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ATM for me for my needs are the gt1 or kw v3. They are the top 2 on my list for all round ability and not just track focused as I'll use the car on road also. (Not a daily drive mind).
Just to let you know what I have on my top list.
I have been looking at shocks as an option,the koni work out at £600 then the springs £200(ish) then top mounts so close to £1000+ I'd also have to buy tools to fit the spring.
I do hear what you're saying tho as I would probably dial in the coilovers once and leave them at that,maybe nice to have further adjustability if I take it on the track.
Them pedders I do like,looks a good kit at a good price,like the fact that you get everything as one package and fully built up so just plug&play
Should I have concerns about having more weight over the front end with the 6 speed box,I would think the GC8 pedders set will be designed for a car with less weight on the front,would there be much difference in ride height front to back?
I've still a lot to think about and seems like endless options,I'll also see if I can up my budget if needed,I'm in no great rush to buy and want to buy right and buy once.
There was even mention of a possible meister group buy again so I'll keep looking,reading etc until I'm 100% sure about the perfect set up.
He was very helpful indeed when I was going through my selection process. He can discuss spring weights for their kit and help on the 6 speed setup weights etc.
£1k is the going rate for a decent fixed perch setup. Or the price of lower end coilovers. So you'd need to spend 50% more for decent coilovers. But if you aren't going to be taking advantage of their increased functionality, what's the point?
£1k is the going rate for a decent fixed perch setup. Or the price of lower end coilovers. So you'd need to spend 50% more for decent coilovers. But if you aren't going to be taking advantage of their increased functionality, what's the point?
Fair point and certainly something to think about.
If I did start to take the car to track then are the sub £1k coilovers like MeisterR ZetaCRD+ a waste of time when it comes to adjustability,are they pretty limited and have no benefits over a fixed perch set up?
I don't know enough about the Meister's to comment. They say they have a 32 position rebound adjustment. But how wide is that range? Is it OE damping at 0 and 100% increase at 32? Or 150% or 200%? How linear is the range?
If you aren't going to be changing the ride height once set and you will have adjustable top-mounts on both set ups, then the difference will be the valving/damping performance of the strut and any adjustability - rebound/compression, what range, linearity etc?
At 4 figure prices, it's worth considering warranties and rebuild costs too.
Contact MeisterR. Edwin was very helpful indeed when I was looking and checked ride height, spring rates etc as I was fitting Impreza shocks to a Forester and there were quite a few unknowns.
+1 For the meister r's. I've had them on my wagon for just over a year now and covered about 8,000 miles in them. Mainly commuting, but also fully laden for family trips to the West Country and even some spirited driving by myself.
For me the adjustment is important. My impreza is my only car, so no need something civilised for when it's doing family transport, and something a bit harder for when I'm in the mood.
I also considered the hsd's. Checking across forums I found the general consensus was that the hsd set up was better for track, and the MeisterRs better for road. I couldn't find much info on the peddlers.
Last edited by Cambs_Stuart; 30 March 2017 at 11:46 AM.
I've contacted Edwin and there is a possibility that another group buy might happen in the next month or two so I will hang on,keep reading and consider my options.
Given the BC horror stories, which I do not doubt. I must have had some luck with mine as they have been faultless and the car is driven hard. For the price they have been great.
What is wrong with your current suspension, that makes you think you need coilovers, Rich?
Fancied refreshing the old tired set up I have now,still running original shocks with lowering springs on the rears,standard springs on the front afaik.
I've got some knocking started on the front,not checked it out yet tho.
Edit: it's just a mix of things and seems like the previous owner just chucked things together on this set up,lowered but no centre roll kit,camber front top mounts and the fact they're old shockers make for a not so fantastic handling car,also needs a geo set up when I get the rest sorted.
Last edited by ossett2k2; 30 March 2017 at 08:59 PM.
See if you can go out for a ride in a classic on a good set of coilovers.
I'm surprised how much coilovers have sharpened up the ride and handling in my car over shocks and springs. Never thought I'd say that to be honest. For years I was of the personal opinion that coilovers should only be on a track car and only use good shocks and springs in road cars. From personal experience in previous cars. But I'm really won over with my current daily on coilovers. Difficult decision.
See if you can go for a ride and try before you buy.
Trust me, I'd be choosing miester r at your budget price over shocks and springs any day as miester r will be capable for both sinarios.
Too many folk say coilovers are no good for dailys, says to me they haven't tried decent suspension.
I'm looking for Coilover's at the minute to replace my 4 year old BC's that have seen better days and have always been to harsh for UK roads,, Meister R's are getting really good reviews so that's want I'm after,, could really do with a gb at the moment....
I'm looking for Coilover's at the minute to replace my 4 year old BC's that have seen better days and have always been to harsh for UK roads,, Meister R's are getting really good reviews so that's want I'm after,, could really do with a gb at the moment....
I'm in no great rush now as the knocking I thought was shocks turned out to be something else.
