushy than the KYBs, but they still suck on crappy roads.

 

rg racing gear is pretty good

 

I notice a difference between a stock IX and a IX MR---the MR soaks up the road better without being harsh. it may not be a night and day difference between a IX GSR or RS, but it is noticeable, especially on bumpy roads.

 

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if the road condition is that bad..........then go for ralliart

Used HKS Hypermax2/Tanabe Sustec Pro/Ohlins now on Blistien with Espelir springs

Wanna have nice ride...............get Aragosta or Ohlins wif canister (spring rate ur choice). No complaints...............price...??????