STANCE Coilover review IS-F (Multi Part)
01-30-14, 02:59 PM
#1
STANCE Coilover review IS-F (Multi Part)
I have had quite a few different cars in the past and the one thing that I always did to my cars are suspension and wheels. After spending much time looking around on the forums at the coil over options people are using I have come to the conclusion that everyone is either running KW V3 or BC coil overs. I will admit, on every car I have had I had Stance coil overs on them as long as they were available for my platform.
After seeing that Stance has an IS250/350 option I knew I would be able to work with them to help with the ISF option. After talking with Nick at Touge Factory quite a few times we have nailed down and option that will hopefully speak to most the ISF users on this forum. I have discussed settings for the suspension with Stance and they initially offered the coil overs in the 12k/9k spring rates which I feel would be to soft for the ISF and we have agreed to do a 14k/10k setup. Now you may be thinking wait a minute here, you cant just change the spring rate on springs with out messing up the shock valving and you are correct. Stance and I have revalued the IS 250 shocks to work with this spring rate. In addition to the spring rate and shock valving we have discussed that Swift springs are a great addition to any coil over setup and I agree.
This review will be a multi part review with a few different iterations of the setup for the ISF and starting with the re valved shocks and Stance factory 14k front and 10k rear springs. Next will be followed up by the Swift springs and if I can talk Stance into it, standard shocks and 12k/9k setup.
During this test I will be using my 2008 ISF with I/H/E setup, Figs rear lower control arms, Figs rear toe arms, figs front lower eyelet bushings, Aftermarket wheels with 245/275 Bridgestone RE-11 tires.
Without further ramblings, I received the coil overs and would like to show them off out of the box along with the packaging. I do not have the Swift springs yet to stop my tempation of putting them on right now. I will be fully dissasembling the coil overs to 22ple themfor future protections.
Nice big box, great for storing your OEM shock setups.
Each coilover is in its own box, and inside that box bubble wrapped.
Here are the fronts out of packaging, very nice looking setup, well designed, I do not have a weight per coilover yet but will be getting that once I go to install.
Top upper hat, very thick upper hat with hard rubber isolater and caps to protect the threaded studs.
on to the rears,
Rears look very close to the front,
again, same as the front thick top hat, rubber isolator.
Lastly, the spanner wrenches and Im guessing the wormclamp and the l brackets are for brakes lines
After seeing that Stance has an IS250/350 option I knew I would be able to work with them to help with the ISF option. After talking with Nick at Touge Factory quite a few times we have nailed down and option that will hopefully speak to most the ISF users on this forum. I have discussed settings for the suspension with Stance and they initially offered the coil overs in the 12k/9k spring rates which I feel would be to soft for the ISF and we have agreed to do a 14k/10k setup. Now you may be thinking wait a minute here, you cant just change the spring rate on springs with out messing up the shock valving and you are correct. Stance and I have revalued the IS 250 shocks to work with this spring rate. In addition to the spring rate and shock valving we have discussed that Swift springs are a great addition to any coil over setup and I agree.
This review will be a multi part review with a few different iterations of the setup for the ISF and starting with the re valved shocks and Stance factory 14k front and 10k rear springs. Next will be followed up by the Swift springs and if I can talk Stance into it, standard shocks and 12k/9k setup.
During this test I will be using my 2008 ISF with I/H/E setup, Figs rear lower control arms, Figs rear toe arms, figs front lower eyelet bushings, Aftermarket wheels with 245/275 Bridgestone RE-11 tires.
Without further ramblings, I received the coil overs and would like to show them off out of the box along with the packaging. I do not have the Swift springs yet to stop my tempation of putting them on right now. I will be fully dissasembling the coil overs to 22ple themfor future protections.
Nice big box, great for storing your OEM shock setups.
Each coilover is in its own box, and inside that box bubble wrapped.
Here are the fronts out of packaging, very nice looking setup, well designed, I do not have a weight per coilover yet but will be getting that once I go to install.
Top upper hat, very thick upper hat with hard rubber isolater and caps to protect the threaded studs.
on to the rears,
Rears look very close to the front,
again, same as the front thick top hat, rubber isolator.
Lastly, the spanner wrenches and Im guessing the wormclamp and the l brackets are for brakes lines
01-30-14, 03:01 PM
#3
Assumptions and Expectations:
To be completely honest going into this whole ordeal, I expected a stiff
ride and having a very "slammed" feel to the car in terms of adjustment.
I've had stance on quite a few of my cars and I will say most of them were
stiff but that is what I wanted on those cars. With the ISF I want
something about stock with better dampening and less jarring being that I
have a 2008.
