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When people want to boost their handling and lower their ride, they might install coilovers. I know that there’s a huge mod community around the BRZ, and I want to help you out. In this guide, I’ll talk about 7 of the best BRZ coilovers to look into.
If you want a low-cost BRZ coilover that has good height adjustment but sacrifices the final quality, then the REV9 Hyper-Street II is perfect. For the best all-around balance of feel, comfort, and price, consider the Stance Super Sport. If you don’t mind paying a lot for the best-performing option, the Ohlins Road & Track is a perfect kit.
I picked options that span across the market in terms of price, comfort, and handling. I’ll also talk more about coilovers, why they’re great, and some shopping decisions you should make ahead of time.
Subaru BRZ
A BRZ is an RWD coupe that’s sold by Subaru. It’s an outlier on their list because it isn’t an AWD, it isn’t a sedan, and the styling looks very different than what we’re used to.
This is because Toyota co-developed the car with Subaru. As a result, the vehicle is highly reliable, smaller, and fun to drive. It’s a less-expensive, not as sporty version of Subaru’s flagship WRX sedan.
In my experience, people who own a BRZ will mod the daylight out of it. For most, a coilover swap is one of the smallest modifications that they make to the car.
Quickly Defining Your Vehicle’s Suspension System
A coilover is part of your vehicle’s suspension system. Every time you hit a bump, slam on the gas or brake pedal or take a corner, the suspension is actively working.
Generally, the job of the suspension is to stop forces before they get to you in the driver’s seat. If you go through a pothole, the suspension will try to dissipate the energy, so you don’t lurch forward from the impact.
This can be done in a few different ways, mechanically. You might use springs, shock absorbers, air compression pistons, dampeners, or a combination of them.
Of course, each of these options comes with its own list of pros and cons.
The choice of your suspension system will determine how quickly your car takes an impact, how well it responds to going through a corner at high speeds, and even your driving height.
Most consumer cars come with the most comfortable and least-expensive setup. They’ll opt for a suspension that maximizes how well your car absorbs bumps, minimizes how fast you can go through corners, and results in a higher driving height.
If you like going fast and driving low cars, this won’t work for you. This is where coilover swaps come in.
What Is a Coilover?
A more succinct way to describe what I just explained is that you can either have a stock suspension or a sport suspension. Sport suspensions result in bumpier and less comfortable rides, but you can handle much better and achieve a lower driving height (which looks so cool).
A coilover is an example of a sport suspension. A coilover is a shorthand way of saying “coil-over shock absorber”. It’s made up of a shock absorber with a coil wrapped over it — another example of car guys being creative with how they name products.
To have a coilover on a BRZ, you need to remove your stock suspension and swap in these parts.
The Purpose of a Coilover
As mentioned, a coilover is a form of sport suspension. Installing coilovers will change the feel and performance of your car — especially through corners.
Coilovers can be built differently from one option to the next. With most of them, you can change the height of the coil which adjusts how hard or soft the suspension is. This will also change the ride height.
It allows for a personalized response from your suspension system.
With others, the height is fixed, and you just have to pick the right configuration.
Monotube vs Twin-Tube Coilovers
I’ll be talking about the construction type for these coilovers, so it helps to give you some quick definitions. BRZ sport coilovers are typically either a monotube or twin-tube configuration.
A monotube coilover uses a single tube that’s filled with oil and pressurized gas. When the piston moves up or down, the oil will get displaced, and the pressure will change and absorb the impact of driving over a bump.
Monotubes are typically longer, but they theoretically work better. The oil is used to bounce back the piston and also it reacts more quicker. When installed on your BRZ, it can result in faster response times and better control as you drive on bumpy roads.
Even though a twin-tube setup seems high-tech and expensive, it’s a relatively old setup. In this configuration, an outer tube acts as a sleeve around the inner tube. The inner tube works just like a monotube, with a twist. There’s a valve that lets the oil move to the outer tube when the coilover is activated.
The outer tube is filled with either nitrogen or air — the same pressurized air that was used in the monotube configuration. Since oil transfers between both tubes, the pressure can be more controlled. This can achieve a more comfortable ride, but the reaction time is usually slower.
There’s also a phenomenon called ”foaming” that happens in a twin-tube coilover when the oil is moved too quickly between both chambers.
