10+ Best Nissan Silvia S13 Coilovers: The Ultimate Guide
The Nissan Silvia S13 is an incredibly popular car among car enthusiasts worldwide. It’s lightweight, rear wheel drive platform make it a favourite among drifters, track racers and people looking to have a fun to drive sports car.
One of the best upgrades you can do to your S13 is to install a set of coilovers. In this blog post, I’m going to cover the benefits of installing coilovers on your S13, as well as what you should know when selecting coilovers. I’m also going to give you the 10 best coilovers available on the market for your S13.
Let’s get right into it.
The Top 3 Coilovers For the Nissan Silvia S13
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The Benefits of Installing Coilovers on your S13
The Nissan Silvia S13 was designed from factory to be a sports car, having decent handling, good weight distribution and a relatively powerful motor at the time, especially if you got the SR20DET version.
This makes it an extremely popular car with car tuners, drifters and racers alike, and with that comes the desire to make the S13 perform to the best of its ability.
If you are looking to get the most performance out of your S13, installing a set of coilovers is basically not optional.
Here’s why.
Handling Performance
Coilovers were originally designed for racecars to give them maximum handling performance and responsiveness, and to make it easy to swap the spring rates and fine tune the suspension.
Similarly, when installing coilovers on your car, whether it’s a road car or a dedicated track car, you can expect a significant handling improvement.
Coilovers are going be stiffer than the factory suspension, and will lower the car’s ride height. This will lower the center of gravity and reduce body roll, which contributes to significant handling advantages and increased grip when done right.
Adjustable Ride Height
Another benefit of coilovers and one of the biggest reasons people install coilovers on their cars is for the ride height adjustability.
The way coilovers are designed allows you to adjust the ride height up or down, and set it exactly where you want it, down to the millimeter.
This is not only beneficial for performance reasons but is incredibly useful for people who want to achieve a certain look with their car (let’s be honest, that’s pretty much all of us).
Whether you just want to lower it a few centimeters to achieve a more aggressive look, or you want to go the full-on stance route, coilovers are one of your best options.
Damper Adjustability
Most coilovers on the market today come with dampening adjustment. This is incredibly useful for cars that will be used for both road and track, for fine tuning the suspension to squeeze out every bit of performance, and for people who are picky about ride comfort.
Basically, dampening adjustment allows you to turn a knob on the dampers to either stiffen or soften the damper settings, which can significantly change both how the car rides and handles.
This is also very quick to do and allows you to set them up how you want them, and then quickly change (if you go to the track, for instance).
Camber Adjustability
Because the S13 has MacPherson strut front suspension, most coilovers will come with camber plates for the front coilovers which will allow you to fine tune the camber.
This is useful for alignment reasons, as the lower you go, the further the wheel alignment gets from factory settings and needs to be reset. If you go very low, sometimes the factory parts don’t have enough adjustment to set the alignment where it needs to be.
It is also incredibly useful for performance reasons, as the right camber settings can significantly impact your car’s grip and responsiveness, which makes a big difference on the track.
Coilover Compatibility Between S13 Models
The S13 platform was used for a number of different models including the 180sx, 200sx and 240sx in different parts of the world, as well as the S13 coupe itself.
Luckily, all of these models use the same suspension setup, which means that coilovers for any of these models are cross compatible with all the others.
Therefore, you can freely buy coilovers that fit any of these cars (as long as they are the right year – some 240sx are S14 chassis so check the year!) and they will fit your S13.
The Best Coilovers For the Nissan Silvia S13
Now let’s get onto the best coilovers for the S13. I’m going to cover a range of options here from track specific to budget street coilovers, so no matter what your needs and budget, there will be something here for you.
Fortune Auto PRO 2-Way
Price: $4699
Best for: Track cars
The Fortune Auto PRO 2-Way Dreadnought kit is designed to give you uncompromised performance at the track.
These feature monotube dampers with Concave Flow Digressive Pistons, designed to give you maximum feel and control over the car along with an ultra-wide adjustment range. This gives you the ability to change the spring rates up to +/- 8 Kg without having to revalve the dampers.
They also give you 2-way independent dampening adjustment, with 24 levels of rebound and 24 levels of compression adjustment, and come with external reservoirs.
These are also highly customizable and can be built to suit your exact needs.
If handling performance is your priority, these coilovers are the ones to go for.
To read more about Fortune Auto and their very high build quality standards, click here.
Features include:
- Ride height adjustment by the shock body
- Monotube dampers with Concave Flow Digressive Pistons and high pressure nitrogen
- 2-way independent dampening adjustment – 24 levels of rebound and compression
- External damper reservoirs
- Ultra wide adjustment range allowing up to 8 Kg change in spring rates
- Aluminium Pillowball camber adjustable top mounts
- Swift Springs available
- Custom spring rates and dampening available
- Hand assembled and shock dyno tested in the USA
- Fully rebuildable, revalvable and serviceable in the USA
- 5 year warranty
GET THE S13 FORTUNE AUTO PRO-2WAY KIT HERE FOR THE BEST PRICE
KW V3
Price: $2659
Best for: Street cars that will see some track use
The KW V3 is regarded by many to be one of the best street and track coilover kits available.
