well first of all i dont believe i really introduced myself, im the proud owner of a black 04 rx8 gt 6spd... no mods yet besides window tint that i had installed a month ago.

i made this thread because after searching for a few hours, all the threads ive read are either outdated, incomplete with info, or are whored with random chatter...i hope this one can be filled with new and insightful info to keep duplicate posts on the same topic.....keep in mind i may be new here but ve been on automotive forums for close to 7 years....i kno about flamming the new guy for not using the search....

well now that my payments and finances are back in order and i have a lil money from my bonus i decided to pay some bills and buy my 1st performance mod. i am really torn between getting suspension or brakes done 1st. the brakes still have some life on the pads, probably well into next year and i am content with the performance so far, the rotors are starting to turn tho. i hate the rusted rotors...i mainly wanted to switch just to get rid of them (also since i wanted to do mods that replace wear/tear items 1st like brakes, clutch flywheel...) but now im thinking bout putting brakes on the back burner since im in no rush to do them yet, i was lookin at suspension.

i really want a full set of coilovers but i just cant justify 1200+ on the mod since im no track star, and i live in south florida which is virtually flat with no twisties. i wanted coilovers mainly so i can custom set the height to match the rims i purchase in the future. i hate to buy springs that are either too low (require fender rolling) or too high (awkward wheel gap). so coil overs could allow me to adust my height now, and after i get rims. adjustablity of the dampening would also be nice for future endeavours, i want something i can be happy with now and have room to improve in the future. shocks and springs just seem like a buy it right the 1st time cause u only get one shot....

3 choices are;

tein basics---tried and proven...everyone knows them, im garunteed results, seem very limited tho, no dampening adjustbality, very "basic" no frills set from what i see.

"purple" D2 coilovers, seem interesting, 32 or 36 or watever dampening adjustablity which seems convinient to fine tune the suspension to it my needs. good price...willing to spend more to get these featues which are limited to the more expensive options. only thing is ive never heard of them....not even within my previous car's boards. quality seems good, aluminum for ight weight...am i willing to be the guinea pig for this?

the 2nd set im interested in is megan for the same reason as the D2...they seem like a higher quality coilover without the high quality price....all te features as D2 if not better. backed by APEXi from my understanding and searching....dampening adjustability....from searching on here i see the rears are limited to only being lowered a maximum of 1 inch which i prob wont mind with my aftermarket rims but on stock 18's i was hoping for atleast 1.5 inch all around. ive heard of megan before...i had their strutbar on my old car and have seen some of their catbacks and other products...not too shabby. are these coilovers worth it....

what im looking for....
-good price....def under 1k
-good quality.....no unusualy squeaking, groaning, leaking, sudden performance changes, breaking, rusting.... basicly better be enough qaulity to withstand daily driving with some minor aggressive driving on occasion
-adjustability....dampening adjustability would be nice for fine tuning, but not at the expense of quality and comfort. meaning id ditch the idea of adjustbility for a quality basic coilover.
-comfort.....no unusual bouncing, sagging, excessive stifness/harshness, awkward vibrations, sounds.....


i kno im asking alot out of my sub 1k price range but keep in mind im not auto crossing, or track racing...i want more than a shock/spring set it and forget it combo and wanted to "up" things this time around with my new car.

im not new to "modding' but i admith this is my 1st "real" tuner car...(real meaning having more than 2 choices on a particualr mod, since i have damn near 50 different choices on suspension...im not limited and want to make sure i make a good decision. another reason why i want coilovers and full adjustablity is because once i switch the sways, strutbars, ad other suspensio components...if i feel its too low/high or to stiff/soft i can have the ability to fine tune and adjust for what i need.



thanx for all the help, pleas erespond with any help.

 

I have a set of used JIC FLT-A2s which fit your criteria. Under $1k, good quality, compression/rebound and ride height adjustable. Check the For Sale board for more details.
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Cheap glass pipes

 

kool ill check it out....anyone else with any help with my questions, come on i know someone has some experience or read somethin or can point me in a direction to get some info....right now im just goin off info im reading on other cars like the evo....but whats good for the evo isnt garunteed to be good for us.

 

D2 are crap. k-sport are crap as well (i know you didnt ask, but there it is)

some people bad mouth Megan but those actually arent bad. i would easily go with them over tein basics.