In both twin-tube and monotube coilovers, pressurized nitrogen will give better results than pressurized air.
People are very opinionated over which option is the best setup. In my opinion, both options are good and get the job done, so I don’t advocate for one or the other.
Considerations For New Coilovers
It’s worth mentioning that there isn’t just one coilover you can buy. The market is saturated with dozens of different brands that make coilovers. When you’re shopping for a coilover swap, there are a few things to consider.
Construction Type
Whether the coilover has a monotube or twin tube will change the final performance of your coilovers. Also, the length of the coils, the damping factor of the tube, and the assembly option can have a big impact.
It’s important that you know which construction type you would prefer. Sometimes you won’t know for sure until you try out a few.
Adjustment Option
The adjustability of your coil covers will change the ride height. If the coilover has a wider range, then you can fine-tune the coils to make them feel perfect to you. Again, a lot of this is subjective.
A ride height and damping factor might feel perfect to you but terrible to another driver. I suggest going for coilovers with a wider adjustment range so you can try out a few configurations until it feels great to you.
If a coilover has a set damping factor and spring height, you’ll be rolling the dice.
The theory behind an adjustment option can be a little misleading. It doesn’t necessarily mean that you’re changing the damping factor of your compression pistons. Certain coilovers will let you do this, but it’s through a changeable valve on the piston, and it has nothing to do with the posted “adjustment options”.
The adjustment options strictly refer to how many “clicks” you can change the height. There’s a threaded body around the coils that can be turned. Each time you do a full turn, you’ll feel and hear a little click. This means that you made one level of adjustment.
If you’re adjusting your springs by tightening them, then you’re lowering your BRZ. Every click lowers it a little bit and adds more preload to your springs since they’re compressed more. As a result, you’ll have a firmer ride and less play in your springs when you go over a bump.
The lowest height option will also be the roughest ride since the springs have less room to work.
High-quality coilovers that offer adjustments on the coil height and damping option are preferred. This way, you can lower your springs fully and change the damping factor of your compression piston to offset this. As a result, your BRZ’s comfort will be improved.
Kei Project Universal Coilover Adjustment Spanner Wrench Set, 4 Pc. Tool Kit
Quality of the Build
Coilovers come in a wide range of qualities. Some are inexpensive overseas options that get the job done, but barely. They can have a lot of reliability issues, and they might not even fit your BRZ as intended.
Quality of the build will determine how long the coilovers last, how good of a job they do, how well they fit, and how easy they are to install. Typically, quality and price go hand-in-hand: the least expensive option is oftentimes the lowest quality.
Price
I’ll try to post the price with all of the coilovers I list later on, but there is a big gap in the market. With higher qualities, more adjustment, and more robust construction types, you can find coilovers that are multiple times more expensive than others.
In my list alone, there’s nearly a $2,000 gap between the most expensive and least expensive options.
Needless to say, the price point can make or break the deal for a lot of modders.
Are New Coilovers Right for You?
For the majority of drivers, a coilover swap isn’t necessary. But if you want a sportier feel, lower ride height, and better handling, then you should consider it.
With high-quality coilovers, your ride will feel completely different.
However, daily driving will be a bit more uncomfortable, and road bumps will be more inconvenient. Still, it’s a small price to pay for the performance and aesthetic boosts (in my opinion).
7 Of the Best BRZ Coilovers To Know Of!
Here are 7 of my favorite BRZ coilovers to consider. I’ll try to give a good range of quality, price, and adjustment options in my list. That way, you can find an option regardless of what you’re looking for.
KW Variant 1
Price: $2,400
Adjustment options: 14
First up is a twin-tube configuration from KW. This is a brand that typically deals with high-quality, long-lasting parts. The KW Variant 1 is a coilover system that has 14 adjustment options, and impressive spring rates for the front and rear coilovers.
People like this kit because it offers a great balance between drivability and sportiness. You can put this on your daily driver and hit the track on the weekends. The same coilover kit will perform well in both conditions.
It’s a little softer than other options on my list, but this is part of the balance I was just talking about. If KW went too firm on the springs, then commuting would give you a migraine and backache every morning.
RS-R Sports*i
Price: $1,999
Adjustment options: 36
This monotube coilover from RS-R actually goes in the opposite direction that others go. It focuses on giving a softer suspension feel over your stock suspension.
