raceland coilovers

[240_benzo]

figured id post this here for best chance to get decent responses
i got some put on my leggy wagon about 2k miles ago
i lowered it quite a bit but not all the way down--yet
its suuuper bouncy but cant figure out why
from all the other reviews people make them sound pretty solid
any input/ideas? thanks so much =]

[xoSubieLegacyxo]

did you buy them new or used?

[MarkSubi]

Pretty sure he got them new.

[Wiscon_Mark]

Coilovers are generally very stiff. This doesn't sound all that out of the ordinary. There was a discussion in the suspension/chassis forum recently about coilovers and racelands were mentioned: viewtopic.php?f=13&t=23033 (http://www.sl-i.net/FORUM/viewtopic.php?f=13&t=23033)

[MarkSubi]

Coilovers are generally very stiff. This doesn't sound all that out of the ordinary. There was a discussion in the suspension/chassis forum recently about coilovers and racelands were mentioned: http://www.sl-i.net/FORUM/viewtopic.php?f=13&t=23033


lol That thread is of us, as in 240_benzo and I and a few others. That thread is when the bounciness was first brought up.

[StatGSR]

Racelands are a $400 coilover. I would expect them to ride like poo... that a my input...

[xoSubieLegacyxo]

define a "bouncy" ride? Do you feel like your on a boat and the car is floaty, or does it feel like you hit every bump hard and you move around in your seat?

[slaytalera]

Racelands are a $400 coilover. I would expect them to ride like poo... that a my input...


This, cheap coil overs will always be questionable in quality, both ride and actual. Ill see if i can find a link but they did a test with some type of popular el cheapo coil overs that were a bit more expensive then these, and the damper settings were all over the place, one damper at its hardest setting was softer then the next damper at its softest.

[MarkSubi]

If this is all ture then it saddens me but I also want to know what 240 means by being bouncy only because with him saying that I'm expecting them to fill like stock springs or cut springs would fill like.

[Huffer]

Thread moved: If you guys post suspension threads in the general forum again just to try to generate more discussion on the topic, you'll earn a temp ban. Moderators around here work hard for ^^no pay and you're just creating extra work.

Back to work...

[240_benzo]

^k sorry about that! noob mistake =P
but its kinda like a boat going over a wave i guess you could say
new. a review on nasioc showed them to be pretty stiff an aggressive though
didnt think 8/5k would be so bouncy
maybe its cus they werent made for wagons

[xoSubieLegacyxo]

maybe its cus they werent made for wagons

that might be the problem. If the coilovers were designed for a sedan but put on a wagon, the additional weight could effect how the suspension absorbs the ride. I would of went with KYB GR2 struts and a stiffer spring setup.

[Okin DaVanh]

Or......



Change the spring rates. A few friends of mine have changed their springs that come with them to suit their needs.



Are you guys running the helper springs?

[MarkSubi]

This actually makes since, I will be putting Racelands on my sedan sometime next month so I will be putting my input in but even though this would be a question worth asking them about, id still like to know if Raceland has any parts you can add to the coils that the coils may not come with. For excample, camber plates for the rear coils.

[Reason]

You get what you pay for...

[Okin DaVanh]

You get what you pay for...


True. A replacement for worn out parts and the added bonus of adjustable camber plates and ride height, all at an affordable price.





From experience from owning/driving on them for a year on my E36. I've had no problem with mine. I do hear alot of dislike for the brand, however, have never had anything bad happen with mine in approximately 10k miles of use.

[Reason]

That's great, what I'm saying when you buy something at a fraction of the cost if "quality" products you need to not be surprised if somethings fails. Sometimes you luck out and get something that actually lasts. I've bought plenty of "cheap" products and more expensive stuff and the difference in quality is there. It's not just in automotive parts, TV's, clothes frying pans etc. Im just say if or most likely when these cheaper products fail it should be expected.

