I had the new Swift Spec-R springs installed last week and after about 400 miles of driving, I'm quite impressed by the results.

In the past, I thought that springs by themselves would not be much of an improvement, but I was incorrect on that account. With the swift springs, the car feels much more responsive to steering wheel input. Along with being more responsive to driver input, the car also feels more responsive during tight 2nd gear transitions and seems to recover more quickly with better transient response.

With the springs lowering the car about an inch around, there is of course a lower center of gravity which helps to eliminate most of the body roll. Overall, the car's motions such as leaning in corners and diving during braking, seem to be better controlled with the sport springs. I have yet to approach the limits of the car with these springs, but during aggressive high speed cornering, I am able to attain and maintain speeds with greater ease and comfort than with the stock suspension.

As far as ride comfort, these springs are progressive which allows for an almost a stock like ride. During the first day of driving, I felt that they were harsher than stock, but after the springs have settled a bit, I now think they offer the same comfort as stock. I have had a few passengers in the car, and none of them, both guys and girls, have noticed a difference.

The ride is a bit more abrupt during bumps and dips in the road then compared to the stock suspension. During the same bumps however, the stock suspension would wallow around a bit afterwards, while the swift springs, though more abrupt, recover more quickly.

I would have preferred linear springs, but after driving on these spring for a week, I find that the progressive springs offer a good balance between comfort and performance. At the peak rates of 392/448, I don't think I would be too happy with the ride, especially with the stock shocks.

I've noticed that many springs offer decreased spring rate in the rear when compared to the stock rates. Hotchkis claims the lower rear spring rate will help the rear end remain settled. I have encountered mid-corner bumps during some canyon drives with these springs, and the rear remain settled with the combination of the higher rear spring rate and stock shocks.

Swift Spec-R:

Spring Rate - initial/final
Front: 291-392 lbs/inch
Rear: 280-448 lbs/inch

Drop Front/Rear
1.2 inch/1.0 inch

 

Here are a few pics. Not the best quality, but hopefully you get the idea. Oh and don't mind the car, it's a little dirty and beat up. I don't have any before pics at the moment, but I'll try to find some.

 

Glad to see everything went smoothly Ken!

 

Special thanks to Andy and Colin at Swift.

Oh and I spoke with Colin at Swift the other day and he mentioned that they recently gave the go ahead on these springs which just entered production in Japan. They should be available in about a month and a half.

These particular springs are not yet on the website, but here's the swift website for future reference.
http://www.swiftsprings.com/

Any questions can be directed towards Colin at Swift USA.
909.923.9788

 

pretty decent drop. gonna fit some aftermarket shocks in the future?

 

^Probably get some tokicos in the near future.