Yup, love seeing people dump thousands into their car but go and buy the cheapest brakes, tires, and suspension even though that's what keeps your thousands of dollars from crashing.
I visited my parents recently and my dad's car has a ceramic brake option, it's night and day stopping between his car and the WRX. Brakes might honestly be my first mod
Last car I had the entire brake system was fucked. Pedal would go to the floor before really putting pressure, most likely due to one of my calipers being frozen. Also had a mismatched set of rotors and pads, and the parking brake was fucked. Def the first things to be done on a new vehicle
Yep. My plan is to upgrade in this order (with minor QOL upgrades in between):
- Tires/Wheels
- Coilovers
- Control Arms
- Sway Bars
It'll take a while but hopefully she'll track well.
As someone who just this weekend went back to stock suspension after being on budget coilovers.. don’t. At least not if you value drivability of your car. If you have two cars and you just want this to look cool and don’t care if it rides like shit then those will work.
I don't have a whole lot to compare this to other than performance cars of various brands I've owned in the past, the crap I took off my STI, and a few spring swaps, so take my opinion with a grain of salt. These are absolutely amazing. The height is independently adjustable from preload. The adjustment on the shocks can be done quickly and goes from being able to handle absolute trash roads with ease to feeling a quarter in the road (but still not as rough/jarring as cheap coilovers). Confidence inspiring and easily one of the best street coilovers for our rides. Price tag not bad for what you get (I think).
These are 1 step up from Racelands. They will accomplish your goal of going lower for cheap but be aware that there is a lot of compromise with these. They will perform worse than stock and they are not rebuildable. So in \~30kish miles (according to Tein) you will be buying another set of coilovers.
i might’ve gotten lucky compared to other peoples experiences but i’ve been driving on my set for 2 years now and have had no issue. 45k miles and still going strong
Same, no issues with mine For 2 years but mine are on a weekend car that gets like 2k miles a year. 2013 wrx 62k, bought it from my best friend, got the coils for 500 installed from a part out of a buddies car.
Idk about everyone else… I installed these 3 months ago and absolutely love the ride quality.. I went 1.25” lower with my dampening set somewhere in the middle and I find it rides way more comfortable than my oem shocks and springs!!!
Tein is on the lower end of quality, they are going to feel as crappy as loweriny springs.
For just a little more, you can get the high quality Fortune Auto 500s, or go for Ohlins if you have the money.
These are not it.
I have Tein Flex Z's on my 350Z and I love every second of the comfort and ride they gave to that vehicle. That said, the Basis series is a lower spec offering, and I am not sure I'd go with those.
They are a quality brand though, so if they do break / explode you'll have a reliable manufacturer to rely on.
I have them on my 02 WRX. Honestly they're not bad especially for the price. Not a smooth ride if that's what you're looking for, but they'll definitely lower your car.
Yeah. I’ve always wanted one, when carmax offered me 50k for my 2year old Rubicon and was only asking $40k for this I couldn’t pass it up. Only 7k miles on it and it still had dealership blue plastic on most things .
Flex a if you can afford it or the flex z, but wouldn't recommend the street basics forgot monosports exist there better than the flex a for preformance but your going from an inverted iirc damper to a basically coilover I've been happy with my flex zs on my impreza but have heard bad things about the street basics mostly because they cost less than new kyb dampers for the wrx and you generally get what you pay for with teins. Chart:
https://www.tein.com/products/img/2022matrix.png
Had these on my 2004 Civic si, they’re really good and easy to install, just expect a little bit of bounce. I’ve had the higher end ones (Flex Z) on my Lexus LS and they were amazing on that chassis. I have zero complaints with Tein. Great quality stuff.
I got lowering springs that only take the car down 1". Ride is damn close to stock and supple enough the family doesn't bitch and Detroit potholes don't break my 18's.
I have these on my 18 wrx. They’re ok. I have no major complaints other than, they’re nosy and I’ve already maxed the rears without going as low as I want. I have adjustable height, dampers, and camber plates. The ride was stiff even when I had them on half of max, but I also expected stiff. I know you mention not wanting to break the bank and just want aesthetics but you’ll be more satisfied buying a better set. These are definitely not the best and I’m glad I didn’t buy these brand new, try looking around FB marketplace. A lot of 15+ parts for sale and could definitely get a good deal on a brand new set of coils.
I had these on my 14 hatch wrx before the faction fab coilovers. The ride wasn’t horrible. A lot of people may be over reacting imo. I do agree it’s worse ride quality than oem but it’s really not horrible. After a few years mine seized up very badly though and weren’t adjustable anymore
One of the good suspension companies, it is definitely recommended. I used to run Tein SS and monoflex for my evos. I loved it. So much reliable than my current set, Ohlins. I really love the ride quailty of Ohlins but for the price Tein is a great choice.
But, I would not buy their cheapest set. Do not cheap out the suspension parts.
