Coilover Reviews - Step in Please
 

The Reviews Sticky has hardly any info for COs.
Please post LONG TERM (2+ years) Reviews on your COs. Please DO NOT post 'My COs are the best, etc. etc.' The purpose of this thread is NOT ride quality when new, etc. the purpose is to determine LONG TERM RELIABILITY.

Respond for Coil overs ONLY, there are good threads out on Springs/Struts already.

Copy and Paste into Browser:

1. Type of Coilovers, if purchased used please note this.

2. Install date

3. Install Mileage

4. Current Date (Installed for ...years and months)

5. Current Mileage (installed for...miles)

6. Issues to date, When issues occured (approx date/mileage)

7. Company's Customer service comments

8. Climate/Road Conditions where you drive most often.

9. What Chassis / Gen




Most of us know, there will be a lot of issues posted, due to COs agressive set-up they DONT last as long as springs/struts on average.

Please keep it short and sweet, if done cleanly I will be putting this info together for an 'at a glance' Coilover Reliability Comparison, composed of average noted Pros/Cons

Going through some work receipts so I pulled out the Maxima folder with it too.

1. Type of Coilovers, if purchased used please note this.
Progress Technology Competition Series I (Cattman 3rd Generation) 450/350lbs springs. Purchased new.

2. Install date
06/04/2007

3. Install Mileage
~97k kms (~60k mi)

4. Current Date (Installed for ...years and months)
3yrs 7mo

5. Current Mileage (installed for...miles)
~109k kms (~68k mi); installed for ~8k mi to date.

6. Issues to date, When issues occured (approx date/mileage)
Axle clunk immediately after installation (too low). Coilovers themselves have been trouble free.

7. Company's Customer service comments
These coilovers I believe are the most recent revision for the Maxima but have since been discontinued. Installation instructions do not recommend lowering more than a couple of inches with reasons anyone running coilovers on a Maxima will know why.

8. Climate/Road Conditions where you drive most often.
Spring-Fall season. Mostly dry, seldom wet, no snow. City/highway mix. No track/competition/drag.

I would also have people include any previous setups they have had and how the two compare.

There are more than enough comparison threads for coilovers. Enough to make my eyes bleed for hours.
Reliability is the purpose of this thread, it will turn into a mess if we include comparisons on quality, etc.

EDITED: Added 9th question see OP.

Credit : Phatboislim

Great link to NYCMaxima Thread for Coilovers. BEST layout I've seen for our cars. This will include a good overview for everyone interested.

http://nycmaximas.org/showthread.php?t=28904

Wow, that looks like a great thread. However, I got skeptical once I saw him write this: "but coilovers actually ride way better than ANY spring/strut combo"

Umm, no. I'm sure some CAN, but a blanket statement like that is ridiculous.

Yeah all threads are going to have a few of these. Better than the biased advice and loose statements made across millions of posts though.
To be taken with a grain of salt of course, but an Extremely good log of information.

I especially laughed at all the 'dampening' that seems to be going down over there HAHA

1. Type of Coilovers, if purchased used please note this.
BC Coilovers (purchased new)

2. Install date
August 2010

3. Install Mileage
110k-ish

4. Current Date (Installed for ...years and months)
6 Mon

5. Current Mileage (installed for...miles)
130k miles

6. Issues to date, When issues occured (approx date/mileage)
None

7. Company's Customer service comments
They switched the top hats on the coilovers (left was on right, right was on left), but it wasn't hard to take apart and switch them.

8. Climate/Road Conditions where you drive most often.
Mix of City and Highway. Here in Texas the weather most of the time is really warm so there was no need to take them off for the winter.


Previous set-ups
-Progress/Illuminas

The BC coilovers absorb bumps/potholes/road imperfections so much better then the progress/illuminas. When I had the progress/illuminas, I felt like the suspension bottomed out alot even though I had cut the bumpstops.

1. Type of Coilovers, if purchased used please note this.
Tein Basic dampers

2. Install date
3/2007

3. Install Mileage
80,000(approx)

4. Current Date (Installed for ...years and months)
until car was totaled in Sept '09

5. Current Mileage (installed for...miles)
totaled at roughly 145,000 miles

6. Issues to date, When issues occured (approx date/mileage)
never had any issues with them. rode better than my dad's cushy Buick

7. Company's Customer service comments
n/a

8. Climate/Road Conditions where you drive most often.
northeast Ohio and southern California. freeway and surface streets. light racing

9. What Chassis / Gen
A32 ('98 5spd)

1. Type of Coilovers, if purchased used please note this.
Tein SS, purchased used with about 10-12k miles on them. Previous owner ran for about a year.

2. Install date

3. Install Mileage
Around 60k

4. Current Date (Installed for ...years and months)
Feb 29/2012, I've had them for 5,000 miles and about a 9 months

5. Current Mileage (installed for...miles)
Approx 17,000 miles

6. Issues to date, When issues occured (approx date/mileage)
None

7. Company's Customer service comments
No need for this experience, but some inquiries for fun yielded very slow answers from TEIN USA. Contacting a local vendor would Yield much better results.

8. Climate/Road Conditions where you drive most often.
Southwestern Ontario (winter/salt, crappy roads)

9. What Chassis / Gen
A33 5th Gen

1. Type of Coilovers, if purchased used please note this.
D2 RS & NEX GT

2. Install date
Someday in 2010...

3. Install Mileage
130K

4. Current Date (Installed for ...years and months)
Present day

5. Current Mileage (installed for...miles)
170k

6. Issues to date, When issues occured (approx date/mileage)
Bought the coils with one blown, rebuilt one, a year later I popped another (heavily used before install), rebuilt, good to go.

7. Company's Customer service comments
D2 has awesome customer service...

8. Climate/Road Conditions where you drive most often.
Crap streets, snow, temps dipping below freezing or below 0 on occassion

9. What Chassis / Gen
A33

Car rides well on full stiff, handles great, occasional bounce due to the valving on these dampers. No big deal.

1. Type of Coilovers, if purchased used please note this.
Brand new BC Racing BR type coilovers ( Manufacture date Apr 2012, located on the bottom of the shock )

2. Install date

June 2012

3. Install Mileage

0

4. Current Date (Installed for ...years and months)

1500KM since install 1.5 months


5. Current Mileage (installed for...miles)

Same as 4
6. Issues to date, When issues occured (approx date/mileage)

Only issue was BC didnt torqure the top mount to spec causing the unit to loosen and knock over bumps. My friend noticed the problem and tightened everything down.

7. Company's Customer service comments

I only dealt with a 3rd party rep for BC Racing Canada. I wrote her a email explaining what happened and a heads up to let BC racning know so this would happen to anyone else - I got no reply

8. Climate/Road Conditions where you drive most often.

Toronto Canada. Summer only the car gets parked in my garage from late October - late April

9. What Chassis / Gen

2001 Infiniti I30 ( 5th Gen Maxima )


I love the ride, by far wayyyyy better then my previous K-sport ( Vol1 ) setup. Not clunking, car feels rigid and planted to the ground. Im tucking G35cs up front and my oil pan is 4 inches from the ground and she still drives perfect. No binding of axles and a very pleasent solid ride.