Hi everyone,

I know there are some threads on this already, but there a few questions that I haven't seen addressed. I am looking to lower my car slightly (no more than 1 inch), primarily for street use, but I am interested in tracking my car at some point. So while I want something that performs well and is not just for show, ride quality is also a priority. I've narrowed my choices down to these:

I would love to get the ST coilovers, but even though they seem to be one of the more inexpensive options at $977 (haven't found them lower than that), it's still a little costly for me. I plan on getting either camber plates or strut tower defenders when I upgrade my suspension, and it seems it'd probably be around at least $1200 total (assuming I install it myself, which I'm hoping I can do).

I hadn't considered the Megans until recently, because they used to be only marginally cheaper than the STs, and I would probably go with STs at the same price (although they include camber plates). I have heard that they are a pretty decent setup, though. However, I see now these "EZ Street Series" Megan coilover kits, which are listed at $799 on the Megan site, but which it appears can be found on ebay in the $690 range (the $900+ Megans seem to be the "Euro Street Series"). That's a big difference. And since these come with camber plates, this is looking like a really attractive option. I know some people have said the ride quality of Megans is a little harsher than stock, but what about these EZ Street series versions? And how do they perform? Anyone with experience on these would be greatly appreciated, and how they compare to the Euro-Street series Megans.

Finally, there is the option of Swift springs with aftermarket shocks like Koni yellows. Seems like this would be at least $850 (plus camber plates or STDs). I have heard some conflicting things about the the ride quality -- most say it is harsh, but some say it is actually an improvement over stock.

So, unless there are other expenses that I am not aware of, it looks like the typical pricing options are as follows:

ST coilovers: ...................................$977 (plus camber plates or STDs and spacers)
Megan EZ street series coilovers: ........$690 on ebay (plus spacers?)
Springs + Koni Yellows: ......................$850-$900 (plus camber plates or STDs, -- and spacers?)

Does this sound right? I'd like to know what expenses I'm in for before investing in one of these options, and it seems like the Megans are the best deal. What do you think?

Also, if anyone knows of sales going on (or a good way of keeping track of sales) that might change things, I would appreciate it.

 

 

Update: Just saw that Way is selling these on his site now for $700:

http://www.waymotorworks.com/megan-r...coilovers.html

I didn't see these on his site before, I guess these are new. He also specifies that it does NOT come with camber plates, but that it has "front upper shock mounts" to prevent mushrooming. As I was more interested in preventing mushrooming than adjusting camber in the first place, this sounds fine to me.

Any one tested these out? It seems like it's a little more suitable for street use than the other megans, but still good for some track use.

YAY OR NAY

 

I finally found this thread talking about the EZ street versions:

https://www.northamericanmotoring.co...questions.html

Answers the question how the EZ Streets compare to the other Megans. I'm pretty much sold on these.

The only question I have is durability. Swift springs last forever, and Koni-yellows have a lifetime warranty. Going with that set-up, it seems I would be set for life. The Megan's only have a one year warranty.

What if I bought the swift springs now and used them on my 77K mile stock shocks, and saved up for Konis? Would the ride be unbearable in the meantime? Would it be a better set-up than the Megans? Or what if I bought the Megans now, and some point in the future get swift springs to replace the Megan springs? Decisions, decisions!

I know y'all are tired of these threads because apparently there are tons of them.

 

I would go with the Swift springs on stock shocks right now and save up for the Konis. This will probably give a decent ride with the stock struts/shocks, and will definitely give a better ride with the Konis over the other two options.

 

Thanks for the response! I am seriously considering this. I think I've determined that price is not a factor here, as in the end it will cost about the same whether I get swift lowering springs + koni yellows + STDs or EZ Street Megan coilovers and eventually swap for swift springs. For me it comes down to:

1. Durability
2. Ride quality
3. Performance

The Megans are attractive because it is a complete set up from the beginning, which I don't need to upgrade further, but I could if I wanted to with swift coilover springs. The swift lowering springs on the other hand I feel wouldn't be complete without Koni Yellows, as my shocks probably won't last long on those. Also I like the height adjustibility on the coilovers.

On the other hand, I bet the Konis will last a life time.

