wile_e_coyote

What's the recommended setup here? I'm looking into suspension mods, and was wondering what the difference between coilovers and spring/strut combos are.



Here are my modest requirements for my suspension setup:

(1994 R2)



1) Good street ride -- my girlfriend doesn't want the car shaking over all the bumps. I also don't want to be riding the bumpstops.



2) Good handling -- for the occasional autocross and road course.



3) Slightly lowered stance -- its an RX-7, I want it to look good!



4) Keep the price at around $1000 - $1200.



Anyone have any opinions on Eibach Springs? Racing Beat Springs? Tokico Shocks? TEIN HA coilovers?



Ok, so which setup will help me reach those goals? Thanks guys! So far this forum has been great!

wile_e_coyote

Oops! I forgot to ask about the M2 coilover conversion. Are they good? What is a good shock to attach them to?

Mazderati

If you go the spring and strut route and plan to autox, check into who has the higher rate springs. Just about everyone I know of that had spring and shock combos on an FD would rub the fenders when they autoxed or tracked their cars. I think M2's springs have a higher rate whereas Eibach's off-the-shelf stuff, PFS and others have relatively stock type spring rates.

wile_e_coyote

Fender rubbing is NOT acceptable. Is it because of the drop? Coilovers drop the car too. Why wouldn't they rub also?

j9fd3s

yeah the drop + a bump and turning the wheel will yank your front fenders out. if you dont want a harsh ride id look into maybe tokiko illuminas with rb/or eibach springs



mike

j9fd3s

actually you have a 94 r2, leave it alone its the best setup



mike

alberto_mg

If you want good ride quality, you probably will not be very happy with a coilover setup. Look at the spring rates for those puppies and you'll see that the lowest spring rates for the front are around 550lbs/in. That is a bit stiff for bumpy roads.



I would say get the Koni adjustable shocks with Eibachs or H&R springs. I'm assuming you are running the original shocks and I'm assuming they are tired here. I like the adjustable Konis for 2 reason:

1. You can adjust how stiff they are.

2. You can adjust ride height via the adjustable spring perches. So if you get your springs and decide its not low enough, you can drop it to the next lowest of the 3 spring perch heights.



I'd stay away from the RB springs b/c they are stiffer than the others. H&R seem to be 1/4" lower than the Eibachs. There is a really good thread about this topic on the other board under the Suspension > Archives section by SleepR1 or something like that.



Honestly, any of these setups will work well for autox and track days. Hell, your stock setup should be fine if the shocks arent' tired.

wile_e_coyote

Ok ok...so this guy thinks Springs/struts will rub, but the rest of you guys think springs/struts is the way to go.



Will the Eibach's + Illuminas 5 way or KYB adj. cause any rubbing? Also, what is this about the stock R2 setup being better?



So lets get this straight guys...NO COILOVERS then? So far, none has recommended it. Even my autocross guru buddy says to avoid them like the plague.

j9fd3s

for the street the r2 setup has the best ride vs handling bar none. one of my friends has a 94 r2 and its the best and easiest to drive of the bunch, and we all have coil overs and stuff



mike

wile_e_coyote

Ok...so should I just change the shocks out, and leave the springs?



Suspension has 70k miles on it. Shocks are gonna go soon, if they aren't gone already. What is the servicable life of springs?



If I need to change the shocks, then I might as well change the springs right?



Darn, I really wanted to drop my car a little. There's a little too big of a gap between the wheel and fenderwell for my liking.