Best Coilovers for S13

[aidanmanc]

What would be a decent set of coilovers for the S13, i don't want to spend massive though

[zeppelin101]

Best for what and what is your budget?

[soggysock]

I'm in the same situation right now and after hours of looking at threads I've come to the conclusion of if your looking at ebay coilovers like I was then wait a month and for the extra 150 you might be able to save you can get a cheap set of hsd's from driftworks

[chrismisk]

I have put hsd's in mine done maybe 1200 miles since over all the shite roads of the day and am happy with them could maybe do with being a bit softer for road use but for the price I got them for I'm not going to be wording about that

[R3K1355]

The HSD dualtechs are pretty decently priced, or you can get some used ones for even less.

[MEL]

Such a subjective area. I thought my hsd's were excellent on track but they weren't particularly damped very well for bumpy UK roads - could be quite unsettled at times when pushing on.

The apex comfies seem to get good reviews and the bmw lot are raving over bc as an acceptable affordable solution. I've never used either so can't offer any more comment

[Jonny Wilkinson]

As Zepplin said, it depends on what you want.

Most people buy coilovers that are too hard for what they want because they think stiffer is better and that's not always true.

Secondhand coilovers do hold their value well so expect to pay around 400-450 for a decent set of Apex/HSD/DW type coilovers or 500-600 for a new set.

There are cheaper ones on fleabay but the build quality and design is not as good IMO and they won't work as well even if you get the right stiffness of spring.

If you want to push the boat out, Apex sell Ohlins

Apex also happen to do a larger range of coilovers than the others with springs starting at 4/3 kg (twice as stiff as standard) up to 18/16kg (9 times as stiff - in which case you might as well weld a bar between hub and wheel arch).

Some interesting factoids...

Standard S13 suspension has 2.2/1.8 kg springs so anything you buy will be stiffer.
The softer your springs are the longer the suspension travel so (generally) the better they will absorb bumps i.e. not transfer the bump to the cabin and keep the wheel in contact with the road more of the time.
If you have uprated ARBs and strut braces you don't need as strong a spring on the coilover.
If you lower the car you reduce the amount of travel that the suspension can have so you need a stronger spring.
You can't really just swap the springs on a set of coilovers - The coilover length needs to change as softer springs have more static sag plus the damping of the coilover needs to match the spring to work.
s14 coilovers are not a straight fit on an S13.
How much you pay is an indicator of suspension quality but its not a linear scale. 300 quid will buy you knackered crap, 450 quid for new cheap stuff, 600 quid for pretty damn good new stuff, 900 quid for JDM-tyte basic new stuff, 2000 for car pron that's hard to set up but if you need to get around a track quickly...
The life of a middle-of-the-range coilover is around 10-15K miles. Bear this in mind when buying secondhand.

[aidanmanc]

Sorry guys, been busy since i posted this and im looking to spend under 400-500 for a set , i dont really want top of the line coil overs, and not really ebay ones, not keen on the qualities of cheap ebay stuff, im just looking for a mid or under mid range set new or used just to lower my car make it a bit stiffer, cheers!

[Jonny Wilkinson]

Look out for Apex Gen 2 Comfy coilovers (5/4 kg) on here secondhand or similar. You should get a good set for 400ish.

[AdamRPS13]

I spent a few quid and got BC RM coilovers, mainly because they offer slightly more adjustment than the BR series and i wanted to take the car on track, i got 6/5 springs with mine and the only gripe i have is that the front doesn't go low enough for my liking, its acceptable and i doubt many people would say i need to lower my car any more but i'd like 10mm more from them but alas... Anyway they feel great on the road, the adjustment goes from pretty comfy for coilovers to full on rock solid!

[steff777]

As above it depends on what your going to use your car for mainly,I've got bc racing v1 series coilovers and I can't rate them enough! plenty of adjustment and once I dialled in the right settings it's a comfy as any "normal" car I've driven, yet has no bodyroll at all (and it could go a lot stiffer ) perfect for day to day driving and fast driving.

Stay away from eBay ones tho m8, had some cheap ones on my mk4 tdi and they was shocking!! It was if I had bricks for shock obsorbers! Hahaha!

Ps got mine second hand tho, but the best money I've spent on my s13

[green_rs13]

ive driven a few s13's on coilovers in my time and for a road car id have the apex comfy ones.