[MKTURBO]

Alright Guys after going stage 2 and contemplating if i should get protuned with all the extras or do suspention work, i have decided that the suspention aspect is definately needing some attention......heres the deal though: currently the suspention is completely stock......i've been told to do the 27-29 whiteline bar and 24-26 whiteline bar along with endlinks, but i have no idea what i actually should do......the car is primarly a daily driver.....that on the week-ends goes to autocross and track days.....also if it matters im in chicago, and has to deal with rough winters and such.....im not the kind of person that is very picky with what mods classify me for what class in auto-x, im just out there to have some fun........also by no means am i a suspention technician, so i probably wont be needing something with a million ways of adjustability....i just need something that has enhanced performance and limited adjustiblity.....basicaly set it for street, and dial it harder for the track.......so what i guess it comes down to is fixed perch vs. coilovers......all input would help greatly
MK

[KarlSTI]

By no means an expert here but my vote is for coilovers.

[dukenukem]

whats your budget ?

[evilSTi7]

yea, your budget is going to be the deciding factor in what is the best for you.

I would also reconsider your choice of getting suspension parts over a protune. The AP off the shelf map can be decent, but it can also not be great. If you want to protect your engine the best you can, a good tune from a reputable tuner will go a long way.

[TheLimitedProject]

You already know my thoughts

Coilovers > fixed perch/springs if a heavily tracked car.
Coilovers < FP/springs for rough, winter roads (personal experience)

And fixed perch isn't necessarily cheaper. Ohlins and Yellow are ~$2,400. That's good coilover territory... not amazing coilover territory, but good.

My swaybars were recommended by RCE (27-29 front, 24mm rear) FWIW.

[BoostJunkie]

Originally Posted by evilSTi7

yea, your budget is going to be the deciding factor in what is the best for you.

I would also reconsider your choice of getting suspension parts over a protune. The AP off the shelf map can be decent, but it can also not be great. If you want to protect your engine the best you can, a good tune from a reputable tuner will go a long way.

I'd tend to disagree with that. The Cobb tunes don't extract the most power but they are generally safe. They are on the rich side to prevent detonation so it's not really a protection issue but a power and smoothness issue. I think in terms of driving enjoyment, suspension is a much better place to spend the money (although both should be on the list).

If you go with springs and adjustable fixed perch struts like the Ohlins, it can be a great dual purpose setup. Definitely more comfortable than coilovers and still very capable on the track. Obviously you will get a bit more performance out of coilovers with linear springs but if you are concerned about comfort and drive over bumpy roads I think that in the long run you will be happier with a spring/strut combo. I have Ohlins coilovers on my car and I love the way they feel but sometimes I wish I had a bit more comfort. However, I track my car a lot and it's getting to the point where I may get another car soon as a daily driver so comfort isn't as important to me.

[MKTURBO]

yeah i talked to myles at racecomp about this issue, but still its a difficult disscision......the ohlinhs fixed perch are 1850 + springs and camber plates so like matt (limitedproject) said arround 2400 teritory....also then the racecomp t2 coilovers are 1850 + camberplates so again your in the same price teritory.....heres the deal though currently i dont want to be spending 2500 dollars on a suspention setup all at once.....since i have other things for the car to buy.....why i was thinking the ohlins fixed perch is that for now i would buy just the yellow springs and later buy the struts but i was also thinking the bc coilovers as a option...trey05sti installed them with me on his car, and they seem to be a pretty good quality/value at 1100 with camber plates/rear mounts/exteders and all......however i have heard mixed thoughts between them.......

[BoostJunkie]

I'd skip the cheap coilovers. IMO suspension is the one thing you really don't want to cheap out on. You certainly could do springs and tops/camber plates now and then add the struts later. That would split up the cost and make it easier to swallow for sure.