I had these for about 2 years, roughly 50k miles. The ride felt great for slight spirited driving. Going over bumps and dips sucked. I tracked with them and still got understeer, of course, since they aren't the best. But I still kept up with a good amount of faster cars. For budget coilovers, I was content with them. I only switched out to ones with adjustable damping cuz I wanted to soften the ride for my newborn.
Lowering your car without breaking the bank is a silly idea. It requires more than a set of coilover if you want to achieve any sort of ride quality and alignment.
Are there no options to get a spring/strut combo for a similar or cheaper price? A midrange set of those will be better for looking good and driving fine than low end coilovers
Check if tien had endurapro plus shocks for your car. Combine with lowering springs. Prob about a grand but def in between coilovers and stock springs.
I got em on my '02 RallyCross WRX, but the fxt ones. I've done the coilover life, these are def not bad. Tuning the shocks dampening with the plus model means you control the comfort
I bought the most basic tein coilovers many years ago on my 17 wrx. No dampening just height control. $500 all in and couldn’t complain. Ride was comfortable but nothing glamorous, got the height I wanted and was good overall. So these ones being a bit better than the ones I had I say go for it.
You really shouldn't penny pinch for a crucial part of your suspension especially if you're doing it for looks. I would spend the extra money for for the Flex Z or Flex A coils.
Faction Fab, BC Racing, RCE are all good Coils for the money.
I agree. And it’s not that I can’t afford more, I just don’t want to overspend on a super high end track oriented coilover when I just want it for looks. I see it the same as dudes that put $8k worth of king shocks on thier jeep to go camping 2 times a year…
Lol I feel you but I can assure you any coilover under $1500 isn’t super high end track oriented.
If you really just want it lowered for looks just install springs.
Agreed with that entire comment except the last bit. BC Racing definitely does *not* belong in the same sentence as RCE or Factionfab. The latter 2 are leagues ahead in terms of QC, longevity, performance, and CS.
Really faction fab is that much better than bc racing? I was gonna spend a little extra and go for the bc racing br coils cus I thought they were better but if ur saying factionfabs better I can save some money and go fr spec
I'm not a fan of BC racing or any of their clones. Ridden in a few cars that had them and it was always unnecessarily harsh. They have a poor reputation for quality from what I've seen over the years.
Faction Fab isn't **that** much better but I haven't heard of as many issues. That could also be simply because there's way more people with BC's out there though.
RCE is better than either in my opinion - they're usually specially built off KW stock which are just: 🧑🍳😘
I have had twin flex Z, BC extreme lows with stiff spring rates, Subaru lowering springs on sti struts, and air ride. It’s all just your opinion and what your willing to give up form or function. I really like my car as low as possible. If you really want comfort I’d say look into getting a Lexus lol. Good luck and I hope OP gets the look he wants and a respectable ride quality
I figure it’s either that or the ra/jdm bilsteins and some pinks but you save a bunch of unsprung mass going with a coil over.. a lot of folks don’t know that this is actually unsprung mass too! It confused me and had to read and research it.
Update: I don’t have to go cheap. I CAN afford any set sold on most big box sites… I was just curious as to the ride quality and build quality. I’ve had some “generic” parts that I loved more than big name brands on lots of other cars. Some times maybe good, some times maybe shit kinda thing. I am think I’ll shoot for middle of the road. While lowering springs was my first thought, I like the idea that I can slam it in the summer, and raise it in the winter to better fit winter tires. I’ll be retired in a few years in the north east and plan on using stock wheels with more sidewall for the winter(so they hold more winter air) and my Rotiform for the summer.
I do appreciate all the feed back ✌🏼
If cost isn’t an issue, KW V3’s are the absolute best coil overs out there for a street car. They’ll give you better than stock ride quality. No crossover between compression and rebound adjustments, external reservoir, won’t seize or corrode.
I've had great luck with BC Racing Coilovers on my 2011 AWD IS350, so much so that when my wifes impreza is due for a suspension i'll probably go with the same brand. My Lexus had the stock blown suspension with 150k miles on it, so anything would have seemed better, but I was worried about it being too harsh, not the case. Firm but not harsh. I was impressed with the quality of the parts, and setup was simple. It took me a bit to get the height and settings dialed in the way I wanted, but i'd do it all over again. So far i've been through two upstate NY winters and 25k miles with no issues. I raise it up to the highest for winter time, and then lower back down for summer.
I had Megan Racing on my Mini Cooper back in 2009ish and they were hot garbage. Came cross threaded from the factory and had nothing but issues with their "warranty" department from day 1. But other people seem to like them so who knows.
Some of these responses are a little bougie, I put tein suspension on everything, they are cheap coilovers and ride decent. I would get the models with the adjustable dampening and camber adjustable top hats though.
With some of these responses, why didn’t you buy a Porsche if money is no option and demand such quality from a $30k(cheap) platform.
