Neofreak - So I found barotary, cool to know there's a local rotary forum. Anyway...here's the question.

I'm between choosing a RB/Illumina, Tein Flex, or now a GC/Illumina setup. The car is gonna be street driven, so I don't know if the coilovers will be overkill. I have also read though that the RB springs aren't a big improvement over stock. I'm beginning to consider the GC so that I can choose my spring rates. Give me some opinions, everything from performance, reliability, etc... Ohh, this is for a '91 FC non-turbo.

Thanks in advance.

I've tried A LOT of setups over the years. Eibach/KYB AGX, GC/Illumina, Mazdaspeed Coilovers, JIC Magic FLT-A2, and finally Tein Flex.

It all depends on your goals. Budget matters too, but in the long run its better to over spend, because if you decide later that you want to upgrade again, thats just wasting time and paying twice.

Obviously the Eibach/KYB AGX was the most streetable, felt very stock but still handled well. It is probably going to be the most reliable of the bunch, but I've seen a set of KYBs blown in a short while. (Covered under warranty though) I did enjoy having progressive rate springs in the street, great for a car that was primarily a daily driver.

Don't bother with the GC setup. You'll be better off with a true setup, back in the day when they were the only game in town, they were probably worth while, but not anymore. I didn't like them at all, too stiff, rattled over potholes and just felt cheap overall. They were a pain in the ass to adjust too. They could have improved them since I last had them in 1998, I'm not sure.

The Mazdaspeed coilovers were GREAT. Quality was very good, easy to adjust, handled well and even delt with pot holes and such with grace. The only drawback was their price, I think they were around $1600. Throw on some Cusco camber plates and the price goes even higher. They were a cinch to adjust, you could just put your hand behind the wheel of the rear and turn a knob. There was just 4 settings to choose from but I'm not that great of a driver to require too many. I'm not sure if this set can still be purchased anyway. I can check my Mazdaspeed catalog when I get home.

The JICs were.. well, blingy. Annoying to adjust, didnt like to have to jack the car up. They started to rust in less than a year so I got rid of them. The car handled well but it shows that price does not equal quality.

I've settled on Tein Flex. They are a bit annoying to have to remove the speakers in the rear to adjust dampning, but I just leave it pretty soft and only adjust the front now. Height adjustments on these are very easy, since they're double adjustable (the JICs were too), and it only takes a few minutes to raise/lower. Plus they come with camber plates for the front, a nice bonus. They're a bit stiff for the street, but not unbearable. After having the JICs these are definately better for City life.

I've been tempted to try different setups, but this is my last FC and there really isn't any reason to switch, and I'm perfectly happy with the way the car handles.

If you are really on a tight budget, I'd personally go with a spring/strut combo, eibach/rb, kyb/illumina (the difference isn't that big between each of those). Spend the rest of the money on strut bars and sway bars plus new bushings. You'll be happer than if you just got coilovers alone.

$1,300 for coilovers (tein flex)

or...

$200 for springs
$500 for shocks
$200 for camber plates

The price ads up quickly anyway.. plus its much easier to install coilovers, no need to waste time with a spring compressor, just plug them right in. Time is money too.

I hope I was through enough, and if you have any questions just let me know.

Justin

Justin,

That was quite possibly the most helpful and infomative post I have ever read in my entire life. Thank you. I'm gonna have to think about the cost of the coilover vs. getting the sways/bushings/etc...and spring/struts.

Thanks again,

JT

For those not going the coilover route I would also recommend Koni's.

I also used to have a set of Greddy springs on my FC, they didnt lower too much, handled well, and were more comfortable than stock.

I also recommend tougher aftermarket shock boots and urethane bumpstops. The OEM stuff doesnt last.

Few points to consider:

Tokico -> life time warranty

KYB -> manufacturer for MazdaSpeed, Tanabe, K-office and more...

Just because the car is going to be driven on street, doesn't mean a coil-over is definetly not competible, same as coilover is not 100% necessery for a vehicle that sees a lot of track events.
One should pay more attention on spring rate, compression graphs before making their assumption a certain brand is better for street application or vice versa.

I know I am coming in late here but I just had to add a little. I was trying to figure out what suspension setup I wanted. I rode around in a couple of different setups. Coilovers and kyb-agx / progressive springs.. I didn't really like the feel too much myself so I went with Racing Beat springs. I had not heard much about them but I know that they make quality stuff. Everyone loved their exaust setups so I figured they must have some idea what they are doing.

I have to say I really love the setup, the thing I didn't like so much about the progressive rate was how unpredictable it could be at times driving up and down the moutain roads or anything that had the car turning alot in general. Being that I live in an area full of these roads I guess I wanted something a little more.

The ride is stiff, but I do leave the AGX's at the stiff settings. I only turned them down when I drove down to LA for Steven Stock. The car handles like a dream, I personally couldn't be happier.

So don't count the Racing Beat guys out of the question for things other then their exaust the springs are awsome.

Well, I went w/the RB's and Illumina's. Also got the DTTS eliminator and ES bushings. Gonna get all that done along w/some slotted and dimpled rotors, SS lines, ATF fluid and Hawk HPS. Also got some old school Volk's from Takumi which will probably go on at the same time.

I keep searching the classifieds for a Cusco front strut and RB front sway. I got both rears, and need the fronts so I can install them at the same time.

Thanks again for all the info guys.

Has anyone ever ran Tein Stec springs,Illumina Hps and Tein camber plates? I'm just wondering if this setup would be cool. I ran stecs on my Del Sol and the ride was pretty cool stock shocks. But I've never knew anyone who ran them on a FC before. Anyone if I should go through with this purchase.

HPs=$255
Springs=$137.98
camber plates= $182.00

I think it's a pretty good buy. Just trying to get some knowledge on the ride.

Where can I get bushings????

Energy makes a bushing kit. I think you can get it through http://www.victoriabritish.com They're pretty cheap, should be under $100.