Review: Endura-Tech Coilovers!

[AZhitman]

Spent Saturday morning installing a set of Endura-Tech coilovers on my S13 convertible...

For the past 1200 miles, she's been rolling on Megans.

I'm not a suspension expert, so my impressions will be from a layperson's point of view. I know what I like, and I know what "feels" right, but my limited knowledge of suspension componentry will be pretty evident here.

So, if you're looking for a real technical review, well, you'll have to find it elsewhere...

The first thing you notice is the quality of the finish and the construction. The Endura-Techs "feel" very well put-together, and the finish is impeccable. I'm a firm believer that a company that pays attention to little details on the outside, will likely grant that same care to the internal construction.

The lower mounts on the fronts are quite a bit beefier and more sturdy:









Installation of coilovers is one of their best features, and these were no exception... Old ones out, new ones in - Nice, especially if you're used to messing with a spring compressor and all that nonsense.

Swapping the fronts was so simple - Remove the top 3 nuts on the top of the strut tower, disconnect the brakeline clip, remove the two lower mounting bolts, and remove.

The spring perches on the Endura-Tech coilovers are really, really nice - It's cleanly machined, with a precision feel. It's beefy, and rather than having an adjustable perch and a "lock nut", it has an allen head setscrew that locks it in place. Very convenient, and more secure.





Also, that additional thickness means your adjustment wrenches fit on better, and there's no need for TWO of them (which was always a pet peeve of mine).

The upper mounts on the Endura-Tech coilovers seems a little thicker, and rather than a conical upper flange, it's more of a triangular shape (for additional strength).





As a side note - Despite the beefier construction, the Endura-Tech coilovers only weighed in .8 lb. heavier each.

There's less dampening adjustability in the Endura-Techs, with 10 settings (compared to 32 in the Megan's). However, there seems to be a WIDER range of adjustment in the ET's. In other words, the "softest" setting seems softer, and the "hardest" setting seems much stiffer.





The ET's have more adjustments for camber, with 5 holes as opposed to three.

The lower mounts on the rears are equally beefy - Here, you can see a comparison:







The rears were equally simple to swap - Again, 2 bolts on top and one on the bottom (although, doing them on a convertible is a bit more work, as the top mechanism can get in the way). Still, not a tough process at all.

Here's a few more pics:











And, a spec page:http://www.endura-tech.com/etc_ns1300.pdf

Initial driving impressions: Again, since my review is from a layperson's point of view, I can only say that the ride quality is excellent. I had the Megan dampening set fairly soft on all four corners. We set the ET's to one click shy of the firmest setting, and I think I could keep them there. There's no "skittering" (as is common with an underdamped setup), nor is the ride harsh. It IS controlled in hard cornering, and amazingly smooth at freeway speeds, even over expansion joints.

I'll be experimenting with some varied settings, but for now, these get a hearty "two thumbs up".

[Eikon]

Nice work! Those look like fantastic coilovers.

So what are you going to do with the old Megans?

[heartofaskyline]

ya about your old megans:) lol

[AZhitman]

Already being used... Going on our OTHER vert (picked up today)...

[heartofaskyline]

damn, my hatch wants to get rid of her megan springs and ****ed off camber angles:)

[drifter_for_life06]

wow im lookin at these and they seem great

how do you think theyd fare on the track greg?

[~4N~]

How low do they go?

[newfengshui]

price?

[DJButton]

Greg, busting out the review, pics too! Hmmm, we'll see how well they last, but I 'm intrigued so far, looking good! P.S. How do you find the time to write reviews between drooling over your vert and such. lol

[Atown 240]

How low do they go?

Got a pic from a distance w/ them on ur car?

[EazyBreazy]

Already being used... Going on our OTHER vert (picked up today)...

WAIT WTF WTF WTF

greg you got some spainin to do

ps i hate you jp

[SeVa-S13]

Already being used... Going on our OTHER vert (picked up today)...

'atta boy!

[RB20DETodd]

Sounds good but id rather read the review of a guy that paid the full price for them, and a un biased pov.

[AZhitman]

...and you're basing this on what?

If they sucked, I'd say they suck. And unless you're rooting through my checkbook, you don't know what I paid for them.

Probably hard for you to believe, but some of us have integrity.

[BOOMSHAKALAKA]

Already being used... Going on our OTHER vert (picked up today)...

PICS ASAP!

Of the droptop from hell and the "other" vert!

[Eikon]

I'm really interested to hear some road reviews. How does the handling compare to the Megans.

They obviously look like better quality parts. They are much thicker where it counts, and that should = better reliability and lifetime.

I think I read that they were in the $1250 range.. Are they $400 better than Megan Racing? That's what I'm interested in hearing.

oh yeah... PICS OF THE NEW VERT OR BAN!!!

[Endura-Tech]

Thanks to all that have visited our website looking for product information on the S13 coilovers. The price, for those that are interested are $1512 for the kit. If you contact me via phone and place an order over our website, we will send them with no shipping charges until the end of the month (November).

