Ultimate S13 Coilover Guide

We review 7 of the most popular S13 coilovers available to fit all budgets. This is the ultimate S13 coilover guide.

• Megan Racing EZII coilovers
• KW Variant 3 coilovers
• Fortune Auto Dreadnought coilovers
• Stance XR1 coilovers
• BC Racing RM coilovers
• Driftworks CS2 coilovers
• Fortune Auto 510 coilovers

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In a hurry? Here is our S13 Coilovers summary

The Nissan S13 (240sx, 180sx and 200sx) is an important car for drifting; insanely popular and endlessly customizable the S13 can be made into whatever you want it to be.

If you are planning on hitting the track then you should seriously consider upgrading the standard suspension.

This guide reveals coilover suspension specifications, features, construction materials, spring rates, manufacturer descriptions and our own comments. We have also given each suspension system a Drifted rating based upon features and price.

We are looking at budget, mid-range and high end coilovers in this comparison.

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Let’s take a look at our S13 coilovers

To read more about any of these products just click on the coilover name or photo.

Megan Racing EZII Series S13 Coilover Kit

• Manufacturer: Megan Racing
• Levels of damping adjustment: 15
• Construction type: Monotube
• Spring rate front: 8kg/mm
• Spring rate rear: 6kg/mm
• Fitment: Nissan S13, 240sx, 180sx, 200sx
• Value for money:rating
• Purchase link: Buy Megan Racing EZII’s at Enjuku Racing

Our comment: The Megan Racing EZII kit is the most economical kit in our guide, it offers reasonable levels of damping with a solid monotube construction for a very low price point. If you want a cheap kit to lower your car and replace the tired stock suspension this is a good bet.

Manufacturer description: “Megan Racing EZII Series coilover system is aimed towards the more budget oriented enthusiast to offer the most basic essentials from an after-market coil-over setup, yet makes no compromises for quality and performance.“

“15 Levels of Adjustable Damper Strength, Aluminum Brackets paired with rubber inserts, Rubber Dust Covers, Adjustable Ride Height, Conservative Spring Rates, Single-Cylinder Design – monotube, All coilover damper kits come with 1 year manufacture-defect warranty, All Hardware is Included.“

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KW Variant 3 S13 Coilovers

• Manufacturer: KW
• Levels of damping adjustment: 14
• Construction type: Twin Tube
• Spring rate front: 340 (lbs/inch)
• Spring rate rear: 230 (lbs/inch)
• Fitment: Nissan S13, 240sx, 180sx, 200sx
• Value for money:rating
• Purchase link: Buy KW Variant 3s at Enjuku Racing

Our comment: KW Variant 3 coilovers have a reputation as one of the best mid-range coilover sets available on the market. These coilovers provide a huge range of adjustment, top quality build materials and composed road manners. Suitable for both road and track these coilovers are highly recommended.

Manufacturer description: “Ready for a driving experience as unique as your car? A KW Suspensions Variant 3 coilover set offer you the independent compression and rebound damping setup you need.“

“This unique, system has three adjustable components for maximum customization during low-speed driving, while at high speed, the engineer preset damping allows for optimal driving comfort. Smooth out your ride today with Enjuku Racing.“

“A KW Suspensions Variant 3 coilover set is a premium performance upgrade. If you are unsure about the installation or use of this part, consult a trained professional. Be sure to check the part’s fit before installation.“

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Fortune Auto Dreadnought PRO 2-Way S13 Coilovers

• Manufacturer: Fortune Auto
• Levels of damping adjustment: 24
• Construction type: Monotube with external reservoirs
• Spring rate front: Range of options available
• Spring rate rear: Range of options available
• Fitment: Nissan S13, 240sx, 180sx, 200sx
• Value for money:rating
• Purchase link: Buy Fortune Auto Dreadnoughts at Enjuku Racing

Our comment: The Fortune Auto Dreadnought Pro dampers are at the high end of the S13 coilovers we are looking at. If you are tracking or planning on tracking your S13 then these could be a very nice fit for you.

They offer 2-way independent damping control, 24-step compression and rebound adjustability, radial bearing mounts, Amsoil Synthetic Shock oil, Nitrogen filled dampers, T6 6061 Aluminium mounts and camber plates and they include Swift springs as standard. These coilovers are backed up with an incredible 5 year limited manufacturer’s warranty.