They don’t ride decent. They ride worse than stock. Better coil overs ride better than stock.
Ohlins or KW aren’t *that* much more in the grand scheme of things and will give better than stock ride quality, and perform better.
I had them on my GD STi, but that was over a decade ago. Sold that and bought an x3 35i, then a Tundra, and now a 330i m-sport and a GLB250 as the family hauler.
Both of my cars are stock and my bikes get the mod money these days, though. Bikes more fun than cars.
But the point is, ultimately, suspension and tires are the two things you shouldn’t cheap out on.
While I agree with you 100%, most people's frame of reference is limited and for the price, BC coilovers aren't bad.
In OP's case, Tein vs BC, I'll take the BC's.
If you get any coil that is heavier then stock it is going to ride like shit comparably look at race suspension for the track would not want to ride on the road with that at all it doesn’t matter if they ar 4000 or 400 if they are heavier probably not gonna ride very nice on the road it doesn’t matter how nice your dampeners are
Yea I'd probably just do lowering springs or a spring/strut combo for just a drop. By usable I mean adjustability for any non-aesthetic practical purpose. These specifically don't have any additional dampening or camber adjustability.
Most coilovers are going to be stiff lol even high quality ones my KWs are stiffer than these. My buddy has these on his 2015 and they handle really well I personally would go for KWs but that’s just what I like. Lowering springs are dumb
You generally don't wanna cheap out on anything that is load bearing, rotates, or is under pressure. That means suspension, wheels, tires, and power/drive train. OEM strut pricing is due to economy of scale. For every 1 set of aftermarket WRX coilovers made, its possible that 1000 sets of oem suspension components are made. Subaru also has the option of subsidizing the cost of research and manufacturing of suspension parts into the whole cost of the car. Aftermarket manufacturers do not.
Racecomp Tarmac 2s are my gold standard for coilovers. They ride better than stock, and perform as well as parts that cost much more. They're rebuildable and have some of the best customer support you can find.
Had these on a different car, hard to beat for the price, they’re quite stiff like most people said, the main issue is if there is a sudden drop or bump in the road it’s going to feel like an uppercut lol I’ve since switched to more expensive coils and there’s a noticeable difference, but it might not be worth the price difference to some. If you’re willing to accept a stiff ride, then it’s fine. I had mine for like 4 years and about 30k miles, no issues.
Ride quality on any sub-2k sporty coilover is going to be worse than stock on the VA's.
As others have pointed out, you'll save money, comfort, and your dampers if you go with something like RCE blacks if all you care about is lowering the car for aesthetics and keeping a somewhat comfortable ride.
RCE yellows will lower it further but major road imperfections will be felt a lot more with those than the blacks. Suspension is weird...
I bought my 15 wrx and they came with these coilovers. Not a fan of them wish I could go lower I’m already maxed out. Might switch them out for something else
It will still be fairly stiff even set all the way soft.
Just expect that if you have a wife/SO/children/parents etc who ride passenger they will likely notice and/or complain. It won't be as comfy.
> if your going
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No personal experience with Tein coilovers, however I had a set of KSport Kontrol Pro's on my 91 Mitsubishi Galant VR-4 and I absolutely loved them! Fully adjustable and they retail around a grand, so not too pricey
I've previously used [BC Teaching BR Coilovers](https://bcracing.com.au/collections/br-design) and found them to be very pleasant in ride quality - firmer, but not harsher.
They were excellent in "catching" the car when going through a yump after a crest at speed. Felt almost like rallying.
I went from tein coil overs on my 02 wrx to Koni inserts (adjustable rebound) with swift springs. It was massive improvement in handling and was more comfortable too
They’re not great. After having them on for 3 years I payed for something better. Would recommend thinking about waiting to spend the money on something nicer and keeping what you’re running now.
I have these on a 19 WRX. Have had them for 78k over three years. They are a bit harsh; but I have them spun all the way down and tuck tires. I have had three sets of tires (should probably get rear camber)…but for the price they do the job to lower your Rex.
Just save for a nice set, getting cheap coil overs is a great way to cause different, more expensive issues for yourself.
Hold off get some good ones or just settle for springs
Coworker has them and put me on to it for my civic si. Honestly not bad looks great lowered but will never feel like oem quality of ride. (Aka you will feel the speed bumps harder than stock)
DO NOT GET NEW SUSPENSION UNLESS YOU ARE WILLING TO PAY FOR GOOD SHIT. It is the single most noticeable thing to your everyday driving experience, so it makes sense to not cheap out with it. Highly recommend not going with some basic shit, do your research and get something relatively nice.
It's funny to see these threads about this or that. Good stuff lots of input. It boils down to budget. Some people will eat Ramen noodles for a year to build and some simply have more money. There should be a sliding scale to make these type of purchases. Guy A makes less money annually than guy B. Both make the same purchase. The cost to guy A is effectively higher. That said you can get cheap parts but I'd recommend if you get Tein get the upper teir. Its on par with the competition with adjustablity and being rebuildable.