Installation and fitment
It has been months since the install on these coil overs, however I can say
Install there were no issues at all. The new coil overs weighed a few
pounds more than the factory parts. I don't have the exact weight in front
of me but I will be able to update later with the weight. I truly have only
have a couple of comments. First the front shocks I feel could be a bit
longer or have a longer shock body. I in no ways have my car that low, I
actually still have a gap up front however I would actually like if there
was more threading in the shock body. I don't recall how much is there but
I there is enough to be safe without a doubt. The coil overs go VERY low
and I originally set the coil overs where I thought it would go and I was
way off. The second comment I have is truthfully a small one and just
personal preference but the dampening adjusters are not easy at all to get
to. It would have been awesome if Stance would provide the extenders for
the adjusters that way we wouldn't have to remove the side engine covers to
get to adjust or even worse in the rear, remove all the panels and trim in
the trunk.
Comfort
I have logged probably around 3-4k miles on the coil overs now with one
long trip from Columbus Ohio to Kentucky for Water by the Bridge and a few
spirited trips. overall, I'm very impressed with the comfort of the coil
overs, there is no more jarring feeling that the stock shocks gave unless
you get to a big bump in the road and it's still not that bad. I had the
car originally dampened half way from stiff and soft and it was very
comfortable. I currently have it set at 13 front and 11 rear and it feels
much better a bit stiffer. I was actually shocked that I felt any
difference in the units. Now most coilovers, the adjusters are pure
gimmick, there are tons of shock dynos out there that show the adjuster
does not do anything but I feel like there is a slight difference in the
way the shocks react to quick movements.
Like I stated in the beginning, I was expecting to have stiff coil overs
especially with the upped spring rate but I have been pleasantly surprised
with them. performance wise and this is just me nitpicking, the bump
dampening could be better on quick bumpy surfaces. The dampening over
quick bumpy surfaces is not that major concern, this is actually a very
normal thing for the low end coil overs. The higher end coil overs really
just have better valving and that is where your spending the money.
Performance
I will have a track day (local drag strip) in the next few weeks so I would
be interested in seeing how they do there but I also have a few
autocrosses scheduled and hopefully a track day at Mid Ohio in my future.
Spirited driving the car does feel quite planted and well balanced on the
twisty roads I did go through. Like I mentioned before the abrupt bumps
feel like it could have been dampened a bit better but it is very good for
the price point. I have had to make a few abrupt steering maneuvers to miss
hitting items in the road and the car was very easy to control and did not
lose its composure like it did with the stock setup.
Conclusion
Overall for the price point, Im very satisfied with my purchase and I do
look forward to testing with the swift springs and all my track days. the
dampening I mentioned is not a major concern as it is all on par with the
lower end coil overs that ive driven. Let me be clear, when I speak with
lower end I am talking the 1k-3k price range I see mid range as 3-4k and
upper range from 4k-10k+. Would I purchase again? absolutely without
hesitation, I do wish the dampening adjusters were included with the kit
however they can be purchased separately. I have had a set of Stance coil
overs on almost every car ive owned and the one thing I can say about
Stance is their customer support is the main reason I come to them first. I
would like to see in the future they offer a more high end option but the
general consumer isn't there. Most the ISF owners are like me, weekend/
daily drive the car and some track events here and there if that. The car
does not have a major track following to justify a big development.
To be completely honest going into this whole ordeal, I expected a stiff
ride and having a very "slammed" feel to the car in terms of adjustment.
I've had stance on quite a few of my cars and I will say most of them were
stiff but that is what I wanted on those cars. With the ISF I want
something about stock with better dampening and less jarring being that I
have a 2008.
Installation and fitment
It has been months since the install on these coil overs, however I can say
Install there were no issues at all. The new coil overs weighed a few
pounds more than the factory parts. I don't have the exact weight in front
of me but I will be able to update later with the weight. I truly have only
have a couple of comments. First the front shocks I feel could be a bit
longer or have a longer shock body. I in no ways have my car that low, I
actually still have a gap up front however I would actually like if there
was more threading in the shock body. I don't recall how much is there but
I there is enough to be safe without a doubt. The coil overs go VERY low
and I originally set the coil overs where I thought it would go and I was
way off. The second comment I have is truthfully a small one and just
personal preference but the dampening adjusters are not easy at all to get
to. It would have been awesome if Stance would provide the extenders for
the adjusters that way we wouldn't have to remove the side engine covers to
get to adjust or even worse in the rear, remove all the panels and trim in
the trunk.
Comfort
I have logged probably around 3-4k miles on the coil overs now with one
long trip from Columbus Ohio to Kentucky for Water by the Bridge and a few
spirited trips. overall, I'm very impressed with the comfort of the coil
overs, there is no more jarring feeling that the stock shocks gave unless
you get to a big bump in the road and it's still not that bad. I had the
car originally dampened half way from stiff and soft and it was very
comfortable. I currently have it set at 13 front and 11 rear and it feels
much better a bit stiffer. I was actually shocked that I felt any
difference in the units. Now most coilovers, the adjusters are pure
gimmick, there are tons of shock dynos out there that show the adjuster
does not do anything but I feel like there is a slight difference in the
way the shocks react to quick movements.
