[christafurr]

I'm looking into buying some coilovers but had a question regarding the MAX height.

Current Set-Up: M-sport supension with 19in wheels
Front: 19x8.5 ET35 235/35/19
Rear: 19x9.5 ET45 265/30/19

I don't want to slam my car, just a mild drop to eliminate the wheel gap. ST coils advertise a MINIMUM drop of 1.2-2.4in. I wanted to see what max height with ST coils looks like. I still need to be able to get up onto my driveway without scraping anything.

Pic of my driveway for reference

UPDATE: Just got my ST's installed this past weekend and all I can say is WOW!! The comfort feels the exact same as sport suspension. The handling is amazing and no rubbing or scraping anywhere! 10/10 would recommend. No pics as of now, need to get a car wash first

[SLOWER]

Is the distance between your lip and the concrete more than 1.2" in that pic?

[oregondonor]

I just picked up a set of ST coilovers and they are sitting in their box waiting to be installed. I called ST and talked to one of the engineers there and was informed that the minimum advertised drop is off of the base suspension height.

From what I've read the M-Sport drop is .6 inches over base suspension. Some quick math and you're looking at another .6 inches with the ST coilovers at minimum drop.

Looks to me like you have about an inch to work with?

[christafurr]

Originally Posted by SLOWER

Is the distance between your lip and the concrete more than 1.2" in that pic?

I'll have to measure when I get home but it's cutting it pretty close.

Originally Posted by oregondonor

I just picked up a set of ST coilovers and they are sitting in their box waiting to be installed. I called ST and talked to one of the engineers there and was informed that the minimum advertised drop is off of the base suspension height.

From what I've read the M-Sport drop is .6 inches over base suspension. Some quick math and you're looking at another .6 inches with the ST coilovers at minimum drop.

Looks to me like you have about an inch to work with?

Thanks for the help! Just wondering if I should stick with ST or find another brand where the minimum drop isn't so drastic. Don't know if there's a point in riding around at max height for coilovers.

[i M HOONIGAN]

I just put ST coils on - upgraded from non-sport stock suspension. At the highest setting, the car sat a bit higher than my stock non-sport suspension. When i first installed, i was probably at the 20% height setting on the front, and i just barely fit a pack of cigarettes under the front bumper...

Right now, I'm at about 80% height, and can fit my finger between the tire and wheel well...

From the ground to the middle of the wheel arch, I believe i'm at 25.25" or something like that. I highly recommend getting ST Coils. love my setup.

[christafurr]

Originally Posted by Mtech E90 E83

I just put ST coils on - upgraded from non-sport stock suspension. At the highest setting, the car sat a bit higher than my stock non-sport suspension. When i first installed, i was probably at the 20% height setting on the front, and i just barely fit a pack of cigarettes under the front bumper...

Right now, I'm at about 80% height, and can fit my finger between the tire and wheel well...

From the ground to the middle of the wheel arch, I believe i'm at 25.25" or something like that. I highly recommend getting ST Coils. love my setup.

THANK YOU!!! That was the info I was looking for. I wanted to have about 1 finger gap all the way around and this is pushing me closer to ST Coils. How much different is the comfort compared to stock? Is it hard to adjust the coils once they're on the car?

Interesting how you mentioned that it sat higher at the max setting. Don't they advertise a 1.2 in drop minimum?

[tova86]

For the rear it's max height will be alil lower than sport suspension.. front will be like sport suspension.. so these don't go high at all.

[i M HOONIGAN]

Originally Posted by christafurr

THANK YOU!!! That was the info I was looking for. I wanted to have about 1 finger gap all the way around and this is pushing me closer to ST Coils. How much different is the comfort compared to stock? Is it hard to adjust the coils once they're on the car?

Interesting how you mentioned that it sat higher at the max setting. Don't they advertise a 1.2 in drop minimum?

Hey man, That's what i thought too!!! But, I guess the shocks/struts have to settle a little more. 2-3 days of driving later, it really didn't settle much more. I'm at like 80% height now, but if I wanted, I'm confident that I can get to stock height - i just don't want to.

