hi,

i am looking for opinions on what coilovers are the best for under $2000. i hear a lot about the ubiquitous Tein FLEX, but want to explore the possibility of other options as well. are the Tein FLEX's really that great? i hear the JIC's are too stiff, namely the FLT-A2s, and the Cusco Zero II's got weird spring rates in the rear. KW sounds interesting, though not too much info on them. and what else can i get for under $2000, can i pick up some Erfolgkei's or Zeal's? any opinions, experience, or info. would be much appreciated.

 

I absolutely love my HKS Hipermax II. They are great for track use and and still streetable. They dropped my track times about 3 seconds and with slicks they handle like no other.

 

i love my zeals... i have it lowered drastically. handling is amazing and ride quality is better than stock.
my zeals are for sale for a little under 2k but they are used.. new zeals are like 2800...

 

anotheraznguy, I like your avatar.

 

come to think of it, my budget is closer to 1500 for some coils. how are the hks rs coilovers? any info/experience on those?

 

We installed a set of Hipermax RS recently on my customer's 350z and he absolutely loved it. He called back and told me they are not too stiff and there's alot of adjustability on them. He lives in San Francisco BTW and its really bumpy over there. Both HKS and Zeals are great suspension tho but then Zeals will cost a tad more.

 

Street car or race car? Daily driven? Any track use?
Do you need coilovers for the stiffer shock/spring combo (because you are maxed out on the stocks?)or just looking to lower the car? Installing them for the rollcall/bling factor?

The Tein Basics are in your price range and you could probably find the CS models right in there too
Bilstein has a coilover set right in that price range also
Tanabes should be in there, as well as H&R

But with a price point like you are looking for, performance/high end coilovers are not in the cards

 

I'm not to much of a fan of the Tein Flex or really any of the seperate coil shock setup for the Z. I have a set of KSports going on my car that is a true coilover design for the rear but I have not tested them yet to see if it is a better ride or if there is any cluncking like the teins or some of the other designs. oh yeah and if the rear shock tower mount can handle it.

 

I've been using KW Variant 3 for about a year and half now. (12k miles on them)
I love these coilovers. Although I didn't play with any compression/rebound setting, and I don't track my car, but it is definitely a great improvement over stock suspension. It also doesn't sacrifice the ride quality for the performance. Right now I have 2 Z's, one of them is stock 2005 PPW Touring 5AT that my friend asked me to store it for summer while she is gone in Korea, and I can make a direct comparison between my Z. Mine also has 350Evo swaybar with urethane bushings. Those 2 combos are simply a great improvement over stock. Quicker steering wheel response and big decrease in rolling/pitching, and exceptional high speed stability. Didn't ride any other Z's with other suspension upgrades, so I can't make comparison against other suspensions, but at least I love it.

I got it from MSM racing for $1750 shipped. They used to be the forum vendor but not anymore. Google them and find their contact info.

 

street driven daily, but will see track use. not just looking for lower, but some adjustability as well.

seanrulz, do you have any technical info on the KW's? i see the HKS RS's are 8kg front and rear, and there is abundant info on the Teins, but i am also intrested in the KW's, as i've only heard good things about them.

 

i love my hks hypermax rs...as advertised, very streetable yet very track worthy as well (btw, i was informed by a guy from HKS that their competition cars use these coilovers). imo, way better than tein flex's that many ppl have been going with

 

thanks for your input ssc. would you mind describing in what way you think the HKS RS is better than the Tein Flex's? i see Tein Flex's used a lot and many are happy with them, but every so often i see posts saying the HKS are indeed better. but i have not yet read in how the HKS are better. thanks, i appreciate it

 

If you plan on tracking the car I would not suggest getting the KW as these are progressive springs rates and not linear.

 

thanks for the replies guys. so far, it looks like HKS, Tein FLEX, and KW. i hear good things about each, but am looking for comparisons among each other. are the Hypermax II affordable for under $2k?

 

i'm also in the market for coilover too. From vendor point of view. HKS RS seem to be a good choice for daily drive folk. Would some one that currently use HKS RS give us some review?

Thanks

 

Have you looked into the JIC Flt-A2?

 

If i was a baller, i'd go with Zeal.

 

I absolutely guarantee you the best set is going to be some customed valved single adjustable Konis with a set of springs. Call up Koni tell them your car and what you're looking to accomplish and see what they can do.

 

it is all depend on what do you use the coilover to. Expensive doesn't mean the best. I drive the Z daily and Zeal would not a best solution regardless of it price.

 

The Nismo SCCA 2 springs and a custom valved set of Konis would be amazing I bet.