[slaytalera]

Its not the stiffness of the springs thats making it bouncy, its the generic and unmatched dampers that go with them. The only way to get rid of it is to find out how they are dampened and either adjust each shock until its ok (i.e. don't set the dampers to "full soft" or "full hard" each one will probably be different, assuming you can get the damper within proper range). But at the end of the day, they are thrown together with cheap generic dampers that probably won't fall into spec with your cars weight suspension height and spring rate....but at least they give you a good drop.

[96legacyL]

I just put the front on today and went for a ride they feel pretty good. But now i hear a little grinding when i was driving around. Got my suspicion that it might be my steelies touching the spring or something. But any advice would help.

[Okin DaVanh]

I just put the front on today and went for a ride they feel pretty good. But now i hear a little grinding when i was driving around. Got my suspicion that it might be my steelies touching the spring or something. But any advice would help.


Sounds exactly like what is happening. Get some spacers.




And as far as expensive over cheap goes.... you don't want me to go there :grin:

With the caliber of cars I've worked on and the parts I've gotten to install, expensive is NOT always better. In most cases, you're paying for their overhead or their merchandising department to promo their product better. BTW, I have a brand new suspension set up from Bilstein (PSS) complete. Valving sucks and 1 strut is leaking after 1200 miles. I also have a new Recaro seat here, that the owner wants me to ship back asap.... why? Stitches are falling apart. $900 seat!! Porsche just sent me a shitty set of valves.... Then again... it's a V.A.G. thing?


RaceLands are what they are. An affordable coilover system. A lot of people don't like them because the internet claims they are cheap. Buy a set of track coilovers (upwards of $700 or so), so everyone can approve. However, if you don't track your car, and want to raise your car in the winter without swapping suspensions or buying another set up.... RL's "might" be for you. Some are doing extreme builds with high horsepower digits. This system might not be for them. Some are doing budget built daily drivers.... this is a system for them. There are however, some BMW owners tracking their cars with RL's, so I really can't say they're not for the track and a couple have upwards of 300hp.





At the end of the day, it is what it is.... I'm not going to buy a suspension set up that doesn't fit my lifestyle or budget.

[xoSubieLegacyxo]

+1 to Reason & Okin.

[TGX4776]

^^ this. you also cant complain about a two year warranty. I am getting some because i want to be able to go low in the summer and high in the winter. Since it's just a daily car that will almost never see a track or an auto x course i am not too worried about them.

Also i as well have been let down by Bilstein. Never again.

[240_benzo]

well i have mine raised up as far as they can go inside the actual coilover itself just to be able to line up the spindle
i was talking to a friend on canibeat who has a similar year outback with these exact coilovers and hes alot lower without megaspringyness
ill probably just run these for awhile and then save up for some BC's or something later on after i get wheels.
im sure it would ride alot better if the springs were swapped from the front to the rear but cheap dampening could be the issue ha.
i wish it was adjustable--do the nuts on the strut tophat adjust anything??

[Reason]

I understand the whole build to your budget thing. I'm building my car to my budget, how many of us would no name or cheap rod bearings or any other moving part in a high powered motor? I wouldn't and if any of you say you would then you are asking for what the rest of us know what's coming. There are inferior parts out there and most of the time the price reflects it. When you deal with mass produced parts from quality manufacturers there will be a few bad apples that slip by quality control. It happens, it doesn't mean parts are marked up solely for profits. There's a lot more to it than manufacturing parts.. ill put money on that Graceland has no R&D department and their coilovers are replicas of another brand. That's how a lot of these companies work.

[mycargoesvroom]

I understand the whole build to your budget thing. I'm building my car to my budget, how many of us would no name or cheap rod bearings or any other moving part in a high powered motor? I wouldn't and if any of you say you would then you are asking for what the rest of us know what's coming. There are inferior parts out there and most of the time the price reflects it. When you deal with mass produced parts from quality manufacturers there will be a few bad apples that slip by quality control. It happens, it doesn't mean parts are marked up solely for profits. There's a lot more to it than manufacturing parts.. ill put money on that Graceland has no R&D department and their coilovers are replicas of another brand. That's how a lot of these companies work.

