Thinking about getting new suspension and was wondering if anyone had experience with both and what would you recommend? Also what kind of setup you guys have. My car is my daily.

 

Before you get destroyed by some of the elder members here you really need to use the search button. I am in the same boat as you and from what I have been reading over the past few weeks BC's are great for daily cars.

From one new guy to another SEARCH FIRST!! lol

 

Oh I did. I also heard good things about FA. I just wanted to know who had experience with both suspension and which one they would prefer.

 

I think BC has a lot more play than FA. I have BC's and love them can't complain at all. I'm running 18/16k and its still a comfy ride.

 

I don't have experience with FA's on this chassis, but I had BC's with stock spring rates (10k/8k) on my last '01 GS3 and I do have FA's with stock spring rates on my '02 LS430 currently. Not exactly apples to apples, but I do have experience with both brands.

For the money, it's very hard to beat BC's. The ride is firmer than stock, but still very comfortable. It was never bouncy and remained composed. I was really happy with them.

I had never really heard about the Fortunes until a fellow LS member had posted some pics of his new wheel set up. Being curious, I looked into his suspension set up and he was quite happy with the Fortunes. From there, I read a ton of threads on the S2 and Evo forums and the guys loved them there. I was on the fence, because they seemed to have lots of good reviews, serviced in the US, warranty etc... But they were a few hundred more than the BC's. As it turned out, a set popped up on Ebay with low miles, and Fortune Auto was willing to warranty them for me as if they were new (the previous owner had FA uninstall them, and they were inspected by FA). So if that doesn't mean that they believe in their products, right?!? In any case, I got a great deal on them and have been happy with their performance. Not sure if the big body of the LS makes a difference, but the ride is very similar to the BC's. Very comfortable and rides like a luxury sedan should. Understand, I rarely drive the LS.......maybe once a week if anything, but the ride is very comfortable.

With that being said, I recently picked up an '02 SD (still have my LS), and I literally just sent payment to a vendor to order my suspension. This time around, I went back to BC's, but this time with the Swift Spring upgrade. Not because the "stock" BC's weren't satisfactory, just......because. In my opinion, for daily driving, I couldn't justify spending a few hundred more for the Fortunes. Both work very well and I'm pretty certain you'll be happy with either of them.

 

Sorry, forgot to clarify. This time, I actually upgraded to 12k/10k Swift springs. Depending on your comfort level, but with the stock spring rates, I felt myself wanting it a little firmer. Super comfortable, but just wanted to see what a little bump in spring rate and better springs might yield. We'll see how it turns out. Good luck

 

Thanks silver'04 for the info. Yeah seems like BC is the way to go. Hopefully I can get more input on the FA because it's going for the same price right now from THMotorsport. Anything is better than what I have now (Megan EZ). Looking for a smoother ride

 

So the stock spring rate is what I want then? How is it with your swift springs or you haven't gotten them yet?

 

Yah, order just went in today, so I likely won't have them for a few weeks. I think there's a couple factors to figure out before deciding which brand and spec is for you. The ride height you want, wheel/tire set up, as well as alignment readings will sway you one way or another. If you're not planning to slam the car and tuck tire, and you don't have an aggressive wheel and tire set up, the normal BC's with stock spring rates should work fine.

For me, I live out in Hawaii and our roads are pretty bad out here. I plan to daily the GS, but I will likely have the car lowered right above the tire. Not slammed, but a fairly low drop. The wheel set up I plan on going with is a 19x9.5/19x10 +30, and I was hoping to run 255/35 and 285/30's or at very least 245/35 and 275/30's. Not aggressive by today's standards, but not weak fitment either. My tire choices, ride height, and road conditions lead me to go with the BC Extreme low kit, and to upgrade the spring rates just a bit. I wanted it a little firmer so that I don't bottom out as quickly with the potholes out here. For me personally, I would raise the car before I would stretch a tire. I know these wheels can easily clear with a stretch, but I want to try and get as fat a tire as possible in there, so as to try and maintain as much ride comfort as possible. Hope this helps

 

is the car bouncy with 18/16k.?.. I'm on the hardest setting and the car still bounces... Anyone make a 10/10 etc? THe BC's must be more comfy than the Teins?

 

The setup I had before was 19x9.5 +22/ 19x11 +25 with stretched tires but I also do have figs rear vip kit. So my best bet is probably BC extreme low kit to stiff it up a bit

I'm in the market for new wheels also

 

Yah, I would think you would likely want to go closer to like 16k/14k or higher. The 10k/8k is going to be too soft for your wheel/tire set up. The hard part is getting it firm enough so you don't have rubbing issues, yet kind of retain some comfort. You're likely going to have to trade a little bit of one for the other.

 

I think I'm one of the few members with Fortunes... as far as ride, they ride excellent (although I have Swift springs on my GS). I've had them previously on my S14 after going through Kei Office and BC coilovers and these were my favorites.

Like Silver mentioned, I don't think you can go wrong with either. I will mention though, that for the size of our cars I'd go with a 16k or larger front and a 14k or larger rear spring rate; I'm running 16/12. One thing to mention: out of the box, the Fortunes don't go as low as the BCs (w/ the Extreme Drop) and you'd need to order them with the shorter struts/housings/whatever for them to get that low... I was going to go that route before deciding to go air and it was a $400 addition (although, this was AFTER already owning them... may be free if you ask when/if you place your order) and a 2-week turn around. Another thing that Silver mentioned was the price... the Fortunes are about ~+$200 stock for stock with the BC. However, both of them will cost more if you want the "upgrades" (mine have Swift springs and roller bearings to prevent spring binding).

Again, I don't think you can go wrong with either. Both offer custom spring rates/valving along with upgraded springs, and they're both rebuildable (I'm not sure if BC rebuilds theirs within the States or not, but Fortune does). Personally, I like the Fortunes, but you'll be pleased with either one.

 

Yup agreed about the size/weight of our cars. Coming from a Subaru back ground, when I starting reading the spring rates that most of the coilovers come with out of the box, I was worried the ride would be harsh. But in actuality, my stock BC's on my 2GS felt so much smoother and refined than my Stance's or Tein's that I ran on my last WRX wagon. I did a small bump up in spring rate as well as the Swift upgrade for this time around, so hopefully it pays off. Being that my wife will drive the GS sometimes too, ride comfort is more important than wheel/tire fitment for me. I thought of going with a little higher spring rate, but backed off in the interest of not getting an earful from my wife....lol. I actually would've done the same when I purchased my Fortunes for the LS, but they were already being sold as a stock set. I'm still happy though in stock form.