What do you look for in an aftermarket Coilover?

Vincent@27WON

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Just like the title suggest, what are some of the main factors and considerations that you take into account when looking to upgrade to coilovers?

Is it cost, ride height, comfort, adjustability, etc? Let me know below as I want to learn from you guys.
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As a track built car, we've been looking for a coilover option that is stiffer then the ones currently in the market as all of them are too underdampened. Adjustability, spring rate options and being able to rebuild the coilovers are the main things we're looking for.
 

Zodd

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for my coilovers i checked internet for reliability and driveability so they are not to hard or to soft... and of here in europe they must have TUV, so they can be homologated.. i pulled the trigger on ST Coilovers (company is owned by KW) not to expensive around 900$... springs on them are 2.5x stiffer than stock and these coilovers are only height adjustable no damping settings or rebound, not even a preload. but i must say they work great and are really simple to adjust... that was what i wanted, simplicity and not dealing with preloads or damping modes :)
i would like to get them a little bit lower, front is maxed at 2.16", and on rear i removed the perch and used stock rubber to get more low and now car sits 2.56" lower than stock...
ride is ok looks like damping is spot on, but you will feel potholes for sure :)
it also has plastic height adjustment ring so it wont corrode...

Honda Civic 10th gen What do you look for in an aftermarket Coilover? nc_ohc=d3ThWGkuU9QAX-QZq2Z&_nc_ht=scontent.flju1-1





when these go bad i will get myself KW V3 so i can set damping and front camber,
civic needs front camber for canyon blasting :p i have -0,7 front now and it is not enough
i think around -1.8 on front will make big diffrence, but KW V3 are stainless steel and price is around 2500$...

Honda Civic 10th gen What do you look for in an aftermarket Coilover? nc_ohc=ai2T2KRX6UkAX_paOfX&_nc_ht=scontent.flju1-1
 

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What people want vs what they need are two completely different things. People want this ultra adjustable coilover with 32 different dampening settings (because more is better ya know) and the kicker is they don't want to pay a whole lot for it. People need something more like these ST coilovers posted above. A well matched shock and spring combo with no dampening adjustment and decent height adjustment at a reasonable price point.
 

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for my coilovers i checked internet for reliability and driveability so they are not to hard or to soft... and of here in europe they must have TUV, so they can be homologated.. i pulled the trigger on ST Coilovers (company is owned by KW) not to expensive around 900$... springs on them are 2.5x stiffer than stock and these coilovers are only height adjustable no damping settings or rebound, not even a preload. but i must say they work great and are really simple to adjust... that was what i wanted, simplicity and not dealing with preloads or damping modes :)
i would like to get them a little bit lower, front is maxed at 2.16", and on rear i removed the perch and used stock rubber to get more low and now car sits 2.56" lower than stock...
ride is ok looks like damping is spot on, but you will feel potholes for sure :)
it also has plastic height adjustment ring so it wont corrode...

nc_ohc=d3ThWGkuU9QAX-QZq2Z&_nc_ht=scontent.flju1-1.jpg





when these go bad i will get myself KW V3 so i can set damping and front camber,
civic needs front camber for canyon blasting :p i have -0,7 front now and it is not enough
i think around -1.8 on front will make big diffrence, but KW V3 are stainless steel and price is around 2500$...

nc_ohc=ai2T2KRX6UkAX_paOfX&_nc_ht=scontent.flju1-1.jpg
I'm thinking about getting ST coilovers for my car. Do you have the ST X model or the XTA? And I thought KW only made coilovers for the type r.
 


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Vincent@27WON

Vincent@27WON

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What people want vs what they need are two completely different things. People want this ultra adjustable coilover with 32 different dampening settings (because more is better ya know) and the kicker is they don't want to pay a whole lot for it. People need something more like these ST coilovers posted above. A well matched shock and spring combo with no dampening adjustment and decent height adjustment at a reasonable price point.
Solid observation my friend.
 

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I had mutiple different coilovers and spring/shocks setups on my old 98 civic.
From mild to wild (F 4Kgf, R 2Kgf up to F 12Kgf , R 8Kgf).Some had 30 clicks adjustable damping which i only used half of them.Others (koni yellow) had 3 full turns which i all used .
Springs is very dependend on the application ,but for street use i would stay around
4kgf front and 6kgf rear for the 10th gen.
99% of the users only need (and can) adjust damping .Only the few racers or die hards need to adjust rebound.So i wouldn't bother with a coilover setup that can adjust rebound for a street setup.Adjusting damping with 4 or 5 clicks is more then enough.
I would also look into using plastic reinforced height adjustment rings or stainless steel ones.(Like KW or ST does)
The aluminium rings i used in the past all had some wear after a few years of use.

Front camber adjustment would also be a great extra option ,but you wont gain much camber with a adjustable top hat .I would rather turn that around and use it to increase caster.
Overall just make a simple street coilover with quality parts (Eibach ERS or swift springs) Koni or other good brand shocks and a race coilover setup with more features and springs of choice.
 

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I'm thinking about getting ST coilovers for my car. Do you have the ST X model or the XTA? And I thought KW only made coilovers for the type r.
i have ST X, and i should get XTA, they are the same but XTA have front camber adjustment... like i said this car need some front camber for cornering :)
 

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What people want vs what they need are two completely different things. People want this ultra adjustable coilover with 32 different dampening settings (because more is better ya know) and the kicker is they don't want to pay a whole lot for it. People need something more like these ST coilovers posted above. A well matched shock and spring combo with no dampening adjustment and decent height adjustment at a reasonable price point.
"Forget the engineering triangle! We want good. We want it fast. And we want it cheap!" -Every customer ever
 

bdsport

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Living and daily driving in New York I value comfort/dampening adjustability over most (as many North Easterners and LA residents can agree). I think most people want a sub $1k coilover that performs like a KW v3 which simply isn't ever going to happen... but for the crowd that genuinely does light HPDE or autocross or canyon/backroad work with their daily car something like a Fortune Auto 500/510 comes to mind: 1000-1500 price point with camber, dampening, ride height adjustment as well as high quality parts and rebuildability. The hatchback crowd is at a bit of a loss too because many of us in the US want to run coils but have limited options compared to Si or sedan models. Just my $0.02.

TLDR: Dont worry about pricing because people will pay for a great product with build quality and customization which 27won already outclasses a lot in. Ride quality and reliability matter the most to me, most people won't slam the car on its nuts
 

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For me, having the option of stock ride height or near-stock (less than 1/4 in drop) as an adjustable range is critical. I have passed on most coilover options because of this. Previous car was lower to the ground and it was a headache for a mixed-purposed vehicle. Personally, my ideal coilover set would include:
  1. Near Stock Ride Height
  2. Rebuildable
  3. Firm yet street usable (Adjustable Dampers for a Sport Hatch anyone).
I agree, the Sport Hatchback options are extremely limited, especially on point one. ALL FK7 coils are lowered at least an inch, something I don't want.

In terms of budget: since it would most likely be a 27Won product, I would be willing to spend 1250 - 1700 per set, depending on features.
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