Are brand names important in aftermarket upgrades?
Which brands should I avoid?
Which brands are great?
Tein is pretty garbage, their monoflex's are good though. Everything else they make is borderline Chinese with pretty paint.
Some companies are better than others. Most of the Jap companies are vastly overpriced for what you're getting, but still good stuff. US parts are also pretty expensive, but the expensive US made stuff, say AMS or FullRace, is very good, and mostly much better than what you'd get from a Jap company for the same price.
HKS: Good but expensive
Tomei: Great but mostly reasonably priced
Greddy: Good but insanely expensive (3k for a turbo using 25 year old tech)
Fullrace: Great but expensive, and their manifolds will still crack
AMS: BRING MONEY
6boost: Expensive but best manifolds around, heavy steampipe that won't crack
Godspeed: fuck off
So yeah brand name is important, but it can also mean overpaying for less, especially if you're talking about comparing US to Jap companies
>>14005220
Even Street Basis are fairly okay; on par with higher-end smooth body shocks like Tokico Illuminas. They're better than the actual Chinese crap at the same price (Megan Racing).
I have a set of Tein TypeFlex on my miata that I got a good deal on. I've used coilovers before and these are my favorite. I can tell you from experience to avoid cheap ebay shit. Believe me, you'll thank me later.
>>14005184
Yes brand matters.
Avoid Raceland like the plague.
Meanwhile KW has been said to be the rolls royce of coilover suspensions.
I have KW V1 coilovers on my Saturn.
You'll generally have less problems with products from a big-name company.
The best companies for race-car seats are either Corbeau or Recaro, though Recaro is notably more expensive.
There are little hole in the wall companies with fantastic parts, but they're few and far between. Here's the best hole in the wall companies I know of with great parts.
http://zzperformance.com (GM Ecotec cars and 3800 W-bodies)
http://milzymotorsports.com (GM W-body and N-body cars)
http://fmsrperformance.com/index.php?route=common/home (GM Ecotec engines)
http://www.toyboxracing.net/1nz-fe-parts.html (Toyota Echo/Vitz/Yaris/Scion xA/04-06 Scion xB)
In the end, which brands to get and avoid varies widely by car, so research on which brands work best on your vehicle is your best bet.
>>14005402
>Meanwhile KW has been said to be the rolls royce of coilover suspensions.
Kek. More like the Volkswagen of coilovers. Maybe BMW if you're feeling generous.
>>14005402
Also, Bride and Recaro are the big name street tuner seats. Corbeau is known for their entry-level club racing seats. Big money top dollar racing seats are Racetech and LaJoie.
>>14005411
>Porsche uses KW suspension on their race cars as do all cars in the World Touring Car Championship
>lol it's shit
kill yourself. KW is god-tier
>>14005440
Meanwhile, in real motorsports, Penske and Ohlins and Moton/AST/whatever they're called today are used on everything.
>>14005437
Bride uses really shitty fabric that wears out after a year or two of daily driving.
>>14005437
Brie is only ever used because it's Japanese and JDM weebs don't know any better. Even when the Japanese car makers need a sport seat for their cars, they always avoid Bride and go straight to Recaro.
no
>sparco
love?
i got a suede steering wheel from em and has held up fine along with the NRG gen 3.5 and hub and lock
>>14005549
the holy tinity of steering wheels
Personal, Sparco, Momo
>>14005184
you should only care about reputable product lines and years of production
>>14005549
How much weight approximately do I shave off by getting an aftermarket wheel? I don't even use cruise control anyways.
>>14005574
2 pounds for me when I swapped a stock non bag wheel to a momo
>>14005574
depends if it has airbag or not
its pretty negligible, the aftermarket steering wheel may be lighter but what ever you attach it to will make it weigh the same if not a bit less
>>14005586
+1
it may be a 1-3 pound loss
Yonakas any good?
Been thinking about getting em for Saturnalia
just get keioffice
Also like
>>14005402
said there are a lot of little companies around that make parts for very specific cars or a small group of similar cars.
Like I have an 05 Focus with an FSWerks exhaust. Never heard of them but it's a full stainless, really nice. Better than the Magnaflow they offer for my car.
Check around forums for your car and see what other people are using then decide for yourself based on what you want and what you can spend.
Then again, other people like to go the route of using some OEM "higher trim level of the same car" performance/upgrade parts. Like a lot of Benz people like to put some AMG parts on their cars.
>>14005440
>>14005464
Uh excuse me you're forgetting about Bilstein
>>14005663
>Check around forums for your car and see what other people are using
>this
not to shit on /o/ but they will have their shit together more or less and there will always be a fag willing to help. and since its car specific that weeds out useless shit
>>14005667
Are Bilsteins big in motorsports other than NASCAR/circle track and off-road?
OMP BEST SEATS AND STEERING WHEELS
>>14005745
>>14005745
never heard of them
i just google it and they look like baby or child car seats for adults lol
>>14005464
>this type of racing isn't racing
Autism everyone!
Stuff I've had good luck with in my experience:
DC sports
Go Fast Bits
Recaro
AEM
AMS
Ultimate Racing
ETS
>>14005184
I can't think of an example of a no name piece being as good as a top brand name.
the exception for me is those ebay cast exhaust manifolds, you can tidy them up to work well enough and it's such a simple item it's hard for a no name shitter to fuck it up
ohlins is best
>>14005698
bilstein shocks with king springs were the goto setup for a couple of years on skylinesaustralia
Didn't lower the car much, but great handling and had some height/damping adjustment. Dunno about full bilstein coilovers, though.
![1391086399606[2].gif](https://i.imgur.com/0fmAI4z.gif "1391086399606[2].gif")
>>14005402
>KW V1 coilovers on my Saturn.