[MKTURBO]

thats exactly what i was thinking about doing.......especialy because matt (limited project) had the bc coilovers and now has switched them out for the fixed perch ohlins......my main questions is though : what are the advantages of going with coilovers? what are the advantages of fixed perch? basically is someone (dan) could write the pros/cons of each setup that would be very helpful.....

[BoostJunkie]

Coilovers

Pros:

-Linear springs=better turn-in, more predictable at the limit
-Height adjustability
-Allows you to have the car corner balanced
-Higher quality coilovers still maintain good ride quality

Cons:

-A bit rough/bouncy over bumpy roads
-More noise


Fixed Perch

Pros:

-Great ride quality
-Quiet
-Good setups approach the performance of coilovers

Cons:

-Progressive springs sacrifice a bit of turn-in feel and confidence for comfort
-No ride height adjustment
-No corner balancing

[TheLimitedProject]

^Well, no ride height adjustment might be a good thing. Didn't RCE design the yellows to be the ideal dropped ride height at all four corners? Plus, for me, after one winter there was no such thing as ride height adjustment lol.

[BoostJunkie]

Yes if you get the proper springs to begin with the ride height adjustment isn't an issue, other than the fact that you can't corner balance.

[evilSTi7]

Originally Posted by BoostJunkie

I'd tend to disagree with that. The Cobb tunes don't extract the most power but they are generally safe. They are on the rich side to prevent detonation so it's not really a protection issue but a power and smoothness issue. I think in terms of driving enjoyment, suspension is a much better place to spend the money (although both should be on the list).

If you go with springs and adjustable fixed perch struts like the Ohlins, it can be a great dual purpose setup. Definitely more comfortable than coilovers and still very capable on the track. Obviously you will get a bit more performance out of coilovers with linear springs but if you are concerned about comfort and drive over bumpy roads I think that in the long run you will be happier with a spring/strut combo. I have Ohlins coilovers on my car and I love the way they feel but sometimes I wish I had a bit more comfort. However, I track my car a lot and it's getting to the point where I may get another car soon as a daily driver so comfort isn't as important to me.

I'll agree most of the times the maps are set to run rich, but i have personally seen 1 or 2 occations where the maps made the car run lean. It wasn't dangerously lean, but it certainly wasn't great. I would personally want to know that my car is running as well as it can be.

Anyways, back to the suspension question. I feel like a lot of people buy parts to make their cars preform better on the couple track days a year that they do (i'm one of those people). To be honest though, that doesn't make any sense. As long as your car is decently set up, you'll have a blast on the track no matter what. Buying parts that can compromise your enjoyment of the car on the street just doesn't make sense.

So if you only do a few track days a year, but are a bit worried about making your ride less comfortable, go with the fixed perch. If you don't mind extra harshness, noise, and dealing with setting up and maintaining the coilovers, then rock the coilovers. I bought coilovers and couldn't be happier.

[Rootus]

In terms of comfort, my Bilstein coilovers are superior to the OEM struts with pink springs that I was running previously. It is a good demonstration of how shock valving is just as important to ride comfort (maybe more so) as spring rate.

The only negative I have noticed about the coilovers is the increased noise. For me this only happens in particular situations -- starting out on a rough surface, turning the wheels fairly sharply, and in particular when backing up. For the vast majority of my routine driving they're as quiet as a fixed perch setup.

My biggest concern with good fixed perch setup with aftermarket struts would be that with the nice valving I'd be inclined to want stiffer springs. There are more choices in that regard with coilovers.

[stretch]

It depends on your ride height.

If you want to stay at the stock ride height, fixed perch struts are an OK solution. However, at any lowered ride height, it's not physically possible for an OE-replacement strut to offer sufficient bump travel. Even if the strut could support more travel than stock, you'd get coil bind from the springs.

For lowered ride heights, most coilovers are great. However, most coilovers aren't ideal when pushed up to a stock-like ride height due to insufficient spring length. I suspect you could buy longer springs for your coilovers to fix this. You also generally get much firmer than stock springs, which means you're giving up some ride quality but gaining a little performance.