What do you get when you put the largest car company in the world in a room together with another company that specializes in making all-wheel-drive cars? The FR-S Scion! Back in 2012, Toyota and Subaru introduced the Scion FR-S and Subaru BRZ to the world.
It has come by many names throughout the years: Scion FR-S, Subaru BRZ, Toyota 86, Toyota GT86, and now the Toyota GR86. There’s little difference between the three, but there’s one thing they all have in common: an abundance of aftermarket parts, products, and support.
The Scion FR-S is a fun car to drive and is meant to be driven as much as possible. People who own cars like this express how much they love it, and even though Civics can keep up with the car and it’s not as fancy as a Lambo, the feeling that you get when driving this car is exceptionally great.
It’s agile and it’s a great platform for aftermarket modifications that emphasizes handling, just like coilovers.
Coilovers are aftermarket modifications that have springs and shocks combined. They work accordingly, but they are independent of each other. This device can reduce the height of a car to whatever measurement the owner prefers, and it gives them the chance to adjust the damper settings to whatever the owner sees fit.
It’s a great way to upgrade your car’s handling and cornering capabilities while tinkering with the car’s ride height at the same time. Plain and simple, coilovers are the best modification for your FRS, and it’s not even close.
If you’re looking for the best coilovers for your Scion FR-S, you are in luck! The list below features the best performance coilovers anyone can get for a Scion FR-S. Check them out!
#1 Rev9 Hyper-Street II Coilover Kit
- Manufacturer: Rev9Power
- Type of Construction: Monotube
- Spring Rate (Front/Rear): 448 lbs/inch | 448 lbs/inch
- Compatibility: Scion FR-S (2013-2020)
We’re starting this list with a starter coilover kit which does well when installed and is fairly affordable at the same time. The Hyper-Street II is an entry-level suspension upgrade that utilizes monotube shocks that offers a larger amount of hydraulic oil, which means better damping, especially compared to monotube shocks.
It’s constructed out of a steel alloy, and the hardware is made from aluminum. It’s a great way to upgrade your suspension without spending too much. If you’re looking for other affordable options, we recommend the Godspeed coilovers below for an equally cheap alternative!
It comes with 32 clicks of the valving that allow you to tune the coilover to whatever setting you see fit, and it also comes with adjustable full-length shocks that give you a chance to define what ride height you want to set.
You can adjust the ride height without even ruining the spring tension. The height adjustment system is independent of the spring tension system, so there’s no need to worry about accidental setting changes.
#2 Godspeed MonoRS Coilover Kit
- Manufacturer: Godspeed Project
- Type of Construction: Monotube
- Spring Rate (Front/Rear): 448lbs/inch | 448lbs/inch
- Compatibility: Scion FR-S (2013-2016)
The MonoRS Series is an intermediate-grade coilover kit perfect for daily driving and the typical weekend track racing. It can lower your Scion FR-S’ ride height while maintaining comfort and improving the handling at the same time.
What makes this mod belong to the best coilovers for Scion FR-S is its emphasis on weight reduction and the fact that it’s great for car enthusiasts who are slightly knowledgeable about coilovers.
This coilover kit has 2” monotube stainless steel shocks that allow 32 levels of compression/rebound adjustment. It also utilizes a popular brand of bearings called Koyo 6204z that provides smooth stroke in the internal piston.
The spring tension and the ride height adjustment is independent of each other, and if ever the shock absorber is damaged, you can just rebuild it by getting a replacement part.
#3 Tein Flex Z Coilover Kit
- Manufacturer: Tein
- Type of Construction: Twin-tube
- Spring Rate (Front/Rear): 336lbs/inch | 336lbs/inch
- Compatibility: Scion FR-S (2013-2017)
The Tein Flex Z is the inheritor of the Street Flex’s legacy: a high-performance coilover kit made from Yokohama, Japan that offers top-tier ride height adjustable shocks while at a reasonable price.
This twin-tube coilover kit is great for driving the Scion FR-S down the street because it makes the car look cool with its lowered stance. It also offers a full-length adjustable ride height system that doesn’t affect the riding comfort in any kind of negative way.
This coilover kit made right from Japan is durable, reliable, and most of all, very easy to install. The brackets and the shell cases of this coilover are incredibly rigid, which makes this suspension upgrade ideal for racing purposes.
And to add a little bit of spice, the Flex Z Series coilover kit is compatible with EDFC Series, a kit that allows the Scion FR-S owner to adjust the damper settings of the coilover inside the car using a cool electronic controller.
#4 Raceland Classic Coilovers
- Manufacturer: Raceland USA
- Type of Construction: Monotube
- Spring Rate (Front/Rear): lbs/inch | lbs/inch
- Compatibility: Scion FR-S (2012-2016)
The Raceland Classic coilovers are ideal for Scion FR-S drivers who want a high-performance suspension upgrade without spending a fortune.
