MR2 Coilovers

[Shnev91]

Looking into buying my first ever set of coilovers so im new to this. Been doing some shopping around and I see Tein seem to be a hot favourite among MR2 drivers but I'm not looking to track my car much (Maybe once or twice a year in the future). I will be doing long journeys in it to car shows etc and I live in wales where speedbumps are everywhere.

What I want: About 20 - 30mm drop with decent ride quality (alot of damping adjustment)

I recently got told about K-Sport coilovers and they are my favorites so far as they fit my £800 budget. I can push the budget if anyone can sell me on something better.

Thanks in advance.

Also will they work with 16" FTO wheels that I have on the car. I've had a quick look and I'm guessing since coilovers are normally a fair bit thinner anything should fit.

[danjama]

Look At HSD coilovers stocked by driftworks. Very good reviews

[Shnev91]

danjama said:

Look At HSD coilovers stocked by driftworks. Very good reviews

They look good and a good price. K-sport just got back to me and said there is no UK supplier of the coilovers that I want so these may be the answer. Thanks alot.

[Shnev91]

Just called the lovely peeps at Adrian Flux. I can play with coilovers at no extra cost to insurance

[danjama]

Same with my insurers, they don't seem to care what I do as long as they can charge me a 20 admin fee.

[DottyMR2]

Take a look at BC Coilovers. Many tut tu them but it's the usual brand image. They are used widely across GT racing/touring cars etc. and get good reviews/passed a lot of tests in a few countries so are up to scratch.

I've got the Rm series with the 5/8kg spring rates as I mainly track the car but either the RM or BR series with the 4/6kg spring weights would probably be not too bad on the road/ Your ride will suffer no matter what coilovers you put on there though.

[Shnev91]

DottyMR2 said:

Take a look at BC Coilovers. Many tut tu them but it's the usual brand image. They are used widely across GT racing/touring cars etc. and get good reviews/passed a lot of tests in a few countries so are up to scratch.

I've got the Rm series with the 5/8kg spring rates as I mainly track the car but either the RM or BR series with the 4/6kg spring weights would probably be not too bad on the road/ Your ride will suffer no matter what coilovers you put on there though.

Thanks for the reply DottyMR2, Yeh I looked into these first of all when I started to consider coilovers but I have read mixed reviews on them (Cant remember where).

[Red Devil]

Shnev91 said:

Looking into buying my first ever set of coilovers so im new to this. Been doing some shopping around and I see Tein seem to be a hot favourite among MR2 drivers but I'm not looking to track my car much (Maybe once or twice a year in the future). I will be doing long journeys in it to car shows etc and I live in wales where speedbumps are everywhere.

Not with this one. They are well overpriced for what you get imo. If you have that sort of budget to spend then you should be looking at KW Variant 3s. Much better quality.

danjama said:

Look At HSD coilovers stocked by driftworks. Very good reviews

+1

Shnev91 said:

DottyMR2 said:

Take a look at BC Coilovers. Many tut tu them but it's the usual brand image. They are used widely across GT racing/touring cars etc. and get good reviews/passed a lot of tests in a few countries so are up to scratch.

I've got the Rm series with the 5/8kg spring rates as I mainly track the car but either the RM or BR series with the 4/6kg spring weights would probably be not too bad on the road/ Your ride will suffer no matter what coilovers you put on there though.

Thanks for the reply DottyMR2, Yeh I looked into these first of all when I started to consider coilovers but I have read mixed reviews on them (Cant remember where).

I went for these (5/8kg) on the recommendation of Patrick at Rogue Motorsport (they are a permitted option for Class C in the MR2 Championship). That was more than 5 years ago. I have had no issues with them at all on either car they have been fitted to (both turbos).

However I use my MR2 primarily for fun at weekends (plus the occasional track day) not as a daily drive. Aftermarket coilovers are not designed for prolonged street use especially not on the pothole ridden roads we have to put up with in this country.

[spameister]

I wish people would stop saying brand names without mentioning which model it is they are referring to. Tein's $700 dampers are not the same as their $14,000 dampers. Their SRCs (I appreciate they are out of your budget) are great value entry level motorsport dampers.