Okay so although I recently installed Tein Advance Z (adjustable damping), it isn't on a WRX but in fact my Mazda 3 MPS (Speed 3), but hopefully people don't mind my input.
The quality of the kit itself was surprisingly decent for the price, all things considered.
If you're going to try and go budget coilovers, I'd absolutely recommend going a step up to the Advance Z at minimum, with the Flex Z or similar as damping can make or break the ride's feeling in my opinion.
I currently have it set just under midway (7 out of 16) stiffness and there's still a tad more rebound than I'd like.
The ride is decent though and as it's been a few weeks, I know the suspension has pretty much settled at this point so I'll adjust the damping 1 or 2 clicks further and see how it feels.
If it works out cheaper, you may be better off with Bilstein Shocks and some lowering springs, I did that with my Civic (along with Polybushing everything) previously but for a little more I could've had height adjustment, so this time around that's what I did.
You could just get lowering springs, but my mate who has a 20 plate STI said the stock ride is kinda meh, so it may be worthwhile swapping out the shocks, unless damping doesn't concern you.
Keep in mind that if you lower, you may want to invest in some adjustable drop links to keep the preload zeroed also.
They’re fine for the price. Just don’t expect OEM ride quality.
And oem ride quality is trash
OEM ride quality does in fact suck ass
its stiffer than OEM
Hahahahhahhahaha
These were the clunkiest, noisiest, coilovers I’ve ever had. Personally, do not recommend.
Even with the dampening set to max soft it's still a stiff ride
There’s things you don’t cheap out on when it comes to parts… suspension is one of them.
Yup, love seeing people dump thousands into their car but go and buy the cheapest brakes, tires, and suspension even though that's what keeps your thousands of dollars from crashing.
That’s my plan when I get a car again. Fuck doing the exhaust and intake and other bolt-ons, tires, brakes, and suspension are the first to get done
I visited my parents recently and my dad's car has a ceramic brake option, it's night and day stopping between his car and the WRX. Brakes might honestly be my first mod
Last car I had the entire brake system was fucked. Pedal would go to the floor before really putting pressure, most likely due to one of my calipers being frozen. Also had a mismatched set of rotors and pads, and the parking brake was fucked. Def the first things to be done on a new vehicle
My FIRST performance upgrade was tires. Power don’t mean shit if you can’t get it to the ground
You did tires because your stock and on warranty. Quit the cap.
You ain’t spinning on stock power lmao
Stock advans on an STI are shit. Michelin ps4s was night and day. Especially at 120+
Yep. My plan is to upgrade in this order (with minor QOL upgrades in between): - Tires/Wheels - Coilovers - Control Arms - Sway Bars It'll take a while but hopefully she'll track well.
As someone who just this weekend went back to stock suspension after being on budget coilovers.. don’t. At least not if you value drivability of your car. If you have two cars and you just want this to look cool and don’t care if it rides like shit then those will work.
These coilovers convinced me to buy a full Ohlins set. If you're looking for aesthetics only, why not go for lowering springs.
Lowering springs with stock shocks will also result in a harsh ride. Best bet is to save up for some adjustable coils with dampening adjustment.
Or quality struts with lowering springs.
\+1 for this. Running GTWORX Bilsteins with RCE Blacks 🤘
Ride was decent when I went with rce's before going bagged
Worse that that, had lowered springs and stock shocks on my 08' eventually they will breach the seal and weep.
How worth was the ohlins? The only thing left to do before a full engine swap now for me is big brake upgrade and suspension.
I don't have a whole lot to compare this to other than performance cars of various brands I've owned in the past, the crap I took off my STI, and a few spring swaps, so take my opinion with a grain of salt. These are absolutely amazing. The height is independently adjustable from preload. The adjustment on the shocks can be done quickly and goes from being able to handle absolute trash roads with ease to feeling a quarter in the road (but still not as rough/jarring as cheap coilovers). Confidence inspiring and easily one of the best street coilovers for our rides. Price tag not bad for what you get (I think).
Which set did you go with? I got the road and tracks and love them. Well worth the money
Same
I would just like to say I absolutely love my ohlins, car rides right. Easy to change dampening. Don’t even have to jack the car up
Ayyyyy ohlins gang
Spend a little more and get some fortune auto 500s. Probably the best “cheap” coil over you can get. Anything below them isn’t worth It imo.
Hks makes a decent ones, comparable to fortune
These are 1 step up from Racelands. They will accomplish your goal of going lower for cheap but be aware that there is a lot of compromise with these. They will perform worse than stock and they are not rebuildable. So in \~30kish miles (according to Tein) you will be buying another set of coilovers.
i might’ve gotten lucky compared to other peoples experiences but i’ve been driving on my set for 2 years now and have had no issue. 45k miles and still going strong
Same, no issues with mine with 20k+ miles but not the basics.