I think this might settle it for me: between Koni Yellows + swift lowering springs, or Megans + swift coilover springs, which one has better ride quality? Those would be my ultimate set-ups either way.

 

Don't forget, the Koni's have a lifetime against defects, don't thing they'll "last" a lifetime (basiclly the same as lifetime brake pads), that being said, my Koni's didn't go until about 125,000 or so.

And yes, your factory shocks will go QUICK, if you use them with a lowering spring, but you should get a couple of months at least to save your money for the Yellows if you go this route.

 

Thanks for the response! Yeah, I missed the fact that the lifetime warranty on the Koni yellows was for defects, not warranty to last forever (wouldn't that be nice). Still, glad to hear they lasted a while for you.

But it seems from the research I've done that Megan sorted their stuff out after their initial coilover models, and that they've been pretty reliable. So their one year warranty doesn't bother me to much.

I think I'm going with the Megans.... after a couple more billing cycles to save up for it, haha! I'll update with pics when that happens.

 

Sorry to resurrect and thread jack. I track my car and I have Swifts on Bilstein b4 and fixed camber plates which can be bouncy and unsettling on high speed sweepers. Would it be an upgrade to go with Koni yellows? And would that setup compare to Megan coilovers as far as performance sans height adjustment? Or am i ok with my set up? Thanks

 

Your suspension is bouncy because the B4's are too soft for the stiffer Swift springs. I would step up to the B8's to control the Swift springs. (I have an aversion to Konis... long story)

In my opinion, the Swift springs with B8's will be a better set-up than the Megan coil overs, even though I have Megan coil overs on my R55.

 

Mind sharing what you don’t like about the Konis? Why do you think the swift/b8 will be better than megan and swift/konis? Thanks

 

The Bilsteins are valved and built much better than the Megan coil overs. Also, the front Bilsteins are inverted design vs the Konis which are not. This make for a much stronger MacPherson strut. Konis are also low pressure twin-tube design vs the mono-tube Bilstein.

I've had bad experiences with Koni materials and design in the past, on multiple vehicles, and have had warranty claims denied when it was clearly a materials issue. Plus, for warranty, you have to go direct to Koni, they do not cover installation or removal costs, and only after they receive the shocks will they tell you if the warranty is covered or denied. I know there are others that love their products, but I will neither purchase or recommend them.

I just realized that Bilstein does not offer the B8 for the R53, but they do offer the B6. The valving is the same between the B6 and B8 designs, so that shouldn't be an issue. The B8s are typically built with a shorter shaft to accommodate lowering springs. With the Swift springs offering moderate lowering, you should be fine with the B6 and Swift.

 

Thanks for the response and for the technical explanation.

 

Have you looked into the H&R and Eibach springs their manufactured of high grade steel and built to last. They will upgrade your stock springs and improve your ride quality, plus made in Germany...

 

I have not. The thing is, I really like my swift springs, it's just that I need better dampening for them. Do you say H&R dampers are better than Bilstein HD B6?

 

Bilstein B6's are great with H&R springs, with no harsh ride...

 

How about with Swift Springs? Also, is it true that Bilstein B6's increase ride height?

 

Do not know anything about the Swift springs but, the Bilstein B6's did not raise my Mini's stance and the H&R springs brought it down about 3/4 inches...

 

Thanks Tombstone.

 

I just installed bilstein b6 on my r53 with my swift spec r springs. The combination transformed the car. It is not night and day, but definitely noticeable. I can’t wait to go try them at the track. Thanks again for the suggestion, Njaremka and Tombstone.

 

Is the ~1/2" drop of the Swift Spec-R springs enough to require adjustable rear control arms and/or front endlinks?

Sorry for asking a question I'm sure has been asked & answered before, can't find the thread again.

 

I’m not sure what you mean by lowering requiring rear control arms. But let me try to give my 2 cents.

Even with OEM springs, rear arms are required to dial in your rear camber to make them ideally less than the fronts for easier car rotation. When I lowered my car, I didn’t measure how much camber change happened since i did the adjustable arm as well before getting an alignment.

What suspension mods do you have now?

 

Ah, yes that answers my question. I had read that lowering springs give too much negative camber in the rear, and adjustable arms are needed to get back to around -1 degree.

