S13 Coilovers | S14 Coilovers: Input needed!

[AZhitman]

Over the next few weeks, I'm going to be compiling a little "buyer's guide" for S-chassis coilovers.

Tell us what you have, what you like about them, what you dislike about them, what they cost and whether you'd recommend them to another member.

Ready, set, GO!

(Thanks guys - this will be cool when we're done...)

[vocationalzero]

K Sports (forgot exact model #)
Like all that fun stuff that comes with coil overs (ride heights, handling) and even the stiffness they give aren't even that bad
dislikes: haven't found any yet
Paid: $850 (friend owns shop gave to me at cost) retail is approx. $1500
definitely recommend K Sports

[SoCal-S13]

Function & Form Type II::::::S13




[This was at my "i can clear most speed bumps and a few driveways" height. Definately not close to as low as they go]
















Stiff: 11/10 (w/dampers set to soft the term STIFF is still an understatement)
Low: 10/10 (anyone ever done a frame rail tuck, lol cuz ud need one)
Daily Driveable: 4/10 (not so much, hit that rare patch of freshly paved road (or a track) and my god you swear you were floating. every other street is brutal)
Overall Rating: 7/10

These coilovers are VERY good in the corners in the right environment. I live in Glendora CA and if you're familiar with the area you have been up Glendora Mountain Road. GMR is the perfect place to test the capabilities of your setup. These coils EASILY out perform Megan, Godspeed, Tein, and even my HKS's. But they are unforgiving and brutally stiff. Push on the fender. doesnt move. Sit on the fender. doesnt move. Stand on the fender.........doesnt move. If you like to drive anywhere but mountain roads or a track. .

[Razi]

Fortune Auto Coilovers: 500 series
Cost: $1000 shipped
My current ride height:

I can still go much lower in the back and about 1 1/2" lower in the front if I pull collars



Ride:
The ride is pretty comfortable. I'm using the recommended 7k/6k spring rates and the first time I drove around with these, I put them on full soft and it bounced around a bit, that was fun for a while but I wanted a more solid ride. I turned the stiffness up by 3 clicks all around and that was a good balance of stiffness, it absorbs the bumps nicely and doesn't slosh around like it did on full soft.
The ride was slightly harsh for the first few months, but now the coilovers seem to have settled in and the ride is quite good for being coilovers.

Quality:
Of course with most $1000 and lower coilovers you will never get a high performance shock absorber, but Fortune Auto put in a great effort and I think these are one of the best deals around.
Unlike most coilover companies, Fortune Auto put the shocks on a shock dyno to make sure that all 4 shocks work the same and perform the way they should, and that the soft/hard clicks on the shock actually do something, unlike Megan/Godspeed/etc..

Here's a neat graph provided by Fortune Auto:

It's not as smooth as a high end shock but hey, the clicks actually do something

Compared to some Ksport shocks:

Look at the variation between the max setting on one shock and the max setting on the other, they should be the same, but they are way different, that is bad.

Feature I like:
As an added bonus on the FortuneAuto coilovers, they come with a nice black anti-corrosion coating, I thought they might scrape off when I adjusted my ride height but they never did and I'm really quite impressed by the quality of the coating.

Overall impression:
My S13 is my daily driver and I drive it everywhere, my previous setup was some KGB shocks + lowering springs and I did not want a ride any harsher than that so I made sure to pick my coilovers carefully, and I think I made a great choice.
I'm quite impressed by the ride quality of these coilovers, I would say that these are on a similar level of comfort as my previous lowering spring setup and I'm real happy with it.
Also, the coilovers don't squeak or make any other weird noises so on the freeway so that is also a plus.
I would definitely recommend these coilovers to my friends or anyone that wants a ride that won't break your back.

[OutToWinPAHC]

Greg
the-coilover-thread-t475297.html

[pollitoboy]

Nissan 240 1991 HB
KTS coilovers cost $1000 or around there
i love em they are really smooth althought my car is lowered to the maximun if i drop it a bit more all 4 tires would scrape
i would highly recommend themm
how the car sits now:


the coilovers:

[AZ89two4Tsx]

When I had my S13..

JIC Magic Coilovers
Model: FLT-TAR
Cost: JIC is no more but they MSRP'd at $2300
Spring rate: 7kg/5kg

Ride height: Rears are maxed out. Fronts could go maybe an inch lower. Wheels are 18"





They were even purple! How JDM tyte!



Ride:
On full soft, the ride is quite nice. It isn't soft by any means but is livable on normal streets. They have 15 clicks from full soft to hard so there's quite a bit of adjustment. On full hard, it's MUCH stiffer and you can really feel them tighten up as expected. I've ridden in other S13's as well with brands like Apex, Megan, etc... and the ride seems to be a little stiffer.

Quality:
As the price reflects, these are top notch. No junk here and everything is built well. I've hit many potholes HARD and have never had a problem. JIC is a great brand and I was sad to hear when they were going out of business.


Feature I like:
The coating on them is nice and they handle dirt well. They clean up very nice.

Overall impression:
I drove that car everyday and did not baby it at all. The ride is definitely not soft, as should be expected with all coils. At their best, they rode about as soft as a lowering spring setup. They absorbed bumps nicely even with what little travel they had to work with. Always quiet too, never had any weird noises. I never once heard of anyone blowing their JIC coils from daily driving so I had no reason to worry with my car. I'd definitely recommend them if you can get your hands on some. Their top notch and you won't be disappointed.

[Crazyirish]

I posted in the other thread and then saw this one. Can you guys merge the 2?

[AZhitman]

Yep - I wanted to get some fresh info in a little different format.

[Promise Land]

Just picked up a '95 S14 with KTS coilovers. Don't know anything about them other than they ride like hell. No idea how to adjust them to ride softer but it's like riding a brick.

Likes: Low to the ground
Dislikes: They ride like crap because I don't know how to fix it.
Cost: They came with the car. Free?

I wouldn't recommend them yet. I don't know if they will ride comfortably or always feel like your riding a brick.