d2 coilovers - good or bad?

[shihad]

bc's are same price just without the horror stories.

You notice the ride difference when adjusting the dampers on BC's! I can't stand mine with anything other than fully soft (well maybe up to 7/30 possible clicks) in my Corolla. Tried them at around half way (which BC recommend for "sports driving") and they car was waaay to stiff / bumpy / sketchy doing 90km/h over a piece of road that can be done comfortably at a speed much much quicker than that.

year im on softest setting as well.is that recommendation for when bc's in your car or any car?

[1I1]

Pretty sure thats regardless of what car they are in. But then it can be up to personal preference as to how hard you have them, the car itself and the roads you drive on

MR2, rears, they're a mcpherson setup afaik.

Yeah they would be classed as mac strut - the hub upright mounts directly onto the bottom of the strut like the D2's pictured earlier did.

[iOnic]

Every coilover I've seen for MR2's (probably the same for most cars) have pillowball upper mounts in the rear so the strut can physically move far enough for the bottom of the strut to just about touch the inside of the wheel well while the top is still bolted to the strut tower.

Smashing into a curb side-on would have bugger all effect on the actual strut/shock there's way more allowance for movement there than in any other part of the suspension - Lower control arm, toe arm, rear subframe, driveshaft, wheel bearing and rim would wear the full impact and the weakest links would break/bend. If you're unlucky you might break a bolt hole if your bolts aren't tight enough but that's about it.

The reason he didn't smash his strut apart isn't because he has super awesome $2.5k Tein's - it's because the suspension design doesn't transfer much lateral load into the strut. Silvias smash into curbs side-on all the time with any number of different brands of coilovers and all they ever really replace is a bunch of arms and a wheel or two before they go out dirfing again.

If he drove straight up and over a curb at speed though that would be a different story. Don't be fooled - Any coilover can break. Even Tein's. They're not made of lead forged by Conan in the shadow of Mt Doom.

[JustinSpiderholden]

So all I can gather from this thread is:

1: All coilovers will break if treated badly
2: Some people rate d2s some people think there crap
3: BC's seem like a good option for a similar price
4: If you a baller buy Tiens, Ohlins or Penskies, or KW's, Blisteins

[iOnic]

^ Basically the points I've been trying to make.
Every D2 I've seen break did so because someone did something that you normally wouldn't do - yes some of the more expensive coilovers can take more abuse before they break....but you shouldn't be abusing any coilovers in the first place and when they do eventually break you only have yourself to blame not the product.

[d1 mule]

^ i pretty much agree with you, however the first gen D2s were complete crap for the most part. Evidently the 2nd gen are quite good, more on par with BC etc

[JustinSpiderholden]

So in Summary if you can get BC's for a similar price get them

But you have to ask yourself do you really need coilovers in a street car?

[touge_ae101]

But you have to ask yourself do you really need coilovers in a street car?

define 'need'.

a street car doesn't need coilovers, but they are popular because of three reasons:
1. they make your ride look 'cool' and slammed
2. its an easily accessible and cheap (comparitive to a bilstein or similar shock package) as a handling upgrade.

orr...
3. your street car is also a race car

or any combination of the above.

[sergei]

I am going to be flamed for this, but in my opinion you are far better to spend money on nice shock+spring combo than buying cheap coilovers with unknown quality shocks.
For example you could put Bilstein inserts with matched springs in standard struts and that will handle much better and more consistent than Chinese coilovers.

[Mr Revhead]

I agree sergei.

First gen D2s were incredibly crap and I'm surprised they were allowed to be sold to be honest.

[Dell'Orto]

The fact their NZ agent dropped the brand says enough for me. I'll reserve judgment on the second gen stuff til I see more of it though.

[touge_ae101]

i also agree sergei no flaming neccessary. but the fact nis the average joe with their cap on sideways or even someone new to the car scene doesn't have knowledge and or access to packages such as bilstein. it is a lot easier and less intimidating to buy some coilovers off trademe than go to a proper suspension tuning shop and nut out what you want from your car.

plus coilovers have become so popular every man and his dog wants them.

[Bling]

plus coilovers have become so popular every man with a flat peak and his handbag dog wants them.

Fixed

[Akane]

The reason he didn't smash his strut apart isn't because he has super awesome $2.5k Tein's - it's because the suspension design doesn't transfer much lateral load into the strut. Silvias smash into curbs side-on all the time with any number of different brands of coilovers and all they ever really replace is a bunch of arms and a wheel or two before they go out dirfing again.

hey Mr expert, drove straight onto an island at 40kph and smashed my front bumper, side skirts (and pushed up fenders where it's mounted, on it's sheer loading), the sway bar has gone up and around to the other side, teins still intact and 100%. This fits into your description of "it will break", and I thought it did (and it should). at 40kph you jump up from nothing to 150mm off the ground in a split second and I have 35R18 profile tyres, still going fine.

And if you hit the curb side on (rear of MR2), the hub will pivot around the lower arm and will buckle the shock body just above where the top bolt goes through. If you have lowered your suspensions correctly the lower arm would be horizontal, and at that time the chance of it being bent is next to zero, all of the force gets transferred to the weak shock body, and since the shock body is nice and long it has leverage power and readily easily bend, total opposite of what you said/think. The factory bilstein didn't stand a chance, took a good chuck out of the curb, wheel bearing and wheel are fine. Don't forget the lower arm is an RSJ, the shock body is nothing but a hollowed out tube trying to look pretty.

Not saying TEINS are made of diamond and will never break, but when was the last time you hear a set of teins snap off while you're trying to drift but not hitting anything? :/

I have given my teins hell and then some, still intact, if they break 6 months down the track I'm still impressed.

Oh yea, teins are pretty super awesome for the price I got mine for.

[iOnic]

Moral of that story: Buy Tein's if you spend a fair bit of time crashing into curbs.

[tsoob]

From what I know with the industry the d2 product is going to get more and more market share over the next 2 years,

also the warrantee is DOUBLE that of the BC.

(plus BC comes from redline and they are just a bunch of dorks to deal with)

[Akane]

Moral of that story: Buy Tein's if you spend a fair bit of time crashing into curbs.

Or a tank.

Or don't get a mid engine so you can actually go more sideways :S

[samlloyd]

+1 for BCs

[Malcolm]

Moral of that story: Buy Tein's if you spend a fair bit of time crashing into curbs.

The spherical bearing is of no use in preventing damage if you don't have a pivot at the lower attachment point too, as virtually all macpherson strut cars do.

I am going to be flamed for this, but in my opinion you are far better to spend money on nice shock+spring combo than buying cheap coilovers with unknown quality shocks.
For example you could put Bilstein inserts with matched springs in standard struts and that will handle much better and more consistent than Chinese coilovers.

This is so true. People don't know or care what a shock absorber does, or why it's important they're matched to your spring/car. Most people don't know or care that there's more to a damper's performance than how "stiff" it is, and don't understand how large an effect it can have on a car's grip, especially in transients of cornering (entry/exit) and over rough surfaces.

[Mr Ree]

I am going to be flamed for this, but in my opinion you are far better to spend money on nice shock+spring combo than buying cheap coilovers with unknown quality shocks.
For example you could put Bilstein inserts with matched springs in standard struts and that will handle much better and more consistent than Chinese coilovers.

Amen to that brother.

coilovers shmoilovers