Post Your Favorite Coilover Suspension

"way2blu does a rev update" (way2blu) 01/24/2018 at 14:25 • Filed to: Coilovers, Suspension, W20 Wednesday, Toyota MR2

0

27

I’ve had my MR2 for a year as of yesterday (I’ll make a big anniversary post soon) but it’s never had working shocks. I’m researching coilover setups currently but I wanna hear what all y’all like best for adjustable damping & ride height.

LOREM IPSUM > way2blu does a rev update 01/24/2018 at 14:29

0

I liked the Tein Flex with Electronic Dampening Force Controller setup that I had on my ‘00 Si(R).

Those are the only experience with coilovers that I have, however.

sony1492 > way2blu does a rev update 01/24/2018 at 14:37

2

I’ve had Megan ez street coilovers for over a year. The 15 way damping adjustment has noticable effect, they can be a bit too hard for rough undulating roads (perfection on smooth banked ones though) Something I’ve noticed is that once you find the height and damping settings you like it tends to stay there. For example I havnt messed with ride height in 6 months and damping in at least 9

way2blu does a rev update > LOREM IPSUM 01/24/2018 at 14:43

0

How’s the ride comfort? I’m looking for something sturdy but not super stiff if I can avoid it.

Die-Trying > way2blu does a rev update 01/24/2018 at 14:45

0

QA1 makes some nice stuff. depending on what you are planning to do with your car, weigh it. front half, and back half. then you can get coil-overs that are matched to the weight of the car, so that the suspension can work....... adjustable 4 link rear suspension in the picture above..... 

way2blu does a rev update > sony1492 01/24/2018 at 14:45

0

That sounds reassuring that they’re consistent. The roads in SoCal can be kind of iffy in certain areas, but for the most part they’re pretty smooth.

LOREM IPSUM > way2blu does a rev update 01/24/2018 at 14:47

0

It was pretty stiff, if I’m honest. A lot of times you can order your desired spring rate to better suit your needs, although I am unsure how accommodating Tein is in that regard.

way2blu does a rev update > Die-Trying 01/24/2018 at 14:48

1

It seems like the aftermarket has a lot of good options for my car... 40/60-ish front/rear weight distribution on my MR2 isn’t exactly conventional compared to most cars.

Btw that suspension setup looks awesome!

AkursedX > way2blu does a rev update 01/24/2018 at 14:49

1

I’ve always been a fan of Bilstein products. Their PSS coilovers are great no matter which level you get. Then you can have places like fat-cat Motorsports revalve and re-spring them pretty much however you could want them.

Ohlins road and track stuff is also pretty nice, and once again, you can rebuild and revalve them for pretty much any spring rate once would need.

They aren’t the cheapest, but they aren’t 10-thousand dollar custom Penske coilovers either.

SmugAardvark > way2blu does a rev update 01/24/2018 at 14:50

1

It depends on what you’re after and what your budget looks like. In my personal experience, dropping an extra $1,500 or so for 36-way damping with electronic control might be overkill. It’s neat for sure, and not a bad way to go if you have the money. But it might not be wholly necessary

From my AW11 days, I remember a lot of the guys saving some money and still being very satisfied with a combination of Ground Control sleeves and Koni Yellow shocks. Great balance of handling and comfort. Not sure if the same holds true for the SW20, but it might be worth looking into. BC Racing, as I recall, did make sets at a reasonable price for the all generations of MR2. $1,000-ish for a set of coils with adjustable damping, and they do offer custom spring rates to suit your needs. I remember at least one guy having some clunking noises after he installed BC’s on his AW11, but that could have just as easily been 25-year old suspension bushings as a culprit.

If money isn’t a concern, KW Variant 3's are a proven solution on nearly any car.

way2blu does a rev update > LOREM IPSUM 01/24/2018 at 14:50

1

I’ll take a look at their options, the most I typically do in the car is autocross. It’s also effectively my daily, but my standards for suspension aren’t super high. (pun only kind of intended)

Arrivederci > way2blu does a rev update 01/24/2018 at 14:53

0

I had the Bilstein PSS on my BRZ - they were great both on street, autocross and track.

bob and john > way2blu does a rev update 01/24/2018 at 14:55

0

best for adjustible ride height?

air bags

way2blu does a rev update > SmugAardvark 01/24/2018 at 14:55

0

My mechanic was recommending the BC setup as well. My MR2 has been all about minimum viable racecar so far, so I’ll probably try to keep it in a reasonable budget. Coilovers are basically the most cost-effective way of keeping the car drivable, since it’d cost even more to rebuild the entire suspension with OEM parts currently.