KW is well known for their very high levels of engineering and extensive testing and tuning of each coilover kit for every car model.
Their kits are also famous for their extreme resistance to corrosion, with their special INOX-LINE stainless steel shock bodies and composite spring perches designed to withstand the harshest weather and never corrode. KW backs this up with a lifetime warranty.
The ride height adjustment on these is done by the spring perch, which means that the lower you go, the less suspension travel you retain. While they do give you a lowering range of up to 2.3 inches in the front and 1.8 inches in the rear, these may not be idea if you intend on going super low.
The dampers on this kit are twin tube and feature KW’s TVC-A and TVR-A adjustment systems which allow you to independently adjust compression and rebound, giving you a very comfortable street ride while still giving excellent performance at the track.
This kit has been designed with street comfort in mind, but will still perform very well for track days.
These are a good choice if you are building a street car where comfort is a priority but you still intend to do some track days. They are also an excellent choice in areas with harsh weather if you will be using the car over winter.
To read more about KW, click here.
NOTE: These use the factory top mounts, so be sure to order new ones to replace yours if getting this kit.
Features include:
- Ride height adjustment by spring perch
- Lowering range up to 2.3 inches in the front, 1.8 inches in the rear
- Twin tube dampers
- 2-way independent dampening adjustable – 16 levels of rebound adjustment, 12 levels of compression adjustment
- INOX-LINE stainless steel shock bodies
- Composite spring perches
- Lifetime warranty
- Rebuildable
GET THE S13 KW V3 KIT FOR THE BEST PRICE HERE
Fortune Auto 500
Price: $1799
Best for: Street cars that will see some track use
The Fortune Auto 500 Series is a very impressive and highly customizable kit designed for street cars that will see some track use.
One of the most impressive features of this kit is that it is modular and can be upgraded to a higher spec, all the way up to the PRO 2-Way kit listed above.
Along with that, these coilovers can up customized with custom spring rates and valving, Swift Springs, Super Low option and more.
They give you ride height adjustment by the shock body, lowering the car 1-3 inches, with the Super Low option going up to 5 inches.
The dampers are monotube and feature digressive valving with high flow pistons designed to give you the perfect balance of driver feel and responsiveness while still being very comfortable for street use. They also give you 24 levels of rebound dampening adjustment.
If you are building a street car that will see track time, this kit is a fantastic option, especially if you think you will need to upgrade in the future (when is this not the case!)
Features include:
- Ride height adjustment by the shock body
- 1-3 inches of lowering, Super Low kit goes up to 5 inches
- Monotube dampers with digressive valving and high flow pistons
- 24 levels of rebound dampening adjustment
- Aluminium pillowball top mounts with camber adjustment
- Modular – Can be upgraded to higher spec all the way up to 2-way dampening adjustable with external reservoirs
- Hand assembled and shock dyno tested in the USA
- Custom spring rates and valving available
- Swift Spring upgrade available
- 5 year warranty
- Fully rebuildable, serviceable and upgradeable in the USA
GET THE S13 FORTUNE AUTO 500 SERIES KIT FOR THE BEST PRICE HERE
Feal 441
Price: $1449
Best for: Street & track builds
The Feal 441 kit is another very impressive and highly customizable kit made with performance in mind.
Designed as an entry level kit that will handle both track days and street driving, Feal has put a lot of thought and effort into designing a kit that is made to suit your exact specifications and can even be valved to match your specific motor swap.
Feal have also designed their coilovers to have more stroke than any other kit, which gives you more grip and thus faster lap times, or more control in the case of drifting.
The 441 kit features monotube dampers with 30 levels of adjustable dampening and can be upgraded to 2 or even 3-way independent dampening adjustmentwith external reservoirs.
If you are building a performance car for street or track use, and can’t afford a top level track specific kit, these are a fantastic option made by a great team who will work with you to make you the perfect setup to match your car and driving requirements.
You can read my full Feal coilovers review here.
Features include:
- Ride height adjustment by the shock body
- Monotube dampers
- 30 levels of dampening adjustment – compression/rebound simultaneous
- Highly customizable to suit your car’s setup and driving requirements
- Available in standard, road race, drag and drift specific setups
- Upgradeable to 2 and 3-way independent dampening adjustment
- Designed to have more stroke than any other coilover kit
- Aluminium top mounts with camber adjustment
- Fully rebuildable and revalvable in the USA
- Swift Spring upgrade available
- Custom spring rates and valving available
- 1 year warranty
GET THE S13 FEAL 441 KIT FOR THE BEST PRICE HERE
Silvers Neomax
Price: $1299
Best for: Street cars that will see some track use
Another highly customizable and upgradable kit, the Silvers Neomax offer fantastic value for money.