Ditto for BC. Their budget BR dampers are crap and are not the same as their 2 ways.

DottyMR2 said:

Your ride will suffer no matter what coilovers you put on there though.

This is true given the op's budget but with higher end dampers you can have relatively high rates and still have a reasonably compliant ride.

KWv3 are the best dampers mentioned here; I would be saving to get those. K-Sports are good for boat anchors and not much else.

Dampers are definitely one of those things where you get what you pay for.

[Red Devil]

spameister said:

I wish people would stop saying brand names without mentioning which model it is they are referring to. Tein's $700 dampers are not the same as their $14,000 dampers. Their SRCs (I appreciate they are out of your budget) are great value entry level motorsport dampers.

The OP clearly stated that he would only be doing the occasional track day. So I suggest that Tein SRCs would be complete overkill and not really appropriate for the usage he has in mind.

For an SW20 his choices come down to the Flex or the Mono Sport - http://www.tein.co.uk/srch/uk_search.php?maker=TOY...

spameister said:

Ditto for BC. Their budget BR dampers are crap and are not the same as their 2 ways.

That goes for any make if you insist on comparing apples with pears. As I said I have used BC BR series for over 5 years and I wouldn't describe them as crap. At their price point I don't expect them to be as good as the KWv3s which cost nearly twice as much. My other MR2 had the latter fitted when I bought it and, yes, having been able to make a direct comparison the KWs are definitely better in every way. I should well hope so though given the price differential.

spameister said:

DottyMR2 said:

Your ride will suffer no matter what coilovers you put on there though.

This is true given the op's budget but with higher end dampers you can have relatively high rates and still have a reasonably compliant ride.

KWv3 are the best dampers mentioned here; I would be saving to get those. K-Sports are good for boat anchors and not much else.

Dampers are definitely one of those things where you get what you pay for.

No argument there. However, you can purchase the best coilovers money can buy but it will be a complete waste of time if all the other associated components (ball joints, drop links, tie rods, ARB bushes, steering rack inners/outers etc) are knackered. We are talking about cars which are between 15 and 24 years old (depending on Revision). It's no good just sorting out one component in isolation from the rest.

[gtscraig]

You can't go wrong with a pair of tein superstreet coilovers. Had them on the car for about 2 years, not too harsh for day to day, can get the amount of drop you want and the damping is adjustable for track or drag days

[gtscraig]

You can't go wrong with a pair of tein superstreet coilovers. Had them on the car for about 2 years, not too harsh for day to day, can get the amount of drop you want and the damping is adjustable for track or drag days

[dufunk]

Had Trd ones on my turbo god she was a bone shaker! Brilliant on good roads in the corners allow on some b roads abit to harsh. For a track setup would be pretty awesome.

[rhinochopig]

Re dampers: with an £800 budget that works out at circa £150 per damper unit. Now factor in the profit on that and a £150 damper is probably sold by the manufacturer for circa £75. £75 does not buy you a lot of development, high quality materials or quality assurance. Worth thinking about.

The other thing to consider is that lowering your car can drop the roll centre which means that you will potentiall see more roll, which means that:

a) you need to stiffen the suspension - at the risk of the car skipping over bumps and actually having less grip.
b) you need to correct the roll centre - you can buy kits but these are generic so there is no gaurantee that they will correct your drop.
c) fit stiffer ARBs at additional cost, and then you need to work out how much stiffer you need.
d) you live with more roll.

And just be aware a stiff mid-engined car will not telegraph grip into oversteer at all well on a public road.

Watch this - it's in german but you'll get the drift - no pun intended. It illustrates the point I'm making.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=r7H4LcJLgKQ

[spameister]

rhinochopig said:

Re dampers: with an £800 budget that works out at circa £150 per damper unit. Now factor in the profit on that and a £150 damper is probably sold by the manufacturer for circa £75. £75 does not buy you a lot of development, high quality materials or quality assurance. Worth thinking about.

