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Best budget coilovers for DD + occasional track

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Old 07-19-2011, 03:23 PM
  #41  
dreamspeed
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Here's an updated list of potential options at the 1200 price point (some are sub 1k some might be a little more then 1200)

BC Racing BR Series
Function & Form type 2
K Sport kontrol pro
Stance GR+
tanabe sustec S-0C
Tein Basic
Eibach pro street coilovers
KW variant 1 coilovers
Buddy Club D1 Spec Coilovers
Apexi N1 Damper ExV (Expert Type V)
Megan Racing
D2 Racing Sports RS Coilover
Fortune auto

I'm not positive but these seem to be the newer lower quality and/or "for show" type coilover brands

K sport
Stance
Megan Racing
D2
Fortune Auto
BC Racing
Function Form (not sure about this one? lots of random obscure "hardcore" brands out there)


out of this list these would be the more reliable "brand names"

Buddy Club D1 Spec Coilovers
Apexi N1 Damper ExV (Expert Type V)
tanabe sustec S-0C
Tein Basic (i've continuously read bad reviews about these)
Eibach pro street coilovers

Last edited by dreamspeed; 07-19-2011 at 03:39 PM.
Old 07-19-2011, 03:30 PM
  #42  
03threefiftyz
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They (truechoice) raised their prices not too long ago....

Last edited by 03threefiftyz; 07-19-2011 at 03:32 PM.
Old 07-19-2011, 03:32 PM
  #43  
Neimad
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Unfortunately none of that xtra money has gone to updating webpage.
Old 07-19-2011, 03:36 PM
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03threefiftyz
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The prices were raised on Sept 1 2010. I know because I just got my shocks back with a catalog. Inside was a note that all prices had increased since the publication of said catalog, and to call them for current pricing. Their web page does suck.
Old 07-19-2011, 03:38 PM
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ZSpectrum
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Bc, higher end stance, or my preference is ast. The new dgrs look good as well.
Old 07-19-2011, 03:45 PM
  #46  
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Ksport honestly makes a great product for the price. At your price point, you could move up from the Kontrol Pro.
Old 07-19-2011, 04:43 PM
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Row2K
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Originally Posted by VividRacing
Ksport honestly makes a great product for the price. At your price point, you could move up from the Kontrol Pro.
no

see link: http://www.mazdas247.com/forum/showt...about-K-Sports
Old 07-19-2011, 05:02 PM
  #48  
apex locator
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thanks for the clarification on truechoice. their phase 2 didnt go up by much, but the phase 3 went up significantly.
Old 07-19-2011, 05:29 PM
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great info in this thread, thanks to all who have contributed. I'm looking forward to future posts.
Old 07-20-2011, 01:49 AM
  #50  
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I have the BCs on mine. I bought an 08 6M Coupe new, but at the beginning of 09, when the 370 was being released. Did about 12,000kms on the stock suspension, which I would describe as quite firm/harsh really.

With the BCs I've done a further 5,000kms and have the car dropped about 25mm all round, levelled the car up (was about 10mm low on the drivers side from Nissan), have the diagonals balanced to within a few kgs of each other, and on softer setting the car is noticeably more comfortable at my normal driving speed which is never much more than the NZ speed limit of 100km/hr. I'm making do with the stock camber adjustment at the rear and have Kinetix adjustables at the front.

So yes the handling will have been compromised, but the way the car is being used you just don't notice - and it's way more comfortable.

Done five track days with this car. Use a firmer setting obviously, and my times are the tiniest bit better than when on the stock suspension, but there are other variables in the mix. Next time out will be on Dunlop StarSpecs so hoping for more improvement.

Last edited by Buster-here; 07-20-2011 at 06:09 PM.
Old 07-20-2011, 02:31 AM
  #51  
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Originally Posted by Neimad
Koni Truechoice Phase 2 (SA). $1600
Phase 3 (DA). $2300

http://www.truechoicekoniracingservices.com/
A majority of the time, these guys seem to be at the top
Old 07-22-2011, 11:50 AM
  #52  
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yea the kw v1's lower 0.8"-1.5" front/rear with preset damping. V2's come with adjustable rebound damping. and V3's come with adjustable compression and rebound damping.

I have a friend that works for KW and can get you a discount if you do decide to go with KWs.
Old 07-22-2011, 12:07 PM
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If it were me...I would just do Koni Yellows, threaded perches, and Eibach/hypercoil spirngs with a rate you choose. Probably looking at 1400ish bucks for a solid entry level suspension. I'd take that set-up over any stance, bc, etc combo I have seen at the same price point.

