calm thoughts. I wonder if @ForaFrank could start aggregating threads and create a knowledge source for questions like this? A newbie's guide to what to do?

 

did you search before creating a new thread ? There's a whole bunch of options and a bunch more for sale in the classifieds

my bad im very new to the car community so I was just wanting some advice.

 

No spoon-feeding you here, do some research and come back with a better question.

 

https://www.gr86.org/threads/sti-springs-installed.8951/?post_id=147856#post-147856

Don't go slamming the car to its balls. 10mm to 15mm drop is tasteful and nice

 

Sites like this are hard to navigate. I go to Google and search for "gr86.org lowering gr 86". You can do that with any web site except the trash ones: Twitter, TikTok, Facebook.

 

Classic Redittor responses so far -_- OP asked for suggestions, which implies that you should answer if you have a suggestion. The thing I like about this forum is how we're entry-friendly. Let's not gatekeep.

I'm personally quite satisfied with the stock suspension. Or maybe just not dissatisfied enough to drop $1300 yet. A buddy of mine had some Tein coilovers that he swore by. They were cheap, and probably not his forever coilovers, but he said it handled better than stock. Seems like the popular consensus is that preserving stroke length means better ride when you're lowered. What kind of money are you willing to spend? Are you interested in adjusting damping settings or just reducing gap? Because the other users are right, there are tons of options to choose from. Maybe be a little more specific in your query?

 

I mainly want to reduce the gap for sure, as for budget nothing too crazy but affordable!

 

@ForaFrank - please delete this post

 

Coilovers cost quite a bit more than lowering springs, but you get quite a bit more features. Some coilovers have the ability to raise/lower your car by about an inch, depending on the brand, and some have dampening settings so you can dial in how they feel on the road (i.e. more stiff or more compliant). I personally have RS-R Down lowering springs on mine, and they are pretty good for $280. Coilovers also have the ability to adjust camber in the front, which is nice depending on what wheel setup you have. Coilovers basically future proof your car in case you want to do anything major cosmetically with different wheel sizes. If you're running OEM wheels, then for the "flush" look you have to get spacers. I'm running 20mm front a back, but you can probably fit 25mm in the rear without any poking.
If you have any questions, ask. Unlike other people on here, this forum is about learning and sharing what you know to other people that might not...

 

Depends on your budget, springs are like $300, coils are like $1k-4k. We can get you setup.

-Josh

 

The most important question: is this car supposed to be a daily driver? If it is... leave it alone, or you won't be able to take it anywhere without scraping the bejeezus out of it.

 

Mine is a lowered daily driver with no scrapes anywhere, all it takes it being mindful of how you get in/out of certain parking lots and being careful.

 

Personally, I'd recommend good coilovers or leaving the suspension stock.

Go onto a few reliable parts sites and just click through the options and read descriptions.
Good coilovers start around $1500 these days, from several brands; Racecomp, HKS, KW, Tein, Ohlins, and a few more.

Avoid the temptation to cheap out. You dont want to make your car unenjoyable. Cheap suspension ruins a car immediately.

Oh, and dont be afraid to pick up the phone and call the companies youre considering. I've gotten answers much quicker that way, and from reliable sources.

 

Fortune Auto makes some decent products, like their 510 series. Through Cygnus, I've had their X-1 Motorsport Edition coilovers, with optional digressive valving and 7K (Nm-mm/400 in-lbs) Hyperco springs front and rear, for track use. Pretty firm for street use along with bigger sway bars. These dampers are upgradabe to a triple adjustable Penske external reservoir, X-3 set.
They are made in the US and are near the quality of the aforementioned coilovers, for a little less money.
Geoff, the owner and technical expert, really knows Subarus! He is a wealth of knowledge and can design a set for the way you drive. For contrast, I've been on Motion Control System's two-ways and now JRZ's three way RS Pro3 Motorsport dampers. With my newest BRZ, I'm trying some Olin Street Track coilovers a friend had available.

 

With adjustable coilovers,you can set ride height where YOU want it.

 

What about the STI -10mm springs?