It’s a bang for the buck purchase if you want your Scion FR-S to go as low as 1” to 3” below the stock ride height and if you want a coilover kit that has a spring and damping rate that goes well with lowered vehicles without compromising the ride quality of the car.
And also, the Raceland Classic coilovers for the Scion FR-S includes some shortened sway bars end links to help reduce the car’s body roll, especially when cornering too fast or if there are irregularities on the road you’re driving on.
And there’s a slight chance that you’ll need some wheel spacers depending on how low you want your Scion FR-S to go using the Raceland Classic coilovers.
#5 BC Racing BR Series Coilovers
- Manufacturer: BC Racing
- Type of Construction: Monotube
- Spring Rate (Front/Rear): N/A
- Compatibility: Scion FR-S (2012-2016)
And now, we head towards the coilovers especially made for racing purposes: featuring the BR Series from BC Racing. This coilover is a must-have, especially if you use the Scion FR-S both on the streets and the racecourse/autocross duty.
The adjustment knobs used to tune the compression and rebound settings are easily accessible so you won’t have to stress yourself out in case you accidentally changed the settings.
The ride height adjustment is also independent of the shock stroke and the spring preload. So whenever you change your mind about how low you wanna go, you can do so without affecting the adjustments you’ve set for the others.
The BR Series offers 30 clicks of damping adjustment and comes with custom components like custom spring rate and Swift Springs, and custom valving paired with custom spring rates. Overall, this is a great coilover for Scion FR-S owners who want to race from time to time.
#6 BC Racing DR Series Coilovers
- Manufacturer: BC Racing
- Type of Construction: Monotube
- Spring Rate (Front/Rear): 448lbs/inch | 336lbs/inch
- Compatibility: Scion FR-S (2013-2016)
BC Racing also has another coilover kit to offer, and this time it’s a premium buy for the Scion FR-S. Featuring the DR Series coilovers, designed to maximize the driver feel.
It utilizes a BR Racing patented digressive piston design that offers an increase in damping force when the piston’s velocity is low and maintains linear damping whenever the piston goes fast.
For its price, the DC Series can be considered as one of Scion FR-S’s best coilovers.
The key difference between the BR Series and the DR Series is the latter can increase the low-speed damping force, and the former can’t.
This advantage translates to what you, as a Scion FR-S feels when you drive; for example, body roll, pitch, nose dives, and the rapid weight transitions on activities like drifting, etc.
That difference is what makes the DR Series a premium purchase for your Scion FR-S.
#7 KW Variant 3 Coilover Kit
- Manufacturer: KW Suspensions
- Type of Construction: Monotube
- Spring Rate (Front/Rear): 230lbs/inch | 285lbs/inch
- Compatibility: Scion FR-S (2013-2016)
Lastly, we have the most premium purchase you can do for a Scion FR-S in terms of coilovers. Featuring the KW Variant 3, the ultimate expression of suspension system upgrade freedom.
By getting this coilover kit for your Scion FR-S, you’re allowing yourself to experience what it’s like to get optimal performance, independent lowering height ranges, and outstanding driving capabilities.
It’s like checking in your Scion FR-S in a 5-star hotel for coilovers.
The KW Variant 3 is complete overkill, but if you’re into activities that demand superior handlings and top-of-the-line damper adjustment systems, then you need this coilover kit.
Each of the coilovers can be individually adjusted apart from the ride height. The rebound damping adjustment is, and we quote “infinitely variable ”. The components are made to be extremely durable, and they can handle most kinds of punishments from demanding activities pretty well.
Installing a coilover kit on your Scion FR-S is a great way to ensure that you can adjust the ride height of your car depending on how low you wanna go while adjusting the way you want your car to respond when a sharp turn shows up and needs some quality handling to corner effectively.
Overall, coilovers are the best way to lower your car’s center of gravity while taking care of its handling.
Things to Look For – FRS Coilovers
There are a handful of things you want to look for before buying your FRS coilovers, but the most important of them all is the spring rate of the coilover itself. Most coilovers are preload adjustable. However, that still leaves you with a fixed spring rate.
Spring Rates
The spring of your coilover determines how stiff the spring is, which needs to be matched to the stiffness of the rebound and compression damping for optimal handling. We won’t get deep into suspension tuning here, but the basic idea is to use a spring rate that matches your vehicle’s use application, tire compound, and weight.
Tires with a lot of grip will increase body roll during cornering and braking (assuming your brakes are powerful enough,) which means you either need increased spring rates or stiffer sway bars, depending on the application. Excessively stiff springs will massively impair handling and leave your vehicle handling worse than the OEM suspension did, so be sure to go with effectively the softest spring possible.
Generally speaking, coilovers for specific vehicles like the FRS come with a spring rate that is an all-around rate. Meaning it’ll handle all sorts of tires and full body weight, but it’s not optimal for anyone who’s looking for maximum track performance with sticky tires, so just keep that in mind!