The other thing to consider is that lowering your car can drop the roll centre which means that you will potentiall see more roll, which means that:

a) you need to stiffen the suspension - at the risk of the car skipping over bumps and actually having less grip.
b) you need to correct the roll centre - you can buy kits but these are generic so there is no gaurantee that they will correct your drop.
c) fit stiffer ARBs at additional cost, and then you need to work out how much stiffer you need.
d) you live with more roll.

And just be aware a stiff mid-engined car will not telegraph grip into oversteer at all well on a public road.

Watch this - it's in german but you'll get the drift - no pun intended. It illustrates the point I'm making.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=r7H4LcJLgKQ

That was a pleasure to read.

Remember this when asking for this sort of advice. Most people, myself included, have very little experience with different dampers. It is possible to find glowing reports for just about any damper out there but more often than not the reviewer doesn't have the experience to give an objective report. Confirmation bias also comes into play. "I've just spent all my hard earned money on these wicked coilovers so they have to be great!"

I suggest it might be better to ask a workshop who specialises in MR2s for advice or perhaps a steering shop that has a large range of dampers to choose from. Local support is important and was the main criteria when selecting my dampers.

[Clark3y]

Forget about coilovers if you want a small drop and good ride quality. A nice traditional spring and shock combo is what you need.

[Shnev91]

Ok so after some time thinking and looking around. I decided to go for the HSD Dualtechs from Driftworks.

http://www.driftworks.com/hsd-coilovers-toyota-mr2...

I was fairly nervous as the price suggested cheap crap but I'm glad to say I'm very impressed so far. I've done around 300 miles on them this weekend having getting them fitted on Friday and yes the ride is a fair bit more harsh but not unbareable (I'm on 205/50/16 front and 225/50/16 rear for reference). The car isn't "Slammed" I asked the guys to lower it a bit and set it up for handling in the hope of getting rid of the floaty feeling at higher speeds and to cure some of the understeer when cornering at 55+ (Partly because my OEM shocks were fked). I chose not to put any camber on as was suggested by driftworks to try and make my tyres last a bit longer and it was only for some fast road driving not serious track driving. The Car feels planted and I can turn in to some sharp corners at suprising speeds.



Here's a quick image I got on the weekend to see how the car sits (I'll be taking better ones eventually). Ill be happy to answer any questions if I can.

Thanks for all the help on this thread guys.

P.S. Pic was taken on A4086 in Snowdonia. Really enjoyed the drive up there it was Jaw dropping some of the views.

Edited by Shnev91 on Monday 16th February 12:08

[danjama]

Hi mate, glad to hear your report as i've been considering these for a loooong time. Would be interested in any info really, from how they are on town roads to adjustability and install?? You mention camber but what's the process for adjusting damping etc?

Also, are those wheels staggered widths? They look like FTO wheels. If they aren't staggered, that will contribute to the floaty feeling at speed even if the tyres are staggered.

Thanks

[Shnev91]

danjama said:

Hi mate, glad to hear your report as i've been considering these for a loooong time. Would be interested in any info really, from how they are on town roads to adjustability and install?? You mention camber but what's the process for adjusting damping etc?

Thanks

ok so damping adjustment is done using an allen key at the top (Very easy and accessible) I got mine setup at a shop so that they could do full alignment too think they said they tightened them up all the way then softened them 5 "clicks" but I think I will play with them a bit to see if I can get a slightly nicer ride. The Dualtechs have a little bit of camber adjustment at the top too I don't know exactly how much but I'm sure driftworks could answer that.

Town roads is when you really notice how how harsh they are but for me that doesn't matter as its not my daily drive and I don't do much town driving in it. I haven't played with the damping or anything myself tho and I asked the garage to set it up for out and out handling so they did and they did it well.

I dont know where ur from mate but I would be more than willing to take you for a drive in it so u can feel what its like for urself one weekend if we could meet up somewhere.

(I'm west wales)

[Red Devil]

Shnev91 said:

The Dualtechs have a little bit of camber adjustment at the top too I don't know exactly how much but I'm sure driftworks could answer that.

No they don't. You need camber adjustable top mounts for that. The Monopros have them: the Dualtechs don't.
http://www.driftworks.com/hsd-coilovers-toyota-mr2...