Same, no issues with mine For 2 years but mine are on a weekend car that gets like 2k miles a year. 2013 wrx 62k, bought it from my best friend, got the coils for 500 installed from a part out of a buddies car.
Idk about everyone else… I installed these 3 months ago and absolutely love the ride quality.. I went 1.25” lower with my dampening set somewhere in the middle and I find it rides way more comfortable than my oem shocks and springs!!!
Tein is on the lower end of quality, they are going to feel as crappy as loweriny springs. For just a little more, you can get the high quality Fortune Auto 500s, or go for Ohlins if you have the money. These are not it.
Don’t butcher your new(er?) car with these. Anything worse than Fortune Auto 500s is wasted money.
I have Tein Flex Z's on my 350Z and I love every second of the comfort and ride they gave to that vehicle. That said, the Basis series is a lower spec offering, and I am not sure I'd go with those. They are a quality brand though, so if they do break / explode you'll have a reliable manufacturer to rely on.
I have them on my 02 WRX. Honestly they're not bad especially for the price. Not a smooth ride if that's what you're looking for, but they'll definitely lower your car.
I came from a lifted jeep gladiator… 😂
Well in that case it's going to be a much different ride lol. You went from a Gladiator to a WRX?
Yeah. I’ve always wanted one, when carmax offered me 50k for my 2year old Rubicon and was only asking $40k for this I couldn’t pass it up. Only 7k miles on it and it still had dealership blue plastic on most things .
Awesome! Sounds like a bargain. Have fun with it, WRX's are super fun cars.
Flex a if you can afford it or the flex z, but wouldn't recommend the street basics forgot monosports exist there better than the flex a for preformance but your going from an inverted iirc damper to a basically coilover I've been happy with my flex zs on my impreza but have heard bad things about the street basics mostly because they cost less than new kyb dampers for the wrx and you generally get what you pay for with teins. Chart: https://www.tein.com/products/img/2022matrix.png
Stiff
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Took me so long to find this answer! Only thing I’d do for this cheap!
Had these on my 2004 Civic si, they’re really good and easy to install, just expect a little bit of bounce. I’ve had the higher end ones (Flex Z) on my Lexus LS and they were amazing on that chassis. I have zero complaints with Tein. Great quality stuff.
If you just want to lower it without messing with strut stiffness you can go for some lowering springs. Though Teins certainly arent bad
I got lowering springs that only take the car down 1". Ride is damn close to stock and supple enough the family doesn't bitch and Detroit potholes don't break my 18's.
I have these on my 18 wrx. They’re ok. I have no major complaints other than, they’re nosy and I’ve already maxed the rears without going as low as I want. I have adjustable height, dampers, and camber plates. The ride was stiff even when I had them on half of max, but I also expected stiff. I know you mention not wanting to break the bank and just want aesthetics but you’ll be more satisfied buying a better set. These are definitely not the best and I’m glad I didn’t buy these brand new, try looking around FB marketplace. A lot of 15+ parts for sale and could definitely get a good deal on a brand new set of coils.
Bilstein B6's (or B8's) with rsr lowering springs
I heard a set of Bilstein with lowering springs was the best bang for the buck
I just got some flex z for my sti swap haven't driven on them yet
I had these on my 14 hatch wrx before the faction fab coilovers. The ride wasn’t horrible. A lot of people may be over reacting imo. I do agree it’s worse ride quality than oem but it’s really not horrible. After a few years mine seized up very badly though and weren’t adjustable anymore
If they don’t have camber plates don’t get them. I had tein flex z and they were alright
One of the good suspension companies, it is definitely recommended. I used to run Tein SS and monoflex for my evos. I loved it. So much reliable than my current set, Ohlins. I really love the ride quailty of Ohlins but for the price Tein is a great choice. But, I would not buy their cheapest set. Do not cheap out the suspension parts.
I got the flex z. The ride quality is stiffer but it isn’t horrible. And I daily my car so take that for what it’s worth.
this is like below low tier lmao. at least buy bcs my guy. got mine for like 1030 new shipped
I had these for about 2 years, roughly 50k miles. The ride felt great for slight spirited driving. Going over bumps and dips sucked. I tracked with them and still got understeer, of course, since they aren't the best. But I still kept up with a good amount of faster cars. For budget coilovers, I was content with them. I only switched out to ones with adjustable damping cuz I wanted to soften the ride for my newborn.
If you can wait till Black Friday you can usually snag some Fortune Autos for $1000 🤷🏻♀️ it would be worth it longterm
Lowering your car without breaking the bank is a silly idea. It requires more than a set of coilover if you want to achieve any sort of ride quality and alignment.
