Behemoth7

Hey guys, I've finally decided in the future I'll purchase some Megan ez street coilovers for my car. However I want there to be as little effect on my suspension geometry as possible. In other words, I want to correct all issues that lowering the car does while preserving the ability to align the car.

I've been reading a lot about this topic, so I think I understand a little bit. I know the camber will be an issue in the front, so I was planning on installing 30mm Megan rcas in the front, from my understanding this will help with bumpsteer and also add positive camber. Is there anything else I should do for the front?

For the rear, from what I hear toe and camber will be the biggest issue. I was thinking of adding figs or Megan's lower control arms to help add positive camber and also figs toe links to help correct toe.

Is there anything else I'm missing? Any advice as far as product selection goes? I look forward to hearing your responses. Thanks!

Behemoth7

Anyone?

Also I've decided to go with custom spring rate(12k,10k) BC racing coilovers. I think they will be worth the extra initial price. And I didn't mention in the first post what my goal for the car is. I'd like to eliminate the fender gap as much as possible while retaining height for daily driving. I've measured and I have about 1.5-2 inches of gap in the front and 1-1.5 inches in the back.

Let me know what you think, I value your opinions.

702GS

I have BC coilovers on my GS, think I have 14/12k (wish I went higher) and have zero gap remaining.

Still need to add those extra parts you have planned on getting to correct everything back to stock specs, good show!

Behemoth7

Any reason you went higher on the spring rates? I want a comfortable ride but something that won't bottom out when being lowered 1.5-2 inches.

Also I kind of answered my own question after doing more research on FIGS website. You only need toe links if your going really low, and even the rear arms are a questionable buy unless your dropping more than 1.5 inches, so I might not need them. RCA's are definitely needed in the front though for a 2 inch drop, so I think I'll end up getting just coils and rcas and see what happens.

NorthStyle

iTrader: (16)

You're kind of contradicting yourself... you want to eliminate the fender gap as much as possible (i.e. lowering the car) while retaining height for daily driving (i.e. not lowering the car)?

Other than that, I have 16/12 springs and think they're slightly too soft for the car and when running my "normal" height I still bottom out on big dips every now and then. As for comfort, my wife thinks it rides nice and I've had 3 passengers fall asleep on a 3 hour trip so take that as you will.

Behemoth7

Sorry I meant eliminate it as much as possible. I just don't want to be rubbing or bottoming out.

Which coils do you have? I'm afraid of getting stiffer springs because of comfort and I can't change my mind afterwards. But honestly I'd rather not bottom out.

So with a 30mm rcas in front, I want to lower the shock bodies roughly 1.5 inches all around, which would eliminate fender gap. And I'm getting BC racing coils, with the standard springs. So should I go 16k\12k so I don't bottom out, or something more conservative so I don't get out of the car feeling like my back is breaking in half?

I know I have to make a compromise somewhere, but I'd like to have the best of both worlds, a balance between stiffness and comfort.

702GS

I went with these since our cars are heavy and wish I would have went stiffer!

NorthStyle

iTrader: (16)

Well the rubbing will depend on your wheel/tire setup and whether or not you have the proper fender work (if necessary) to accommodate them. As for bottoming out, the only reason I think I'm doing so now is because of the stock UCA's. I'm pretty certain at my height some aftermarket ones designed for lowered cars would fix that. I guess we'll see in a few months.

As for my coilovers, I'm running Fortune Auto 500-series with Swift springs. Seeing as how BC also offers them, I can't recommend the spring upgrade enough as they definitely make a difference. Not saying that the stock BC springs are bad, it's just the Swift springs are better.

It should also be noted that lowering the coilovers a certain height doesn't always equate to how much they'll actually lower your car. It could be more or less. Also, depending on how long you have the car in the air for (as well as how new the coilovers are), they'll have to settle afterwards once the vehicle's weight is put on them.

Honestly, I can't tell you how the BCs will ride on a 2GS with any particular spring rate as I've only rode with them in a Silvia, but I thought they were valved well and rode nice for what they were. Personally, I think an 18/14k is pretty much perfect for a decent-to-moderately lowered car. But, if you asked Paulo or one of the other guys riding lower (i.e. tucking at all times), they might tell you something different. That being said, I'd go recommend the 16/12 to you, that way if they're too stiff you can drop down to a 14/10 (and vice-versa with not being stiff enough to an 18/14) without needing to have them revalved.

If possible, check in the regional forums as there should be at least a few people in your area with different setups that you could ride with and compare.

Behemoth7

How much are you dropped? I'm think i'm more leaning towards going as low as I can while still being in spec for alignment. So in theory, I should be able to drop the car 2.25" in the rear and 2.5" in the front, based on the specs from FIGS rear mega arms and SPC front upper control arms. I most likely won't need the toe links because that is more for VIP applications going for serious negative camber, i'm just looking for alignment correction.

I talked with mike from figs and he said they recommend all the way up to 16k/14k for setups dropped from 2.5"-3", so should I still go with the 16k/12k you recommended based my plan?

NorthStyle

iTrader: (16)

Don't know the exact amount because I just did it by eye then made small adjustments as needed. But, here's a picture of how low it WAS last time I took a picture (currently in winter-mode).



I didn't have any issues with alignment, but every car is different and my car has pretty much new suspension arms in front as well. However, I'll be changing to adjustable toe and traction arms in the rear for peace of mind. You may want to do a bit of research with the SPC front arms because they've been noted to have clearance issues with certain coilovers (PBM is one, not too sure about BC).

I'd still say the 16/12 or even the 16/14 that FIGS suggested would be sufficient. But, they're just suggestions so take them with a grain of salt. What's comfortable to me might not be to you especially since my last few cars all had coilovers so I'm used to them. The end decision is up to you.

Behemoth7

Any reason for the 4k difference between front and rear spring rates? Im thinking a safe bet would be 14k/12k I've heard the most positive feedback from this setup than any others.

NorthStyle

iTrader: (16)

The reason I did it was to offset the weight front/rear weight difference (engine, self, wifey). Also, since I've always run a 19/20 stagger, I wanted the rear to be a bit softer as well. Just my personal preference really.

Behemoth7

Oh okay. And why are you getting the trac and toe links? Are you having problems with your alignment? Just wondering because I'd rather just get poly bushings for those and not have to replace them if possible.

NorthStyle

iTrader: (16)

There's only so much adjustability available with the stock arms, which becomes more evident the lower your car is. I plan to run a bit lower this year (I'll be on air instead of coilovers) so they'll just be changed out when the time comes. Not to mention, since my car is nearing 150K and pretty much all of my front suspension has been refreshed, I figured it would be wise to to update the rear as well.

SC4Paulo

iTrader: (2)

lowering the car you will need to fix your roll center, especially the fronts, buy a roll center adjuster which will lower the front even more but enables you to raise the car up and correct your roll center which will also correct camber since you are raising the coil back up.

With the rears, our rear toe adjustment will suffice for now depending on how low you are, again you can purchase roll center blocks for the rear too but that gets pricy, you may or may not need to buy an adjustable upper control arm to correct camber depending.

again with rubbing it all depends on fender modification and tire size and wheel width as well.