That is why you have to spend on some good money a great coilover system. Companies like Ohlins, KW, and Bilstein or even air ride suspension makes great street-able coilovers and serves as duo purpose. I personally think that aftermarket springs on factory shocks rides like crap, not to mention premature wear on the shocks. It is simply a cheaper way to lower the car.

I had several different coilovers on my last vehicle including aftermarket springs with and without aftermarket shocks, BC, Tein, Cusco, KW3, and Bilstein. And the Bilstein rode most comfortable out of all of them while performing great on the track. It just costs over $2k.

Davyjordi, you have realize what you want out of your vehicle and what your plans are. Is it for comfort, track use, or just to lower your vehicle. If you are looking to just to lower your vehicle without any issues the BC coilover with low compression rated Swift coilover springs will do the wonders and plenty comfortable on the streets. And they will rebuild the shocks for $50 per shocks.

 

thanks for your input, jkonquer -- i paid good money this morning to get rs*r coilovers. they are to be delivered tomorrow and to be installed on thursday or friday.

with regard to what i want out of the vehicle, i want a ride as comfortable as i can get out of coilover as well as to lower the car about the same as i'm lowered currently on rs*s down springs. this is my daily driver. i'm certainly not going to track an IS 250 lol.

 

If you want things to last, you may want to stay away from coils.
You have driven in a car with coils before, but you haven't driven it day after day, year after year, through countless potholes, bumps, and scraping. It takes a toll on the suspension and the entire car! I put my car through hell because it was an old beater accord that I frequently drive in the twisties. Let me paint a picture of all the potential things your $45k Lexus can go through. I've been through all of it.

After a year, there will be noises from the interior because plastics gets loose from the vibrations. This will get worse over time as more parts become loose, such as electrical connections (this is a bad one). You will need an alignment annually.
In 2 years, you will need to check parts inside your engine bay, as those too, will become loose. Battery tray and connections, ground connections, dozens of hose clamps, etc. they all become loose.
In 3 years, you may need to replace bearings, and both inner and outer CV boot/joint if torn. Other suspension parts will need to be checked and replaced as necessary. Tires will definitely have accelerated inner wear by now from bad alignment.
In 4 years if you have driven around 40k, there may be some oil leaking from the coils. A sign that the coils is at the end of its life and time for a rebuild. This will cost around $150-$200 each! This does not include hefty shipping costs to send back to the manufacturer to get it refurbished. You will not be driving your car for 4-6 weeks. Or, you can just buy a new set for full price.
4 years in, your car will have taken a beating and it will no longer be the same. Will you have tons of fun? YES! Will your car and wallet pay for it? YES!
If you can handle this, then good luck and have fun!

 

if all of that happens, i'll buy another car. simple. in the meantime i'll take my chances.

 

I watched the Youtube video you posted...I think I may have actually seen it before.
The clamps on the springs was just ridiculous...I can't even imagine someone seriously doing that.
He did consider the lowering springs as one of the 5 bad mods...which is fine.
I would point out that not all lowering springs are made the same...just like every coilover is not made the same.
Lowering a vehicle 0.5 inch is way different than lowering it 2.5 inches...whether it's on coils or springs.

At the end of the day, choose the system that you are most comfortable with.
Clearly there are a variety of opinions here on springs and coilovers. And the reality is, either way, you are modifying the vehicle...so don't expect it to be the way it was, because it won't.

Personally I have the RSR Downs installed, and to be honest, the car rides just as nice as when it was stock, and it corners noticeably better than stock...all that with my 20 inch wheels.
And yeah, if I had to do the wheels again, I would go 19 inch staggered.
And...here's the kicker...for the price of the brand new RSR Downs, I could have bought a set of used RSR Coilovers. Yep...I know.
But really, I just didn't want the headache of coilovers. The constant adjustment, and adjustment, and adjustment...I'm too old for that *****e.
And my tracking days are over...I had a track car that had coilovers I made, and that was super fun...but I was also young and stupid once, so...
And the cost of shortened shock life vs. the coilover rebuild life is a wash in the end...and my vehicle will only be down for a couple hours while I replace the shocks. I'm probably getting too old for that too.
So either one you choose, damper costs are going to be a factor down the road.

You're never really gonna know which system is right for you until you drive the vehicle long term like the wise 600rr stated.
You got the springs in now, why not drive it for 6 months and see how it really feels...than put the coilovers in and drive it another 6 months.
The dampers, in either scenario, will still be fine after only 6 months, so you can get a realistic view of what the car will be like.

It's a great thread for everyone to throw their opinion into the ring. I think it's clear which comments are just from the yahoos, and the ones that are from those in the know.
I'd love to drive a car, one day, that has bags. I've never driven one of those...and that's likely why you'll never see me comment about the pros/cons of bags.

 

Just buy bags

 

toooooooooo expensive lol

 

LOL!! You have 2 sets of springs and a set of coilovers...I think the budget has gone out the window...lol!!

 

Just watch - in two weeks I'll be unhappy with the coilovers and will be asking people to weigh in on my newly purchased air suspension.

 

LMAO!! Will the madness ever end!

 

I really hope it does end after I have the coilovers installed tomorrow! RS*R makes some great quality products!

 

I would always go full big huge corporate names for stuff like this. Bilstein, KW, etc.

IMO, I would avoid names like BC and other generic stuff. Back in the day, they were known to break welds highway speeds and flip BMWs on their roofs because kids wanted to cheap out.

Go big names only. Real racing names, OEM. Basically expensive stuff only.

 

Credit card

 

How was the ride with the RSR Downs so far?

 

Looks like you've made up your mind, but you're also very impatient lol. Two sets of springs in 3 weeks and now coils. Settle down a bit and do some research so you don't waste money swapping out parts.
I totally agree with E46CT to go with big names. The RSR probably costs you around $1800, but they are generic like Teins, BC, Megans and not worth it. Just because the RSR is expensive does not mean it is good. Save a bit more and get yourself a set of KW Variant 3 for $2500. KW makes high quality and performance racing suspension.
https://www.tirerack.com/suspension/...6&autoModClar=