Manufacturer description: “Dreadnought PRO dampers are the foundation of a race winning suspension; designed and tested in the harshest environment possible- the race track. Offering top tier race technology and durable race proven components, Dreadnought PRO damper systems are the ultimate in performance and adjustability.“

“All systems are completely built in-house by our engineering staff in Richmond, Virginia. We insist on building bespoke suspension in order to offer some of the best quality control in the industry.“

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Stance XR1 S13 Coilovers

• Manufacturer: Stance
• Levels of damping adjustment: 16
• Construction type: Monotube
• Spring rate front: 8kg/mm
• Spring rate rear: 6kg/mm
• Fitment: Nissan S13, 240sx, 180sx, 200sx
• Value for money:rating
• Purchase link: Buy your Stance XR1’s here

Our comment: The Stance XR1’s are an inverted monotube, single way adjustable coilover. These coilovers are a solid mid range option for your S13, featuring a good range of adjustment and street friendly springs. The XR1 series carry the latest features and improvements of the Stance range, including new pillbowball, bushings and rust preventation.

Manufacturer description: “Stance XR1 Coilovers are our standard single way adjustable coilover. The XR1 is very similar to our Super Sport line, but due to the constant development of our products, has been improved in many ways. The build and material quality has never been higher. Newly designed pillowball and bushing materials increase longevity and performance.“

“The range and consistency of the XR1 damping forces is also greater than previous Super Sports. The most exciting advancement is our corrosion prevention. Our new dual coating process involves an initial Zinc binding finished with a super hard and ultra thin electrophoretically deposited protective layer. This process has taken our products far above and beyond our competitors in terms of corrosion and rust resistance.“

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BC Racing RM Series S13 Coilovers

• Manufacturer: BC Racing
• Levels of damping adjustment: 30
• Construction type: Monotube
• Spring rate front: 8kg/mm
• Spring rate rear: 6kg/mm
• Fitment: Nissan S13, 240sx, 180sx, 200sx
• Value for money:rating
• Purchase link: Buy BC Racing RMs at Enjuku Racing

Our comment: BC Racing RM series coilovers are a popular suspension setup for street cars. These coilovers offer decent adjustment, solid build materials and a low price point which make them a good fit for entry level shoppers. Camber adjustment up front and 30 way damping adjustment all round make these worth a look if you are keeping to a budget.

Manufacturer description: “The BC Racing RM series feature high quality damping adjustable mono-tube inverted dampers at the front or front and rear, depending on vehicle. The RM coilovers offer the majority of the features of the BR series but with the additional benefit of the inverted damper unit. Inverting the damper unit brings with it a number of advantages.“

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Driftworks Control System 2 CS2 S13 Coilovers

• Manufacturer: Driftworks
• Levels of damping adjustment: 16
• Construction type: Monotube
• Spring rate front: 9kg/mm
• Spring rate rear: 7kg/mm
• Fitment: Nissan S13, 240sx, 180sx, 200sx
• Value for money:rating
• Purchase link: Buy Driftworks CS2s from Driftworks (UK)

Our comment: Here in Europe Driftworks have an enviable reputation as suspension masters and their CS2 S13 coilovers are one of their best selling products. Offering properly optimized spring rates, high quality build materials, good adjustability and their signature orange springs the CS2 is a great mid-range option for your S13. For the money they punch well above their weight.

Manufacturer description: “Driftworks CS2s represent the ultimate in monotube coilover technology. They have long been the coilover kit of choice for many top level competition drivers thanks to the highest levels of technology, performance and durability the kit offers.“

“Independent ride height and pre-load adjustment, pillowball top mounts with camber and castor adjustable fronts, reinforced lower brackets and 9kg / 7kg spring rates feature as standard for general performance driving.“

“We can offer two other spring rate options, a traction biased drift specific kit with 9kg front and 4kg rear spring rates, or an even more track / stance biased kit with 12kg front and 9kg rear springs.“

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Fortune Auto 510 Series S13 Coilovers

• Manufacturer: Fortune Auto
• Levels of damping adjustment: 24
• Construction type: Monotube
• Spring rate front: Range of options available
• Spring rate rear: Range of options available
• Fitment: Nissan S13, 240sx, 180sx, 200sx
• Value for money:rating
• Purchase link: Buy Fortune Auto 510s from Enjuku Racing

Our comment: Fortune Auto’s second offering in our suspension guide is their series 510 coilovers. They offer many of the advanced features of the high end Dreadnought series but at a much lower price point. High quality components, 24 way adjustability and a 5 year manufacturer warranty make these a great fit if your looking for a mid-level set of coilovers.

