First impressions- Ksport vs. Apexi EXV

[gotta240]

Sad to say, but my first impressions on both coilovers, side by side, leaves me liking the Ksports!!! Yes, i said it....K sports.

They have a better, more durable finish. Any little rub/bump into the apexi's will scratch them(hell, they came scratched from rubbing on each other during shipping).

The k sports are HEAVIER.

The k sports go MUCH MUCH MUCH lower without requiring SAG... They will go about 4 or 5 inches lower than the apexi's before you need to "sag" or "droop" the spring.


Again, these are only first impressions based on looking/installing the REAR coilovers. Front will go on later, and i will compare the RIDE ASPECT later. I'm really hoping(and expecting) to get a much better ride from the apexi's, although i'm not uber impressed with the looks/finish/weight from the start.

[ZX88]

ive been running on my ksports for 2 months now and i love them they are nice quality even the cheapos.

[gotta240]

Now to the fronts.

The front apexi coilovers are heavier than the ksports...

Again, the k sports have a better, more durable finish. The ksports also have the elogated upper mounting hole, where the apexi does NOT.
THis REALLY pisses me off, because now my tire is dangerously close to rubbing, and i can't run the size tire i want!!! I would have been able to use a 265/35/18(just bought fucking four of them!!) but now i have to stick with the 255/35/18.

The only plus i saw from the apexi is that it has the "mounting tabs" for the front brake lines.

The ksports WITHOUT A DOUBT feel nicer, look nicer, and have far better features than the apexi's do. Again, this is ALL BASED ON LOOKS/INSTALL. Ride comparisons soon to come.

[cfrost]

I hear they blow after 15 minutes of driving

[initial_drifter]

I hear they break apart after 30 minutes of driving

[gotta240]

Everyone "hears" this and that, but i haven't met anyone who has had a problem with them... On the contrary, i know of one person who drifted on them(very well, and at a higher level than most of us) for quite a while.

Again, i'm not trying to defend either or... Just stating what i see/experience MYSELF... IF anyone PERSONALLY has experience with either, feel free to comment.... No "i hear this" or "i hear that" please.

Thanks guys... Ride Quality review soon.

[brokeAs240sx]

My friend has one of the first batches of the k-sports on his car. They ride okay... For the price he paid, can't complain.

The one problem w/ them is that after a few months, we couldn't adjust the height on the front passenger coilover anymore - bracket seized to shock - tried everything, couldn't unseize it. If you search on various forums, this is a common problem w/ the k-sports.

I'd highly recommend putting some anti-seize or something on the shocks when installing them.

[s13_gearhead]

Yeah, rocked my K-sports on an s14 for 6 months. Awesome coilovers, and the price was oh so right.

[BOROSUN]

which ksport did you get?

ive been rockin ksports since first batch also.

[amplifi3d]

a coilover review from its physical appearance. this is grand. somebody pull up a picture of some tein's so we can get review.

[cfrost]

Originally Posted by gotta240

Everyone "hears" this and that, but i haven't met anyone who has had a problem with them... On the contrary, i know of one person who drifted on them(very well, and at a higher level than most of us) for quite a while.

Again, i'm not trying to defend either or... Just stating what i see/experience MYSELF... IF anyone PERSONALLY has experience with either, feel free to comment.... No "i hear this" or "i hear that" please.

Thanks guys... Ride Quality review soon.

I have met lots of people with problems with them

some guys even had them blow a few months into owning them

other have to drive on them for longer

I've driven them on a few cars, I don't like the way they feel

edit:
p.s. never driven on the apexi coilovers

[cfrost]

Originally Posted by amplifi3d

a coilover review from its physical appearance. this is grand. somebody pull up a picture of some tein's so we can get review.

[MadScientist]

If you guys want I will start a new thread (pics only) so everyone can see detailed images of different coilovers, and give personal Ride Reviews.

I have Yashio Factory Spec Plus on my S14.... they are Basically HKS Hyper D's but modified.

Let me know...
Peace
Drew

[OhtaGerbilHero]

i heard purple handles better.

be careful, though, Formula D is planning to outlaw purple for 2008, 'cause Rhys Millen and Samuel Hubinette won too many times.

