Which coilovers are good for improving handling?
10-19-11, 11:01 AM
#17
The Kws are very nice, they would ride smoother than the BC Racing coilovers but they are also double the cost, so budget is a huge factor when choosing a kit.
And yes the BC Racing coilovers are user serviceable with replacement shock cartridges, very easy
And yes the BC Racing coilovers are user serviceable with replacement shock cartridges, very easy
11-10-11, 09:14 PM
#28
I went from a '99 Mustang GT to a 2007 Lexus IS350 with the luxury package, and REALLY missed the fun factor and performance of the Mustang. My IS was initially a lease and early this year I decided to buy it out and upgrade the suspension rather than getting something new.
I went with BCR with custom spring rates of 12/10 with rubber mounts and the FIGS engineering mega arms for the purpose of saving my tires from excessive tread wear. This upgrade was solely for handling, and I actually lowered the car only the minimum amount possible to avoid any rubbing. I also had the installer do 4-corner balancing. And I also added front and rear f-sport sway bars.
Initially, I hated the new springs. Seriously. It was impossibly uncomfortable at the tightest settings at speed on the highway. The highway, even when smooth, became a cross between a roller coaster and a jet boat ride (again this is at the firmest setting on the dampening).
I settled on adjusting the dampening to be a 1/3d (10 clicks) from the softest setting. With these springs, if you make it the softest possible setting, the car's handling is way too mushy and bouncy and annoying. At the current setting, it became an acceptable compromise between decent handling and ride quality.
As far as handling goes, the car turns very flat with little body roll, and the understeer is dramatically reduced vs before. But I will say that the improved suspension setup has highlighted the off-center and imperfect steering setup and the car is still no pure sports car in my mind. It also has highlighted weaknesses in tire grip and I feel like I need some better grippy tires to take advantage of the suspension.
My installer told me the FIGS mega arms were a waste of money for my setup; I didn't lower the car enough to need them.
If I did it all over again, I would probably start with the 10/8 rack rate for the BCR's. I think I was just overly aggressive in spring rates. I have no issues with any noise, and for all intent and purposes, feel confident in these coilovers for my day to day driving. I also did install the rear extenders to allow me to adjust the settings easily. That said, I haven't touched the settings in over 6 months; I never track the car and just use it as my daily driver. Not that it's really pertinent, but I do track my motorcycle (SV650S). I have no issues with road noise; if the noise level went up with the new springs, I can't tell.
I'm not sure if this part is so note worthy, but my wife is not into great handling, and drives a huge SUV GMC Yukon as her daily driver. She loves driving my IS350 and doesn't find the current setup too harsh at all. As a passenger, she claims that she can't tell that anything has changed. She is also great about not pulling all the way forward into spots (so as to avoid hitting the bottom of the front end on the curbs). I have had the new suspension setup since April.
Feel free to PM me with other questions.
I went with BCR with custom spring rates of 12/10 with rubber mounts and the FIGS engineering mega arms for the purpose of saving my tires from excessive tread wear. This upgrade was solely for handling, and I actually lowered the car only the minimum amount possible to avoid any rubbing. I also had the installer do 4-corner balancing. And I also added front and rear f-sport sway bars.
Initially, I hated the new springs. Seriously. It was impossibly uncomfortable at the tightest settings at speed on the highway. The highway, even when smooth, became a cross between a roller coaster and a jet boat ride (again this is at the firmest setting on the dampening).
I settled on adjusting the dampening to be a 1/3d (10 clicks) from the softest setting. With these springs, if you make it the softest possible setting, the car's handling is way too mushy and bouncy and annoying. At the current setting, it became an acceptable compromise between decent handling and ride quality.
As far as handling goes, the car turns very flat with little body roll, and the understeer is dramatically reduced vs before. But I will say that the improved suspension setup has highlighted the off-center and imperfect steering setup and the car is still no pure sports car in my mind. It also has highlighted weaknesses in tire grip and I feel like I need some better grippy tires to take advantage of the suspension.
My installer told me the FIGS mega arms were a waste of money for my setup; I didn't lower the car enough to need them.
If I did it all over again, I would probably start with the 10/8 rack rate for the BCR's. I think I was just overly aggressive in spring rates. I have no issues with any noise, and for all intent and purposes, feel confident in these coilovers for my day to day driving. I also did install the rear extenders to allow me to adjust the settings easily. That said, I haven't touched the settings in over 6 months; I never track the car and just use it as my daily driver. Not that it's really pertinent, but I do track my motorcycle (SV650S). I have no issues with road noise; if the noise level went up with the new springs, I can't tell.
I'm not sure if this part is so note worthy, but my wife is not into great handling, and drives a huge SUV GMC Yukon as her daily driver. She loves driving my IS350 and doesn't find the current setup too harsh at all. As a passenger, she claims that she can't tell that anything has changed. She is also great about not pulling all the way forward into spots (so as to avoid hitting the bottom of the front end on the curbs). I have had the new suspension setup since April.