From Raceland's website:
"We manufacture and sell, fully tested products. Not only do we do extensive testing on the products we sell, but after having completed successful testing sessions, most of our products are shipped to the TUV to do road testing at very high speeds. After this is completed, the product is introduced into the market place. If the product has a critical part, we perform torsion tests as well. Most recently I tested the coil over kit for the Scion tC. For more then 3,000 miles I drove very fast and very hard over all types of roads without fail. We stand 100% behind the products we sell."

They also offer a two year warranty with their coils which is a pretty nice plus.

Now with that being said, it does NOT mean that they will perform on par with the big guys. I know guys who swear by them on the track, and I know guys who've seen them shatter from daily driving. Long short of it is, they're $400 bucks. If you drive your car daily, there's no point in dropping $2,000 on a set of coils for your high mileage NA Subaru that never see's the track. Personally I can't wait to get mine (hopefully around tax time).

[MarkSubi]

I understand the whole build to your budget thing. I'm building my car to my budget, how many of us would no name or cheap rod bearings or any other moving part in a high powered motor? I wouldn't and if any of you say you would then you are asking for what the rest of us know what's coming. There are inferior parts out there and most of the time the price reflects it. When you deal with mass produced parts from quality manufacturers there will be a few bad apples that slip by quality control. It happens, it doesn't mean parts are marked up solely for profits. There's a lot more to it than manufacturing parts.. ill put money on that Graceland has no R&D department and their coilovers are replicas of another brand. That's how a lot of these companies work.

From Raceland's website:
"We manufacture and sell, fully tested products. Not only do we do extensive testing on the products we sell, but after having completed successful testing sessions, most of our products are shipped to the TUV to do road testing at very high speeds. After this is completed, the product is introduced into the market place. If the product has a critical part, we perform torsion tests as well. Most recently I tested the coil over kit for the Scion tC. For more then 3,000 miles I drove very fast and very hard over all types of roads without fail. We stand 100% behind the products we sell."

They also offer a two year warranty with their coils which is a pretty nice plus.

Now with that being said, it does NOT mean that they will perform on par with the big guys. I know guys who swear by them on the track, and I know guys who've seen them shatter from daily driving. Long short of it is, they're $400 bucks. If you drive your car daily, there's no point in dropping $2,000 on a set of coils for your high mileage NA Subaru that never see's the track. Personally I can't wait to get mine (hopefully around tax time).



I fully agree and Ill be ordering mine ether friday or satureday. :]

[Reason]

Research and development is far different from just testing 1 set on a scion. I never said they didn't test their product. It's the actual design and the tuning of the coilover. I'm not saying stay clear, I'm simply saying if the fail don't be surprised. I'd probably get these if I decide to go with coilovers just to try them if people don't have too much problems with them.

[Okin DaVanh]

ill probably just run these for awhile and then save up for some BC's or something later on after i get wheels.
im sure it would ride alot better if the springs were swapped from the front to the rear but cheap dampening could be the issue ha.
i wish it was adjustable--do the nuts on the strut tophat adjust anything??


From the pic I saw on their site for the Impreza:



http://www.racelandus.com/images/product/large/127_1_.jpg



new shocks and springs/

2 year warranty/

the ability to adjust ride height for weather or otherwise for $450 isn't a bad investment, temporary or not.

[MarkSubi]

Exactly^^ Plus I'm am using them on my daily, well will be.

[240_benzo]

ive come to the conclusion
they are very solid and ride pretty well over smooth roads with lots of cracks and small bumps
but anything bigger than that you WILL feel them. just hopefully they arent super bouncy
to the point where you hit your head on the celing over a bump on the highway

[MarkSubi]

ive come to the conclusion
they are very solid and ride pretty well over smooth roads with lots of cracks and small bumps
but anything bigger than that you WILL feel them. just hopefully they arent super bouncy
to the point where you hit your head on the celing over a bump on the highway


Well I hope they do better for me. I literally just got back from the bank. My coil money is in and Ill be putting in my order for my set any day after tomorrow.

[Okin DaVanh]

ive come to the conclusion
they are very solid and ride pretty well over smooth roads with lots of cracks and small bumps
but anything bigger than that you WILL feel them. just hopefully they arent super bouncy
to the point where you hit your head on the celing over a bump on the highway




just out of curiosity, what size tires you riding on?

