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Old Oct 17, 2011 | 04:43 PM
  #1  
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Shocks VS coilovers

Hello, i actually have tein s-tech springs on stock shocks. I want to change the shocks next year because the rear ones started to leak.

I dont know what would be ideal for me. Shocks or coilovers.

I'm gonna track my car sometimes, do some spirited driving and some cruises. I'd like my car a bit lower to eliminate wheel gap and also be stiffer than it is now.

If i go with shocks, i'll get koni yellow shocks, nothing else.

OR

I tought about coilovers. I like the stance GR+ ones, seems to be a good product or maybe the powertrix race ones.

I know that with coilovers, ill get everything i want, ajustable so i can drop it like i want and its gonna be stiffer, but maybe too stiff.

with koni's, will i be a bit lower? and if i ajust the damping, will it be near as stiff as the coilovers? shocks are gonna be much cheaper than a full coilover setup so that's why i'm asking.

thanks!
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Old Oct 17, 2011 | 04:51 PM
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I have PowerTrix coilovers and they're awesome.

They're killer out on the track, they make a huge difference out there. They're fully adjustable so you'll be able to dial in the exact height that you want. They don't actually ride that bad. They're VERY streetable. The dampening is 15 way adjustable so you can soften them up for the street and stiffen them up for the track. If you don't like the spring rates that high (they come with 9k/6k) then you can go all the way down to a 7k/4k setup as well. I'm running 10k/7k and am likely moving up to an 11k/8k setup but my definition of "streetable" is probably a lot different than yours.

If you get coilovers you won't regret it, might as well shell out for them now instead of buying shocks then wanting them later down the road.
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Old Oct 21, 2011 | 11:27 AM
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Read this article, and the subsequent ones in the bar regarding shocks. Very enlightening. Gospel? I don't know. He seems to only reference or target the "affordable" shocks, and doesn't mention the $6k+ ones.

Learn about what that adjusting **** really does, about what you should look for, etc...

http://farnorthracing.com/autocross_secrets6.html
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Old Oct 21, 2011 | 11:36 AM
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^Well if he reads that article he will learn that the PowerTrix coilovers are just rebranded crap from Stance with nonlinear adjustments.
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Old Oct 21, 2011 | 12:57 PM
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i always wanted konis, but my springs are too soft and still to high for my taste. too bad ground control dont make setups for rx8
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Old Oct 21, 2011 | 01:29 PM
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Koni's will give you a slight drop. With your s tech's, it should put you at a good ride height.
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Old Oct 21, 2011 | 02:08 PM
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Koni + Quality Springs > cheap set of coilovers.
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Old Oct 21, 2011 | 02:57 PM
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If you are going for a nice drop get the coilovers. OTherwise the shocks will be a better choice.
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Old Oct 21, 2011 | 05:34 PM
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is there some springs that are stiffer and lower than s-tech?
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Old Oct 21, 2011 | 09:26 PM
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Ok... I'm probably going to get flamed... so I'm putting the suit on now. Having worked, raced, and been around for a minute.... 99% of you guys will be fine with a shock/spring combo. In fact, unless you corner balance, and really know what to look for, and how to tune dampening/rebound etc.... your car will perform WORSE with coil-overs.

It'll feel stiffer, corner flatter, but your ultimate grip will be compromised, and you'd see your times increase (that's bad!) at a track or a measured figure 8 or circle course. 3 way, 5 way adjustable shocks from Tokico, Koni's or other reputable brand will be more than sufficient when paired with a good spring. When purchasing the spring, it's rate is more important than the drop. If the spring is too stiff, you will loose valuable movement and range from your suspension, negatively impacting performance. Best place to look... Solo II events or local track days. Talk to the guys who really know what they're doing and actually tracking their cars. See what they're running, and what works.... or doesn't work. You don't know how valuable negative feedback is until you realize something you were looking at is garbage and you just saved yourself from a huge dent in your wallet and possible headache.

Some of the best springs I've sold, used and worked with, are unfortunately not as popular or well known i.e. Gold-line, Swift just to name a few. So the lesson is, don't be intimidated, sold, or dissuaded by brand names.
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Old Oct 21, 2011 | 10:56 PM
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TX

Originally Posted by Angry Goat
Ok... I'm probably going to get flamed... so I'm putting the suit on now. Having worked, raced, and been around for a minute.... 99% of you guys will be fine with a shock/spring combo. In fact, unless you corner balance, and really know what to look for, and how to tune dampening/rebound etc.... your car will perform WORSE with coil-overs.

It'll feel stiffer, corner flatter, but your ultimate grip will be compromised, and you'd see your times increase (that's bad!) at a track or a measured figure 8 or circle course. 3 way, 5 way adjustable shocks from Tokico, Koni's or other reputable brand will be more than sufficient when paired with a good spring. When purchasing the spring, it's rate is more important than the drop. If the spring is too stiff, you will loose valuable movement and range from your suspension, negatively impacting performance. Best place to look... Solo II events or local track days. Talk to the guys who really know what they're doing and actually tracking their cars. See what they're running, and what works.... or doesn't work. You don't know how valuable negative feedback is until you realize something you were looking at is garbage and you just saved yourself from a huge dent in your wallet and possible headache.

