Coilovers vs stock struts with king springs + horn keeps going off

[silviaz]

10 hours ago, Murray_Calavera said:

Which set costs 4k? The MCA Pro Comfort full set is $2,490. There is another option that gets you a bit closer to your original budget, the Voston Comfort set is $1,890. Maybe have a chat with MCA and see if it would suit your needs. 

There is nothing magical about the factory coilovers. Aftermarket coilovers can be setup to more comfortable then the factory suspension. When you have complete control over the spring rates and valving, you can select the specs that are right for you. 

Oh my bad I was looking at the wrong one, just found the one you mentioned. Cheers for that extra info.

[silviaz]

11 hours ago, GTSBoy said:

That really really depends on what you mean by "comfortable like stock". I would argue that stock is not comfortable because they wallow around, body roll, jump under severe bumps in corners, etc etc.

What Murray said is absolutely the case. Good monotube dampers are worlds apart from twin tubes. I pointed you to (cheap....ish) KYB twin tubes as being the simplest and lowest cost way to retain your springs and get something at least as good as your concept of how comfortable stock dampers are. But I would never do that myself. I have custom valved Bilstein B6s with Kings. Those dampers are no longer available in that style (the guy modding them isn't doing it any more), and so I can't even recommend those. And therefore, if I needed to replace mine, and if I'm asked to recommend a path to upgraded suspension, I will lean towards and recommend MCA or equivalent (depending on country of residence, etc).

$2500 is not expensive for a set of high quality coilovers. It's not 1999 any more. $2500 of 2023 dollars is barely enough to buy a decent set of tyres. You get a lot of suspension performance for your $2500. You wanna talk expensive? There are options that can easily scale to 10x the prices we're talking about here.

There's no point in setting a budget for car mods. You either buy the thing you want, and pay for it, or you just settle for something much much less (and possibly do nothing at all). In your case, the choices really are between the absolute minimum of a set of twin tube stock style dampers, or proper coilovers.

I see what you mean, valid points. I thought the mark was around $1,500 for a quality set but I'll ring MCA and go from there. Knowing me I'll probably end up going with the KYB set lol, but will ring MCA first and get more info.

[robbo_rb180]

I can tell you now that the $2500 is worth and the more you spend the better they get.

My old mca x-r (2015 spec) ride better than my 370z nismo suspension. The reds are firmer and more track spec .

Comfort sports will be what your looking for. They take bumps and pot holes smoothly and don't bang like teins. 

 

Who ever told you coilovers ride shit have never been in a well setup car.

[The Bogan]

Just buy the best your budget allows

In saying that $1.5k will get you average suspension, bit spending $2.5k can be much much better dependant on valving and spring rates

Remember, good suspension isn't just race car stuff, you brakes rely on good suspension to work properly, compliance on crappy bumpy roads requires good dampening and correct spring rates to work correctly 

For a street car choosing the right dampening and matching spring rates is essential for a ride that doesn't have you bouncing down the road or shooting shock loads from bumpy roads up your spine

I had MCA Comforts in my Limited edition 86, they were much better than the "performance Sachs" coilovers that the car came with from new

I had BC in my MX5 and they were OK on the track, but they were oversprung and rubbish on the street

I also had new standard shocks and Kings in my VX SS, they were comfy, but the car "wallowed" around, I have now swapped them out for some Pedders Extreme and they are just as compliant (rubber top bushings not pillow ball), but the big fat old car now handles so much better

https://www.gtr.co.uk/threads/pillow-ball-or-rubber-top-mounts.376578/

 

[Dose Pipe Sutututu]

10 hours ago, robbo_rb180 said:

Who ever told you coilovers ride shit have never been in a well setup car.

This everytime!

A few mates that have driven my car still find it hard to believe it has 13kg/mm springs at the front. 

[Kinkstaah]

Damping has a lot more to do with it than spring pressure. Maybe. I don't know. All I know is I got my Bilsteins revalved by Bilstein (they'll do it if you ask lol) and had a chat with an Engineer with regards to what I want and what I want to focus on. They drive entirely different now even though they're on the same springs as before.

I would say that 13kg/mm springs are entirely fine, if the damping is matched to them. Which obviously they should be if you're out there designing shocks and springs and selling them

TLDR: Damping has a bigger effect on ride quality and I think is the magic sauce between a 'good' and 'bad' coilover, not spring strength, based on my sample size of 1.

[silviaz]

9 hours ago, Kinkstaah said:

Damping has a lot more to do with it than spring pressure. Maybe. I don't know. All I know is I got my Bilsteins revalved by Bilstein (they'll do it if you ask lol) and had a chat with an Engineer with regards to what I want and what I want to focus on. They drive entirely different now even though they're on the same springs as before.

I would say that 13kg/mm springs are entirely fine, if the damping is matched to them. Which obviously they should be if you're out there designing shocks and springs and selling them

TLDR: Damping has a bigger effect on ride quality and I think is the magic sauce between a 'good' and 'bad' coilover, not spring strength, based on my sample size of 1.

I put my dampening all the way on soft, and when I compare my car to my stock Subaru I can definitely feel the difference lol. Maybe I just have cheap Tein's, anyhow am looking into options atm.