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The Big Coilover VS Spring Debate

I'm ready to by my suspension mod for my Z. I was looking at Coilovers for some time now, coming from lowering cars with just springs I wanted to step

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Old 04-01-2011, 02:44 PM   #1 (permalink)
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Default The Big Coilover VS Spring Debate

I'm ready to by my suspension mod for my Z. I was looking at Coilovers for some time now, coming from lowering cars with just springs I wanted to step it up and get something better for my new pride and joy.

I was looking into BC Coil Overs for the price and rep.

What other brands should I be looking into at this price range. Also... I have heard about BC having a clunking noise is this still the case?

Thoughts advise, all welcomed please.

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Old 04-01-2011, 03:04 PM   #2 (permalink)
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Stance GR+ coilovers are a step up from BC BR coilovers IMHO. Cost is a little more, not much but worth it. I love mine. Stance has great customer service also. Not that BC doesn't.
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Old 04-01-2011, 03:48 PM   #3 (permalink)
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^Thanks looking forward to a lot more opinions here.
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Old 04-01-2011, 04:41 PM   #4 (permalink)
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I think it really depends on what you want to get out of the suspension mod. If it's just for lowering, then you'll have to decide if springs is enough for you but it's also a much cheaper alternative.

I'm not planning to track my car anytime soon so I originally wanted springs but I was considering coilovers just for the ability to set the ride height. It seems KW makes some good ones too and the KW Variant 1s are a decent price if you don't track but still on the pricey side. From their website it looks like max drop for those is 2 inches.

I'm waiting for some swift springs but if I'm not satisfied with the ride hide, I'll probably get KW V1s eventually. The main concern I have is making sure the ride isn't too harsh on coilovers which I have heard KWs are pretty smooth.
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Old 04-01-2011, 05:07 PM   #5 (permalink)
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I've heard good things about Stance's GR+, but haven't personally used them to comment. I generally stay away from BC products.



Tsolin-- I would stay away from the V1's unless your only goal is to be able to adjust the drop. Not being able to adjust damping makes the setup pretty useless for most.
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Old 04-01-2011, 07:15 PM   #6 (permalink)
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Tsolin-- I would stay away from the V1's unless your only goal is to be able to adjust the drop. Not being able to adjust damping makes the setup pretty useless for most.
Yes, but the shock valving is still superior to the OEM shocks.
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Old 04-01-2011, 09:27 PM   #7 (permalink)
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Yea right now I only care about ride height and don't want to have to deal with damping and rebound settings. We'll see though, I guess I might as well get the V3s if I'm gonna spend that much cash.
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Old 04-01-2011, 11:30 PM   #8 (permalink)
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Yes, but the shock valving is still superior to the OEM shocks.
I wouldn't spend that much money on dampers I couldn't adjust. Fortune Auto makes some pretty solid coilovers that I would go with before the V1's.

I probably won't rock anything from KW again though. It is much pricier than it deserves to be. On the Z there aren't many other options in between, but on most other platforms there are much better options.
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Old 04-02-2011, 12:13 AM   #9 (permalink)
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Swift Springs! FTW
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Old 04-02-2011, 01:13 AM   #10 (permalink)
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I have a set of Stance GR+ coilovers that I am getting installed at the end of the month along with SPC front and rear camber arms. After looking around alot and talking to alot of people in my ChicagoZ club this is the set up I chose.



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Old 04-02-2011, 02:41 AM   #11 (permalink)
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Swift Springs! FTW
x20, love mine to bits. I will probably move to coilovers once I have money to spare but the Swifts have exceeded my expectations in every way.
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Old 04-02-2011, 09:02 PM   #12 (permalink)
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Eh, for those of you suggesting Stance products:

‎"BTW... Stance shocks suck. We just tested a set on a 370z and with Tyler McQuarie driving, they were two seconds a lap slower than stock at SOW even with Robi trying to tune them in. Fake Motons are fake...." - Mike Kojima

Likewise, BC BRs are no better than Megans are w/e.

If your primary interest is lowering your car, then get springs. If it is performance, save up and buy KW V3s.

To me, it's that simple.
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Old 04-02-2011, 09:52 PM   #13 (permalink)
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Eh, for those of you suggesting Stance products:

‎"BTW... Stance shocks suck. We just tested a set on a 370z and with Tyler McQuarie driving, they were two seconds a lap slower than stock at SOW even with Robi trying to tune them in. Fake Motons are fake...." - Mike Kojima

Likewise, BC BRs are no better than Megans are w/e.

If your primary interest is lowering your car, then get springs. If it is performance, save up and buy KW V3s.

To me, it's that simple.

Reguardless they are more than perfect for budget minded folks. Defiantly more than a step up from ''springs". They are good enough for a entry level setup. Perfect for most here. There are plenty of other great brands. But not all want or can afford to go that high for what there looking for. Lots of people live in the middle of the road. You defiantly coming from a professional point of view. So that's not really fair to say.
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Old 04-03-2011, 12:05 PM   #14 (permalink)
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Originally Posted by SPOHN View Post
Reguardless they are more than perfect for budget minded folks. Defiantly more than a step up from ''springs". They are good enough for a entry level setup. Perfect for most here. There are plenty of other great brands. But not all want or can afford to go that high for what there looking for. Lots of people live in the middle of the road. You defiantly coming from a professional point of view. So that's not really fair to say.
But if they are worse than stock, how is it acceptable for an entry level setup?

I'm not a pro racer. I'll be on a track once or twice a year at best -- but even then, why would I want to make my car worse?

I can't afford KW V3s either, nor can I afford any other good coilover -- but for me, I'd rather just say oh well and move on instead of sabotaging my vehicle.
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Old 04-03-2011, 12:28 PM   #15 (permalink)
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Mmm... If you're going to spend that much money on a coilover setup, you might as well wait a little longer to save a little more and get something good. Do it right. Do it once. I went with KW V3's and haven't looked back.
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