Last edited by 03threefiftyz; 07-22-2011 at 05:25 PM.
Old 07-22-2011, 02:46 PM
  #54  
dreamspeed
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Originally Posted by 03threefiftyz
If it were me...I would just do Koni Yellows, threaded perches, and Eibach/hyperfoil spirngs with a rate you choose. Probably looking at 1400ish bucks for a solid entry level suspension. I'd take that set-up over any stance, bc, etc combo I have seen at the same price point.
didn't even know they made sleeve type coilovers for the 350. I had ground controls on my old civic (basically just a sleeve with eibach springs).

that's definitely a viable option for me
Old 07-22-2011, 02:48 PM
  #55  
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You can just buy generic koni sleeves. They are $75 a piece for the fronts. The rears you need to get from truechoice, etc are more.
Old 07-22-2011, 05:17 PM
  #56  
apex locator
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Originally Posted by 03threefiftyz
You can just buy generic koni sleeves. They are $75 a piece for the fronts. The rears you need to get from truechoice, etc are more.
or you can get the spl rear midlink/spring bucket that can also adjust height and toe...but thats another $600...
Old 07-25-2011, 08:50 AM
  #57  
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Originally Posted by Row2K
Those shock dynos are old, and were done by a shop who makes a large percentage of their income from selling Koni products. Ksport will be the 1st to admit that they've made a ton of improvements. Oh, and Force Vs Displacement dynos are almost worthless in terms of judging a dampers performance.

There's a ton of Ksport-equipped cars doing well in road racing, time attack, autox, and drifting.

Let's not derail this thread with old info.
Old 07-25-2011, 08:59 AM
  #58  
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Originally Posted by rpm2010
yea the kw v1's lower 0.8"-1.5" front/rear with preset damping. V2's come with adjustable rebound damping. and V3's come with adjustable compression and rebound damping.

I have a friend that works for KW and can get you a discount if you do decide to go with KWs.
KW makes a great product, but you adjust ride height by sagging the spring, which decreases ride quality. Unless you're going for a VERY conservative drop, I'd look at something with an adjustable lower mount.

Originally Posted by Buster-here
I have the BCs on mine. I bought an 08 6M Coupe new, but at the beginning of 09, when the 370 was being released. Did about 12,000kms on the stock suspension, which I would describe as quite firm/harsh really.

With the BCs I've done a further 5,000kms and have the car dropped about 25mm all round, levelled the car up (was about 10mm low on the drivers side from Nissan), have the diagonals balanced to within a few kgs of each other, and on softer setting the car is noticeably more comfortable at my normal driving speed which is never much more than the NZ speed limit of 100km/hr. I'm making do with the stock camber adjustment at the rear and have Kinetix adjustables at the front.

So yes the handling will have been compromised, but the way the car is being used you just don't notice - and it's way more comfortable.

Done five track days with this car. Use a firmer setting obviously, and my times are the tiniest bit better than when on the stock suspension, but there are other variables in the mix. Next time out will be on Dunlop StarSpecs so hoping for more improvement.
Nice review. Looks like BC has provided the best of both worlds in your situation.

Originally Posted by 03threefiftyz
If it were me...I would just do Koni Yellows, threaded perches, and Eibach/hypercoil spirngs with a rate you choose. Probably looking at 1400ish bucks for a solid entry level suspension. I'd take that set-up over any stance, bc, etc combo I have seen at the same price point.
I liked my Koni/GC setup on my Civic, but the only down side is that you adjust height by sagging the spring, like the KWs. Again, for a conservative drop, not a problem.

Originally Posted by apex locator
or you can get the spl rear midlink/spring bucket that can also adjust height and toe...but thats another $600...
The SPL midlink is a great piece. With OEM style coilovers + SPL midlinks, you might run into fitment issues. I'd double check that if you go with the SPL midlinks.
Old 07-25-2011, 09:52 AM
  #59  
Row2K
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Originally Posted by VividRacing
Those shock dynos are old, and were done by a shop who makes a large percentage of their income from selling Koni products. Ksport will be the 1st to admit that they've made a ton of improvements. Oh, and Force Vs Displacement dynos are almost worthless in terms of judging a dampers performance.

There's a ton of Ksport-equipped cars doing well in road racing, time attack, autox, and drifting.

Let's not derail this thread with old info.
Fair enough, Force Vs Displacement is relatively useless in judging damper performance, but certainly NOT useless in determining quality control/damper consistency. In this case the two IDENTICAL front dampers were just ridiculously apart in performance.

Also I've seen this argument of X-brand (usually crap) coil overs doing "well" in track events, hpde days, etc. That is in no way, shape , or form a logical argument for the performance of a damper. There are more factors than just the spring and damper combo that will determine how well a car will do on a track. The first one being the driver. Its a false argument and throwing it around sets a very poor precedent.
Old 08-01-2011, 10:08 AM
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I have had the Tein Basics for ~3yrs with no issues. Haven't sagged and definitely make the car handle like a go-cart.


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