As we are a new manufacturer to the 240 SX market (we should have coilovers for the S14 in January or February), I realize that some of you may have concerns about quality, the feel of the coilovers etc. on your car. We appreciate all of your kind comments on the products construction, quality, feel, etc. We aim to please, so if you have any questions/comments please feel free to contact us.

JustinEndura-Tech

[NSR_s30]

Awesome review Greg. Definitely post up some pics of the vert with the new Suspension.

[RB20DETodd]

...and you're basing this on what?

If they sucked, I'd say they suck. And unless you're rooting through my checkbook, you don't know what I paid for them.

Probably hard for you to believe, but some of us have integrity.

Seemed like you got hooked up, and if someone hooked me up with coilovers and is sponsoring on my site i would say they are the bizzomb too, im not saying they are bad quality,or a liar, but if more people buy them id like to hear there reviews. I am in the market for new coilovers im not really looking at these,for that price your in a whole new playing field with the big boys.

question for the ET guy is the hardware used on the pillow ball mount stainless of some kind or have rust proofing?

[AZhitman]

Nope -

I don't roll that way.

95% of the parts on all of my cars have been bought out-of-pocket. That way, I don't owe anyone any special favors, and I can say whatever I want about the products.

[olym]

i was gonna go with the, hks hyper max setup but these are looking really nice

[penpen-commander]

what the hell?! i hit tried to reply over 8 times and the page just wouldn't load.

anyways, what i wanted to know is that compared to other brand name products like stance, silk road, etc... all around the price range of endura's, is it worth to buy endura's?does the quality justify buying them over other very well known and durable/reliable brands?

for around this price range, i believe it's best to buy stance or silk roads.

[Endura-Tech]

what the hell?! i hit tried to reply over 8 times and the page just wouldn't load.

anyways, what i wanted to know is that compared to other brand name products like stance, silk road, etc... all around the price range of endura's, is it worth to buy endura's?does the quality justify buying them over other very well known and durable/reliable brands?

for around this price range, i believe it's best to buy stance or silk roads.

As a salesman, I should probably try to convince you otherwise to not buy our competition. But, the reasons you have of concern are good ones. Who is Endura-Tech? What is this brandname?

Well, to make a short story of it all, we are a sister company of a very large Japanese OEM spring manufacturer called NHK Spring Co., Ltd. They make all the valve springs and OEM suspension springs for Honda, Subaru and other Japanese car manufactures. Our Motorsports division of NHK Spring, in which Endura-Tech is a part of, manufactures valve springs for all kinds of racing industries such as NASCAR, IRL, CART, WRC and many other European series.

We have ventured off into the Import market, specifically Japanese automobiles, because that is where part of our roots are. So, why would you want to buy Endura-Tech's product when you know so little about us?Basically, its the quality of the product, the construction of the product and the knowledge of knowing your getting both of those features from the same kind of company that makes parts for OEM cars the world over.

I understand that it will take time for the public to learn about and accept us a newcomer in the industry. Just as it was like for our competition. We all started off with little known about us.

Let me know if I can be of any assistance.

JustinEndura-Tech

[nvrplzd240]

these look incredibly well made

i'm impressed just by looking at the picsnow if only i had the money for them

[Tulsa_S-13]

Wow, I'm really impressed by how detailed and well put together the Endura Tech website is. I will definately be purchasing these coilovers in the near future!

[Endura-Tech]

Wow, I'm really impressed by how detailed and well put together the Endura Tech website is. I will definately be purchasing these coilovers in the near future!

I sense sarcasm Tulsa_S-13. We know the website needs improvement and we are currenlty having a company create a new one. But that will take a few weeks before it is completed and uploaded.

Justin

[94_240sx]

Justin,Thanks for all the info here. I didn't see rebuild or repair policy. It's very important for most people when they make a decision, so can you tell us more details about it?

[Endura-Tech]

Justin,Thanks for all the info here. I didn't see rebuild or repair policy. It's very important for most people when they make a decision, so can you tell us more details about it?

We are in the process of working that scenario out. Since they are made in Japan by our parent company, we will either ship them back there for a rebuild, when and if that time comes or we will have them done here in the US. Currently we do not have the faclity here in the US to do so. We are actually going to Japan next week to hash out this detail with our associates there.We know that shipping to and from Japan for repairs/rebuilds will be expensive for both parties involved, so we will have this worked out in the next few weeks or a month from now.

[rico05]

WOW. I know that Megan is the Wal-Mart of the tuning industry (well, maybe Target...APC is the Wal-Mart), but the differences in initial quality is staggering. Not a bad price either. I would still save for Zero2-Rs myself, but for an entry coilover...these are the new ones to get!

[AZhitman]

I'm liking them so far... I'd be eager to see a review from someone who tracks their car.

Hopefully, someone with a little more experience in suspension "feel" will be assisting me with finalizing my adjustments soon and giving some impressions as well.