jaor.s2k

so i know this has been talked about a lot in the forum, and yes i have read some, but i wanted to be more specific. and my s is a daily and i don't auto x or track, so i don't really care how they perform on a track. i just care about performance on the street with occasional spirited driving.


if i were to get springs i was thinking about getting swift spec r. my main concern with getting springs is that, do they shorten oem shock life over time? and i wasn't sure so that's why i would like to ask spring owners, mainly swift, about that. and i know i could get koni shocks, but at the end of the day i could've just gotten coils.

for coils i've read some good things about bc coils and fortune auto, and heard good things about megan street/track. i prefer to stay in the 1k range with coils and i would like to know the reliability and life of them for daily use and easy adjust-ability. as i have done research/read about these coils and basically would like to get a summary of them in one thread i guess.

i don't mind any suggestions about getting other coils either, and for springs i'm pretty locked with the swifts.
i appreciate any input, especially for beating on a dead horse lol

MJM Autohaus

Any spring you get (Spring, Eibach, H&R, NEUSPEED, etc) is only going to be as soon as the damper you run it with. Sure, you run a spring on stock shocks and it will ride okay (relatively speaking), dependent upon the mileage on the shock, the type of driving you do, etc. For the differences in springs vs. coilovers - see below.

SPRINGS WITH SHOCKS:

Because of cost, this is by far the most popular combination when choosing a performance suspension for your vehicle. This set-up can pretty much give you the same benefits of coilovers without the ride height adjustability (if using KONI Sport Shocks). Rebound dampening adjustability (if using KONI Sport Shocks) can also be tailor-mated to the spring of your choice, again, giving you the same exact options of a good coilover kit. The downside, however, is that unlike coilovers or air ride, you cannot adjust the ride height. Determining what drop is right for you (i.e. 1", 1.5", etc) and deciding on what springs to go with (B&G, Eibach, H&R, Vogtland, NEUSPEED) is the biggest challenge. How low or not low do you want to go? Do you want the option of adjusting them for softness or firmness, or would you simply like a non-adjustable shock like the KONI Street (Orange) Shocks or Bilstein Sport Shocks?

COILOVER KITS:

No different than a spring with shock combo, but with the ability to adjust ride height and rebound dampening adjustability (kit dependent). Some kits on the market today offer rebound dampening and some do not (the difference being $$$$). All will offer ride height adjustments, though. Typically used for racing (most notably for corner balancing), coilovers are going to typically cost more than a spring and shock combo, but not typically as much as an air ride system. Most "real world" coilover users today are typically buying coilovers for the "idea" of having them and not necessarily for what they're intended for (racing and corner balancing). What we've found with a majority of our customers is that they're buying coilovers for their cars, installing them that first time, dialing them in with ride height and dampening (where applicable), then never, ever touching them again. That is nice and all, but somewhat defeats the purpose of spending $1000+ (or more) on a "racing" suspension. This being the case, a good spring and shock combo (for a lot less money) will get you the same exact results with improved handling and steering response - and again - that adjustability if you go with a KONI Sport Shock. Ultimately, it's the end user's decision on what he wants to do and nowadays it seems that most people just want to be able to say, "I have coilovers!" as opposed to actually using them for the track or other racing they're intended for.

Hope this answers some (if not all) your questions. Feel free to PM us if you'd like someone to call you for some 1-on-1 consultation on what might work best for you.

jaor.s2k

thanks for the input mjm!

and i actually plan on adjusting the height quite a bit, if it is easy to do that is. i currently am a full time student in college away from home. and right now my car barely clears the driveway at home, so every time i plan on going home i would raise my car up. and don't spring and shock combos cost almost 1k? like a few hundred less maybe?

thomsbrain

Bilstein PSS is close to $1000. Just doing lowering springs is going to make things worse, not better.

jaor.s2k

if you could elaborate please

s2000ellier

If you plan on adjusting your ride height often you will also being getting an alignment as often unless you want to ruin your tires.

kchandra

I spoke with swift USA. The Spec R is designed for stock struts and guy said over time it may get worse. I like coilovers and all, but I doubt I will ever use them to full potential. Spec R and Koni Yellows should be more than I would ever need. But the price of that combo is close to a PSS (not PSS9) - so thats my struggle. I cannot find out the PSS rates, tho!

Back S2k

one thing u have to remember about constantly changing ur ride hight is that ur alignment setting will get messed up.

say u install ur coilovers and u get the car aligned to stock specs/ w/e u want everything is fine and dandy. then u decide u wana go home and raise the car a bit so u can make it up ur drive way u will mess up ur alignment. of course u can mark where ur previous ride hight setting was and when u adjust back down ur alignment will be more or less where it was set at. but u will never know for sure.

i have run both springs an coilovers

i have run espelirs on stock shocks for 30k starting at 69k on my old berlina and everything was fine i never blew a shock or noticed them getting worse.

upgraded to coilovers and it was a night and day difference car felt a lot more responsive and it was awesome finding that perfect dampening setting and have the car feelin tits. this might be just me but i would have liked a stiffer spring both front and rear on the coilovers i had (tein flex)

I have since totaled the berlina and now have a silverstone

my current set up is again the espelir and stock shock combo the car feels great esp with proper tires and alignment but i am saving for coilovers and cant wait to upgrade. leaning towards the fortune auto 500

MJM Autohaus

If you're seeing spring and shock combos for a $1000, something is wrong. We have them in the $699.95 and up range with brands NOT made in China!

Check out our offerings on our site with KONI Adjustable Sport Shocks mated to either B&G, NEUSPEED, Eibach or H&R Springs.

jaor.s2k

yeah, kinda just thought about the whole alignment things after the post, but i figured you guys would chime in about it. i guess i could get springs for now and then after college switch to coils, but i dunno i feel like i should mind as well save up for coils instead of wasting money on the springs


i just want to ruin the stock shocks and have to pay for more things