Coilover suggestions

[Iamhiding]

Alrighty, coilovers, so its a topic that comes up from time to time.

So here's a wee write up just highlight where i'm at. over the last 4-5 years of ph2 172 ownership initially ran cup shocks on eibach sportlines, was well impressed for a budget setup but after switching to 15"/ps3s and significant weight stripping i found it to just sit too high. Going low was and never will be the goal, i dont care for the stance scene, functionally low is what i'm after.

Next decided to go bilstein b14 which definetly was much better, rear ride height being still slightly higher than ideal given that there's no weight in the back and theyre not designed with a stripped car on smaller wheels in mind. I reckon they deserve their reputation, minus limiting rear height adjustability theyre almost perfect for road use but i was finding them a bit soft when really pushed on with ad08r / rs / ns2r. Not sure if it was damping or spring rate i was finding issue with though.

So i went with what seemed like the next sensible option for a budget brie' road bashing "hero" spec 172. Gaz gha's spec'd with fr425/r300 ftlb, stuck conservativeish with the spring rates as i bounced between semi slicks / ps3s seasonally at the time, it is primarily a road car and just went a little stiffer than b14s. Found the spring rates to be slightly more suited but any more than this to me is just more comprimising than im looking for. So anyway the rear height adjustment the proper coilover allows for is good and the damper adjustment was fun to experiment with but the range of useful adjustment is a bit limited but is plenty fine and serves its purpose. Ultimately the b14s are a better setup but just lack that little more flexibility in adjustment im looking for.

In the meantime... Ive Matured a smidge and decided to retire the semi slicks for road use, ive wound my neck in a bit and its too much money to be replacing tyres as often on a daily, might play with them in the future but im not going to set the car up based on them. Ps3s on 15s are great on the road minus the sidewalls being softer than id like but any more tyre than this is, whilst lots of fun, is just over the top.

So... I miss the compliant nature of b14s and for numerous reasons i've had enough of the gha's. If only the b14 had a little more adjustment to suit.

Any thoughts for a fast road coilover? Thinking about trying out bc racing as thats as high as the budget will stretch, shame theyre not proper rear coilovers but at least their rear shocks are height adjustable vs just spring and adjuster.

Any thoughts, experience in this area or on clio bc's would be appreciated.

 

[Bankrupt_drunk]

They looked expensive, but the ASTs fitted to @frayz 182 seem like the answer to your question...

 

[Daniel]

For a road car I’d go B14’s, no question.

Too soft for track though, not that that matters to 90% of clio owners.

 

[Kev@KAM]

With BC Racing you dont alter the ride height on the shock absorber - It comes with plastic spacers which stack under the spring. Removing them gives the lowest setting and its certainly low enough even on stripped cars.
Technically i'd say the dampers are not quite as good as the Bilstein but not a horrific way off. The DS series is the most similar in technology to the Bilstein. You could spec the same front rate as the Bilstein and it will be a good kit. You would also have solid top mounts so would be able to add a little bit of extra castor.

You could spend £1200 more on AST's and they certainly will have a better ride - no question about it - but they also need to be serviced to keep them in great condition. If you are doing a lot of road miles this may occur sooner than you'd like so factor that into any budget. AST reccomend yearly servicing I believe.

If you are wanting a rear coilover then I think you'd need to up your budget a little to stick with a monotube setup. Avo do a monotube coilover at £1200 which will react to smaller shaft movements than a twin tube like the GAZ

Whatever kit you go for, get some ACF-50 or corrosion block,some coilover socks and give them some cleaning maintenance every couple of months so they stay in good condition whatever the weather