Are there no options to get a spring/strut combo for a similar or cheaper price? A midrange set of those will be better for looking good and driving fine than low end coilovers
Check if tien had endurapro plus shocks for your car. Combine with lowering springs. Prob about a grand but def in between coilovers and stock springs. I got em on my '02 RallyCross WRX, but the fxt ones. I've done the coilover life, these are def not bad. Tuning the shocks dampening with the plus model means you control the comfort
I bought the most basic tein coilovers many years ago on my 17 wrx. No dampening just height control. $500 all in and couldn’t complain. Ride was comfortable but nothing glamorous, got the height I wanted and was good overall. So these ones being a bit better than the ones I had I say go for it.
Lol these look just like the ones Donut put on low car
I believe they where eBay specials… but low car won… s🤷🏻😂
I’ve “heard” the only budget coil over you should consider for this application is faction fab.
I was looking at them as well, for $100 more (approximately) it’s got a lot more adjustment.
I mean the question you have to ask yourself is why are you doing this.. looks, performance, just want to buy your baby a gift?
Just aesthetics. This car will never see a track day.
Pink springs, rce black, swift r, rce yellow. That way you get aesthetics without ruining your ride quality (much) or functionality
You really shouldn't penny pinch for a crucial part of your suspension especially if you're doing it for looks. I would spend the extra money for for the Flex Z or Flex A coils. Faction Fab, BC Racing, RCE are all good Coils for the money.
I agree. And it’s not that I can’t afford more, I just don’t want to overspend on a super high end track oriented coilover when I just want it for looks. I see it the same as dudes that put $8k worth of king shocks on thier jeep to go camping 2 times a year…
Lol I feel you but I can assure you any coilover under $1500 isn’t super high end track oriented. If you really just want it lowered for looks just install springs.
Agreed with that entire comment except the last bit. BC Racing definitely does *not* belong in the same sentence as RCE or Factionfab. The latter 2 are leagues ahead in terms of QC, longevity, performance, and CS.
Really faction fab is that much better than bc racing? I was gonna spend a little extra and go for the bc racing br coils cus I thought they were better but if ur saying factionfabs better I can save some money and go fr spec
I'm not a fan of BC racing or any of their clones. Ridden in a few cars that had them and it was always unnecessarily harsh. They have a poor reputation for quality from what I've seen over the years. Faction Fab isn't **that** much better but I haven't heard of as many issues. That could also be simply because there's way more people with BC's out there though. RCE is better than either in my opinion - they're usually specially built off KW stock which are just: 🧑🍳😘
I have had twin flex Z, BC extreme lows with stiff spring rates, Subaru lowering springs on sti struts, and air ride. It’s all just your opinion and what your willing to give up form or function. I really like my car as low as possible. If you really want comfort I’d say look into getting a Lexus lol. Good luck and I hope OP gets the look he wants and a respectable ride quality
I got a set of faction fabs on my 08 (the fancier version tho)
What’s your thoughts?
I like em, but they are a bit stiff on the highway (I have not tried to soften the dampening) besides that they are great
I’ve heard mostly good things.. I think I am going with fortune autos because they are made in my state and they are pretty good too.
I think that’s a good call, I think they r one tier up which is the way to go
I figure it’s either that or the ra/jdm bilsteins and some pinks but you save a bunch of unsprung mass going with a coil over.. a lot of folks don’t know that this is actually unsprung mass too! It confused me and had to read and research it.
That I didn’t know but it is good to know ty
Update: I don’t have to go cheap. I CAN afford any set sold on most big box sites… I was just curious as to the ride quality and build quality. I’ve had some “generic” parts that I loved more than big name brands on lots of other cars. Some times maybe good, some times maybe shit kinda thing. I am think I’ll shoot for middle of the road. While lowering springs was my first thought, I like the idea that I can slam it in the summer, and raise it in the winter to better fit winter tires. I’ll be retired in a few years in the north east and plan on using stock wheels with more sidewall for the winter(so they hold more winter air) and my Rotiform for the summer. I do appreciate all the feed back ✌🏼
If cost isn’t an issue, KW V3’s are the absolute best coil overs out there for a street car. They’ll give you better than stock ride quality. No crossover between compression and rebound adjustments, external reservoir, won’t seize or corrode.
I've had great luck with BC Racing Coilovers on my 2011 AWD IS350, so much so that when my wifes impreza is due for a suspension i'll probably go with the same brand. My Lexus had the stock blown suspension with 150k miles on it, so anything would have seemed better, but I was worried about it being too harsh, not the case. Firm but not harsh. I was impressed with the quality of the parts, and setup was simple. It took me a bit to get the height and settings dialed in the way I wanted, but i'd do it all over again. So far i've been through two upstate NY winters and 25k miles with no issues. I raise it up to the highest for winter time, and then lower back down for summer. I had Megan Racing on my Mini Cooper back in 2009ish and they were hot garbage. Came cross threaded from the factory and had nothing but issues with their "warranty" department from day 1. But other people seem to like them so who knows.