[MarkSubi]

[quote="240_benzo":3uzllfzb]ive come to the conclusion
they are very solid and ride pretty well over smooth roads with lots of cracks and small bumps
but anything bigger than that you WILL feel them. just hopefully they arent super bouncy
to the point where you hit your head on the celing over a bump on the highway




just out of curiosity, what size tires you riding on?[/quote:3uzllfzb]


Sadly for now ill be on the normal sized tires as in 195 60r15 with the 15" LSI stock alloys and idk about the wheels but I think 240 is on the same with the tires.

[Okin DaVanh]

Ok.


I was thinking they were low pros. They can cause some to think their coil suspensions suck on public roads too.

[Wiscon_Mark]

Sadly for now ill be on the normal sized tires as in 195 60r15 with the 15" LSI stock alloys and idk about the wheels but I think 240 is on the same with the tires.

FWIW, having more rubber/less wheel will make the ride a lot more comfy, and good tires can handle just as well vs. low profile ones. I know you're going for a VIP look though, but I'd recommend moderation on the tire size.

[Reason]

With a 60 side wall and a still suspension you are going to have a bounce. A smaller side wall will eliminate that bounce but the ride will be more harsh. Time to sacrifice ride comfort for awesome handling!

[MarkSubi]

With a 60 side wall and a still suspension you are going to have a bounce. A smaller side wall will eliminate that bounce but the ride will be more harsh. Time to sacrifice ride comfort for awesome handling!


lol Hell yeah I want it to be stiff and handle good, there coilovers as in racing suspention and at times of cores there going to fill a little rough on the street so yeah.

&

I'm going VIP in the inside sorta, the outside is just going to be a sleek clean stammed BD and one day a Hellaflush BD.

[240_benzo]

oh good to know my sidewall is a stock 55

[MarkSubi]

Oh cool then id think mine is 55 to since I'm a BD to.

[MarkSubi]

Just ordered my set of raceland! can't wait for the day that they get here.

[dave1222]

have you installed these yet? Other than the coilovers, is there anything else you need to buy to ensure they fit? Also where did you get them from? Thanks.

[MarkSubi]

have you installed these yet? Other than the coilovers, is there anything else you need to buy to ensure they fit? Also where did you get them from? Thanks.


Oh yeah lol I've had them for month on the subie now. They were pretty bouncy at frist but now they ride fine unless I am on a shitty road but thats also because I have mine pretty stiff and nope no problems with fitment and yeah it comes with everything you need, you use the same nuts and blots that are already on your car now.

http://www.racelandus.com/coilovers.html

[240_benzo]

yeah after the month break in they are tolerable =]

[MarkSubi]

yeah after the month break in they are tolerable =]

Hell yeah I love it! still would love to get BC's one day unless these ever come with rear camber plates.

[240_benzo]

id recommend these to EVERYONE if they would allow picking your own spring rates
swapping the fronts/rears would make a world of difference for me

[MarkSubi]

id recommend these to EVERYONE if they would allow picking your own spring rates
swapping the fronts/rears would make a world of difference for me


Same, reason why I want BC's still, unless I end up giving my subie a stance that I love with what I have.

[240_benzo]

im really contemplating trading my wagon for an ls400 or something...this thing having sooo many miles is annoying

[MarkSubi]

im really contemplating trading my wagon for an ls400 or something...this thing having sooo many miles is annoying

Ah Is it giving you random problems? why not go for a different subie, maybe a newer one.

[MarkSubi]

Hey, there’s one thing I want to get yawls opinion on. If yawl noticed Raceland had on there that they have the two year warrantee but that it was only effective if you had a shop install them but how would they know if you did or not? Hm.