So I'm also holding out for a GB as I'm pretty sure I will go coilovers and Edwin said there could be a GB coming up soon,I recon there might be enough interest if the discount is good
I'm in no great rush now as the knocking I thought was shocks turned out to be something else.
So I'm also holding out for a GB as I'm pretty sure I will go coilovers and Edwin said there could be a GB coming up soon,I recon there might be enough interest if the discount is good
I'm in for a gb will definitely have some,,, keep well clear of BC's mate there just not up to UK roads,,, hopefully Edwin will get one running sooner than later.....
I've read and heard good things about the latest Teins - Flex Z. Apparently they're not as harsh as previous versions with the added advantage of adjusting height without having to compromise the set spring load/tension and hence stroke length.
Thanks I did look at tein flexZ as an option but I have gone for the MeisterR,they got the best reviews and the group buy of 20% off just happened to fall nicely for me!
Ordered and paid
There are a few coilovers on the market that don't have separate spring perch height adjustment clamps that allow for adjustment of height separate to spring pre-tension. These are extremely rare and tend to have a progressive 2 stage spring or dual springs fitted to compensate a little for height adjustment / spring tension change issues. The system MeisterR, BC, Eibach and all the main brands use with separate adjustment is far superior IMO.
all the options you put in your first post have adjustable damping, which can be tweeked to suit the roads and your preference, i've no idea how many people actually adjust them or just bolt them on and go. they all adjust compression and rebound on a single adjuster, I have no idea how each has been valved to do so and what the difference in valving is between brands
the only ones which state a spring rate are the BC's which have the 5kg/mm fr and 4kg/mm rear. (perfect for road IMO) This is a really important factor when deciding, the reason most say the tein's (for example) are too harsh for the roads is due to the stiffer spring rate, if you swap the springs out for softer ones they become a lot more compliant, and personally i'd rather go with a 'big brand' like tein and swap the springs than any of the others above as they have massively more experience and pedigree
I believe the main issue with the BC's rattle is the top nut that attaches the damper to the top mount comes loose, causing the common knocking noise, it's easily fixed with some thread lock
I know that you can get individual parts for the BC range, so if you damage a single damper you can repair it, i'm not sure about the others
I rallied on a set of BC's, one of the issues I had was the top mounts bent when landing hard and hitting big bumps, which also bent and moved the strut tops, the other issue i had which was related was that there was not enough travel in the damper (80mm from memory) which always compromised the setup. I also found that adjustable rear top mounts were essential in achieving the desired camber, which admittedly was quite high compared to a road setup
If you look really closely at the units, they all look remarkably similar (the spring collars, top mounts, hub attachments, dust boots etc etc), and they all have the same number of adjustments (from memory) just in different colours, (how strange for items which have apparently been developed by different companies!) however it's hard to tell what is inside of them and i'm just pointing out the things I can see to try and help. essentially i think they are all the same units just with different branding, but I may well be wrong. Does anybody else think the same?
I've just removed my 1 year old coilovers in favour of shocks and springs , i went with kyb agx shocks and some wr15/rt springs with matching bump stops (bought from 2pot off here ) front top mounts are whiteline kca 335 and rear mounts from a wrx sti ra , so much better on the road now then before
I get this scenario, frequently.
Why would you need coilovers on a road car?
They are uncompliant - upset braking, traction and handling on uneven/undulating roads.
Worse, why would you want coilovers + big bars on a road car?
Also, why would you want solid top mounts on a road car?
The P1 lapped the Milbrook proving ground at 160mph Spring rates - front 3.5Kgf*mm, rear 2.8Kgf*mm. 19mm font bar, 20mm rear.
that is a very broad and sweeping statement. do you consider the likes of ohlins and exe-tc as coilovers?
to achieve a better balance between roll, traction and maintaining consistent geometry
i guess you mean the big circle?
it sounds like you're tuning 'fixed' dampers in a harder way than buying coilovers and adjusting them to suit
just my observations, to provoke discussion, not disputes
If I was on track enough, I'd use high quality coilovers.
But, the damping curves don't accommodate low spring rates, suitable for UK roads.
Coilovers + big bars, on the road, will turn your car into a mobile chicane. The ride frequency and ride quality will be junk - no such thing as a smooth road, the damper is in constant movement.
Me personally,I went for coilovers as I've never driven a car on these plus this type of suspension gets good reviews on both road and track,of corse there are bad reviews aswell but I want to try 1st hand.
I drive my car for enjoyment and yes it's a daily,I don't drive like a racing driver on the roads * maybe the odd country road blast but not driving like I stole it!
This setup might make the car feel a bit more lairy but it all adds to the fun.
I do intend on going on the track eventually and use the car as it was meant to be used,I'm sure the coilovers will come into their own once out on some smooth Tarmac
I'm looking forward to fitting and trying these out,for well under a grand it's not major money and easy enough to change if I decide they're not for me(can't see that happening)
Cheers for all the comments and advice,pros and cons etc,it's always a good discussion as everyone has different taste and mixed reviews on suspension setups
29 March 2017, 11:46 AM
