full coilovers

full coilovers

i've been seriously considering buying a set of full coilovers for my 98 corolla. i've looked into the superstrut setup as well as the ksport coilover setup. but all together i'm really skeptical in terms of full coilover longevity. i live in the northeast and i drive my car rain or shine. i also autox which requires some serious supension. so i was wondering about how long i should expect my coilovers to last in new england weather. does anyone have any experiences they would like to share?

It'll last as long as any other suspension set, 60-100K depending on condition. Full coilovers are overhaulable and rebuildable which is why you should buy it from a reputable company. Tein USA charges about $95/side for a standard overhaul. Other JDM brands require you to have your local distributor ship them back to the factory and price would vary. You should also attempt to keep your coilovers as clean as possible by taking a high pressure hose to the thread body and strut piston/dust boot.

I've heard you mention how JIC coilovers aren't the best, but in the latest Sport Compact Car there's a supercar shootout with Supras, RX7s and Evos, many of which are running the JIC FLT A2 coilover. Seems like they're a good brand if guys who throw $75,000 in mods at their cars use them...

Have you guys seen that video of a WRX doing auto-x wher his JIC coilovers fell apart on him?

Well, he was taking this turn and then his whole hub assembly fell off from where it connects to the strut. Fortunately enough, JIC has offices in america where he can bring them in and get a new one by warranty. But think about it, would you want to have your hub fall off while you're just driving on the highway?

If it was the hub that failed, how is that the responsibility of the coilover?

you can go for d2, bigger name and bigger company than ksport, but still cheaper than JIC..you can grab a set for around 1100 ish

D2 and Ksport is the exact same Tawanese company.
http://www.d2racing.com.tw
D2 only rebadged their brand to Ksport to market them in Japan
I cannot comment on them because they have such a short track record in the US. They've only been showing up this past year and been gaining popularuity because many new distributors are offering them at extremely low prices. The thing I dont like about them is their logo strongly resembles "D2 Technik," a european tuning compny.

I have not yet read this month's SCC so I have no idea what car were running what brand suspension but I have noticed their project silvia does use JIC-Magic produsts and SCC seem to have some sort of tie to Ziel Mortorsports (JIC's main US distributor, not to be confused about Endless/Zeal). Their products are great, when they work.. but many people who own them have complained about the products involving, incorrect valving, spring rates, and build quality and even more about Ziel motorsports' customer service or lack of when they were called upon to resolve the issues.
Believe me I was impartial a year back when I started doing research on my next suspension setup, (I ALWAYS do heavy research before I buy anything for my car, especially when that product cost ~1500.) The first thing I found was a guy on NASIOC who had his entire shock body snap in half seperating the upper mount from the lower hub. More research on Honda-Tech.com lead me to find a thread about a shop who stopped carrying JIC products when their customers came back with numerous problems- they called on Ziel to resolve the problems but Ziel refuse to warranty the coilovers, the sub-distributor eventually refunded the customer at their own lost. I have heard horror story after horry story about JIC-Magic enough for me to stay away even though I could get them directly from Japan for much less than MSRP, and a few bills less than my current setup.
But here's a detail account from a S2K customer who dealt with Ziel motorsport . It's your money and I wont tell you how to spend it, I'm just offering a warning and you guys could choose to take or ignore it.
http://www.s2ki.com/forums/index.php?showtopic=240055
**Check out the sig of the last guy on the bottom of pg1.. hi-larious

Crazy story. I remember reading stories like that in the past, but with so many tuners using their products it's hard to know what's an isolated story or a real trend. After having my wheel fall off last night I don't need any more drama with my car. I think I'll stay away from JIC.