Manufacturer description: “Fortune Auto is proud to release the all new Generation 5 510 series dampers. The advanced suspension technology found in our new shock absorbers is derived from recent successes in World Challenge, One Lap of America, and Global Time Attack.“

“All systems are built completely in-house by our staff in Richmond, Virginia. We insist on building bespoke suspension in order to offer the best quality control in the industry.“

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Our winner

Our winner is the highly acclaimed KW Variant 3 coilover.

Based upon specifications, features and quality of build materials the Fortune Auto Dreadnought PRO’s look like the ultimate coilover suspension setup for your S13. However with these coilovers retailing at just under $4k they are not going to be within reach of most owners.

KW Variant 3 S13 Coilovers

With that in mind the real winner of this guide needs to be a coilover that is of great build quality, feature packed, has solid manufacturer backing and won’t cost the earth. Our winner is the highly acclaimed KW Variant 3 coilover.

Here is some feedback I found about the KW Variant 3’s from around the net:

“You made a great choice. If you want to drift, you can absolutely do so with KW’s. I own a set of V3’s on my daily 14 and the only thing better would be Koni’s (which I use on my track 13). I can’t speak too much on track use because I’ve only taken these out to maybe three events but they’ve held up. I only take the KW’s and Koni’s off when I test out other coilover brands. I’ll admit that I prefer Koni over KW but that’s only because I now have the resources to build a set of Koni’s.
From DD-ing the car on KW’s, the car won’t feel stock. I put these on before new bushings and the car changed a lot. And with new bushings, the car felt like a newer car. The lowest ride height isn’t low but I still scrape in and out of driveways if I don’t angle. I typically keep the clicks where they were when I got them but I have dialed them in for those track days and you can feel the differences between each click.” – Source

“Ive got a set on my s15, Initially they can were set up lower, but with my wheels they could be made to scrub a little on full lock if you hit a bump…..so that was low enough for me and they came up a bit as seen.
Wheels are 18×8.5+30 and 18×9+32 IIRC. Theyre a good street coilover, comfy, good travel. I got them with the kw camber plates even if they are stupid expensive.” – Source

Runner-up

One set of coilovers that really stood out during our research of this article were the Driftwork’s CS2. Watching videos and reading forums I couldn’t find any negative feedback about this suspension. It’s really quite rare to see such overwhelming enthusiasm for a product.

Driftworks CS2 S13 Coilovers

For a snip over a thousand dollars the Driftworks CS2s look like a really good option. Here are some comments about the CS2s from around the web:

“Driftworks cs2 are excellent although slightly up the scale price wise, any well set up coilover will help the car handle better on the limit than the awful understeery mess bmw set the standard alignment to! the standard shock and spring are great for wafting around but I really didn’t like the way the car always wanted to understeer rather than oversteer when pushing on.” – Source.

“I had Jap GP Sports on mine and even after weeks of trying to get into contact with the guys there via email/phone it was just impossible without a translator, that with the inability to get them repaired/parts for them was nigh on impossible. even when doing the math it came to about the same price to buy new ones (1.5k) let alone actually go ahead with it due to communication issues and time zone difference / postage / import duties. in the end i bought a set of CS2s, only just got my car all sorted and got a drift day booked for the 23rd, but first impressions are the CS2s are VERY nice , even on public roads, the softest setting is still very nice!” – Source.

“It’s a pretty fantastic statement for us to band about – The top three cars in the JDM Allstars 2010 Championship were running Driftworks CS2 Coilovers. Simple. Dan ‘Big in the Game’ Chapmans PS13, the LBD/SS PS13 driven by Luke Fink and the Neuton / Meinomai 180SX driven by Jon Calvert all ran the best drift suspension in the business, and because they were able to keep all 4 wheels on the ground and the body of the car under control they were all able to secure wins and loads of points.” – Source.

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