By: AZhitman
Spent Saturday morning installing a set of Endura-Tech coilovers on my S13 convertible…
For the past 1200 miles, she’s been rolling on Megans.
I’m not a suspension expert, so my impressions will be from a layperson’s point of view. I know what I like, and I know what “feels” right, but my limited knowledge of suspension componentry will be pretty evident here.
So, if you’re looking for a real technical review, well, you’ll have to find it elsewhere…
The first thing you notice is the quality of the finish and the construction. The Endura-Techs “feel” very well put-together, and the finish is impeccable. I’m a firm believer that a company that pays attention to little details on the outside, will likely grant that same care to the internal construction.
The lower mounts on the fronts are quite a bit beefier and more sturdy:
Installation of coilovers is one of their best features, and these were no exception… Old ones out, new ones in – Nice, especially if you’re used to messing with a spring compressor and all that nonsense.
Swapping the fronts was so simple – Remove the top 3 nuts on the top of the strut tower, disconnect the brakeline clip, remove the two lower mounting bolts, and remove.
The spring perches on the Endura-Tech coilovers are really, really nice – It’s cleanly machined, with a precision feel. It’s beefy, and rather than having an adjustable perch and a “lock nut”, it has an allen head setscrew that locks it in place. Very convenient, and more secure.
Also, that additional thickness means your adjustment wrenches fit on better, and there’s no need for TWO of them (which was always a pet peeve of mine).
The upper mounts on the Endura-Tech coilovers seems a little thicker, and rather than a conical upper flange, it’s more of a triangular shape (for additional strength).
As a side note – Despite the beefier construction, the Endura-Tech coilovers only weighed in .8 lb. heavier each.
There’s less dampening adjustability in the Endura-Techs, with 10 settings (compared to 32 in the Megan’s). However, there seems to be a WIDER range of adjustment in the ET’s (Endura-Tech’s). In other words, the “softest” setting seems softer, and the “hardest” setting seems much stiffer.
The ET’s have more adjustments for camber, with 5 holes as opposed to three.
The lower mounts on the rears are equally beefy – Here, you can see a comparison:
The rears were equally simple to swap – Again, 2 bolts on top and one on the bottom (although, doing them on a convertible is a bit more work, as the top mechanism can get in the way). Still, not a tough process at all.
Here’s a few more pics:
Initial driving impressions: Again, since my review is from a layperson’s point of view, I can only say that the ride quality is excellent. I had the Megan dampening set fairly soft on all four corners. We set the ET’s to one click shy of the firmest setting, and I think I could keep them there. There’s no “skittering” (as is common with an underdamped setup), nor is the ride harsh. It IS controlled in hard cornering, and amazingly smooth at freeway speeds, even over expansion joints.
I’ll be experimenting with some varied settings, but for now, these get a hearty “two thumbs up”.
Feel free to pop in and discuss this article in the 240sx forums!