As for the comfort, I'm thoroughly impressed. On normal/comfortable street driving, i can "feel" the road a lot better. On bumps, they actually absorb the impact better than the non-sport suspension I had. There's this little 1" curb/lip that I have to drive over when I get on a bridge on my way to work, and my non-sport suspension always felt a huge thump when I drove over it. With these ST coils, the impact is absorbed quite a bit, and the ride was more comfortable. These aren't the stiffest coils, but the car feels a LOT more composed and planted during hard corners.

As for adjusting the height, it comes with this adjusting tool... It's not hard, just annoying and time consuming. Just take the wheel off - use the tool to twist the portion that the spring sits on.

Highly recommended...

[christafurr]

Originally Posted by Mtech E90 E83

Hey man, That's what i thought too!!! But, I guess the shocks/struts have to settle a little more. 2-3 days of driving later, it really didn't settle much more. I'm at like 80% height now, but if I wanted, I'm confident that I can get to stock height - i just don't want to.

As for the comfort, I'm thoroughly impressed. On normal/comfortable street driving, i can "feel" the road a lot better. On bumps, they actually absorb the impact better than the non-sport suspension I had. There's this little 1" curb/lip that I have to drive over when I get on a bridge on my way to work, and my non-sport suspension always felt a huge thump when I drove over it. With these ST coils, the impact is absorbed quite a bit, and the ride was more comfortable. These aren't the stiffest coils, but the car feels a LOT more composed and planted during hard corners.

As for adjusting the height, it comes with this adjusting tool... It's not hard, just annoying and time consuming. Just take the wheel off - use the tool to twist the portion that the spring sits on.

Highly recommended...

I think you convinced me to pull the trigger on these...thanks again!

[Conti.]

Go for it. And if it's to low and you scrape consider getting one of these. I think there called bridjit. I'm sure there's few different companies. But either way that should help you clear the driveway

[i M HOONIGAN]

Originally Posted by christafurr

I think you convinced me to pull the trigger on these...thanks again!

Hey man, not a problem. After a few days of driving (sometimes pretty hard around corners), i LOVE this new setup...

IF you're in WA, and you have ridiculous winters, you might want to look into KWv1's... The only difference between STv1 and KWv1 is that the STv1 is Galvanized steel, and the KW is Stainless Steel (better rust prevention).

I bought my set from RICH@GTB - one of the vendors here. Great customer service!

My only regret about the STv1 - is that I didn't get and install them sooner

ALSO, remember that if you buy from a vendor, you have warranty... 5 years from ST, i believe... If you buy a used set, the warranty does NOT transfer over.

[christafurr]

Just got my ST's installed this past weekend and all I can say is WOW!! The comfort feels the exact same as sport suspension. The handling is amazing and no rubbing or scraping anywhere! 10/10 would recommend

[DrnknCamel]

You will just have to pull up to your driveway sideways and turn the wheel and put the tire on the curb first, it will lift your front bumper over the hump.

[swagon]

What STs are you talking about? X, XA, XTA or the old ones?

[christafurr]

Originally Posted by swagon

What STs are you talking about? X, XA, XTA or the old ones?

I believe X. There's height adjustment but no dampening. But the comfort is perfect, so I wouldn't adjust the dampening anyways.

[ze_german]

Nice thread, thanks for sharing! This is def my next upgrade and like you I don't want the car too low because of dips and bumps in my street.

I can't make a choice between the X and the XTA since they pack everything into one good deal. Anybody experience with that?

[christafurr]

Originally Posted by ze_german

Nice thread, thanks for sharing! This is def my next upgrade and like you I don't want the car too low because of dips and bumps in my street.

I can't make a choice between the X and the XTA since they pack everything into one good deal. Anybody experience with that?

If you don't plan on tracking your car, I believe X should suffice. The ride feels very similar, if not more comfortable than my previous sport suspension.