Hey all, so I’ve been attempting to do my research and due diligence on coilovers and wondering which is going to be the “best“ bang for the buck. Reading a few of the posts here and going to the respective websites of the different manufacturers and I still don’t know which to choose or what setup to really go for. I have seen quite a bit about the Riaction Coilovers but not sure which of the four setups to go with, especially since it looks like you need to swap out the Riaction springs with Swift. Then there is the BC racing, which looks like you can only swap one of the two springs on it, making me think you cant get as good of a setup going it seems. KW is quite a bit out of my price range and doesnt look like you can adjust camber from what I can see, so why even bother. Megan racing I really haven’t seen much in terms of reviews, and finally I’m not even sure M&S is even making products anymore since everything I see from them is basically sold out, plus they don’t have a website that Im aware of. Anyways, looking for something that will still be comfortable for daily driving, but also something that I can dial in and enjoy a day at the track potentially (never tracked before but wouldnt mind giving it a shot). Any help is apprecaited!
“Best” coilovers
- Thread starter Trymin89
- Start date
To me, this would suggest an incremental approach. Maybe starting with anti-sway bars, then the Mando to ramp up the adjustable shocks, before going into a full suspension replacement.
I was under the impression that the Mando was really only for GT2s with the fully adjustable suspension. Also Im planning on doing either the full Whiteline setup or the Whiteline end links and Eibach F/R sways. Everything aive seen with Whiteline says 18-21 only though, not sure if any of it will fit mine. Since I want to start hitting the track eventually I figured I should plan for some coilovers (Im a planner, like to try to work 10 steps ahead)
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Volfy
1000 Posts Club!
What's "best" depends on what goal(s) the driver has in mind. Unlike upgrading the engine, which is pretty much a linear path of more HP/TQ = more GO, suspension upgrade is much more nuanced. What is it that you want improved? What exactly do you find lacking currently? If the driver is unsure, buying somebody else's idea of what constitutes "best" isn't gonna fix what you don't yet know needed fixing.
Riaction's listing of FOUR different coilover configurations is a good illustration of this. There is no absolutely "best" config out of those FOUR. They each cater to a different tuning goal. But... surely the 2-ways are arguably better than the 1-way adjustable, right? They are more expensive, so they must be "better". True enough, but... adjustability is only a plus in the hands of someone that can make good use of that adjustability. Otherwise if you adjust it wrong, your car might handle worse.
When I used to do car audio installs, customers would invariably ask: "what's the best?" My answer was the following:
1. Audition them all
2. Rule out ones you don't like
3. Do that until you cannot tell the differences between the remaining ones
4. Buy the cheapest out of the remaining ones
8 out of 10 of them would be taken aback by my suggestion. A few would even take offense to it. Fact was, I didn't come up with that logic. I learned it from someone wiser than I was.
Point was... if your ears can't tell the difference, why waste money on stuff you reap no benefit from? And if you really want to hear "better" sound, get better ears. same principle applies to just about everything.
If you want to appreciate better suspension, best way is to become a better driver. Join SCCA or NASA and sign up for HPDE driving schools. Most local chapters have newbie classes that will introduce you to their venues and programs. Attend a few AutoX's. There is nothing wrong with doing that with bone stock suspension. It is far more capable than you might think. Once you've tossed your car around a good bit, you'll start to get a feel of what your car's strengths and weaknesses.
That's when you will really get your money's worth with suspension mods.
Then again, a lot of folks don't much care to go thru all that. Maybe you just want coilovers to lower the car to the exact ride height you like. Absolutely nothing wrong with that.
Riaction's listing of FOUR different coilover configurations is a good illustration of this. There is no absolutely "best" config out of those FOUR. They each cater to a different tuning goal. But... surely the 2-ways are arguably better than the 1-way adjustable, right? They are more expensive, so they must be "better". True enough, but... adjustability is only a plus in the hands of someone that can make good use of that adjustability. Otherwise if you adjust it wrong, your car might handle worse.
When I used to do car audio installs, customers would invariably ask: "what's the best?" My answer was the following:
1. Audition them all
2. Rule out ones you don't like
3. Do that until you cannot tell the differences between the remaining ones
4. Buy the cheapest out of the remaining ones
8 out of 10 of them would be taken aback by my suggestion. A few would even take offense to it. Fact was, I didn't come up with that logic. I learned it from someone wiser than I was.
Point was... if your ears can't tell the difference, why waste money on stuff you reap no benefit from? And if you really want to hear "better" sound, get better ears. same principle applies to just about everything.
