I'm looking at the JIC FLT-A2 Series coilovers. I can get a good deal on these coilovers, but I'm worried to spend the money and be dissappointed with them. I want a racing damper that is somewhat streetable. But I do plan to road race the car next year. I liked my TEIN's on my celica but want something that is ride height independent. I need suggestions. Anything around $1500 is good.

 

If you can spend that much, why not pony up a few hundred more for KW V3's? That seems to be a mindless decision based on what you say you're looking for.

 

I have a feeling that if he read this board at all or knew what a KWV3 was, he wouldn't be asking about the JIC coilovers at nearly the same price point.

Anyway, Chris S is spot on. The KW Variant 3 is a tried and tested solution for HPDE close to the $1500 range you mentioned. If you get a membership with s2ki, you can pick these up from the Go Fast Lab for $1750ish I believe. It's worth the few extra bucks for the peace of mind IMHO.

Unless you've had the S on a track already, however, it's not a bad idea to roll with the stock suspension for a few events to get a baseline. Otherwise, you'll never know what you accomplished with your $1500 - 1800 investment. The stock suspension is definitely worthy for HPDE.

 

Don't be like Jack. Stay away from them Magic Beans.

 

Well I can get the JIC's for $1400, but from what I hear they are super stiff and have a tendency to blow out quickly, and I've also heard they are hard to deal with when you need them rebuilt. The KW V3's are practically $2k, they would have to be pretty good for me to buy them. Whats the main difference between the V2's and V3's??

 

I can confidently tell you that the guys at JIC are experts in streamlining manufacturing to minimize costs and maximize profit. How do I know that? Because when I sued them over the suspension they sold me (which made the car considerably slower around the track than a stock suspension), the judge asked the JIC guy what his background was. It's in manufacturing (I think he had a degree in it from some university overseas). Her question was how that qualifies him to engineer racing parts. It was a fun time. Needless to say I won. Twice actually (they appealed to Superior Court after I won in small claims).

Anyway, don't do it.

 

The man has spoken! lol Well guess I'll save up for KW's

 

I really enjoyed reading that story on your webpage. #3 on my list after nsxfiles.com, dpcars.net.

 

V2's have adjustable ride height and rebound. V3's have all that plus adjustable compression, and are the cream of the crop until you get to the mega-$$$ coilovers.

If the price seems too high, I can't tell you how happy I am w/ my Koni/GC combo. It's been flogged hard in the twisties, and I couldn't be more thrilled w/ the handling. Only $1000, and getting to pick your front and rear spring rates offers the opportunity to change the handling bias. I went w/ 440F/380R, which seemed like a good street/track compromise.