Streetable sub-$1k coilovers?

[Snark_1]

I'll be the first to admit that reading through posts about compression rates and adjustable dampening has gotten me completely lost. Whoosh has a bunch of options for sub-$1K coilovers:

VMAXX X-Street: $650
Megan Racing EZII: $700
K-Sport Control Pro: $850
Billstein B14 (PSS and Regular): $920
ST Suspensions Coilovers Kit: $880

I currently run konig dekagrams with 215/45r16 RT615Ks on the stock suspension. I don't mind the stock height or a little lower, but this is a year round daily so I can't drop it down too far. All street driving currently, but I'd like the option of taking it to some track days in the future. Deferring as always to the learned experiences of this forum, which kit gets me the best street-able handling?

 

[PunkST]

The k sport and megan are very similar. Just remember, you get what you pay for. Do you have harsh winters with salted roads where you live? If so, id avoid coilovers that arent stainless bodies ( kw v1-v3) ive been finding lately as i get older, stock suspension seems to have been the way to go as its less worry about stuff.

 

[Dpro]

MeisterR Zeta CRD $995

 

[Jabbit]

There was some good conversation in this thread - https://www.fiestastforum.com/threads/are-all-sub-1k-coilovers-the-same.25844/#post-432508

 

[shouldbeasy]

MeisterR's no question - I think they did their homework on the FiST.

 

[kevinatfms]

Do you absolutely need coilovers? A basic damper upgrade and spring package may just be the ticket.

 

[shouldbeasy]

Do you absolutely need coilovers? A basic damper upgrade and spring package may just be the ticket.

Coilovers provide a cohesive set of suspension as opposed to mix and matching - you'll never get the right combination of non-adjustable springs and shocks the first time. Coilovers provide a range of adjustment which is beneficial and can be had a relatively small increase over a shock + spring.

 

[kevinatfms]

Coilovers provide a cohesive set of suspension as opposed to mix and matching - you'll never get the right combination of non-adjustable springs and shocks the first time. Coilovers provide a range of adjustment which is beneficial and can be had a relatively small increase over a shock + spring.

And if JoeFiestaOwnerSchmo cannot adjust them correctly or lowers them too far which then throws the suspension geometry out of whack; a standard set of "mis-matched" springs/struts would certainly be a better upgrade.

More than half the people ive seen who lower their coil over equipped car go far lower than optimal on this car. That alone causes severe issues with roll center and bump steer yet they think the car is going to just be a straight up track weapon. I wont even get into certain brands and their lack of QA/QC of the dampers. Id take a proper built Bilstein or Koni over a monotube from some random factory in China.

I have my opinion and i still say a durable, streetable/trackable and set it/ forget it setup is the B8/Swift or Koni/Swift combo. Others will tell me im wrong and that is fine. I gave my 2 cents, if OP wants to go coilovers then go for it. If he does the research and decides that a spring/strut combo will work for his duties then im happy for him/her.

 

[PunkST]

Coilovers provide a cohesive set of suspension as opposed to mix and matching - you'll never get the right combination of non-adjustable springs and shocks the first time. Coilovers provide a range of adjustment which is beneficial and can be had a relatively small increase over a shock + spring.

Which is why i reccomend oem replacements from ford. The math has already been done there.

 

[Pablo Pistoffo]

You can get Bilstein dampers that are designed to work with your stock springs, or maybe some Konis so you can start playing around with the settings. The reason I never went with cheaper coils is that I figured if I got into adjusting stuff, I would want something that was a bit higher quality, with the ability to be rebuilt, revalved, and resprung. Decent performance shocks and struts will get you quite a ways towards where you want to be, without having to deal with the downsides of coils.

 

[LionsTooth]

Just chiming in from a different perspective. I mean no offense and I am not saying this applies to anyone in particular. The thing is coil-overs, or whatever super duper mod, is only as good as the talent that drives it. Some mods are just too over the top for most drivers to feel or push into the envelope they work in. Keep in mind anyone making a mod to sell is doing it to sell it. They often do not care how you use it or if you can "handle" it. They simply want to empty your wallet. They are in business, right? If they can do that with cheaper goods and get some folks to buy, well....whatever.

Just because you can buy coil-overs doesn't mean you should or actually need them. OK, if you like how it looks, that's one thing, but if you're buying them to go faster/stick more, that might not happen. There a few people who want the biggest, baddest stuff and it doesn't matter what it is or what it costs. It sounds like you're on a budget, so is a set of coil-overs really the best place to spend your money?

Ask yourself this....Do I need these or do I want them? If you really think you need them, well, no amount of anyone's opinion is likely to sway you. If you want them, then look at why. What do want out of them? What is your expectation? And remember you get what you pay for.

End of chiming.

 

[Dpro]

And if JoeFiestaOwnerSchmo cannot adjust them correctly or lowers them too far which then throws the suspension geometry out of whack; a standard set of "mis-matched" springs/struts would certainly be a better upgrade.