If you want to appreciate better suspension, best way is to become a better driver. Join SCCA or NASA and sign up for HPDE driving schools. Most local chapters have newbie classes that will introduce you to their venues and programs. Attend a few AutoX's. There is nothing wrong with doing that with bone stock suspension. It is far more capable than you might think. Once you've tossed your car around a good bit, you'll start to get a feel of what your car's strengths and weaknesses.
That's when you will really get your money's worth with suspension mods.
Then again, a lot of folks don't much care to go thru all that. Maybe you just want coilovers to lower the car to the exact ride height you like. Absolutely nothing wrong with that.
From interior to exterior to high performance - everything you need for your Stinger awaits you...
Not gunna lie, glad you chimed in Volfy lol I have read pretty much everything you have written up in regards to the suspensions. On top of the added benefits of suspension, I am also looking to lower the car a bit. I wish I had a way to try a bunch of different suspensions on our cars to get a feel for them, but thats also kind of why I was looking at the Riaction’s mainly for the amount of adjustability they offer. Im hoping that I can see some other setups in the near future at meets, and already hoping to get in with the local SCCA in my area. Only downside is I was kind of hoping for new tires before doing that, and the plan was tires after suspension. Obviously all subject to change.
Volfy
1000 Posts Club!
LOL... that was me testing to see if you are a tire kicker. Now then, to the finer points.
The adjustabilities are definitely nice. Even the "simplest" of coilover kits for Stinger have enough of them to keep a guy's head spinning: ride height independent at all 4 corners, camber at front (KW notwithstanding), rebound damping, and spring rate. You can get doubles that adds compression damping adjustability, but most single adjustables are rebound only. No one should feel short-changed for going with singles from any of the reputable brands. Goes without saying you should avoid the ebay cheapies.
As for linear vs. digressive, the latter is really just trying to provide some of the benefit of a triple adjustable, which adds separate fast and slow damping rate control. The issue with that is, unlike a true triple, the slow and fast damping rate curves on a digressive setup are fixed and have to be decided at build time. That can work well, but you will need to discuss with the builder about your car, its peculiarities, your application, how you drive, and your preferences. If you are able to articulate them clearly and unambiguously, the builder can then build the valve stacks to suit your descriptions. If not, it is a rather pointless exercise IMHO. He won't have a clear directive and, in order to make the sale, he would likely just set it up per his standard preference and the conditions of the tracks he frequents, which might or might not suit yours, thus defeating the whole purpose of a "custom build".
As for tires... I took my oldest son to his first AutoX newbie school with all season tires and stock suspension on both our cars. When you're are starting out, the slowest part of the whole car isn't the tires, or the stock suspension, or anything else bolted on the car. It is the lump of noodles between the driver's ears. This was made painfully clear when the instructor swapped seats with me for a demonstration lap, and proceeded to drive my car so fast it made my head spin - from launch to finish line. And that was the very first time he drove it. A lot of folks make fun of the 2.0T for being slow. It ain't.
I cannot stress this point enough. The car is just a tool to help you learn. Even bone stock, Stinger is a good one. not the best tool, but plenty good enough for the average noob. Don't worry about your car. Instead, do like Neo and start uploading Kun-Fu to your brain.
Ah I missed that you had a GT1...I guess no "easy" adjustments before you go all out then
Oh Im aware Im probably going to extremely cautious/slow right off the bat, especially since this is all new to me. Yeah I was only going to go for a reputable company when it comes to any of the items I plan on running on the car. So the digressive will probably only be a hinderance for me starting out? I was a bit confused about the benefits it added over the GT series. All quite a bit to consider in the grand scheme of things for sure
Volfy
1000 Posts Club!
Again, I'll go back to the car audio analogy. If you are just starting out and trying to train your ears on listening to equipment, do you really want to to mess with the equalizers, crossovers, digital sound processors, and Dolby/DTS/HTX listening modes, all of which combine to color the original source material 35 different ways?
Upgrading HP is like upgrading audio amplifiers. Even a non-audiophile can tell the difference in sheer playback volume and increase in dynamics.
Handling is like sound quality; it is not always so straightforward. Start with bone stock and "listen" to your suspension. You car will talk back to you. Until you learn to speak the language, you can buy a date with the hottest Italian supermodel, but you would not understand a word of what she is jabbering about all night.
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From interior to exterior to high performance - everything you need for your Stinger awaits you...
Volfy
1000 Posts Club!
Then a season of AutoX and a couple of Track Days later...
