Thread: Road Magnet + AGX vs. Megan Coilovers?

I have RM and AGX's and I think the combo sucks. I read tons of reviews and was convinced that this setup was better then the crappy Eibach/Tokico blues I had previously. I do not track my car, but I live down the street from the Dragon and some of the most wonderful turns and twists in the country. I need control in other words as there is zero run-off around here.

The RMs have a much stiffer spring rate for sure, but I feel the AGX do a poor job in controlling them. On softer setting, the springs over powers the strut and the car bounces terribly on the highway when you encounter bridges and waves on the road. Sometimes my hands are the only part of my body touching the car. Springs throw your ass out of the seat. Then, when I tighten up the strut, the ride gets rough as hell in my opinion. We have great roads in TN for the record. Maybe I need to play around with them more but I feel a stronger strut is in order.

Maybe I'm just too old, but I can't wait to get away from this setup. I just don't know what to head towards?? The biggest problem with getting input from members here, is that we all have a different idea of what 'perfect' is. For example, people are raving about the Progress coilovers. However, there are several for sale where the owners state the ride is too rough. Perfect and rough do not go together in my opinion.

My $0.02

CSK? Whats that? Searched and nothign came up for that.

more adjustment is bad........................this in absolutely no way make piss poor shock valving and bad spring rates good.

agx's and road magnets are great. agx's have been proven time and time again to only be out performed by short koni's. and the road magnets............fvck.......they were designed for our car.

do you think megan even personally installed a set of their coil overs on a b13? HA! adjustable is completely over rated in every sence of the word. hell the progress coilovers dont even have any sort of shock adjustment!

oh come on! youve been here for a full year and dont know what CSK is?

CSK=custom short konis.

I too can attest, we have really good roads here in TN. But you really have to get on a track to feel how good your suspension is. It doesn't matter how 'spirited' you think the driving is...if its on the street, there's no comparison.

And you won't experience that until you've done at least one track day.

For the record, I'm not crazy about AGXs. But as far as "cheap" struts go, you can't beat them. It sounds like you're coming from the 'comfort' end of the perspective. (vs. performance) And none of these are really satisfactory 'comfort' options.

My favorite setup is what I have in my B13, which is Tein HA (for the GTiR) but refitted with springs that have rates closer to Hyperco Gen2s. This has been the best setup for DD and track days. But it's still sort of harsh, if you're keen to pay attention to how harsh it is. You get my meaning?

OK, I'll be 60 years old in a couple months, and I drive my B13 80 miles round trip to work every day. I have tried several spring/strut combinations and I have not found the AGX to be suitable for my taste on the street. So maybe your preferences are similar to mine, when it comes to ride.

First, I would recommend that you try Koni strut inserts. See if you can catch a ride with a local Forum member that has these dampers. They make a world of difference compared to the AGX. It takes a little bit of effort to install Konis because you have to cut the top off the strut body, but there are lots of instructions on the Forums, and it's really not that hard.

Next is the question of springs. For the street, I'd recommend that you strongly consider sticking with the stock springs. Combined with the Konis set about 25% off dead soft, I think that you will like the compromise between comfort, control, and handling. If you want less body roll and more responsiveness, I've had good luck adding front and rear sway bars by White Line. For the B13, they sell a rear bar that has 2 settings.

If you absolutely need to lower your car, then you are going to have to go to shorter springs -- and this means that you will need to shorten your Koni struts to preserve suspenion travel, which will make the installation of the struts slightly more challenging. But doable. I've tried Eibach Pro-Kits with CSKs and cut bump stops and found that they still bottom out too much and really don't handle very well. I have also done the Hypercoils with AGX and CSKs and love them for the track but feel they are a little too much for the street. So I settled on White Line springs which seem to be somewhere between the Eibachs and the Hypercoils. I run them with CSKs and cut bump stops -- drive them every day on Washington DC streets. I wish that they rode a half inch higher, but they are the best shortened daily driver spring that I have found. Even so, it's a toss up for me when I think about going back to Konis and the stock springs. Knowing what I know now, I'd probably go with Koni reds, stock springs, and sway bars for a daily driver. Add light wheels and good tires and there are not many cars that can embarrass you in the turns with this set up.

Wait there just one minute. You mean to tell me that you're unhappy with a stiff suspension? You're not buying the hype? Listen here buddy. Around these parts if it ain't stiff, it ain't worth having. The best suspension is no suspension at all, but since we can't all go running around driving go-karts, we have to settle for the minimally bone shaking KYB AGX struts.

Look closely because you're about to see the best suspension set-up that money can buy.



Behold the pinnacle of road holding. If you don't understand why the RM/AGX combo is the leader of the pack, you need to turn in your Japanese import tuner card and go buy a BMW. You are beyond help.

I take that back. You could go one step further and weld your struts together. Simple. Cheap. Effective.







See the Asian in the pictures? That should be proof enough for you.


No, the problem is most people on this forum have never driven a car with a proper damper. They don't know what it's like to run a very high spring rate and still get an extremely supple ride so they don't think it's possible. They think that to get rid of body roll you have to live with a stiff ride. You can have a pliable ride and minimal body roll at the same time people!

Until you ride in a car with high rate, progressive springs and proper dampers (Koni, Bilstein, etc.) you do not know what you're missing. Yes, it may not feel like you're getting an aѕs pounding like your favorite Japanese import tuner show car but it will out perform that stiff crap in 99% of situations.

I think you need some more brain washing. Please spend more time at your local street ricer hangout. Pay close attention to the kids with missing fillings. They are the ones you need to emulate.


Hyperco springs. Custom shortened strut bodies with Koni "yellow" inserts. You will believe.

Ben,
Your reply gave me a great laugh I was so in need of. Thank you!!

YES, I am sick and tired of a firm, harsh and bumpy ride in my B13. Why?? Because, it doesn't need to be that way for a good handling street car. When I was 16, I too would have pulled out the torches and welded stuff stiff, but that is not the case anymore...I'm afraid. Please take some video of you driving around with welded struts. You might win something on YouTube.

You wrote:
No, the problem is most people on this forum have never driven a car with a proper damper. They don't know what it's like to run a very high spring rate and still get an extremely supple ride so they don't think it's possible. They think that to get rid of body roll you have to live with a stiff ride. You can have a pliable ride and minimal body roll at the same time people!

This is my problem. I've had, and do own cars with properly paired springs and struts and you can have your cake and eat it too. Great handling and pliable ride are possible, but usually at a cost.

You wrote:
I think you need some more brain washing. Please spend more time at your local street ricer hangout. Pay close attention to the kids with missing fillings. They are the ones you need to emulate.

I live in East TN, teeth are optional in these parts I'm afraid. I want to keep my teeth, that is why I am looking for help.

Thanks for your comments. I will consider the CSK option. However, I need to ride in a car with the setup before I proceed. I will post something in the SE forum and see if I can catch a ride in a local member's car.

BillC - I will review some of your options also. Thanks

Thanks everyone for your replies

I did not give you enough credit for your reply. After reading this again, I realize you have done a lot of research, at your expense, to come up with this information. To me, this is the kind of information that make forums like this so valuable! I wish I would have read this 6 months ago before my purchase. Then again, you wrote this only yesterday. ha ha

Thanks Bill

Yah, Bill has the right idea.