Like I stated in the beginning, I was expecting to have stiff coil overs
especially with the upped spring rate but I have been pleasantly surprised
with them. performance wise and this is just me nitpicking, the bump
dampening could be better on quick bumpy surfaces. The dampening over
quick bumpy surfaces is not that major concern, this is actually a very
normal thing for the low end coil overs. The higher end coil overs really
just have better valving and that is where your spending the money.
Performance
I will have a track day (local drag strip) in the next few weeks so I would
be interested in seeing how they do there but I also have a few
autocrosses scheduled and hopefully a track day at Mid Ohio in my future.
Spirited driving the car does feel quite planted and well balanced on the
twisty roads I did go through. Like I mentioned before the abrupt bumps
feel like it could have been dampened a bit better but it is very good for
the price point. I have had to make a few abrupt steering maneuvers to miss
hitting items in the road and the car was very easy to control and did not
lose its composure like it did with the stock setup.
Conclusion
Overall for the price point, Im very satisfied with my purchase and I do
look forward to testing with the swift springs and all my track days. the
dampening I mentioned is not a major concern as it is all on par with the
lower end coil overs that ive driven. Let me be clear, when I speak with
lower end I am talking the 1k-3k price range I see mid range as 3-4k and
upper range from 4k-10k+. Would I purchase again? absolutely without
hesitation, I do wish the dampening adjusters were included with the kit
however they can be purchased separately. I have had a set of Stance coil
overs on almost every car ive owned and the one thing I can say about
Stance is their customer support is the main reason I come to them first. I
would like to see in the future they offer a more high end option but the
general consumer isn't there. Most the ISF owners are like me, weekend/
daily drive the car and some track events here and there if that. The car
does not have a major track following to justify a big development.
Last edited by Biggu; 04-10-14 at 08:14 AM.
01-30-14, 03:58 PM
#6
The main reason why no one was looking for an alternative to BC coilovers is because BC/Stance/Buddyclub/etc utilize almost the same housing and spring for their products. On the previous vehicles I have owned, BC/Stance/BuddyClub had the same housings and went through the same same flaws. Why look for an alternative to a low cost coilover when BC has provided a solution at a great price point? You're just reinventing the wheel here, maybe you inquired about Stance because you wanted a discount (you revalving the IS250/350 shock to 14K/10K is pretty much converting it into a BC coilover).
In the end, if you were looking for an upgrade over BC then look into other companies that has true racing heritage and cares about the performance of their products.
In the end, if you were looking for an upgrade over BC then look into other companies that has true racing heritage and cares about the performance of their products.
01-30-14, 05:38 PM
#7
The main reason why no one was looking for an alternative to BC coilovers is because BC/Stance/Buddyclub/etc utilize almost the same housing and spring for their products. On the previous vehicles I have owned, BC/Stance/BuddyClub had the same housings and went through the same same flaws. Why look for an alternative to a low cost coilover when BC has provided a solution at a great price point? You're just reinventing the wheel here, maybe you inquired about Stance because you wanted a discount (you revalving the IS250/350 shock to 14K/10K is pretty much converting it into a BC coilover).
In the end, if you were looking for an upgrade over BC then look into other companies that has true racing heritage and cares about the performance of their products.
In the end, if you were looking for an upgrade over BC then look into other companies that has true racing heritage and cares about the performance of their products.
LOL I did this a while ago (about 9 months ago) I had Stance coilovers on my ISF, I had them revalved and rebuilt (by Feals) with 16K/12K Swift springs. To me and a few others they were better than BCs, especially the damping it was vastly improved (I am sure the same results would show with revalved and rebuilt BCs).
Long story short I have KWs now.
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01-31-14, 03:24 AM
#8
Let's not make this thread out to be the great coilover debate thread. I'm simply trying to help the isf community by bringing another hopefully good low cost option to the table to help the isf community grow. I had searched and found that the community is lacking options and needed another low cost option. I don't see any issues with adding another brand to the mix to add some diversity and some competition of brands to help products improve.
04-10-14, 08:39 AM
#11
Let's not make this thread out to be the great coilover debate thread. I'm simply trying to help the isf community by bringing another hopefully good low cost option to the table to help the isf community grow. I had searched and found that the community is lacking options and needed another low cost option. I don't see any issues with adding another brand to the mix to add some diversity and some competition of brands to help products improve.
I have to say I like the stock stiffness of the ISF but I'm looking to track my ISF soon so... reading this review of your is very helpful.
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