OK...

so ive been doing my searches and trying to get more info and trying to get as many opinion's as possible and i thought i had it nailed down to the buddy club spec's. Now that i have been reading more i have found that people are reccomending different. So here is my questions in an easy to answer format

Please bear in mind im looking at coil-overs for street mostly, but when i get in the mountains i drive it HARD (to the limits of the tires and suspension) [please no flamming]. I want to start going to the track but its not really an option yet. One day. For right now i want it to handle as good or better then stock and drop it maybe an inch for appearance purposes. Im wanting to spend less then $1500 but if i have to save longer to get the right stuff thats what ill do. I like to fiddle with settings but wont do it if its A)overwhelming or b) i dont know what they are. While it would be nice to say i can adjust my settings 1600 different ways. Ill prob want a setting thats good for all around street and one for hardcore corner shredding... if thats possible. I will take the time to find the settings but if someone has actually owned a set and can say such and such setting is good for this and this setting is good for this.

Ultimately im looking to improve on the stock suspension.

Also the possiblity of having them serviced in the US if they ever do wear out.

1. What does everyone reccomend. To my knowledge and my searches it has looked like this.
(first, second, third)

Buddy Club Spec - (the 2nd most amount of people own these i believe)
T1r B-MAX - (which i have heard are lighter? thus more unsprung weight loss a +)
Tein Flex - (almost everyone seems to own these, but i have heard there crap..leaking, poping, squeeing, poor design and poor customer service {could be because more people own them? thus more stories})

2. Whats the weight difference in the various coilovers? I would assume almost all are made from aluminum therefore weigh about the same?

3. Which are rebuidable?

4. What are the benefits of a Koni and GC kit? I dont know what spring rates i would want but im sure that could easily be figured out. I would also assume that in that case the Knoi's should they wear out they are just replaced or rebuildable?

5. Cost to performance...like i said i dont go to the track yet. Im not doing a time attack and im not splitting hairs. If one will give me the same performance or close to as another but its an off brand therefore cheaper i have no problem with that. As long as its reliable and rebuildable. I plan on keeping my car for a good while.

6. Im planning to corner balance the car. Any good shops in the SD area? Would i rent the scales and take it home or go to a shop and pay them to do it. I have read up on this and find that with a little math i could prob figure it out.

7. Of course the car will be aligned. Do i wait till after the corner balance to get it aligned as the springs will be adjusted i assume at that time and therefore change the geometry?

8. Any reputable shops in SD to get the alignment done?

Ok this is all the questions i have sorry for the length but every thread i have come accross doesnt seem to end with a definitive go this route, or the options are listed for a different purpose then what i intend mine for. Any answer are welcome'd and thanks in advance for the advise.

 

For the buddy clubs im assuming you mean the racing spec,

I have them and i think their an overkill for the street minor use,
they are not rebuildable, if they do blow you can get another shock for $150 through buddy club.

 

yes the racing spec..sorry

thats good to know i thought they were. so were looking at $150 a piece...wow

and everyone is ok with this? i would think that would be a huge drawback...i mean home long could they last 50k maybe...

how long do aftermarket coilovers normally last. even just street use?

 

As I am also researching coilovers myself, I can't wait to see some answers...

 

do koni g/c, with with regular spring rates, do buy into those ksport and all that crap.

 

Check into Koni as well.


Silver beat me to it.

 

ok...i can do that, but what spring rates are you referring too? front and rear. i dont have a heavy stereo and never plan to install one. I do plan on getting the greddy turbo kit if and when it ever comes out for the AP2. so whatever that weighs. i couldnt imagine it would be that big of a deal but weight is weight.

And as far the Koni's are we just talking Koni yellows?
http://cgi.ebay.com/ebaymotors/Koni-Yellow...sspagenameZWD1V

like those?

what are the adjustments like? im at work right now and ill try and jump on koni's site when i get home.

but to someone who owns them..do you use two basica settings? one for track and one street?

 

To understand what you exactly want, put these in order of importance:

Cost, Perfomance, Performance Adjustability, Longevity, Ride Height Adjustability

 

On a scale of 1 -10
1 = least important
10 = most important

Cost - 3 (like i said i would save if i had too)
Perfomance - 9
Performance Adjustability - 6
Longevity - 10
Ride Height Adjustability - 7

 

just get the off the shelf rates or get something similar to the espelir spring rates.