After mounting my new tires, the mechanic said that my struts were leaking. I've decided to replace the OEM ones with aftermarket shocks and springs and I wanted some feedback from other users who have done the same.

A majority of my driving is commuting but I do plan on a few auto cross/track days in the future. I would like a combo that lowers the car a bit, but not to the point where I have to go diagonal over every dip.

My budget is around $1000.

I tried searching but I couldnt find very many reviews on different setups. Please let me know which setup you run and how it compares to stock.

Thanks for your help.

 

tein h tech and bilsteins?

if you dont want to go that low i think h techs give a moderate drop, and bilsteins because i like my set that im using over the koni's and they're easily revalvable and rebuildable if you want to up your spring rates later

 

^ What he said.

 

why not coilovers, you can go up and down at will

 

At will? It's not quite that easy if you don't have access to a lift or stands, jacks, etc. Not to mention once the threads get crud in them, adjusting them is a bitch. They are awesome but just to be clear it's not like you can adjust them in ten minutes. I installed a set of PSS9 coilovers on Saturday on another members car and even on the lift it was not easy to adjust them all. Not terribly difficult but not easy either way.

 

and he said a budget of a grand. aren't coilovers way more expensive??!

i'd say tein H are a great bet; i love the konis personally though.

 

I have D-specs and RB suspension.

Very capable daily driver

 

Nah, you can get Tanabe coilovers (actually nice) new for like $700.00. The coilovers I installed Saturday for Triangleman were $900.00 used but they were in great shape, I think they had like 10,000 miles on them.

 

oh snap. aren't there ones for our car that are (new) like 2 grand or something? maybe i made that up...i just thought sprints + struts were the cheaper option.

 

Yeah coilovers can get very expensive, but some are reasonably priced. But some have different features, height capabilities, etc. I recently saw the Tein basics for $688.00.

 

tein basics are reasonably priced.

tokico dspecs are adjustable for what i know. you could pair it up with aftermarket springs and you will want the adjustment cables so that would be about a grand.

 

Thanks for all the replies guys.

After looking over some coilovers, it seems like a few of them are pretty close in price to shocks/springs. The ones that seem to be in my price range are the Tokico D-spec, Megan Racing coilovers, Tanabe Sustec Coilovers, and Tein basics. I see that some of these companies have other models that are more expensive. Is it even worth it to get cheap coilovers or should I just stick with good shocks/springs?

Also, anyone have any feedback on any of the coilovers listed above?

 

good shock & springs will get you way farther than cheap coilovers, since shock valving will get you way farther than how low you drop. Cheap coil overs are pretty much crap and probably wont add anything in terms of handling and decrease your ride quality.

 

I have a '10 and woulda got the Racing Beat springs/Tokico D Specs but the dolts at Racing Beat couldnt tell me if the 04-08 springs would also fit the 09s. The S2 crap is driving me nuts. Not an issue for you and half the cost of decent coils!

 

a good set of shocks and springs is better then the low end coil over, it is more comfortable on the street and when you want to do track you could dial the shocks to match your driving style.
Most of the coil over have very hard springs that I find it hard to drive on the street their shocks is set so there is no adjustment the only adjustment is the ride hight, but most of the time you only want to set it once beside every time you set the ride height you need to do an alignment, so every time you touch the adjustment you have to spend 60-80 dollars to align it.

 

That's the usual line...

They want to sell you shocks.

Shocks don't leak very often. In fact it's known to squirt oil on them to say they are leaking.

Did you check them for yourself?


Racing Beat is best with Tociko's

That way you have a nice ride and can Auto X

 

I was skeptical at first also, but the mechanic didnt even offer to fix it or sell me new ones, he just told me about it.

I know for sure they are leaking though because if I go over a bump or dip fast, I can hear a loud thump, like my car just bottomed out.

So im probably just going to get shocks/springs. Right now it is between the Bilsteins, Tokico, or Konis, all probably with RB springs. Can anyone tell me why you chose one of these over the others?

 

My personal opinions is bilsteins over koni's over tokicos, i like bilsteins as i said before because of ease of getting revalves, you can do this with koni's also but its pricier and only a few places know how to do it. I've only had tokicos a while back in my old car but i wasnt too impressed with them.
I think adjustability in cheap shocks is overrated and more of a marketing gimmick, i would much rather prefer a non adjustable shock properly valved for your spring rate than a shock that's "adjustable."

 

I use Koni yellow, cause they could handle a wide range of spring rate. It is a well know shocks around auto X and track. The only bad thing is you need to take out the rear shocks to adjust them...

 

Yes +5436

I cannot stress this enough, from everything ive read, a cheap coilover set is crap compared to a good shock/spring combo... Tein Basics are crap coilovers, you cant adjust anything but ride height which is dumb from a coilover... might as well get Tein S.Techs and Koni Yellows so you can adjust how stiff the shocks are etc.

If your going to spend money on a coilover system, save up and get some KW Variant 3's... Their German made and basically the best coilover period, plus go read what you can adjust on them compared to the Basics...

 

I just did the H-Tech and D-Specs. I love them. I think the D-Specs are the only ones you can adjust without pulling off the car.

Here is the post I made, with before and after. If I am still posting at this time next week, they were great on the track as well.

https://www.rx8club.com/showpost.php...1&postcount=89

 

I've decided to get the Konis over the Bilsteins because supposedly you're not supposed to use lowering springs with the Bilsteins. Also, for the springs, I chose Tein H-tech because I like they drop they give.

They should be here later in the week so I have a couple of installation questions. What exactly is meant by "pre-loading" before I install? Also, I think I remember reading that I have to have the cars weight on the shocks/springs before everything is tightened down. Is this right? Anything else I should keep in mind for the install?

 

I did Tein H and Konis - watch out - the drop due to the Konis will be at least 1/2 inch more than you think its going to be... maybe 1" more see my thread here:

https://www.rx8club.com/series-i-wheels-tires-brakes-suspension-55/experiment-progress-im-interested-gauging-interest-possible-product-198139/

 

Hmmm
I didn't give you a very good review...
D-specs are great because they have a wide adjustment range: If you buy the cables then you can adjust all 4 corners easily without removing anything.
The Racing Beat springs and swaybars are about 20% stiffer than stock and have about 0.5" drop. This is ideal for a daily driver because it's not too stiff and not too low but still upgrades handling.
Price is right in your range.

 

Update from the track...

Get the Tokicos. Wonderful drive to the track, set on 3, run down the little porsches all day long (my very first event in Blue, only passed by 300Z based race car), set on 7 for a wonderful drive back from the track. I cannot say enough about being able to adjust them with a little ****. The adjustment tool even fits on the fronts with the strut bar in place.

I have the H-Tech as well. you can see before and after in the link above. If you are doing this yourself, without help, plan on a day. PM me for the other stuff I learned on my first change.

Good luck either way.