spring/shock vs cheaper coilover
11-30-2010, 07:41 PM
#1
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spring/shock vs cheaper coilover
alrighty people im not a suspension person but i really want to improve the handling charateristics of my 8 on the STREET. lets say i have 1500 bux would i be better off getting a good spring/shock combo and sway/strut bars and maybe a better tire combo, or are those cheaper coilover system like the megan ones get me what i am looking for. comfort would be nice but i dont really care. it just seems that if i was to go for the spring/shock, strut/sway, tires it would improve the car in more ways than one of these coilover systems. but like i said i dont really know a whole lot about suspensions so i could be wrong. also i really dont care about dropping the car more i just want it to perform better.
11-30-2010, 08:12 PM
#3
Power!!
The cheapest way to upgrade your suspension is to spend as much as possible to get the best you can. There is a ton of crap suspension stuff out there for "cheap." And you end up replacing it 6-10 months later and spending twice as much as you wanted in the first place.
Definitely spend the money on a better quality set of shocks and springs rather than a "cheap" set of coilovers.
Definitely spend the money on a better quality set of shocks and springs rather than a "cheap" set of coilovers.
11-30-2010, 08:37 PM
#4
A quality colover would be better but on the $1500 total budget you should go with progress tech sways, racing beat springs, koni or tokico shocks and a good alignment. If your serious about tracking the car, it would be a good investment to buy an alignment kit and do it yourself. You can pay for the kit in 2-3 alignments plus you can play with the alignment at the track and reset it stock for the street to maximize tire wear.
12-01-2010, 06:20 AM
#7
Momentum Keeps Me Going
^100% for street driving and no drop, and $1500 - coilovers are not the answer. Tires, sways, sways and (good) tires. You don't give enough (any) info about your car...age, condition tires, what exactly about 'handling' you want improved, etc., but in general these 2 easy things will make a huge street dif. for that kind of money.
12-01-2010, 06:28 AM
#9
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A strut/spring combo would be much better. Coilovers are overkill for street driving and only complicate your suspension if you don't understand how and why they work.
12-01-2010, 07:21 AM
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I'm also reading another thread, saying the HD's are only made for stock ride height, but I wouldn't say I'm certain of that yet.
12-01-2010, 09:09 AM
#11
What kind of driving did you do with your 7 that made you dislike that setup so much? I've been looking at getting Koni's more and more lately, but not sure which spring I want yet.
I'm also reading another thread, saying the HD's are only made for stock ride height, but I wouldn't say I'm certain of that yet.
I'm also reading another thread, saying the HD's are only made for stock ride height, but I wouldn't say I'm certain of that yet.
Any kind of driving made me dislike that setup, it's not the shocks that were the issue it was the springs. The only advantage i can see is if the car was at an autox or on a track.
And yes, HD's are meant for stock ride height.
12-01-2010, 11:04 AM
#12
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perfectly said Shaun.
A solid set of Koni's or D-Specs paired with matching springs will trump any POS 'cheap' entry level coilover system any day of the week.
And twice on Sunday...
A solid set of Koni's or D-Specs paired with matching springs will trump any POS 'cheap' entry level coilover system any day of the week.
And twice on Sunday...
The cheapest way to upgrade your suspension is to spend as much as possible to get the best you can. There is a ton of crap suspension stuff out there for "cheap." And you end up replacing it 6-10 months later and spending twice as much as you wanted in the first place.
Definitely spend the money on a better quality set of shocks and springs rather than a "cheap" set of coilovers.
Definitely spend the money on a better quality set of shocks and springs rather than a "cheap" set of coilovers.
12-01-2010, 02:25 PM
#14
12-01-2010, 04:19 PM
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my car is an 06 60k miles on it, mainly what i want to do is make the car respond better when it comes to higher speed braking, and entry it feel like the rear end wants to get loose also i want to address the body roll under heavy load , and i cant afford to track it but i drive it pretty hard, and instead of looking at this like a street setup thing think of it more of a setup more suitable for a road/track with alot of imperfections and bumps. yes i know that my budget is very limited but this is somthing i want to add to as time goes by. so i guess springs/shock and sways a a better bet than an entry level coilover system. i was deffenitly lookin at the koni's but as far as springs go i dont really have any experience with them at all. so i dont really know where to start.