Sounds like you're happy with the Swift springs & Bilstein B6? Is it comfortable enough on decent to crappy roads? I don't daily drive my R53 much (even in normal, non-pandemic times), but I don't want it to be terribly harsh.

I'm on stock suspension with a 20mm rear sway bar, but I'm about to refresh everything with Bilstein B6 and IE fixed camber mounts. I've been on the fence about keeping the stock springs or going with Swift springs.

 

I have Swift Spec R with Bilstein B6, Fixed Camber plated with slotted towers (-2.1) camber up front and -0.75 in the rear with adjustable rear arms.

Impressions and to answer some of your questions. I dont have any experience with a coilovered R53, but your question is specific to Swift and probably B6. I have tracked the car and driven it on the street. I LOVE this combination. below is a copy and paste from my response to someone who asked me a similar question.

OEM Springs/shocks vs Swift Spec R/Bilstein B4: The Swift Spec R springs are about 280 lb/in while the stocks are believed to be around 160-200. That makes the Swifts around 40% to 60% stiffer. The Bilstein B4 are said to be around 10% stiffer than the OEM Delphi. Going from the OEM setup to Swift/B4, you will feel every bump and the ride will be harsher than the OEM springs and shocks. And since the shocks don't perfectly match the springs, the springs are underdamped causing a floaty and bumpy ride on fast sweeping corners unsettling the car. However, the Swift made the car handle well.

Swift Spec R/B4 vs Swift Spec R/B6: the B6 are said to be 30% stiffer than OEM, making them a better match for the Swift springs. The difference between B4 and B6 is not as drastic, I'm still very happy because the car doesn't get unsettled anymore and it feels more planted on fast corners. The ride is harsher too, but I don't care about that on a tracked car with fixed back seats. I can still feel every bump, but this time, I can also feel what the tires are doing, when they are gripping or when they are sliding. The rotation of the car is more linear too like everything is slower to shift from either pitch, yaw, and roll. Most importantly, the car doesn't feel floaty anymore. I love feeling the car and the road. Uncomfortable? I don't know, I drive the car 2 hours to the track on fixed back seats and still listen to jazz music and don't and very comfortable. I'd get more tired in my BMW X3 on a 2 hour commute. I must add though that when I switched to B6, the car was more comfortable for me, it is so weird to explain. the car feels stiffer, but less harsh, I don't know how to put it except for I love it. Bilstein nailed it. I hated my ST coilovers on my MK7 GTI. I just super love the Swift/B6 on the R53.

The B4s were not bad, they performed really well for what they are, just not with Spec R. In opinion, the B4s are best/perfect paired with the OEM springs. Just the perfect amount of dampening without making the ride any harsher than stock. The stock springs are already very good out of the box as many say. They perform really well at the autocross and the track, The only let down are the OEM shocks and struts. Many like the Koni FSD with their OEM springs, but I personally care more about handling and performance. If I were using OEM springs, I would go with B4.

Oh and by the way, the B6 increased my ride height by about half and inch. So the ride height difference between oem springs/B4 vs Swift/B6 is only about 1/4 of an inch. I like that because more suspension travel is always good for the R53s and I am not into slammed cars, I'm more performance oriented. I have friends who have all kinds of coilovers on their R53s and they always say my car on OEM sprins/B4 and Swift Springs/B4 handle much better than their sub $3k suspensions.

Bottom line is, if I were using the car as a daily/track, and I am not whiney or have a bad back or something, I'd get the swift springs and put on B6 and be very happy. If I just want to go low, then I would go with the best coilovers I can afford. Since I don't daily my car, I only track it, but I am also on a budget, I went with the Swifts and B6. If money were not object, I would get OHLINS or KW3s and get swifts for them and then have the setup corner balanced by West End (known alignment shop in SoCal).

I'm happy to share more about the Swift/B6 combo. I just went to the track last Sunday on this setup. Here's a video to show you how my car handled chasing another R53 with JCW springs and Koni STRT shocks.


This is my second time ever at Buttonwillow, my friend in front of me has been tracking for 10 years and my lap time is only 1 second slower. I think it has to do with the swift/B6. Our cars have about the same power mods, but clearly different skilled drivers. I was only able to keep up because of my setup.