Bringing this up because my coilovers are in good shape and going well but one negative that did happen is after the weekend I installed them I undid the top mount bolts to take it out a little to do some adjusting. I then put everything back in place and it was all good. Then I did the same later on in the week but this time not knowing while wrenching on one of my nuts and then tightening that particular on that it was pretty much stripping away at the threading of the screw like peace that’s attached to the coilovers that the nuts go on. I didn't find this out till I had to sort of take out my coilovers a little to do something else to my car because when loosening the nut, it was then taking pieces of the threading off and now it’s not all the same size and then the nut wouldn't even come off. Luckily it’s in in away to where I was about to somewhat tighten it but what’s annoying and bothersome now is if I hit a bump or hole hard to sort of hard, you can hear the coilover hitting the frame because of that bolt being kind of lose. I installed them myself so I was wondering do yawl think it would be a good idea to make up some story about a shop doing this or should I just straight up let them know what happened because id love to be able to get a new front passanger one to stop this.

[Perdue]

I don't know about you all, but I'm a big believer in karma. I would call them and tell them that the bolt got stripped and ask if they sell a replacement tophat or something.

Edit: it actually sounds like you crossthreaded the nut to begin with, which is not raceland's fault. Whether installed by a shop or yourself, I doubt seriously that they will cover a crossthreaded nut or bolt under warrenty. Always start threading a nut or bolt by hand.

[MarkSubi]

I know it’s not racelands fault, I never said it was but I just was wondering if they would still send me a new tophat or coilover for free even if it’s something I did. You would have to read there info on the site. I also meant the raceland owners that are one this thread.

[Perdue]

I'm just saying, I would be very surprised if they agreed to do so knowing the truth.

[MarkSubi]

Nah your right but to my luck they have extra tophats for the coilovers on my car so ill be getting one from them for 25$ shipped. Ill be calling them up tomorrow to get everything in order.

[Perdue]

Wow...that is a lot less than I expected. I'm glad it worked out though.

[MarkSubi]

Yeah the guys were cool and they got the money right after we got off the phone so if I don't get it tomorrow then it should be here next week sometime.

[whitelegacy23]

So what is the product number for these? I need to get low and for a good price. Just put some new wheels on and might want to lower this thing.

[MarkSubi]

So what is the product number for these? I need to get low and for a good price. Just put some new wheels on and might want to lower this thing.


Here you go. :] Personally I'd love to have BC coilovers only because with BC's you can controll the damper, get rear camber plates, and dfferent spring rates for the coilovers but thats the only reason why. I love these coilovers thus far though.

http://www.racelandus.com/coilovers/sub ... r-kit.html (http://www.racelandus.com/coilovers/subaru-impreza-gd-coilover-kit.html)

[Subieee]

I've got racelands on my wagon.
They are a get what you pay for product, i've gotten 3 sets of tophats sent out to me from loud clunks coming from the rear. And the tophats in the front get rusty as all hell. I have to say the only thing i like about these is that they can go super low; they are good stance coilovers & that's it lol

If i would've known these would be crap, i woulda saved up a couple more bucks for better coils.

[MarkSubi]

I've got racelands on my wagon.
They are a get what you pay for product, i've gotten 3 sets of tophats sent out to me from loud clunks coming from the rear. And the tophats in the front get rusty as all hell. I have to say the only thing i like about these is that they can go super low; they are good stance coilovers & that's it lol

If i would've known these would be crap, i woulda saved up a couple more bucks for better coils.


Everything on mine are perfect the only crappy problem I have is a mistake the installer of them did witch is strip one of the top hat screw threads so I ordered a new tophat earlier this week came in today. Reason I'm replaces the tophat isn't just so I can unbolt the top if I have to but is also because since its stripped the nut isn't fully tight so if I hit a bump kind of hard or just hard you can hear the nut hittping agains that part of the frame. I probably going to install it at school since I'll have a lift and everything. As for stance and hieght, hell yes I love them for that, thats why I got them.

[subyj]

im thinking of getting a set for my 2000 outback, but i cant figure out which one fits (GC GD GH)

i thought it was GD but not sure. does anyone know?

[MarkSubi]

Honestly idk, you can look up fit meant for other coilovers for you're gen and just see what other subarus they fit that way you can tell. The GD is what's fits mine but I do have a second gen. I'd say try to gt BC's if you have the cash and or can wait just a little longer.