>KW has been said to be the rolls royce of coilover suspensions.
>>14006051
The Saturn Ion gets a lot of spillover aftermarket support since its direct sister car is the giant killing Chevrolet Cobalt.
>>14006042
>Spending $15,000 on uprights
what the fuck anon are you a trillionaire
>>14006066
I was mocking the fact that you believe something to be better than it is just because you have it
>>14005184
Penske
Bilstein
Koni
Sparco
Bride
Karcepts
Speedway Engineering
OSGiken
>>14006103
never said that. When picking the coilovers I could get, I had a choice of B&G or KW. I chose via eeny meanie miny mo. I found out about KW's reputation after the fact.
>>14005402
I know Racelands are cheap, but why are they so bad?
>>14006265
because they're cheap
>>14006295
Thats it?
>>14006311
google shock absorber technology to find out all the things racelands don't have
>>14006311
he means made cheap, like using cheap components and missing useful features
>>14006341
Ah, thanks.
>>14006122
>Bride
>>14006311
shock absorbers are an area where you definitely get what you pay for.
eg. xida aren't a famous brand but they still aren't cheap
>>14006386
Xidas are made by Moton/AST/HVT. It's about as famous as it gets. They actually are the Rolls-Royce of suspension.
>>14006411
okay, P5
>$6,000 coilovers
>$5,500 forged magnesium wheels
>$40 nanking tires
Literally the only car thing that triggers me
>>14006428
>he isn't hektik
>>14006424
Snake oil.
>>14006457
not sure wat that is graph is supposed to mean.
>>14006122
Dat anti speed camera license plate...
>>14005698
At this point I don't think Bilstein offers much good off the shelf, they've fallen behind. However since they're accessible and easy to get parts/design around they're probably your best bang for your buck if you want to DIY or have a suspension guy you trust.
Fingers crossed that next season I didn't waste a bunch of money getting some Bilsteins custom valved for autox. Still coming out cheaper than Ohlins though.
http://farnorthracing.com/autocross_secrets18.html
And anybody who turns their nose up at circle track stuff is a fool, just as much durability and precision is required to dominate the local dirt track when the when the big names show up as it does in Le Mans.
As for other brands, it all depends. Some niggas will be happy with Kosei's or Rota's, others want peace of mind spending the extra few bucks to have Enkei's or Weds they can trust for life.
My uncle has shitty ebay godspeed low and slow coilovers and he loves them, nobody should give a shit what you do, just do enough research that you don't immediately regret it upon opening the box.
>>14007072
Never heard or seen rotas fuck up, I've had 15 track days with mine and I know tons of guys who run then too without incident
>>14007092
whoops, forgot to throw weight in as a factor, didn't mean to solely imply that the durability of rotas were in question.
For suspension?
Ohlins
Sachs
Penske
Bilstein
JRI
Moton
Koni
All these are serviceable and can be damped specifically to your application, so although they cost a lot, they last forever and when they blow you can fix them rather than tossing all 4 like you probably would with cheap stuff, because in 5-10 years who knows if that make/model will still be around and if the specs are the same, you wouldn't be able to replace one corner.
>>14005244
I just ordered steet basis coilovers
They are better than my stock struts
And I know they are better than buying strut and springs seperatly.
Tien is pretty ok.
>>14007131
It is true that rotas are heavier replicas, however real work emotions are 13.8 lbs 17x8, and my rota reps are 16 lbs each
Not spectacular but quite light, I'm actually looking at koseis for track days lol
>>14007283
>And I know they are better than buying strut and springs seperatly.
Separate shocks and springs could be as good or better if they're Illuminas or Bilsteins or Konis. Tein is a solid choice, though. You done good.
>>14007799
for my budget its not.
Does lowering overcoils have any effect on the travel of the shock and creating a more harsh ride quality? As in vaping and scraping on a leaf low versus an inch lower then stock.
Buy shit off Ebay for cheap, its all the same shit anyway
>>14010283
>Does lowering overcoils have any effect on the travel of the shock and creating a more harsh ride quality?
yes
>>14010290
incorrect
Wilwood for brake kits or nah senpai?
Can't afford brembos
>>14007283
I bought those and dropped my miata an inch. I'm good with it.
>>14010339
wilwood is good. what kind of car and for what application?
>>14005616
I know they make a decent exhaust system for hondas. Only slightly more expensive than ebay shit but with a much nicer sound for the same performance boost.
>>14010376
Just trying to upgrade my EM2's brakes for street use/touging. Right now my brakes overall are very weak.
>>14005631
Kei Office had been known as DG-5 for years now, kek
>>14010396
>EM2
>I want brembos for sikk cred
>my boyfriend will let me suck his dick if I do it
>>14010396
>em2
no offence dude but I'd save the money on wilwoods and put it towards your next car
>>14010443
>>14010461
Okay. What's a better brake kit for an EM2?
>>14010472
if you really must upgrade the brakes on your 1.7L econobox, just get your rotors turned, buy some performance brake pads (Hawk or something) and also get some performance brake fluid with a high boiling point. Braided brake lines can add more brake feel too, idk if you care about that.
>>14010472
Wilwoods? they're bretty good for miatas
>>14010575
>>14010571
Oh thanks.
>>14010600
keep in mind if you go with a big brake kit you need to check if you have clearance with your wheels. Honestly if it's stock then you really don't need a big brake kit, I've got a turbo miata with stock brakes and they do a pretty good job. Do a brake fluid flush, you'd be surprised how much it affects the performance
can anyone name some non name brand shit that's good tho
damn right a 10k set of shocks or a 5k crank should be good