This means a more comfortable ride. Still, you’ll feel a dramatic improvement while handling through corners. Coilovers naturally give this benefit over stock suspension systems.
I would pick the Sports*i if you want a more comfortable ride, or you regularly drive around people who aren’t necessarily car guys.
You can still drop the ride height and get the same comfort.
Subaru BRZ | Scion FR-S | Toyota 86 – I Coilovers 2013-2021
Function and Form Type 2
Price: $1,380
Adjustment options: 32
Function and Form Type 2 adjustable coilovers are a great choice for those with daily driving in mind with occassional track days.
It’s relatively simple to set it to OEM heights and offers great adjustability to fit your needs especially if you have a body kit installed.
These coilovers were designed for max riding comfort and use the dual-shock tube design.
REV9 Hyper-Street II
Price: $532
Adjustment options: 32
If you have a 2022-23 BRZ, then you can use the REV9 Hyper-Street II coilover set. This is the most affordable option on the list, but it delivers impressive results.
It doesn’t have the longevity or quality of other coilovers on my list, but it’s a great option if you don’t want to spend too much. With 32 levels of adjustment, this monotube coilover uses a mostly steel body.
It results in a pretty firm suspension, which makes it great for taking fast corners.
This is the best option if you’re on a tight budget but want to modify your new BRZ.
Rev9 Subaru BRZ 2013-2020 Hyper Street II Adjustable Coilover Kit
Ohlins Road & Track
Price: $2,290
Adjustment options: 20
Ohlin’s monotube Road & Track coilovers have been on the market for a while, and people have a lot of great things to say about them. They offer a lot of adjustability, but the sticker price is pretty high as a result.
They definitely feel firmer than the stock springs on your BRZ, and this makes them a dream on the track. The downside is it can become exhausting during your typical commute.
Ohlin makes a lot of products that will optimize your lap time, so it makes sense that these coilovers are focused on track use. Luckily, these coilovers have a lot of adjustment options, so you can fine-tune your ride.
Ohlins Road and Track Coilovers – Scion FR-S – Subaru BRZ – Toyota 86 | 2012-2020
BC Racing BR Series
Price: $1,195
Adjustment options: 30
BC Racing put this monotube coilover out to appeal to people who don’t want to break the bank. It still offers 30 adjustment options and a very comfortable feel, but it’s half the price of other options on the market.
The thing I love about the BR Series is that there are two types of adjustability. You can either change the ride height, or you can change the damping factor of the monotube compression piston. In other words, you can lower your height while softening the suspension.
The BR Series runs a little firmer than other options, and it doesn’t boast the same track lap savings that other options do. However, it’s significantly more affordable than other options.
I would strongly recommend these coilovers to people who want to dip their toes in the water without blowing their budget.
BC Racing BR Series Coilovers 2012+ Scion FR-S – Subaru BR-Z
Ksport Kontrol Pro
Price: $1,062
Adjustment options: 36
The Ksport Kontrol Pro coilovers have very precise adjustment points as good as the top-tier KW Variant 3 coilovers do at a fraction of the cost.
They use a monotube design where oil and gas are separated within the chamber. It’s also made with 6061 aluminum with T6 for increased hardness and electroplated with zinc to prevent rust.
What’s great about these is that it has pillow ball top mounts with camber adjustment. So there’s no need to purchase a separate camber adjustment kit.
Conclusion
Finding a balance between price, adjustability, comfort, and handling is tough to do. I hope that my list of 7 BRZ coilover options made your decision a little easier. After you pick one out and install it, please leave a comment below — I’d love to hear what you think.
References:
Low Offset
Guide to the Best BRZ Coilovers: Reviews & Specs
Bilstein
What is a coilover suspension? All you need to know
Vivid Racing
Ohlins Road and Track Coilovers – Scion FR-S – Subaru BRZ – Toyota 86 | 2012-2020
Tire Rack
RS-R
Subaru BRZ | Scion FR-S | Toyota 86 – I Coilovers 2013-2021
Amazon
Rev9 Subaru BRZ 2013-2020 Hyper Street II Adjustable Coilover Kit
BC Racing BR Series Coilovers 2012+ Scion FR-S – Subaru BR-Z
Kei Project Universal Coilover Adjustment Spanner Wrench Set, 4 Pc. Tool Kit
