^ I disagree with that. Unless you have a VERY EXPIERIENCED suspension tuner you aren't going to see huge gains by going to a $3k coil over setup.

I've been on track and in cars with Motons, JICS, Stance, and quite a few others. The difference between big dollar and middle of the road is only achieved with precision tuning and alignment. Even then the difference is minimal until you change settings and start dialing in your junk multiple times an event. At that point you should no longer consider yourself the "normal" evo owner.

At large scale autox events I've seen lower end stuff do just as well or better than the high end parts. Its not until you really start working the suspension at speed that the differences really come into play.

I feel that most middle of the road coil overs will provide 90% of the performance gains that a high end setup has. From my setup to the Megan Racing track/street coil overs I would see gains by keeping the inside rear wheel planted, increase spring rates (less roll), additional camber, capability to run larger rubber, reduced weight, and lower center of gravity. How much more gain would I get from going to Ohlins or Motons? Without a professional helping me out probably not too much.

 

Jeff, to clarify are you talking about a subset of the coilovers out there....the ones that don't slam your car and aren't JDM-like or everything? I was under the impression the JDM-Like coilovers are very harsh and more so for looks than cornering performance. (of course I am generalizing, but from the reviews I've read, the less expensive JDM coilovers do follow this suit) thx.

 

I think the Bilstein and (GOOD SPRING) combo is excellent for weekend warriors running a 255 tire or less. I'm guessing the KYBs w/spring would be nearly identical. It may even be enough for serious track ***** that want to stay away from wide tires.

That being said, If you plan to running larger than a 255 tire or are looking for the "perfect" drop you might as well just get some middle of the road coil overs.

As for the slamming ..... ride height on coilovers is configurable decent coil overs will not sacrifice travel for drop.

Spring rates are advertised ..... the MR street is 8/6 and the tracks are 12/10. I found 12k to be brutal.

I like Megan Racing, TIEN, JIC, PSS9, and Stance. I wouldn't call any of those crappy but some may have spring rates higher than I want to deal with. I'm guessing that 10k/10k is about as stiff as I could go in a street car. Personally I don't slam or tuck my car. I don't even like the idea of rolling fenders. There's really no need to be that low. If you are into performance and care about saftey.... Once you drop the car more than an inch or affect the rake of the car you have to worry about a bunch of other stuff like re-aiming headlights and installing the Whiteline roll center kit. It shouldn't be a simple rip and replace install.

 

I was under the impression I DON'T want a drop, or to minimize it as much as possible to preserve as much suspension travel as possible. I'd be more than happy to upgrade my suspension and preserve my sleeper look.

 

I also gotta read some reviews of the Megans to learn about their rebuilability ( Who can do a rebuild? Can any old suspension shop...even the hotrod suspension place down the street....or do I need a megan service center, like Ohlins have? I also need to read up on how well the Megans do through an NorthEast Winter.

 

And I would disagree (respectfully) with that. I went from an off-the-shelf SA Koni on the Solstice last year to a custom valved DA this year. The difference was somewhere around 2 seconds on a 60-second autocross course. I wouldn't categorize myself as a very experienced suspension tuner.


I agree that someone spending $3k on coilovers isn't a normal Evo owner. But the difference in a quality shock vs. the crap that most companies sell is astounding. It may not be ultimately that much faster, but it gives you more confidence in the car and allows you to drive closer to the edge.

I would say that autocross is where shocks are the most important. The number of inputs is so high that the shocks are constantly working to keep the car under control. And yes, people have won national championships on Teins, but I would say most of those people won in spite of their suspension rather than because of it. Driver talent is such a huge part of autocross that it's difficult to determine parts quality by event results.

I'll give you 90%. Once you start competing though, that 10% is the difference between mid-pack and the winner's circle.

 

Do the Megans give up suspension travel and lower the car noticeably? (JDM-Like )

 

well Im no suspension guru but what Ive read and the questions I have asked might be of some help...

most Japanese brands (JIC, Tein, Megan, etc.) have less shock travel as to say German name brands (KW, Bilstein, Ohlins, etc.). The reason being is that roads/tracks in Japan are much smoother compared to German based companies so they make coilovers/springs to more or less of the current roads available in the area to their standards. Thats why some say to purchase German brand coilovers (KW, Bilstein, Ohlins, etc.) because the roads conditions are similar to US roads/tracks. Not saying Japanese brands are horrible but they have a different mind-set, so to say...

and if your looking for only a spring upgrade and would like to have the camber adjustment of coilovers, check out K-mac camber plates. They can be used on stock struts and they give you the ability to adjust camber and caster...

 

Interesting that Jeff stated the Road spec Megan Coilovers gave better comfort....just gotta confirm if they have less suspension travel than stock KYBs or Bilsteins...also how much of a drop the Megans give, could be nothing I suppose if they are ride height adjustable, u can set them to whatever you like.

 

Ive seen a pic of someones car slammed on Megan coilovers, you probable have to search "megan coilovers" to find the pic...

 

I had the same dilemna, didn't want to let go of my hard earned cash without a fight lol.

I ended up purchasing KW Variant 3's for the same price as the Bilstein PSS9's (1800$) which is a no brainer in my book :] The nice thing about the KW's is the lifetime warranty and it's fairly easy to get them rebuilt / rebuild if needed for track purpose.

 

I do agree that once you get to a 265 R compound tire....a good spring strut combo may not be the right choice. And if you do you'd better have front and rear swaybars. At that point, you have a LOT of grip and the car is gonna roll a lot. Coilover level rates are a good thing.

On the other hand, i think way too many people slap on huge steamroller tires just because they can with little to no track experience and feel like track day heroes. Then they go through consumables quickly, need coilovers, a BBK, etc. Just learn to drive when you're starting out! I see it all the time....people at the track for the first time with 295's on 10 inch wheels with 500 whp....and stock brakes with no trakc experience.

Oh and too little body roll can be a problem just like too much body roll....it just feels a little better. A little compliance is a good thing!

- Andrew

 

There's a couple of possible reasons why you wouldn't want that drop.

1) Youl don't want your geometry suspsension to get all messed up (lower your car too much and you'll become intimate with the whiteline products - lol)
2) If you like going to the track and making sure that your car has the most traction possible, then you want coilovers with a lot of travel, and droop. Tripod mode is wasted traction.
2) You don't want your car scraping all over the place (especially that IX SE lip) - crab walking is cool for a crab, not on a car. And you'll hate the day when your bling-bling exhaust get's scraped to hell when passing over a speed bump.
3) Not enough bump is not good for your chassis when you hit that pothole that appeared out of nowhere (okay, i'm exaggerating here). Well, unless you own a Mini-Cooper.
4) In my opinion - no body roll for the normal driver gives too much confidence to take the turn at higher speed. When this happens - car meets wall - or for some, car meets canyon.

 

^ Right and if you do have stiff rates....you can get away with more drop and thus enjoy a lower COG. But you have to have stiffer rates to keep the car off bumpstops and keep body roll in check. The car wants to roll more when you lower the car due to the lower roll center.

So if you're really low and you don't have really high rates, you've got issues. And if you've got really high rates, you're ride quality ain't gonna be great and the car isn't gonna like mid-corner bumps as much.

Stupid compromises.


- Andrew

 

I have been running Robispec KW's on my car. Totally satisfied with the handling and ride. You will not be disappointed.