I am about to begin my best Dr Frankenstein impression, and upgrade my "03 MCS. Aside from sway bars, strut braces etc... What is the best coilover set for $1,000.00 or less??

 

Megan/BC - integrated camber plates, pillow ball adjustable rebound. Not the best the market has to offer. I assume you meant adjustable coilover? These kits are for budget minded folks who want it all - except bound adjustment.

Non-adjustable; JCW, Dinan (rebound) adjustable - need camber plates, so that brings you about $500.00 over your budget. This group present you with well thought out and engineered solutions for everyday plus a few track events. I drove JCW, not Dinan. These kits are for semi budget minded folks who prefer a great balance between ride, control and aggressivness - sophistication over features.

...then Leda etc for about $2,000 plus camber plates. These open the door to more serious track setups and are completely customizable.

 

the jcw suspension kit is going pretty cheap now that r56's out. at morristown they're going for $655. even i'm tempted. is it worth it?

 

The likelyhood of problems is nill...

 

anyone have any experience with these: http://cgi.ebay.com/ebaymotors/2002-...QQcmdZViewItem

 

A few months ago I was strongly leaning towards buying NEX coilovers off of eBay – but then they were $125 cheaper and non-adjustable. Looks like they've updated them to be 4-way adjustable. A couple months ago I couldn't find anyone with actual experience with them, but lots of people (inc. vendors, go figure) who knocked them hardcore. They finally swayed me, and I determined that for the price point (600-800) going with trusted, quality springs + shocks was a better route than cheapo coilovers.

If you're simply looking for better performance and not likely to corner balance or fiddle endlessly with the coilovers, I might suggest the same for you (springs + shocks).

Otherwise, going the coilover route, there are quite a few really good options just over the $1k mark, including if I'm not mistaken new entries by both M7 and TSW. Save up a little more. (Or be the guinea pig with the NEXs, I'm still sorta intrigued.)

 

For $1k or under, you can basically have either a low-end "coilover", or some really nice shocks with aftermarket springs ie, JCW as mentioned above, or some Bilsteins with the spring-du-jour, or whatever.

I think the H&R coilovers are in the $1100-1200 range? If it was me, and I really wanted that adjustable spring perch, I think I'd splurge and go for those.

 

I forgot about H&R

 

Spax coilovers can be had for under $1200.00. i have had them on for six months and three track days. So far, so good.

 

How is the ride in the spax or H&R's vs say a jcw kit? I think you can also get the k1 kit from KW for about that price...

 

The KW Variant 1's are right in that price range. Usually around $1150 or so

 

and ride on the coils vs a wel sorted out spring/strut package like H&R or Daina?

 

Good question, is it worth a couple of extra $$$ if I am planning on some "spirited" street driving, and an occasional track day?

 

Does anyone know if the JCW keeps stock ride height or does it lower it?

 

very small drop...very small.

 

I'm not sure but from what I've seen on the boards, JCW is about a 1/2 drop? Can someone with the JCW vouch for that? Pictures would be nice too!

I too am in the market for a suspension upgrade at the $1000 range. I've noticed that both Koni and Eibach have setups in that range.

Eibach is height adjustable only whereas the Koni coilover setup has height and damper settings.

I'm debating whether or not a coilover is even needed for everyday street use. I like the idea of being able to adjust the height, but i am concerned about ride quality. I'd hate to have a more jarring ride than the stock setup.

Wondering if the Koni Sport Kit is the way to go in terms of comfort and a conservative amount of drop. (Within an inch.)

 

jcw is about .5" drop, i would conservatively say no more than that though. Unless your a hefty fellah lol.

Just a note about the JCW for people thinking of this option, while it is softer than some of the aftermarket suspensions, it is definitly firmer than the stock suspension, meaning the car will be less comfortable. This has been my experience. It is close to being "just right", and way better riding and firm than h-sport springs (due to the prog rate)

 

10mm drop according to JCW. 13mm = 1/2" FYI