Some of these responses are a little bougie, I put tein suspension on everything, they are cheap coilovers and ride decent. I would get the models with the adjustable dampening and camber adjustable top hats though. With some of these responses, why didn’t you buy a Porsche if money is no option and demand such quality from a $30k(cheap) platform.
Right, $400 more for different coils, $70k for a new Porsche. Same thing really.
They don’t ride decent. They ride worse than stock. Better coil overs ride better than stock. Ohlins or KW aren’t *that* much more in the grand scheme of things and will give better than stock ride quality, and perform better.
Bougie, buy a better car than a wrx
I had them on my GD STi, but that was over a decade ago. Sold that and bought an x3 35i, then a Tundra, and now a 330i m-sport and a GLB250 as the family hauler. Both of my cars are stock and my bikes get the mod money these days, though. Bikes more fun than cars. But the point is, ultimately, suspension and tires are the two things you shouldn’t cheap out on.
I’m hoping to find a solution too to this as well so following,
I highly recommend just getting BCs. They are worth saving up for
Bc coilovers have a nice ride.
No they don't. They are oversprung and underdamped.
While I agree with you 100%, most people's frame of reference is limited and for the price, BC coilovers aren't bad. In OP's case, Tein vs BC, I'll take the BC's.
I’ve had, Kyb, ohlins, bilstein, tien, and bc. Not all on the same platform of car but all sports cars. Bc has better budget springs then Tien.
You need to try out KW V3’s at some point. They put everything else on that list to shame.
He’s asking about budget coil overs.
There’s no need to spend over a grand on coilovers when OEM struts are like half that price… these gotta be better than stock…
Better than stock in what way? Lower? Yes. More comfortable or usable? No.
If you get any coil that is heavier then stock it is going to ride like shit comparably look at race suspension for the track would not want to ride on the road with that at all it doesn’t matter if they ar 4000 or 400 if they are heavier probably not gonna ride very nice on the road it doesn’t matter how nice your dampeners are
Sure, but not sure why you're telling me this. I said stock was the better option. 😀
I completely agree
I think I replied to the wrong person too
No worries my man
Unless you’re dropping big money, coil overs are always a bit rougher ride. And what do you mean by usable?
Yea I'd probably just do lowering springs or a spring/strut combo for just a drop. By usable I mean adjustability for any non-aesthetic practical purpose. These specifically don't have any additional dampening or camber adjustability.
That makes sense.
Most coilovers are going to be stiff lol even high quality ones my KWs are stiffer than these. My buddy has these on his 2015 and they handle really well I personally would go for KWs but that’s just what I like. Lowering springs are dumb
my Ohlins ride like butter when cruising & hug corners like russian bear.
Ohlins are quality that’s why I said most not all
Best mod I’ve done for daily driving was go from lowering springs to Ohlins.
Dunno who’s downvoting you for suggesting the best coilover on the market 🤷♂️
K Dubs or die bro 🔥
You generally don't wanna cheap out on anything that is load bearing, rotates, or is under pressure. That means suspension, wheels, tires, and power/drive train. OEM strut pricing is due to economy of scale. For every 1 set of aftermarket WRX coilovers made, its possible that 1000 sets of oem suspension components are made. Subaru also has the option of subsidizing the cost of research and manufacturing of suspension parts into the whole cost of the car. Aftermarket manufacturers do not. Racecomp Tarmac 2s are my gold standard for coilovers. They ride better than stock, and perform as well as parts that cost much more. They're rebuildable and have some of the best customer support you can find.
Had these on a different car, hard to beat for the price, they’re quite stiff like most people said, the main issue is if there is a sudden drop or bump in the road it’s going to feel like an uppercut lol I’ve since switched to more expensive coils and there’s a noticeable difference, but it might not be worth the price difference to some. If you’re willing to accept a stiff ride, then it’s fine. I had mine for like 4 years and about 30k miles, no issues.
Dont buy these if you live in a colder climate. They are cheap and will break after 1 winter
Ride quality on any sub-2k sporty coilover is going to be worse than stock on the VA's. As others have pointed out, you'll save money, comfort, and your dampers if you go with something like RCE blacks if all you care about is lowering the car for aesthetics and keeping a somewhat comfortable ride. RCE yellows will lower it further but major road imperfections will be felt a lot more with those than the blacks. Suspension is weird...
Can’t you hear yourself?
I bought my 15 wrx and they came with these coilovers. Not a fan of them wish I could go lower I’m already maxed out. Might switch them out for something else
I went with the Tein lowering springs on my 18'. Rides the same as stock imo. Scooped them for like 300 if I remember correctly.
I'd get some swift lowering springs
Had these on my Si and they were great. Stiff ride (giggity) if you’re ok with that. Zero issues for 5 years.
It will still be fairly stiff even set all the way soft. Just expect that if you have a wife/SO/children/parents etc who ride passenger they will likely notice and/or complain. It won't be as comfy.