12-01-2010, 04:22 PM
#16
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my car is an 06 60k miles on it, mainly what i want to do is make the car respond better when it comes to higher speed braking, and entry it feel like the rear end wants to get loose also i want to address the body roll under heavy load , and i cant afford to track it but i drive it pretty hard, and instead of looking at this like a street setup thing think of it more of a setup more suitable for a road/track with alot of imperfections and bumps. yes i know that my budget is very limited but this is somthing i want to add to as time goes by. so i guess springs/shock and sways a a better bet than an entry level coilover system. i was deffenitly lookin at the koni's but as far as springs go i dont really have any experience with them at all. so i dont really know where to start.
12-01-2010, 07:51 PM
#20
Given the OP's objectives, I completely disagree with the shock/spring combo, at least at the $1500 price point (assuming that cash can be spent on a set of coilovers). The RX-8 likes higher spring rates than you can get with OTS springs, and even if you could get such springs, OTS shocks will not be optimized for those rates. A set of PSS9s or a used set of KWs is an excellent setup that will do exactly what the OP is asking for, and do it better than a set of light springs coupled with thick bars, even if you have to stick with the stock bars with the coilovers.
Don't get me wrong, bars certainly help, but the spring rates that come with good coilovers (about #450 in the front is a good starting point) gives fantastic braking and good roll resistance too. That, with damping that matches those spring rates, gives an excellent overall handling car.
But there is an investment in getting such a setup to work well. It's not hard, but it does make it easier to make setup mistakes.
My .02.
Don't get me wrong, bars certainly help, but the spring rates that come with good coilovers (about #450 in the front is a good starting point) gives fantastic braking and good roll resistance too. That, with damping that matches those spring rates, gives an excellent overall handling car.
But there is an investment in getting such a setup to work well. It's not hard, but it does make it easier to make setup mistakes.
My .02.
12-01-2010, 07:54 PM
#21
Oh, and the RE11s have very stiff sidewalls, so 245s should work fine on 8" rims, although wider rims would be better for a 245.
As for mounting more than 245 on a 8" rim, I think you are getting into limiting returns big-time, especially on street tires & track use.
As for mounting more than 245 on a 8" rim, I think you are getting into limiting returns big-time, especially on street tires & track use.
Last edited by GeorgeH; 12-01-2010 at 08:04 PM.
12-01-2010, 09:14 PM
#22
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I highly recommend these. http://blackhaloracing.com/products-...-with-springs/
12-02-2010, 12:37 AM
#23
Power!!
Given the OP's objectives, I completely disagree with the shock/spring combo, at least at the $1500 price point (assuming that cash can be spent on a set of coilovers). The RX-8 likes higher spring rates than you can get with OTS springs, and even if you could get such springs, OTS shocks will not be optimized for those rates. A set of PSS9s or a used set of KWs is an excellent setup that will do exactly what the OP is asking for, and do it better than a set of light springs coupled with thick bars, even if you have to stick with the stock bars with the coilovers.
Don't get me wrong, bars certainly help, but the spring rates that come with good coilovers (about #450 in the front is a good starting point) gives fantastic braking and good roll resistance too. That, with damping that matches those spring rates, gives an excellent overall handling car.
But there is an investment in getting such a setup to work well. It's not hard, but it does make it easier to make setup mistakes.
My .02.
Don't get me wrong, bars certainly help, but the spring rates that come with good coilovers (about #450 in the front is a good starting point) gives fantastic braking and good roll resistance too. That, with damping that matches those spring rates, gives an excellent overall handling car.
But there is an investment in getting such a setup to work well. It's not hard, but it does make it easier to make setup mistakes.
My .02.
12-02-2010, 12:53 AM
#24
Actually, LOL, I think I got my threads mixed up. Senior moment, for sure. I thought to poster was looking for a track setup. For decent handling on the street the higher rates & setup flexibility commonly found in coilovers are not needed. And yes, the Tokico setup would be a nice way to go.
Sorry for the redirect...
Sorry for the redirect...
12-02-2010, 08:36 AM
#25
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lol, understanding how different suspension setups work is not a problem (im not tht bad of a noob), and in my opinion coilovers arent really complicated at all. its just i dont track my car but i like driving it, and im just trying to get an opinion so that i spend my money more efficiently. i guess my question is would a good shock/spring sway combo outperform a cheap coilover system on a fairly irregular surface? keep in mind with my initial budget i can get the shocks/springs and sways, or just the coilovers.