7Cain

Alright, I'm sure there are plenty of you guys out there who have tried both. Are coilovers really worth the money? After my brakes arrive the suspention is next, I'm going to hold on to the brake gear until I get the suspension parts so I can do it all at the same time (save some trouble too). My question is, Is adjustability really worth all that extra cash? Also, I imagine the install goes easier on the coilovers because you don't have to swap as many parts and the coilovers appear to be pre-assembled? Any help is great, sorry if this has been an overly discussed topic.

You Rock!!

Kaiser

iTrader: (1)

Once I set my coilovers on my last two cars I never adjusted them again. I went with GR-2's and Intrax on this car and I'm really happy so far. The drop was just about perfect for me and they handle good for spirited driving but yet doesn't rupture a kidney. I guess it depends on your driving habits and how low you want to slam it. If you want to get lower than Intrax you will likely need adjustable camber bolts. I was able to max out my stock bolts. I have a set of bolts that I ended up not using if you need them.

Tramix

I just installed my rear coilovers today. And well I'm actually quite happy. I get to choose which height I want my car and it's easy to adjust. I'm using the Tein HAs, but it doesn't exactly come pre-assembled. I used the stock tophats. Pillowball mounts are too stiff. Install is easy but I guess it really depends on how much you want to drop and how you plan on driving like Kaiser said.

7Cain

I want good drivability but I doubt I will change the settings once they are set. The thing that gets in the way of this kind of decision is practicality. If I have to take the wheels off to adjust the ride hight, then that is almost useless unless I frequent the tracks, I'm really looking at spirited street driving as the most extreme for the moment. I can see how even if I got the adjustables I would like them and notice an improvement when I adjusted them to the correct setting, but then, adjustability means you can have them adjusted to the wrong setting as well. I ride a sportbike with 3-way adjustable shocks at every reservior, once the front is dialed in to a nice practical medium, you leave it unless your preping for a seriously different surface, I never touch the front anymore, I found what works best for me and leave it, but on the back, I'll stiffen or loosen the dampening a bit depending on road or passenger situation. I guess this answers allot for me, if the KYB shocks can handle a 1.6" drop from intrax without having to buy any new/additional hardware for camber adjustment then I might as well save a little money and put it toward things like tires or wheels. I am a minimalist anyway, I'll consider this decision very seriously.

Wald GS

iTrader: (1)

Coilovers are the best!

They have saved me many times since the HEIGHT is adjustable! They are stiffer than any shocks available for 1st gen cars and are adjustable. With coilovers you can make sure all fours of the car are evenly lowered where as springs will always have the rear passenger side higher than the rest.

mikal

Yup, after the springs settle in, the front left tends to sag a bit due to the weight of the driver usually. If all you have is springs, then you're gonna have to live with the uneven drop.

Epik

iTrader: (7)

if you've seen my recent posts, you now how I stand on this issue. I'm super satsified with my new Racing Logics, and this is coming from someone that used to run HKS Hiper D's (still for sale actually) Tein is overplayed in my opinion.. I've had them on other cars myself too.. didnt want them anymore. I was very happy with the HKS until I heard about the new imported RL's... and the adjustability (damping) is what got me.. for the first time since it was stock, my wife didnt complain riding in my car.

Oh, and with a good set of coilovers, removing the wheel to adjust height is not necessary. you do have to jack the car to unweight the wheel so the collar can spin, but no wheel removal necessary.

my $.02.. may have some change..

Tramix

I've asked about them previously. I don't think anyone has tried them. Ksport makes coilovers for our cars as well.

Wald GS

iTrader: (1)

Coilovers that are not purchased used and that are ordered brand new in the USA are generally Tein CS and the JIC flta-2 yet not many have them. If we were all drifters, I'm sure we would want the stiffest coilovers, but alot of us aren't drifter.

I believe the JIC's can be adjusted while the car is up, since LOTC adjusts his JIC's that way, while the teins, the wheels have to be taken off. Then again I have dish so its hard to see what the heck I'm doing. lol

7Cain

Much respect for all the info guys, I really appreciate it. I have 11 days to make the decision, but now I'm curious about the use of the stock tophat? You say pillowball mounts are too stiff? So did you have to take your coilover setup apart to use the stock tophat? All the pictures I've seen show the coilovers assembled and ready to swap? I thought that was the point of a ready to install suspension system. Sorry if I sound like an idiot here, bare with me.

Tramix

My teins came without the tophats. I assembled them myselves. It's quite easy. I didn't even have to use a spring compressor to disassemble my stock ones. All it is a bolt on top and that was it. The stock tophats fit just fine on them. You may need new tophats if your existing ones are worn out. Or if you like just buy a set of coilovers that is preassembled.

7Cain

Thanks for clearing that up, do they always come without the tophat? I've done a full suspension spring/strut job on a Tuscani including poly bushings, but I thought that these coilover setups come with everything preassembled (minus the car of course, at least that is how the pics look from all the stores online right out of the box).

LexAristo and mikal, I know that you know that I know that you know what your talking about, but in all honesty, if you adjust the ride height to include the drivers weight, don't you have the same problem when you get out of the car? Furthermore, if you are in the car, how can you adjust the ride hight, or even see that it is off in the first place? (I know you get a friend to help, I was being funny). But then once you've done that, what do you do when you have a passenger in the front? "Damnit honey, you need to get out of the car, I have to jack it up so I can adjust for your weight!!" I don't think that will fly to well, also as I've mentioned, I live on a granite gravel road with a pretty steep hill and lots of wonderful potholes and imperfections, all this for almost half a mile before I hit the pavement. So I can't drop it too much anyway, unless I carry a floor jack around with me and make the adjustments when I leave the neighborhood.

All of you guys are awesome, I really appreciate this, and will be sure to keep you posted on what is decided.

Maximum Respect

Epik

iTrader: (7)

Ditto for the Racing Logic. Billet threaded body.. I have tucked my 350z rims and still had a comfortable ride, and that wasnt even full drop.

Epik

iTrader: (7)

Believe me I realize the GS300 drift community is a very small contingent. I drift, often, but I also drive my car on a daily basis, occasionally with the wife. If she didnt complain, then they are THAT good in my opinion. That is why coilovers are so popular.. GOOD coilovers are double or even triple duty. You can drive the potholed roads of suburbia, at a safe height, slam them for a show, or adjust to your perfect setup for road course, auto cross or just "spirited" driving. Proper damping and spring rates are key to your satisfaction with a suspension.. Tein and JIC are the most popular by far, but that does not mean they are the best... just the most known. Unfortunately many people are brainwashed into name dropping and as a result dont realize they're compromising in some areas.

Choose wisely.. I'll be lurking around if you need a devil's advocate.