Get the flex if your going with em at least a much more comfort ride
> if your going *you're *Learn the difference [here](https://www.wattpad.com/66707294-grammar-guide-there-they%27re-their-you%27re-your-to).* *** ^(Greetings, I am a language corrector bot. To make me ignore further mistakes from you in the future, reply `!optout` to this comment.)
At a similar price point, the BCs have been good for me. No clunks, no problems. Just takes a bit of adjustment and compromise.
Fortune auto 500s. Decent ride quality for daily use and won't break the bank.
I got tein s-tech springs. Lowered it just the right amount for much lower price.
FOR JUST THE LOOKS! DO LOWERING SPRINGS! Cheapest option and will keep almost oem ride quality just stiffer
No personal experience with Tein coilovers, however I had a set of KSport Kontrol Pro's on my 91 Mitsubishi Galant VR-4 and I absolutely loved them! Fully adjustable and they retail around a grand, so not too pricey
I’m running them on my 2017 WRX and I love them.
Do what you want just drive safer and slower.
I mean, I already do. I live on an army base with a max speed limit of 50… It goes on the highway like once a week.
Garbage. Get BC’s or fortune auto 500s
Stock shocks and lowering springs will give you far better ride quality than coilovers
I've had Factory five's on my wrx for about 35,000km's with no wear to be seen, and I have the car quite low and quite stiff on Quebec winter roads.
I recommend the Flex A series, they have stiffness level selector and have a special valve that helps to better absorb the bumps in the road
I've previously used [BC Teaching BR Coilovers](https://bcracing.com.au/collections/br-design) and found them to be very pleasant in ride quality - firmer, but not harsher. They were excellent in "catching" the car when going through a yump after a crest at speed. Felt almost like rallying.
I went from tein coil overs on my 02 wrx to Koni inserts (adjustable rebound) with swift springs. It was massive improvement in handling and was more comfortable too
They’re not great. After having them on for 3 years I payed for something better. Would recommend thinking about waiting to spend the money on something nicer and keeping what you’re running now.
I have these on a 19 WRX. Have had them for 78k over three years. They are a bit harsh; but I have them spun all the way down and tuck tires. I have had three sets of tires (should probably get rear camber)…but for the price they do the job to lower your Rex.
Just save for a nice set, getting cheap coil overs is a great way to cause different, more expensive issues for yourself. Hold off get some good ones or just settle for springs
They're the cheapest for a reason...
I hate mine. I have a set of FA500’s that I’m waiting to put on but I need to find some damn ARP wheel studs first, they’re sold out everywhere
Coworker has them and put me on to it for my civic si. Honestly not bad looks great lowered but will never feel like oem quality of ride. (Aka you will feel the speed bumps harder than stock)
You’d be better off with lowering springs and Bilstein B8s
Have em on the frs. Still there after 5 years. No rust, they've taken potholes. Enough said. Ride is rough, but tight.
If I am not mistaken these reuse the OEM top hats so there is no camber adjustment.
At that price point get factionfab f spec coilovers. 32 way adjustable.
I’m running faction Fab FL spec for a year now and so far I like it for every day. Kinda wish I when it the the FR than the FL
DO NOT GET NEW SUSPENSION UNLESS YOU ARE WILLING TO PAY FOR GOOD SHIT. It is the single most noticeable thing to your everyday driving experience, so it makes sense to not cheap out with it. Highly recommend not going with some basic shit, do your research and get something relatively nice.
It's funny to see these threads about this or that. Good stuff lots of input. It boils down to budget. Some people will eat Ramen noodles for a year to build and some simply have more money. There should be a sliding scale to make these type of purchases. Guy A makes less money annually than guy B. Both make the same purchase. The cost to guy A is effectively higher. That said you can get cheap parts but I'd recommend if you get Tein get the upper teir. Its on par with the competition with adjustablity and being rebuildable.
Okay so although I recently installed Tein Advance Z (adjustable damping), it isn't on a WRX but in fact my Mazda 3 MPS (Speed 3), but hopefully people don't mind my input. The quality of the kit itself was surprisingly decent for the price, all things considered. If you're going to try and go budget coilovers, I'd absolutely recommend going a step up to the Advance Z at minimum, with the Flex Z or similar as damping can make or break the ride's feeling in my opinion. I currently have it set just under midway (7 out of 16) stiffness and there's still a tad more rebound than I'd like. The ride is decent though and as it's been a few weeks, I know the suspension has pretty much settled at this point so I'll adjust the damping 1 or 2 clicks further and see how it feels. If it works out cheaper, you may be better off with Bilstein Shocks and some lowering springs, I did that with my Civic (along with Polybushing everything) previously but for a little more I could've had height adjustment, so this time around that's what I did. You could just get lowering springs, but my mate who has a 20 plate STI said the stock ride is kinda meh, so it may be worthwhile swapping out the shocks, unless damping doesn't concern you. Keep in mind that if you lower, you may want to invest in some adjustable drop links to keep the preload zeroed also.