Feel free to PM me with other questions.
Last edited by gdinero; 11-10-11 at 09:22 PM.
11-11-11, 07:33 AM
#29
I went from a '99 Mustang GT to a 2007 Lexus IS350 with the luxury package, and REALLY missed the fun factor and performance of the Mustang. My IS was initially a lease and early this year I decided to buy it out and upgrade the suspension rather than getting something new.
I went with BCR with custom spring rates of 12/10 with rubber mounts and the FIGS engineering mega arms for the purpose of saving my tires from excessive tread wear. This upgrade was solely for handling, and I actually lowered the car only the minimum amount possible to avoid any rubbing. I also had the installer do 4-corner balancing. And I also added front and rear f-sport sway bars.
Initially, I hated the new springs. Seriously. It was impossibly uncomfortable at the tightest settings at speed on the highway. The highway, even when smooth, became a cross between a roller coaster and a jet boat ride (again this is at the firmest setting on the dampening).
I settled on adjusting the dampening to be a 1/3d (10 clicks) from the softest setting. With these springs, if you make it the softest possible setting, the car's handling is way too mushy and bouncy and annoying. At the current setting, it became an acceptable compromise between decent handling and ride quality.
As far as handling goes, the car turns very flat with little body roll, and the understeer is dramatically reduced vs before. But I will say that the improved suspension setup has highlighted the off-center and imperfect steering setup and the car is still no pure sports car in my mind. It also has highlighted weaknesses in tire grip and I feel like I need some better grippy tires to take advantage of the suspension.
My installer told me the FIGS mega arms were a waste of money for my setup; I didn't lower the car enough to need them.
If I did it all over again, I would probably start with the 10/8 rack rate for the BCR's. I think I was just overly aggressive in spring rates. I have no issues with any noise, and for all intent and purposes, feel confident in these coilovers for my day to day driving. I also did install the rear extenders to allow me to adjust the settings easily. That said, I haven't touched the settings in over 6 months; I never track the car and just use it as my daily driver. Not that it's really pertinent, but I do track my motorcycle (SV650S). I have no issues with road noise; if the noise level went up with the new springs, I can't tell.
I'm not sure if this part is so note worthy, but my wife is not into great handling, and drives a huge SUV GMC Yukon as her daily driver. She loves driving my IS350 and doesn't find the current setup too harsh at all. As a passenger, she claims that she can't tell that anything has changed. She is also great about not pulling all the way forward into spots (so as to avoid hitting the bottom of the front end on the curbs). I have had the new suspension setup since April.
Feel free to PM me with other questions.
I went with BCR with custom spring rates of 12/10 with rubber mounts and the FIGS engineering mega arms for the purpose of saving my tires from excessive tread wear. This upgrade was solely for handling, and I actually lowered the car only the minimum amount possible to avoid any rubbing. I also had the installer do 4-corner balancing. And I also added front and rear f-sport sway bars.
Initially, I hated the new springs. Seriously. It was impossibly uncomfortable at the tightest settings at speed on the highway. The highway, even when smooth, became a cross between a roller coaster and a jet boat ride (again this is at the firmest setting on the dampening).
I settled on adjusting the dampening to be a 1/3d (10 clicks) from the softest setting. With these springs, if you make it the softest possible setting, the car's handling is way too mushy and bouncy and annoying. At the current setting, it became an acceptable compromise between decent handling and ride quality.
As far as handling goes, the car turns very flat with little body roll, and the understeer is dramatically reduced vs before. But I will say that the improved suspension setup has highlighted the off-center and imperfect steering setup and the car is still no pure sports car in my mind. It also has highlighted weaknesses in tire grip and I feel like I need some better grippy tires to take advantage of the suspension.
My installer told me the FIGS mega arms were a waste of money for my setup; I didn't lower the car enough to need them.
If I did it all over again, I would probably start with the 10/8 rack rate for the BCR's. I think I was just overly aggressive in spring rates. I have no issues with any noise, and for all intent and purposes, feel confident in these coilovers for my day to day driving. I also did install the rear extenders to allow me to adjust the settings easily. That said, I haven't touched the settings in over 6 months; I never track the car and just use it as my daily driver. Not that it's really pertinent, but I do track my motorcycle (SV650S). I have no issues with road noise; if the noise level went up with the new springs, I can't tell.
I'm not sure if this part is so note worthy, but my wife is not into great handling, and drives a huge SUV GMC Yukon as her daily driver. She loves driving my IS350 and doesn't find the current setup too harsh at all. As a passenger, she claims that she can't tell that anything has changed. She is also great about not pulling all the way forward into spots (so as to avoid hitting the bottom of the front end on the curbs). I have had the new suspension setup since April.
Feel free to PM me with other questions.
Thank you for your valuable comment on this set-up. I love it for your straight-forward comment.
What do you think should you have gone with 10 front and 8 rear springs as BCR suggested?
11-11-11, 02:40 PM
#30
12/10 was too stiff for me. 10/8 might have been the better bet.