 

i know of megan...i strongly believe alot of companys can offer high quality products at affordable prices....they could be new to the scene or w/e and just trying to make a name for them selves and build a relationship...nothin wrong with that. but then there are crap companys who try to do the same and fail. other cars have given good reviews with the megans but i prefer an rx8 perspective ive rulled out the d2's

now its just tein basic and megans..id still like a few 1st hand experiences with megans for reassurance. anyone????????

 

an acquaintance of mine put megans on his S2000, which is why i vote for those. i personally would go megans over Tein Basics. i have Tein and i like them because they have a reputation for quality and longevity. They might be a little more pricey for what they are but they are quality and offer street performance for the average joe. if you want all out performance there are better out there but it doesnt seem like what you need. id say just go with teins if youre more into the look. megans if you need the adjustability but are on a tighter budget. if possible tein flex would be better, or if you really want to race you might think about just sucking up the cost and saving up for the KW. like i said, i have Tein Flex, but i didnt know about the KW till a bit after i got my coilvoers

 

I have megan coilovers on my 8 right now, they are a great bargain, good adjustability and good build quality. I haven't had a single problem with them mechanically, BUT the springs that come with them are extremely stiff. Most coilovers for the RX8 come with a 8kg front and 6kg rear spring, and the megans come with a 12kg front and 10kg rear. Very Very stiff, even when the dampening is set at its softest. So if you are looking for just ride height adjustability i would go with the Tein basics. Megan says you can change out the springs but can only go one step down or up unless you send them back to them to get the shocks revalved. so basically 10kg front and 8 kg rear. Good luck with your purchase

 

perhaps when ordering, you can request lower such rates directly, and they can revalve before shipping if necessary?

 

no coilover has ride height adjustability. just shock dampening adjustability, or have I been living a lie? thats what other peeps told me

 

thanx for all the advice guys....

i dont really know too much bout the kg in the spring stiffness. 8,10,12....all really doesnt mean much to me...i guess im gonna have to look up my old springs on my old car to see what the number was. they were pretty mild. intrax with 1.4 inch drop all around....the shocks is what made the stiff. they were AGX adjustables.

is there an aprox on how much stiffer the coilovers are compared to stock, i guess im gonna have to find a local with an aftermarket suspension setup to see how it rides...i mean the rx8 is already tight as it is... i dont want it to be dreadfully tight and harsh. ill sacrifice a lil comfort for a firmer sporty tighter feel.

 

i guess you wont be doing any racing?

sounds like you should just go with tein basics, or maybe even a spring/strut combo

 

i just dont have the time, i wouldnt mind trying it and maybe even learn to love it. i just dont want to put such a hard thrashing on my car, it is primarily a DD with fun on the side. if i was going for hard core tracking then i would be willing to shell a lil more but im a college student and full time worker....just doin some mildly aggresive driving on the street is enough for me for now. maybe in the future i can do more spitited driving and maybe take some driving lessons for tack racing.

 

I researched the D2's but found out they are complete junk- noisey and break easily. That's why they're so cheap.

Tein basics are good. Megan's are also good though extremely stiff. You might look at the Tokio D-Spec shocks with a set of springs like Swift or Tein S-Techs. Inexpensive and good.

 

JIC's have ride height adustable independant of spring setting. They're not the only ones that do.
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The Office Advice

 

Most Coilover kist have hieght adjustability and they will say it if they have it. As your criteria is no loss of comfort be VERY carefull of the spring rate you want. Dont ask me to tell you in imperial, but stock the front springs are 2.5kg and rear are 2kg. I have 9kg front and 7 on the rear and that will upset most people but mine is for track use. You will want something like 5kg front and 4 rear.

I have Racing Logic coilovers which a lot of people class in with the D2 and I have heard people say that the Megan units are made at the same factory. True??? NFI. What I can say is they were in your price range, the shockers are great but their springs SUCK! if you go with D2, I would suggest you prepare to throw the springs out and replace them with something reasonable. I cant comment on the Megans though. If I was you and they were a long term purchase I would suggest the Teins though. Mine were purchased with the expectation of replacing them in 18 months.

Hope that helps.

Cheers

Andrew

 

most of those coilover kits are crap farmed out to 2nd rate shock companies, I'd recommend the KW coilovers if you aren't up to paying for a quality racing setup

 

thanks for all the suggestions guys, im loing this forum more and more each day....