Some of the best springs I've sold, used and worked with, are unfortunately not as popular or well known i.e. Gold-line, Swift just to name a few. So the lesson is, don't be intimidated, sold, or dissuaded by brand names.

You won't get flamed by me. Well said, I agree. Good post!
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Old Oct 21, 2011 | 11:39 PM
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Originally Posted by MaD666MaX
is there some springs that are stiffer and lower than s-tech?
Lets see...S Tech's spring rates are in the mid 100 range right...I'm running Hyper Coils that are 560lbs front and 400lbs rear...So yes you can get any spring rate you want from companies like Eibach and HyperCoil, as well as Swift. They just are not the out of the box set for a street driven car.
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Old Oct 22, 2011 | 01:16 AM
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Coilovers for sure. Everything in one.
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Old Oct 22, 2011 | 01:21 AM
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^Dont listen to this guy...Pretty sure he cut his OEM springs...
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Old Oct 22, 2011 | 01:39 AM
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Originally Posted by TopGear8
^Dont listen to this guy...Pretty sure he cut his OEM springs...
better yet he has CUT oem springs. it's gangsta, y0.
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Old Oct 24, 2011 | 05:49 PM
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Originally Posted by TopGear8
Lets see...S Tech's spring rates are in the mid 100 range right...I'm running Hyper Coils that are 560lbs front and 400lbs rear...So yes you can get any spring rate you want from companies like Eibach and HyperCoil, as well as Swift. They just are not the out of the box set for a street driven car.

So let me get this straight. I can call up Eiback and ask them to send me a set of springs for my Koni Yellows with lets say 450lbs front and 300lbs rear custom spring rates? How much is this gonna cost me lol
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Old Oct 24, 2011 | 07:00 PM
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The OP's question is best answered when one realizes the true purpose of "coil-over" damper systems.
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Old Oct 24, 2011 | 07:05 PM
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Originally Posted by WTBRotary!
So let me get this straight. I can call up Eiback and ask them to send me a set of springs for my Koni Yellows with lets say 450lbs front and 300lbs rear custom spring rates? How much is this gonna cost me lol
My springs from Hypercoil were only 80$ a spring...
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Old Oct 24, 2011 | 07:14 PM
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Originally Posted by TopGear8
^Well if he reads that article he will learn that the PowerTrix coilovers are just rebranded crap from Stance with nonlinear adjustments.
haha


Originally Posted by Jedi54
better yet he has CUT oem springs. it's gangsta, y0.
That's all you need for hard parking.
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Old Oct 24, 2011 | 11:02 PM
  #20  
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Originally Posted by TopGear8
^Dont listen to this guy...Pretty sure he cut his OEM springs...
Originally Posted by Jedi54
better yet he has CUT oem springs. it's gangsta, y0.

This is old news.

Anyway, it's almost a year and all of the comments about my shocks will blow in a few days, months...guess what...both of my rides are still doing fine. Been driving it everyday to work and anywhere else without any issues whatsoever. So, all of you "know it all"...bite me, lol
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Old Oct 24, 2011 | 11:10 PM
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I used to switch from coilovers in the summers to springs in the snow. F-that.
Get some good coilovers, JDM stuff or ohlins, be a baller.

I'll never not have coilovers again.

Last edited by Chad D.; Oct 24, 2011 at 11:14 PM.
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Old Aug 25, 2021 | 02:43 PM
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You can’t go wrong with Bilstein B14. I have them on my other car and they are amazing.
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Old Aug 11, 2022 | 08:20 PM
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Rev9 Hyper street Coilovers.

my rear struts went out know this because week to week my car started grinding the Carwash rail in the rear. Stock struts and springs. so I got me some Hyper Rev9 street ONE wanted to get the Hyper 2 but just a bit out my budget. swapped the rears without issue. they ride very nice but my front started making a clanking noise on small bumps in the road so time to install them but alas I have a issue. the top bushing is hitting the housing frame creating a 4-6mm gap between the top hat and the bottom side of the housing mount. only thing I can think to do is widen the center hole to allow passthrough. any thoughts or suggestions much appreciated.

notice gap at tophat.

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Old Aug 11, 2022 | 08:21 PM
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Rev9 Hyper street Coilovers.

my rear struts went out know this because week to week my car started grinding the Carwash rail in the rear. Stock struts and springs. so I got me some Hyper Rev9 street ONE wanted to get the Hyper 2 but just a bit out my budget. swapped the rears without issue. they ride very nice but my front started making a clanking noise on small bumps in the road so time to install them but alas I have a issue. the top bushing is hitting the housing frame creating a 4-6mm gap between the top hat and the bottom side of the housing mount. only thing I can think to do is widen the center hole to allow passthrough. any thoughts or suggestions much appreciated.

notice gap at tophat.


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Old Aug 11, 2022 | 11:24 PM
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Have you tried contacting the manufacturer? You shouldn't need to grind holes in your car to fit proper parts...
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