Apexi EXv

Tein Basic

Tein SS

Megan Racing Street


Which coilovers are the better pick???

They're all about the same price give or take $100-200

I want to lower the stock height of my wife's '00 Miata and install 6UL's/RS2's
I need a semi-soft ride once it's lowered since she would be using it mostly for a daily driver with the occasional (once a month) AutoX fling.

I should add that i would like to get something requiring the least amount (or none) of rebound/dampening adj.
If it came already adjusted for street/track use would be adequate for her, i would only like to be able to lower them, keeping things simple.

 

I will probably be flamed for this, but I like the KYB AGX's on NA's with Ground Controls. I have friends that swear by them on NB's

 

at this point, the Tein Basics are the cheapest in the bunch, at $849 shipped.

are these decent street coilovers if lowering and a decent/firm ride are what i'm after?

Will your typical installer be able to adjust the dampening/rebound on these to how i need them adjusted?

Last thing i want is a coilover that i need to fart around with 1000 times to get the proper adjustment out of it.

 

I have tein basic coilovers, and while they are not the absolute best solution out there they do just fine. My main gripe with them is that the spring rates cause oversteer which must be corrected by either changing spring rates, sway bars, camber, tire size/pressure , or a combo of those things. I personally have removed the rear sway and put an FM solid front sway along with running slightly higher front tire pressure to help out. It still oversteers a bit, but once I got accustomed I decided I actually preferred it because you can really get on it in a corner without any understeer at all. Just gotta be careful to not spin the tires though in the corner and everything is well.

The other thing I don't like is that the compression dampening is a bit less than what I would have wanted. I can only assume it was engineered this way for a more comfortable ride, which it is for the most part.

oh, and there is no damper adjustments, you get what you get on the basics

 

Fat Cat Motorsport setup. /thread

 

it's my wife's car, if anything i'll be the one occasionally running it at the track, so it's for street use more than anything.

comfort is a must.
then, the capability of lowering and having plenty suspension travel that a daily driven car needs on the street before hitting bumpstops.

 

Having just taken off a set of Tein Basics I wouldn't wish them on my worst enemy... they're harsh at low speeds, not enough damping at high speeds, and at full extension they have about 2" travel (not at ride height mind you.. FULL extension) so hitting the bumpstops regularly on the street is a given.

Putting on my FCM Bilsteins was a complete revelation... MUCH improved ride AND handling with higher spring rates. There's no free lunch, you get what you pay for.

 

I dont really hit the bumpstops all the time, and I dont think the ride is crappy. Sure and FCM bilstien setup would be way better and that is what I plan for down the road, but the Basics work alright for now.

 

BC Racing, they're fantastic. Ridden in plenty of autocross cars running on them and they all put out fast times. I run them myself on the daily and they feel like upgraded suspension, they ride stiff but if you don't like that then don't buy coilovers.

 

FatCat Bilsteins & bumpstops + FM springs = better than stock ride comfort, since it's not banging off the stops all the time.

 

I wasn't trying to put your car down since your car wasn't the topic at hand, just trying to help out the OP with another opinion on what he asked about...Tein Basics

That said, maybe you don't realize when you hit the bumpstops... maybe you don't drive as hard as I do... our ride heights are different..who knows. Ride quality is subjective, I think they ride crappy and you don't but honestly for the OP it's what his wife thinks that's important and if she's a non-enthusiast I would put money on her not liking the ride with Basics. What I can also say is with less than 2" of travel before hitting the stops when you're at static ride height, unless you drive on a billiard table you're going to be on them a fair amount, especially in the rear. This is not conducive to good ride quality nor good handling.

 

Saw the H&R's for under $1000 on ebay...

who else has these and what is your experience with them?

I've had KW Variant 1 on my wife's past Mini cooper S and she loved them.
Pre adjusted from the factory, only height adj...very comfortable driving and handled very well around a track. They're a bit more than i wanna spend though...

i might swing the extra $200 to just under $1000 if there's really a difference in ride quality and better handling overall.

 

how do the Tein SS compare with the Basic Tein coilovers?

same **** just Shinier tubes?

 

Penske

 

I think the SS are "dampening adjustable."

 

SS is their "hard core" suspension, actually gives a better ride because it keeps you off the bumpstops.

Talk to Shaik at Fat Cat Motorsports.

 

tokico illuminas + swift springs. very comfortable ride and very good handling at the same time. if anything, i have a set of swift springs AND fm springs that im trying to sell.

 

Anyone know if tein Basics can be revalved? I personally would be interested if it was not overly expensive

... nevermind, sounds like fatcat does revalves for $125 per corner shipping included

 

the Flying Miata Tokico's with FM springs are $825 and they include fr/rear swaybars.

i'm be interested in seeing what the drop is with these, on a 99/00 Miata...as well as hear what the longevity on this setup is.

 

FatCat doesn't revalve anything but Bilsteins so far as I know. And at the ride heights you mentioned on M.net as "the highest you'd go" (12F, 12.5R), revalving won't make a damn bit of difference on the Basics, because you'll be on the bumpstops.