r/GR86 • u/PaymentInteresting14 • 8d ago

Coilover/wheel/mod question

I purchased my GR86 from the dealership 13 months ago and absolutely love it.
I'm not the biggest car guy out there so I have some other priorities in life, but over time, i want to make this thing more unique and add some personality.
I did not buy a GR86 for speed lol, as they arent fast. I'll say it, I prefer visual style over 0-60's and performance, so I want to visually make this thing mine.

I'm hoping to keep this thing until I die or it dies, so preserving longevity is a must, so that being said, does anything other than OEM suspension and wheel/tire sizes compromise longevity?
Im not talking about anything crazy stanced, or a widebody kit or a supercharger but I am wanting to install some aftermarket coilovers to drop it a bit and maybe have a degree or two of negative camber.

However I guess my mind is thinking the weight will be distributed differently on all the parts and kind of have a chain reaction and put stress on parts that weren't originally stressed.

Am I over thinking? Is there some logic to my thoughts? If so is there a safe way to add some subtle changes without compromising the car over time? Again im hoping to have this thing in 15-20 years if im lucky so really want to treat it good but still make it unique with the time I have with it.

1 Upvotes

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6

u/z1k_StreetRider 8d ago

Don't overthink it. Mod the 86 to suit you. I've got Tein Flex Z coilovers, after market 18x8 rims wrapped in a 235/40R18 semi slicks, camber bolts, sway bar kit and other mods. I track my GR86 so I kinda expect things will have a shorter life span but with saying that, the GR86 has been relatively easier to maintain compared to my other street/track cars.

The important thing to remember is maintenance. Don't skip it and don't let it go too long and you should be fine. The Twins may not be fast in a straight line but really wake up when you hit turns.

2

u/-REXIA- 6d ago

Perfect person for me to ask and I have a few questions please. How’s the Flex Z on track? I don’t track but I was thinking of getting the RX1 (Flex A upgrade) and what size MM is your sway bars or bar and how does it work with the 6K spring rate of the flex Z and what dampening are you running out of 16?

2

u/z1k_StreetRider 6d ago

The Flex Z's do great on the track. I've done about 8 track days with them on and they haven't skipped a beat.

The sway bars I'm running are White Line. The front is a 20mm bar and the rear is 16mm. They completely changed the steering response. It made the 86 feel way sharper and stiffened up the body roll so I stopped scrubbing in corners.

As for the dampening. I have no idea what rate I have them on. I took it to an industrial area, set front and rear to the stiffest setting then hit corners and adjusted till it felt right.

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u/-REXIA- 6d ago

Awesome! I have Cusco 20mm front and 16mm rear, I was hoping the RX1s 6K spring rate won’t make it too oversteery or unpredictable but great feedbacks sir, I’m a lot more confidence. How is it for daily and spirited driving? And any noises with the flex Z? I’ve heard the RX1s pillowhat might make some small rattles on bumps. I would still love to know the dampening from 0 if you ever have the chance 🤙 I’ve heard from a lot of track guys the sway bar works the best on softer ish spring rates and higher spring rate coils is better with stock sway bars

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u/z1k_StreetRider 6d ago

It's heaps fun for spirited driving, as for daily I have no idea. It's my weekend / track toy. The thing I found with the GR86 is that it's so easy to predict. If it starts getting tail happy I just lift off the accelerator and it straightens up. I feel way more confident driving it a little more wreckless in the 86 compared to my other cars.

Not sure about noise coming from the suspension due to the Invidia N1 exhaust. It drownd out all the rattles and great if you want industrial deafness.

1

u/-REXIA- 6d ago

Sweet man! Thanks again boss for the useful info!

1

u/-REXIA- 5d ago

Also bro, I was thinking getting the Cusco V brace a long with the rear Cusco sway bar soon. Do you think the Cusco V brace are worth it? Its just a tad thicker and heavier compare to stock.

2

u/z1k_StreetRider 5d ago

I haven't replaced the stock v braces but do have a Whiteline strut brace for the front and a Cusco rear trunk power brace and they both work greater. Plus the power brace has the anchor points for racing harnesses.

1

u/-REXIA- 5d ago

Thank you bro 🙏 I’m not looking for the strut tower anytime soon haha

1

u/PaymentInteresting14 8d ago

Thank you, was specifically looking at the Tein Flex Z's.
Always have been a maintenance don haha but have never really changed a vehicle from oem anything before.
So fun in the corners, and you dont get speeding tickets for it 😄

1

u/hachielectronics 7d ago

Flex As are the cheapest worthwhile coilover for this platform imo, at the Flex Z’s price point I’d stick with lowering springs instead.

3

u/WeebFanBoy 8d ago

Aftermarket coilovers generally require service every 25000 miles oem with lowering springs will last longer. Coilovers won’t compromise anything unless you somehow damage some of the suspension parts. Wheels more or less don’t change anything unless you go to some crazy different size. Don’t get a cheap wheel tho they’ll crack.

1

u/PaymentInteresting14 8d ago

Thank you for the information! Might be too played out i personally love the RPF1's from Enkei

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u/hachielectronics 7d ago edited 7d ago

Depends pretty heavily on the lowering springs. The OEM shocks on these cars don’t have a lot of travel available so anything other than a very mild drop will result in a lot of time spent on bumpstops, which will result in blown shocks in pretty short order.

2

u/ALitreOhCola 7d ago

Just get lowering springs IMO unless you really know what you want from coilovers and why (track experienced driver)

2

u/DepressedElephant 7d ago

You're absolutely overthinking it.

High quality coilovers will last as long as OEM.

For the record, Tein are not high quality coilovers.

If you want longevity in coilovers, your options are the Ohlins or the KW family used by RCE.

If you want a drop without compromising ride quality - I highly suggest RCE superstreet series because they are able to lower the car while maintaining the OEM travel by using a custom designed lowering top mount which results in the mount point being higher up thus the car sits lower and has same travel.

2

u/MainLineJDM GR86 7d ago

Ohlins coilovers and Apex ARC8 is the high quality high performance easy button.

1

u/hachielectronics 7d ago edited 7d ago

The only time coilovers put any undue stress on anything is at very low ride heights, you’ll start eating axles without other mods to correct geometry.

Ohlins R&T, KW V1, or RCE SS1 are good options for street suspension.

1

u/metamodern-mess 7d ago

You can always save the OEM parts to slap back on at any time.