 

Another thing to consider is what's the budget? After lowering your car it will still need alignment to make sure that the tires don't get ruin and the handling is within specs.

 

Although the real question is "what are you trying to achieve with the car?", the more relevant quesiton is "what's your budget?".
Lowering springs are significantly cheaper to buy than quality coilovers (but can be more expensive to install if you are getting a shop to do it for you).
Coilovers are more expensive, but will typically give a superior result in terms of control over ride height and better paired springs rates and damping.

 

Just for looks or for track/autocross use?

Just for daily driving and looks I would do mild lowering springs and call it done. RSR Down Sus, STI pink, Racecomp Engineering has a set coming out (would probably be my choice). Look for about an inch of drop, no more IMO. I would do something to adjust front camber as well so you can somewhat match it to the negative rear camber you will gain from lowering.

I was considering lowering springs, but I've encountered roadkill and other debris that may have been problematic if the car was an inch lower. The stock suspension is also quite decent, dont want to ruin it.

 

Why do you want to lower it The car looks great, has ground clearance an is designed to be at that height. The designers knew what they were doing. Leave it alone and spend your money on other stuff. IMHO.

 

I'd say STI pink are okay. We're talking about a third of an inch here.

 

Do it after you smash into a huge pothole and need an alignment anyways no problem

 

Im going to leave it here. 100% of the time lowered ride height is for cosmetic purposes if the car doesn't have a proper designed front splitter (this is very important, because flexi materials like Aluminite won't generate as much df as plywood etc).

Mathematically speaking a 1 inch lowered GRZ transfers 45lbs less weight when pulling 1 lateral G. This is literally inconsequential to the total load (weight) transfer. I would go as far as saying you only start noticing the difference when the car is 2" lowered (90lbs less load transfer). But at this point the car's suspension geometries are absolutely outta whack. Because any lateral load transfer will cause maximum binding from the suspension links/rubber bushings. If you want the car to transfer 90lbs less, just reduce that weight from the chassis. It's going to be expensive, but we wont have as much of a headache with dealing with suspension geometries.

The only performance advantage from lowering is lowering the roll centers. Lowered roll center (either ends) will cause less jacking on that end. But we will have to pay a penalty for this, which is losing roll stiffness thus the car's camber control decreases.

So what did i mean by "tasteful and nice" @Scargod ? Literally the car will look tasteful and nice as a stanced car. Oh btw, do you understand why I didn't bother to type out all the technical jargons and reasons? Because literally im wasting my breath.

But nah everytime you gotta force my hands. Because 🫵🏼 had to nit pick on my most face value statements; and even the most in depth statements, you couldn't wrap your head around them.

 

Personally don't even get why people bother asking these questions. It's all for cosmetic purposes. Question has been asked to death. Just lower it with whatever you can afford. There are two types of owners here. Casual, street driven, aesthetic type which is 95% that's here and the ones that actually track and use it for high performance purposes that is the last 5%.

It's also folks like @vincentyang246 that post great insights on suspension geometry of these cars so people can make an informed decision (not that many do) when it comes to handling and proper set up.

 

Hi, I went through the same thing about a month ago. I mainly wanted to lower my car to improve its appearance. However, in my area, there are a lot of speed bumps and I have a steep driveway, so lowering springs weren’t the best option for me. I needed to be able to set the ride height precisely to avoid any clearance issues.

I ended up going with Bilstein B14 coilovers, and the ride quality isn’t too harsh. After lowering the car, I ran into issues with uneven wheel camber. To fix this, I had to replace the rear lower control arms and install camber bolts on the front axle. But then I couldn’t properly adjust the toe, so I also needed adjustable toe arms.

Looking back, I honestly would’ve waited and done more research beforehand — figured out exactly what I’d need and ordered everything in advance. It would’ve saved me a lot of hassle.

Also, the car already sits quite low from the factory, so my recommendation would be: just leave it as is. It's not really worth the trouble unless you're fully prepared for everything that comes with it.

Here’s a link to a thread where some helpful recommendations were shared:
https://www.gr86.org/threads/coilovers.15385/?post_id=263752&nested_view=1&sortby=oldest#post-263752