More than half the people ive seen who lower their coil over equipped car go far lower than optimal on this car. That alone causes severe issues with roll center and bump steer yet they think the car is going to just be a straight up track weapon. I wont even get into certain brands and their lack of QA/QC of the dampers. Id take a proper built Bilstein or Koni over a monotube from some random factory in China.

I have my opinion and i still say a durable, streetable/trackable and set it/ forget it setup is the B8/Swift or Koni/Swift combo. Others will tell me im wrong and that is fine. I gave my 2 cents, if OP wants to go coilovers then go for it. If he does the research and decides that a spring/strut combo will work for his duties then im happy for him/her.

A good point except neither Fortune Auto or MeisterR are just some monotube from a Factory in China. In fact the parts for the former are sourced from Taiwan ( excellent manufacturing in Taiwan these days) and assembled to tested specs here in the states and shock dyno’d. \

The latter are also parts not sourced in China but Korea( again excellent manufacturing these days) are again depending on the model assembled here if not assembled in Korea and built to specific specs that were dyno tested and track proven with BTC championships under their belts.

This is why these are the two aftermarket brands for our car I am looking at and leaning towards MeisterR because for $995 the price cannot be beat. Lots of members have run them tracked them and loved them. They specifically match their springs to the shocks and do not just slap the springs on. They specifically worked on the valving, they provide dyno plots for the shocks on their website.

Ya Bilstein are not bad though in coilovers get pricey to get everything the MeisterR offers. Ya Koni’s I love them but they are annoying unless you spend the extra money to buy their double adjustable Rebound and compression and go down the road of building the strut for them. We did that in the 240sx community. It got old.

I used to be in the camp that all you need to do is go shock and spring on our cars but the spring selection sucks. Either the springs drop the car too much or in the case of the Swift not enough and they are expensive. Plus they still are not perfectly matched to the shock and Ya Koni Yellow nice if you don’t mind pulling off the rears to adjust them.
Koni Orange? Ya just not right for our cars.
Bilstein? Good shock if you don’t mind not being able to adjust it.
For all these reasons I am now on using coilovers. YMMV

notice I said YMMV you are right not everyone needs them but the aftermarket offerings are a bit wacky and the person doing them needs to think about it. The two brands mentioned make it a lot easier in figuring that equation and the latter for not a lot more money. Granted some people don’t need them but you know what? Most people buying these cars are pretty much hard core enthusiasts and open to it.

Which is why i reccomend oem replacements from ford. The math has already been done there.

Except Ford got the math wrong and over damped the car. Making the ride much stiffer than it needed to be. Factory shocks are nothing to write home about . Sure it handles great but it rides like a fricken washboard stock. lol great for smooth roads but sucks everywhere else.

 

[kevinatfms]

Fortune Autos aren’t sub $1000. I believe they are $1300 to begin with without any options or shipping. Anyone buying them are optioning them out also which drives the price up higher. The 510’s are even more.

$995 shipped for MeisterR is interesting. I’d have to look and see what is offered with the $995 price. If they are that good and offer shock dynoed of the completed dampers that is a pretty good deal.

and the Bilsteins aren’t adjustable as they don’t need to be. It’s a set valving package that can compensate for additional spring rate. Exactly how they are designed, nothing more and nothing less, in both the B6/B8 dampers and the B14 setup. I believe the B14’s use the B8 rear shocks and the fronts are monotubes as they aren’t the same as the B8 fronts.

 

[FJ16]

Except Ford got the math wrong and over damped the car. Making the ride much stiffer than it needed to be. Factory shocks are nothing to write home about . Sure it handles great but it rides like a fricken washboard stock. lol great for smooth roads but sucks everywhere else.

100% agreed - my only real knock on the car. Without that it would be an incredible 10/10 for the money.

 

[PunkST]

A good point except neither Fortune Auto or MeisterR are just some monotube from a Factory in China. In fact the parts for the former are sourced from Taiwan ( excellent manufacturing in Taiwan these days) and assembled to tested specs here in the states and shock dyno’d. \

The latter are also parts not sourced in China but Korea( again excellent manufacturing these days) are again depending on the model assembled here if not assembled in Korea and built to specific specs that were dyno tested and track proven with BTC championships under their belts.

This is why these are the two aftermarket brands for our car I am looking at and leaning towards MeisterR because for $995 the price cannot be beat. Lots of members have run them tracked them and loved them. They specifically match their springs to the shocks and do not just slap the springs on. They specifically worked on the valving, they provide dyno plots for the shocks on their website.

Ya Bilstein are not bad though in coilovers get pricey to get everything the MeisterR offers. Ya Koni’s I love them but they are annoying unless you spend the extra money to buy their double adjustable Rebound and compression and go down the road of building the strut for them. We did that in the 240sx community. It got old.

