Within the past few months, I’ve been looking into getting coilovers for the Miata. The Racelands (came with the car when I bought it) rode like shit and I couldn’t take it anymore. I was looking into 326 Power, which I still really want to get, but at this moment, just a bit financially out of reach. I looked into Fourtune Auto coilovers with custom spring rates and I was going to buy it, if I didn’t stumble upon the HKS Hiper D coilovers I found on eBay… yes, eBay.
The interesting thing was I was just about to enter my billing info for the Fortune Auto coilovers, but then something in my mind said just wait and see what else is out there. So I hit gym the to distract myself from cars and clear my mind. When I came home, I was just browsing the interwebs when I found a really good deal. I stumbled upon HKS coilovers for $800.
Obviously they were used BUT $2k coilovers for $800 is a steal. Plus HKS is made in Japan which is a country known for quality and reliability. They are not made in Taiwan, or China… Not saying Taiwan or China are bad but some cheap coilovers, like Raceland, are made there and I personally don’t want to pay $1000 for coilovers made in Taiwan…. aka BC Racing or Megan racing. I’m sure it’s a great product and I know lots of people on them but it’s just my preference. I just like to be different.
Fortune Auto coilovers are assembled in the States and the customer service is great but the HKS is just a brand I would rather get. It’s a personal preference. If didn’t see the HKS the 2nd choice is Fortune Auto. The 1k range coilovers is a lot of money and the H&R on the GTI was around that much, brand new.
Anyways back to HKS, I found it on eBay and I immediately clicked the buy now sign. Yeah it’s used, but HKS is a brand known in the racing world especially in Time Attacks, Drifting and Road Racing. All the R&D that HKS does on the track makes their way to the consumers. From the pics from eBay looked like it was taken cared of and not abused. I wasn’t worried if they were blown, because HKS. Another factor I wanted these coilovers was they are discounted which make it even more rare and just cool to own.
I broke 20 watchers heart that night. I waited 7 days anxiously counting down the days I will no longer ride in Racelands.
The day came and I was sooo excited! I inspected the coilovers and no obvious leaks and the collars didn’t look seized. The coilovers comes with a metal purple top mount with “HKS” stamped on it. They have the HKS purple, chrome color scheme. These coilovers are a Monotube design with fully adjustable right height.
I knew the HKS wouldn’t go low like the Racelands since HKS is more about the track/drift setups then just go slammed and have a shity ride. Don’t get me wrong though, I love to ride slammed and throw sparks, but having cheap coilovers kills it. Let me explain. I have H&R Ultralows on my GTI for 3 years now and its slammed, occasionally takes out a reflector but the ride over bumps is 100x better than Racelands. With any quality coilovers you don’t get the bouncy ride or always bottoming out even when the coilovers are maxed to their lowest setting. Yeah the H&Rs are stiff but its not bouncing up and down endlessly like cut springs, or feel as if the piston is about to go through the shock when bottoming out. The H&R soaks up the bumps better than the softer Racelands. You would think a softer set up would be smoother but it’s not always the case. It’s all about quality here and dampening.
So the next day I wanted to install the coilovers at my friend’s house but unfortunately my friend was working and I couldn’t wait. I went to One Stop Automotive and hit up Fernando. With the help of power tools we got done in 2 hrs and I also did alignment too because that’s what you are suppose to do after changing the suspension. Some people tend to ignore that.
With my HKS coilovers installed and alignment dialed in, I immediately felt a BIG difference. With the collars spun all the way down, the Miata was still 1.5” higher than the Racleands. But I didn’t mind it, because the Miata had this track style going on. There is this corner I take almost everyday and with the Racelands I felt like the body roll was excessive, and my right rear shock was bottoming out on the exit. Then I took the same turn on the HKS and it was 10mph faster!! The HKS had minimal body roll, felt more planted and wasn’t unselted when I passed over the bump. HKS coilovers never felt like they where bottoming out even having the collars spun all the way down. The ride is stiffer but not bouncy or rough. HKS soaks up the bumps smoother than the Racelands. This HKS coilovers gave me more confidence on the corners but of course I have to be responsible and not be the idiot where his ego went over his skill. The difference is night and day. Hoping I can make it to a drift/track even and really see the potential. If you are going to do something, do it right and don’t cut corners. Buy legit products.
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