I’ll look at my suspension bushings soon since it clunks already :P

gettingoldercarguy > way2blu does a rev update 01/24/2018 at 14:56

0

Go kw v3, you won’t be disappointed.

way2blu does a rev update > AkursedX 01/24/2018 at 14:57

0

I’ll look into the Bilsteins for sure, might be a little pricy for my purposes though. The spring-rate adjustability could be really nice though...

Die-Trying > way2blu does a rev update 01/24/2018 at 15:05

1

yeah, it is a bit of an odd distribution, but so long as you weigh the car out, you can get the suspension dialed in(with the springs(and later with the shock rates)) so that the car is able to hook, and bite when you take off/corner, and ALSO probably most importantly, it wont ride like an iron wheeled wagon.

i think this is the only other picture i have of the rear suspension. i should really take a few more before i cover it all up with a sheetmetal floor......

this, but installed.........

Bman76 (hates WS6 hoods, is on his phone and has 4 burners now) > way2blu does a rev update 01/24/2018 at 15:08

0

G_Body_Man: Sponsored by the number 3 > way2blu does a rev update 01/24/2018 at 15:14

0

ARK and Stance coilovers are fantastic, but a bit pricey. They ride great, control body motions well and hold up to abuse.

If you want something a bit cheaper but still quite good, I’d recommend BC Racing BRs.

I’ve found that Megan EZ Streets are almost always too bouncy. They’re better than Racelands, but there are better options out there.

SmugAardvark > way2blu does a rev update 01/24/2018 at 15:15

1

I would look into Prothane bushings, in your case. You can get a full kit for under $100. Just make sure you grease ‘em well before installation.

AM3R, lost another burner > Arrivederci 01/24/2018 at 15:40

0

Tell me more please, might pick up a set of these. They are very reasonable priced.

AestheticsInMotion > way2blu does a rev update 01/24/2018 at 15:57

2

https://supermiata.com/Xida-ACE-coilover-miata.aspx

I also like high-end rally coilovers. Totally different world of suspension design than the track-focused setups available for most cars. Once you go down the rabbit hole of rally suspension design you’ll spend whole weeks at a time researching, and lusting over those glorious mechanical contraptions.

Don’t cheap out, buy once, cry once. Especially with how fantastic your MR2 is, why buy a setup that you’d realistically think about replacing after a few years? You definitely want something adjustable, ride height, damping, compression, rebound, etc. More you spend the more you can fiddle. Having separate high and low speed adjustments can be nice too if you’re willing to put in the time playing around with setups. Electronically-controlled suspension is nice but unnecessary. Although.... If you do go the electronically-controlled route... You can also add on brain modules that can pick up GPS data or take in data on the road and make adjustments on the fly, which is super cool. And a lot cheaper than you’d think.

Check out https://tractivesuspension.com/autosport/

They’re pricey but they are absolutely in the top 1% of suspension designers and are willing to do custom work to fit your needs. For cheaper stuff... Check Mr2 classifieds? I don’t know what works well for those specific cars unfortunately

Arrivederci > AM3R, lost another burner 01/24/2018 at 15:59

0

Just a simple, solid, well-engineered coilover. No damping adjustability, so all you do is set ride height and go. Progressive rate springs keep the street ride decent (a little stiff in the rear, IIRC) but stiffen up nicely when you’re pushing it on a track or in autox. They seem to do better with a little weight in the car - not saying they’re crashy otherwise, but if you have a couple passengers and a full tank of gas they ride a little better. They only stink when the road realllly sucks, but any other coilover would as well at that point.

AestheticsInMotion > way2blu does a rev update 01/24/2018 at 16:15

0

Sheik over at fatcat motorsports is the guy to go to if you want much-better-than-stock ride quality and a solid autox setup in one. Another thing to consider is the quality of the springs included with whatever setup you get. If you see Hyperco springs for example, yeah you should be able to trust the quality of the coilovers. No-name chinesium springs? I would steer clear

whatisthatsound > way2blu does a rev update 01/24/2018 at 16:17

0

I had MCS 2way adjustables on my Viper and loved them. It changed the entire car for me.

CaptDale - is secretly British > way2blu does a rev update 01/24/2018 at 17:29

0

What I want for my GTO

sony1492 > way2blu does a rev update 01/24/2018 at 17:46

0

My experiance is with norcal roads,  I’m gonna assume they’re worse than socal. It’d probably be fine, but bilsteins with a lowering spring might also be a good bet

StudyStudyStudy > way2blu does a rev update 01/24/2018 at 18:46

0

Everyone rants and raves about BC’s. I’m not entirely enamored by them, granted application is fairly new for my chassis. Damping is either too bouncy or not enough, the springs I don’t think are actually what they say they are.

Any coilover not on the FEAL website is probably worthwhile (as in not in their “all these cheap coilovers we will rebuild because they were so poorly made in the first place” section).

TTT makes a solid kit if I’m not mistaken for the MR2.