I used to be in the camp that all you need to do is go shock and spring on our cars but the spring selection sucks. Either the springs drop the car too much or in the case of the Swift not enough and they are expensive. Plus they still are not perfectly matched to the shock and Ya Koni Yellow nice if you don’t mind pulling off the rears to adjust them.
Koni Orange? Ya just not right for our cars.
Bilstein? Good shock if you don’t mind not being able to adjust it.
For all these reasons I am now on using coilovers. YMMV

notice I said YMMV you are right not everyone needs them but the aftermarket offerings are a bit wacky and the person doing them needs to think about it. The two brands mentioned make it a lot easier in figuring that equation and the latter for not a lot more money. Granted some people don’t need them but you know what? Most people buying these cars are pretty much hard core enthusiasts and open to it.





Except Ford got the math wrong and over damped the car. Making the ride much stiffer than it needed to be. Factory shocks are nothing to write home about . Sure it handles great but it rides like a fricken washboard stock. lol great for smooth roads but sucks everywhere else.

That sounds more like a road quality and repair problem, which that is our govt dropping the ball. Not Ford's damping. If you buy a sporty car, dont gripe about stiffer suspension 🤦

 

[Dpro]

Fortune Autos aren’t sub $1000. I believe they are $1300 to begin with without any options or shipping. Anyone buying them are optioning them out also which drives the price up higher. The 510’s are even more.

$995 shipped for MeisterR is interesting. I’d have to look and see what is offered with the $995 price. If they are that good and offer shock dynoed of the completed dampers that is a pretty good deal.

and the Bilsteins aren’t adjustable as they don’t need to be. It’s a set valving package that can compensate for additional spring rate. Exactly how they are designed, nothing more and nothing less, in both the B6/B8 dampers and the B14 setup. I believe the B14’s use the B8 rear shocks and the fronts are monotubes as they aren’t the same as the B8 fronts.

Only pointed out the Fortunes because they are done right. Yes the 500‘ are like $1300 $1400 but they are a good value for the money.
Koozy ran the Bilstein‘s on ST Springs thought was nice. Wanted adjustable ride height picked up the up MeisterR’s . Said the ride was much better than the Billys I should add price the Billys out and add the cost of springs and one is only a few hundred or so off at the most on picking up the MeisterR’s. It is pretty compelling.

That sounds more like a road quality and repair problem, which that is our govt dropping the ball. Not Ford's damping. If you buy a sporty car, dont gripe about stiffer suspension 🤦

Thats a weak argument if I have ever heard one. Even in the UK and Europe people complained about the ride of FiST they even mentioned it on Top Gear. So much that Ford actually changed the the shock springs rates for 2017 and up in the U.S. and the ST200 in the U.K. Even more so much that when they designed the MK8 FiST they did more massaging .

LOL on the if you buy a sporty car don’t gripe about stiffer suspension. You A obviously have not driven a Porsche and B are stuck in suspensions circa late 70’s to early 90’s. Sorry but sports car suspensions have come a long way and you can buy excellent ride with excellent handling. Just saying!


Oh I should also add while stiff I was ok with stock ride on my car here with our fucked up roads. I am playing devils advocate because some of you are blindly opposed for what I see as not really excellent reasons.

Oh and ya when I went coilovers my car rode better which is exactly the opposite on most sports cars.

I have nothing more to say like I said YMMV .

 

[PunkST]

Porsche is too much cash for me to ever obtain. And will probably ride just as "bad" on a midwest road. So thats kind of a moot point. Everything but a soggy suv rides bad out here. Because the roads are crap.

It also comes down to service life. Stock is cheaper to replace every 2-4 years than coilovers.

 

[Pablo Pistoffo]

100% agreed - my only real knock on the car. Without that it would be an incredible 10/10 for the money.

Yeah, the Bilsteins were a big revelation to me in that it really illustrated that "stiffer = better handling" isn't always true.
It's amazing what some development work can do, and their B6s showed they did their homework.
I've driven my buddy's 718 at an event as well as on the street, and it has a good ride with exceptional handling, and again demonstrates that it is not a direct tradeoff between handling and ride.

 

[Snark_1]

As always, I appreciate the wealth of different perspectives present on this forum. For my purposes, I'd like the flexibility of being able to adjust suspension settings (to included damper and drop height) but I am not a serious enough driver to warrant spending above $1K on incremental increases in quality or adjustability. Currently leaning towards the MeisterR's because you can adjust camber (should I want/need to later) and you can adjust dampening while they're mounted on the vehicle. Main goal is a improvement over stock, and an improvement which allows room to change things for different circumstances and needs (lower for track days, higher for Colorado snowstorms).

 

[PunkST]

If you do go coilovers i highly suggest getting wax oil or something to help keep the adjusters from seizing up during the winter months. ( water, salt, and metals dont play well together)