Thinking about upgrading from Koni's
 

...But all the coil-overs I'm seeing use progressive springs.

I am running RS*R Ti2000 springs and Koni "yellows"now.

With the new SCCA street-tire expansion rules, I hope to use 285/275 Rivals or the like. So I will have much more grip than stock, but not race-tire level grip.

My budget should be about $1,500-$2,000, when I get ready to buy at the end of the year.

I found a lot of threads on coilovers, but nothing recent.

Any new coilovers with linear springs out there?

Any experience with some of the older one's and how they hold up over time?

What spring rates should I be looking for with sub-race-tire traction?

Mike! I found this a while back to get some info about springs and shocks, the OP took his time with this lol he incorporates most coilovers :thumbup:

http://g35driver.com/forums/brakes-s...w-updates.html

If are willing to increase your budget, I may be willing to part with my current set-up.

Honestly, I think you are better off in that price range just switching to a 2.5" spring and getting threaded perches for the yellows.

It'll be important to decide on what spring rates you're going with before picking a damper to match with it. Spring rates above 400 pounds may degrade a coilover damper if it's not valved for it. I like Konis, and the TC Kline DA ones are valved for the stiffer T2/T3 springs that are quite stiff. They can last for 3-4 seasons before a rebuild is needed and your yellow sport shocks could be rebuilt to match.

The TC's and other 8242's or converted singles will leak. I never got more than 3k miles on a set before the leak became substantial and required a rebuild. I had Koni and truechoice both rebuild them....they always leaked. The OTS yellows are fine up to ~500 or spring rates. After that, I would look for something more purpose built for elevated rates. I presume the OP is looking for something around what the STR 350's are running, which is well above the 500lb per corner area.

Thanks for the responses. I am surprised to hear that 255 street rubber needs spring rates over 500lbs. I was considering that an upper limit for 285 tires.

What about getting coilovers and changing out the progressive springs for linear ones?

Maybe a set of kw variant 2's and some linear springs. Does anyone even make linear springs that will fit the stand-alone perches for the rear?

+1

I had yellows with eibach springs and that worked good for the investment. A friend has KW v2 and they are fine but i don't think you'll see much of a change for your money.

I put on Ohlin DFV's and love them. I know it doesn't fit the budget.:(
I went from averaging a second behind the top STR guys here in DFW to beating one and finishing .1 and.2 back from the other. The car is just better!
Turns in better, transitions better, rides home better. The car is more stable and you can just attack the course with more confidence.

The DFV's don't have as high of spring rates as Brian Peters ran at Nationals but there good for off the shelf. 580 front 400 rear.

I would save up and go big dollar if you are really wanting to see a difference. I never could understand this until i bought these. And there are some nice options out there for even more money.

^ You talking about me? ;)

I have KW V2 and feel it suits my current needs and skill level. While I like the set up, a good combination of shocks and springs will probably yield similar results. I would also recommend that you save up for a higher end coils, especially if your plan is to keep racing and get faster.

You can get the front perches from koni or truechoise (~$75 a piece). The rears are more of a pain. Only truechoice sells an OTS, dedicated set of rears for the OEM location and they are spendy.....~$400 for the pair. If you snoop around, try and find someone that "converted to true coil-overs" on here and see if you can buy their OEM set. Most of the CCC (Cheap Chinese Coilovers) have a perch that is sufficient. In fact, the ones on my car were cobbled together from a bc kit and megan. Kind of sucks running that junk with $5k shocks, but it is what it is. It has worked fine so far, and I have run upwards of 1000lb springs in the back.

That's a bummer :( I just shipped my tc kline d/a's off to TC for a rebuild. Car came with kw v3's as well but haven't decided which to run and which to sell. Was leaning towards the TC's but now...

Is that just the nature of the valving/twin tube/double adjustable design?

Seems to be largely an issue on the Z version of the 8242's. I know s2k's that have run them for 50k miles without issue.