rmc

I totally thought about going back to OEM suspension, then maybe lowering springs if I REALLY wanted my car lowered. I just figured since I have the money, I could just get a good set of coilovers and call it a day. Other than the shit suspension, the car is pretty much stock

lookstoomuch

I'd personally save the money for a rainy day and consider finding decent OEM setup, especially if you wrench and can swap again in the future. I have the Sake Bomb FPSport 11k kit and am I happy? Sure. Is it worth $2k more than OEM for occasional track day? I don't think so but I'm not some super advanced HPDE guy, just 5-6 events/year running on RS4's. Put the money into track events / autocross vs. trying to perfect the car day 1.

Once you start getting into stickier tires, square setups, aero, that changes the equation. For me, alignment and the cheapo front sway did more to "tune" the handling to my liking, but like B Serious said, it wasn't science....

xxyion

I think theres a lot of people missing what the OP wants. Sounds like to me the owner is using the car more as a daily driver and wants to do things once and get the car lowered, have better suspension for some spirited driving and the occasional track days.

It doesnt sound like he wants to do this whole testing process of getting OEM suspension to see where his baseline is blah blah. I say all this because i have the exact same requirements as he does. Granted i dont have cheap ebay suspension right now but i'm not a huge track guy. Sure i'll do some days but shaving precious seconds off my time isnt a goal for me. I originally came from the car show scene so thats more my thing. However since this car is also my daily driver i want my car to look good while still be drivable.


My suggestion to the OP.

Ohlins are great,
KWs are also good
For a more street focused coil Bilsteins are on the highly recommended list and go for between 1000$-1500$ depending on model.
Greddy and KW teamed up to make a coilover (i have those on order) and are a very good street coilover. for around 1500$.

If in the future you really decide you want to turn your car into a track beast, then yes i suggest getting some OEM suspension and then developing your driver skill from there. But if not and you just want a lowered good looking car that you can occasionally take to the track, cant go wrong with any of the above options

rmc

Thanks for a great answer, man. As much as I’d like to turn my car track beast, work would just get in the way, but when I have time, I do want a chance to play around and have good enough suspension to do it. I’m sure I’ll develop a baseline one way or another, even if I don’t have OEM to begin with. I’m still deciding on which coils, but I’ll definitely get Bilstein another look over and see what they offer

Say Chi Sin Lo

Blisteins were on my list too. But they don't pop up often unless you buy them new. OEM suspension was definitely properly dialed in for the car, just do your research and make sure you don't pick up a set that actually make the car handle worse. (Like your current ebay setup)

THMotorsports

Ohlins are great, though on the expensive side, and on the soft side if you're doing a lot of track work.

KW is a great option - there's also a mail in rebate on these currently.
We stock the Greddy/KW coilover as well, also a very high quality damper built to Greddy's specifications. It's only a little bit softer than the KW v1/v2/v3 (a little over 9kgmm for the kw vs 8kgmm for the Greddy). I'd strongly consider the ST coilover over the Greddy as it's also a KW, but without the stainless body, and quite a bit cheaper.

Bilsteins - very comfy on street, but very soft, and very overdamped on rebound. They do a poor job of controlling the low piston velocities. Spring rates are only slightly firmer than stock, and it definitely rolls about more than stock. They're also still on national backorder.

Fortunes are a great bang for the buck for around a grand. At that price point, you'll be hard pressed to find a better performing coilover. They're built here in the USA, dyno tested, easily serviceable and modular for upgrade capability, and we've worked closely with Fortune to develop and refine the valving profiles for the s2000. It's a linear/digressive hybrid that rides well and does an excellent job of controlling pitch.

I used set of low mileage OEM shocks with some decent lowering springs will do if you don't ever plan on tracking it. I do believe that a coilover can ride better than many spring/shock setups due to having more stroke, staying off the bumpstops, and being valved to match the spring rate. However, you can come across a decent set of used shocks quite inexpensively.

Say Chi Sin Lo

ST coilovers are a GREAT alternative. They're essentially KW V1 without the stainless steel body. They're a fantastic option for anyone that doesn't have to worry about rust.

xxyion

Yeah i forgot about these. I had a set on my BRZ and they were fantastic for daily. Did one track day and i thought they performed really well.

Manga_Spawn

Another vote for Ohlins here. Love mine. If you didn't want to do the OEM step and just wanted good coilovers I would go with Ohlins no question. Yes they cost more but it is worth it.

Say Chi Sin Lo

I feel like if you're an enthusiast, and you care about how the car handles and perform, everyone should try the OEM offering first. The stock suspension wasn't just randomly thrown onto the car, and their capability covers nearly most drivers, EVEN if you were to take it onto the track.

Additionally, if there's a method to one's modifications, you need a baseline.