lets talk coilovers and ecs suspension

I had K-sport Kontrol Pro coilovers already installed on my car when I bought it, and the previous owner was using the spring adjustment to adjust ride height so it rode like shit, which i didnt mind because i was more worried about the performance of them than my passengers complaining when i hit bumps. I now found out how to adjust them good, but in the process of taking the wheels off, i found one that looks like it was leaking. This is no problem since you can buy replacements off of KSports website for $135 a piece for the rear and $200 a piece for the front. I was just about to order the replacement when i thought "why would i buy a replacement for something that i rather have a better part"

So i texted a local with the ECS + tein lowering springs on his car because hes been wanting some coilovers for a while, and we agreed to swap out this weekend. At least until i can afford some really nice coilovers.

But from what im remembering from my SL that i had, ECS did jack shit weather it was in tour mode or sport.

So what im asking from the hardcore track goers i guess is tell me whats on your car. Whats better, and talk to me technical about it. Im not too worried about price or ride quailty, im just worried about performance and i can care less about scraping on the roads (because i do that already) or my passengers complaining because they can gtfo if they dont like it.

I think something was wrong with your ECS in your SL. I have ECS and and can tell a huge difference between sport and tour. I will be doing the Tein S techs this winter.

I was never able to tell the difference between ECS tour and sport, either.

Are you actually doing anything with this car or is it just a street car?

Its a street car that I would like to track as much as I can. Like I said though I've been driving with bad ride quality for quite some time so thats not an issue for me.

I could tell the car was more bouncy in sport back when I had my 94

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Originally Posted by Unknownvr4

Its a street car that I would like to track as much as I can. Like I said though I've been driving with bad ride quality for quite some time so thats not an issue for me.

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I still maintain that if it's never going to see a track, stay with lowering springs. Since you've said you're gonna track as much as you can, if money is no issue, convert a set of Ohlin's or Bilstein's. If you're racing on the cheap, Megan's are the best bang for the buck, IMO.

If you don't know the difference between tour and sport mode, then your car is broke. There's definitely a ride difference. I liked the sport mode but still didn't care for the body roll which was why I chose to go with coilovers. I've been through K-Sport, Tein, Megans, and now currently running Apexi S1s with SCE Evo 8/9 adapters because I was after the best street ride I could get. My car rides about like sport ECS mode on a stock car but has no body roll. My high performance tires let loose before I feel like I'm pushing hard against the side bolster and I haven't even tried them at the stiffest setting yet.

The best bang for the buck street/strip are definitely Megans. If you're looking for a better track option, then you're going to need to spend upwards of $2k. I don't have any experience with any of those but there isn't really any option from $800-$2k I would consider for the strip over the Megans because the performance gain is marginal.

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Originally Posted by B-Man

I still maintain that if it's never going to see a track, stay with lowering springs. Since you've said you're gonna track as much as you can, if money is no issue, convert a set of Ohlin's or Bilstein's. If you're racing on the cheap, Megan's are the best bang for the buck, IMO.

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Ohlins :drools:

How was the ride/handling ksport vs megans? Is it worth it to lose the ksports to go to ecs then get Megans later? I didnt read the thread but doesnt the megans have a problem with losing adjustment as youre driving? I was also looking at the SCE evo 8/9 adapters but I wasn't sure about their coilovers either.

Here is one truth about coilovers: It's all based on opinions. ie: butt dyno

I have seen very little data about any coilovers or modeling on our chassis. I have not seen a single person say "this is the spring rate/damping rate for stock weight, this is the spring rate/damping for gutted car". I can't count the number of posts I've seen of people claiming the rear spring on coilovers are too heavy, with no data or simulation to back up that statement.

/soapbox

My ECS was verified to be working and I was never able to tell the difference between tour and sport. Suspension is stock right down to the worn bushings. Others riding and driving the car have told me they can feel a difference but I cannot.

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Originally Posted by Unknownvr4

How was the ride/handling ksport vs megans? Is it worth it to lose the ksports to go to ecs then get Megans later? I didnt read the thread but doesnt the megans have a problem with losing adjustment as youre driving? I was also looking at the SCE evo 8/9 adapters but I wasn't sure about their coilovers either.

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Night and day between those two coilovers. K-Sports suck period. They're definitely way more harsh even if you set them right. The spring rates are way too stiff. Even with different springs it still won't solve the leaky cartridges. You won't be upset to wait and get a different set of coilovers later. It seems like if you get the lower mount tight enough it won't move around on the Megans. With the adapters you can use any Evo 8/9 setup stock or aftermarket.

Ksport spring rates are softer than Megans (assuming they measure them them the same): http://www.3sgto.org/f17/lets-talk-coilovers-7532.html

I've raced on both K-sports and ECS with eibach pro-kit springs. Even though the K-sports had ideal spring rates for my specific car, I consistently threw down faster times on the ECS struts due to their "softer" damping on the bumpy course I run on, but without some sort of sway bar modification or aftermarket bars, I didn't like ECS strut combo's response feel, but that's a subjective thing and doesn't effect your maximum turning capability. With my current dislike of the available bar options, you're just going to have to "suffer through it" if you can't set up the bars the way you need. I'm STILL rocking ECS stuts while I figure something up.

And ECS made a night and day difference when in tour and sport on any car I've driven with the system working.

Short answer: keep stock struts and work on the 1 part of the car that makes 90% of the difference. The driver. You can have $11-15K custom valved JRZ or MCS triple adjustables, but a better driver will beat you 75+% of the time.

[edit]: I'll post the spring rates I have when I find the paper I wrote the ACTUAL tested rates on.

hmmm decisions decisions. Im going to drive the ecs + tein car tomorrow to see how I like it. You said the ecs didnt have a responsive feel to it when turning? That's what I like about the ksports is that I can turn the wheel and the car goes in any direction I point it immediately. I dont have aftermarket sway bars or strut braces. My engine is solid mounted in and my trunk is gutted with only a spare and battery remaining. I have some decent brakes/slotted rotors with braided lines and some bfgoodrich gforce kdw t/a tires that I love.

I have a set of brand new ECS struts that I am planning on running Ground control sleeves on. Ordered up a set of Tein pillow strut mounts for the new struts. This endeavor will require getting my car corner weighed to determine the proper combo of helper springs to achieve the proper balance.

Chris, this may mean a trip to you some weekend and come cash your way for your time & knowledge.

Do you know these ECS struts you are swapping for aren't high mileage/leaking?

I debated for a long time between Megans and ECS/springs and ended up with Megans. I like them but can definitely see how the one guy said he lost time on the track if it is bumpy. They are more fun to drive though which is my main thing. Feels more like a sports car when it stays level, responds quicker, etc.

Have you been to your track before? How is the surface?

If it was me and money was no issue I would rate (based SOLELY on what I've heard on the forums) them: Megans < Apexi's < KWs with camber plates < some crazy custom setup. Converting Bilsteins to coilovers is a good choice, too, but not sure how it ranks with the others.