[gotta240]

Wow, you guys are complete idiots(those bashing the quick review)

Some people actually care about the finish on the coilovers, as they don't want scratched, rusted, 1200 components on their car. If you noticed, i also added that the ksports have the elongated upper mounting hole which can be very important to some(as me for tire clearance).

I also noted the apexi's have a collar to hold brake line and the Ksports allow buyers to lower their car MUCH MORE than apexi's....

STFU

[gotta240]

Ride review- on similar settings (about 28 of 32) the apexi's are a much better ride. A little softer, but a much nicer rebound. Not nearly as bouncy as the ksports. So far i like the apexi ride more...

2 track days/reviews soon to follow.(hopefully...*crossing fingers*)

[babowc]

i had ksports.
they were real decent.
until they blew out after a couple thousand miles of daily driving.
GA roads are pretty damn nice, and it just blew.

The pass. rear strut blew after i backed onto a small rock @ maybe 10mph.

Bad quality coilovers, but for the price, who can complain, right?

[kevtrinh]

I had K-Sports...they are pretty stable while sliding but the dampening is just retarded bad. At full hard and stiff sidewall tires I was still oscillating. The locks get loose easily too and they clunk on bumps/turning if you don't set the spring right blah blah. They suck in the cold...making a god awful noise from the oil being too cold. But if you are new to sliding...they will do the job. Street...not so much but looks.

[CKAMC]

if your going off looks to determine what coilover you want you really need to go back to school.

its not about the looks its how they preform

if they are the GT's I say those are worth their dollar... along with the drift model. the entry level's are just like megans...crap

[smelly240]

you can also get the better dampers changed in from the GT's. they're a totally different world.

[articdragon192]

Originally Posted by gotta240

Wow, you guys are complete idiots(those bashing the quick review)

Some people actually care about the finish on the coilovers, as they don't want scratched, rusted, 1200 components on their car. If you noticed, i also added that the ksports have the elongated upper mounting hole which can be very important to some(as me for tire clearance).

I also noted the apexi's have a collar to hold brake line and the Ksports allow buyers to lower their car MUCH MORE than apexi's....

STFU

All parts on cars get worn. Don't expect coilovers to be undamaged over time. Hell wrenching on them damages paint and nicks finishes. Big deal. They aren't seen anyways. As long as they are properly cared for they'll be fine. Anyways, good to see someone comparing quality coilovers to entry level ones. The difference is in the ride

[TheWolf]

Originally Posted by gotta240

On the contrary, i know of one person who drifted on them(very well, and at a higher level than most of us) for quite a while.

Again, i'm not trying to defend either or... Just stating what i see/experience MYSELF... IF anyone PERSONALLY has experience with either, feel free to comment.... No "i hear this" or "i hear that" please.

I hear that real drift cars run high spring rates to limit travel and make the car slide easier which has nothing to do with street driving.

Apples meet oranges.

[aznpoopy]

local had k-sports on his car. the rears blew after about a year of daily driving on jersey roads.

and the coilovers are going to get rusty and gross. i don't care how good the finish is. that's just the way shit works. doesn't matter too much; most people move on to a new set every few years or so anyway.

[street240]

Originally Posted by babowc

i had ksports.
they were real decent.
until they blew out after a couple thousand miles of daily driving.
GA roads are pretty damn nice, and it just blew.

The pass. rear strut blew after i backed onto a small rock @ maybe 10mph.

Bad quality coilovers, but for the price, who can complain, right?

How many miles did they last for?

[rightcoastimports]

As a ksport dealer i will say that they used to use crappy seals in their kits but now they use the same as HKS so no kits purchased within the last 4-6 months will be having any leaking issues. I have sold over 100 s13/s14 kits with no complaints.

[S13_SX]

Originally Posted by amplifi3d

a coilover review from its physical appearance. this is grand. somebody pull up a picture of some tein's so we can get review.

HAH. I had Ksports on my old hatch. They DUMPED it, rode awesome for a year. Pulled them off and sold them before I sold the car. Still looked awesome and they weren't seized at all.

[vw_nissan]

I had mine for less than a year with about 10K miles on them. One of the rear shock leaked like and blew. Bought a new shock, but couldn't disassemble the damaged shock because the lock perch seized.

Now don't know what to do. Will take it to a shop to see if they can fix it.

[hayaimoto]

my cousin had ksports....blew out in like 3 weeks....my daily driver still has EXV's purchased from 2004. No problems still.