I have had the following coilovers on my NSX:
1) Comptech Pro
2) JRZ's
3) Tein RE's
4) KW V3
Good writeup!
I care about real world performance on some of our bumpy, NON-RACETRACK roadways. I recommend going with the softer springs like oem or Zanardi and putting them on the lower perch of Bilstein shocks. You can then compliment them with stiffer swaybars like the adjustable Dali Street/Track set.
Softer springs give a better ride over rougher conditions and the adjustable stiffer sways will help with body roll and fine tune it's over/under steer characteristics.
With aftermarket coilovers, I've noticed they are absolute handling monsters when roads are extremely smooth. But when the roads start getting bumpy and rough, I find that the stiff coilovers start to cause the wheels to skip and cause the front end to push or the rear end swings out.
If you are going to spend $800-1,300 on a suspension, I still think a Koni/Eibach lowering spring setup (or Bilstein/Swift) would be better than a cheap coilover.
Cheap coilovers are often under-sprung, have poor damping characteristics, and
not much suspension travel (compression or droop/rebound) which makes for a very upsetting ride.
Cheap coilovers rely on stiff springs to overcome their poor dampers to reduce body roll and 'increase performance'. With a lack of compression and rebound travel, and the stiff springs with poor dampers, they WILL 'skip' over bumps, be very upsetting and give a harsh ride. This poor damper/stiff spring combination/lack of travel causes the car to push/understeer than snap into oversteer which is provoked over bumps.
Bottoming out or hitting the droop limit in cheap coilovers (as well as the poor damping characteristics) play a HUGE role in ride quality and handling performance.
Like stock, a Koni/Bilstein Eibach/Swift setup has much more compression and rebound/droop travel than most cheap coilovers. This keeps the tires on the ground and makes for a more compliant and predictable ride.
Good coilovers like JRZ/Moton/KW (Variant 3 and 3-way motorsports)/Penske all have a lot more droop travel and higher quality dampers than cheap coilovers. There is a reason why a high-sprung JRZ/Moton/KW rides better than an equally stiff or even softer cheap coilover. The double and triple-adjustable characteristics are very useful in fine-tuning the handling and comfort of the car on the street or track compared to cheap coilovers which go from under-damped and 'springy' to kidney-punching stiff and not compliant.
Suspension is a very complex and involved component. Plus it affects your ride quality and performance every second you're in the car.
INVEST in a good suspension. If you cant go with the likes of a good coilover, I would probably say its better to go with a good shock/spring combo then pay for the name 'coilover' and live with the compromises of a cheap setup.
Funny thing, my Girlfriend was riding in my KW V3-equipped NSX and said it rode better than my M3 on Koni/H&R lowering springs and especially more than my Tein equipped MR2 Turbo, "comparable to her stock suspension 3-series BMW on stock suspension". Granted they are different platforms, take it for what its worth.
Billy