These coilovers give you ride height adjustment by the shock body, with 1-3 inches of lowering on the standard kit, and up to 5 inches on the Super Low kit.
They feature monotube dampers with 24 levels of dampening adjustment and “hybrid” linear pistons with digressive valving, designed to give you the perfect balance between road comfort and driver feel and responsiveness.
This kit is highly customizable and upgradeable to 2-way dampening adjustable.
These are a great option if you are on a bit of a budget but still want a highly customizable and upgradable kit that will perform well on the track.
To read about the Silvers coilovers in detail, click here.
Features include:
- Ride height adjustment by the shock body
- 1-3 inches of lowering, Super Low kit goes up to 5 inches
- Monotube dampers with “hybrid” linear piston and digressive valving
- 24 levels of dampening adjustment
- Electroless nickel plated shock bodies for corrosion protection
- Aluminium pillowball camber adjustable top mounts
- Modular – Can be upgraded to 2-way independent dampening adjustment with external reservoirs
- Custom spring rates and valving available
- Swift Spring upgrade available
- Rebuildable
- 18 month warranty
GET THE S13 SILVERS NEOMAX KIT FOR THE BEST PRICE HERE
BC Racing BR Series
Price: $1195
Best for: Street cars that will see the occasional track day
The BC Racing BR Series is a very popular coilover kit designed to give you great performance and value for money.
This kit is BC Racing’s entry-level kit and is designed primarily for street use, though it will handle track time.
They feature ride height adjustment by the shock body, giving you 1-3 inches of lowering on the standard kit and up to 4 inches on the Extreme Low kit.
The dampers are monotube and feature linear valving designed for road comfort, and give you 30 levels of dampening adjustment which adjusts the compression and rebound simultaneously.
This kit has proven to be a safe bet and is a great all-rounder setup for those on a budget.
To read more about the BC Racing BR Series, click here.
Features include:
- Ride height adjustment by the shock body
- 1-3 inches of lowering, Extreme Low kit goes 4 inches lower
- Monotube dampers with linear valving
- 30 level dampening adjustment – compression/rebound simultaneous
- Aluminium pillowball camber adjustable top mounts
- Custom spring rates and valving available
- Swift Spring upgrade available
- Fully rebuildable – parts available for purchase
- 1 year warranty
GET THE S13 BC RACING BR SERIES KIT FOR THE BEST PRICE HERE
A’PEXi N1 ExV
Price: $1139.05
Best for: Street cars & budget builds that will be used on the track
The A’PEXi N1 ExV kit is designed as the perfect budget performance setup by a company that has long been involved with car tuning and racing.
A’PEXi has a lot of success in motorsport and they have used their knowledge to create a kit that offers excellent ride comfort while performing extremely well on the track.
These coilovers give you ride height adjustment by the shock body, and feature monotube dampers with special valving and damper oil spec’d by A’PEXi for performance. They also give you 32 levels of dampening adjustment.
A’PEXi coilovers have an excellent reputation and are a great choice if you are building a performance car on a budget.
You can read more about the A’PEXi coilovers here.
Features include:
- Ride height adjustment by the shock body
- Monotube dampers
- 32 levels of dampening adjustment
- Damper valving and oil spec’d by A’PEXi for performance
- Aluminium Pillowball top mounts with camber adjustment
- Spring rates: 8 Kg front, 6 Kg rear
- Rebuildable
GET THE S13 A’PEXi N1 EXV KIT FOR THE BEST PRICE HERE
Revel Touring Sport
Price: $1390
Best for: Street cars where ride comfort is a priority
The Revel Touring Sport is designed to allow you to go very low while offering the most comfortable ride possible.
Revel coilovers are made by Tanabe, a Japanese coilover manufacturer known for making “the quietest coilover on the market” and for producing high quality kits at great prices.
The dampers are monotube and give you 32 levels of adjustment. They feature larger pistons and oil capacity, allowing for faster damping force and more efficiency at all temperatures. Combined with the springs, these coilovers have been tuned for maximum ride comfort while still offering an increase in handling performance.
These coilovers also include coilover covers, which help to keep the threads clean and free from rust, making it easy to adjust later on. A nice touch from Revel.
These are a great buy for street cars where ride comfort is a high priority and are made by a very reputable company.
Features include:
- Ride height adjustment by the shock body
- 32-level dampening adjustment
- Monotube dampers tuned for comfort and performance
- Coilover covers included
- 1 year warranty
GET THE S13 REVEL TOURING SPORT KIT FOR THE BEST PRICE HERE
Riaction GT-1
Price: $957
Best for: Street cars that will see track time
The is the cheapest kit I have found so far that offers a high degree of customizability and even the ability to upgrade.
The GT-1 kit features monotube dampers with linear valving which is suitable for road cars, and give you 32 levels of rebound dampening adjustment.
The ride height adjustment is done by the shock body and gives you 1-3 inches of lowering from stock.
These are also highly customizable – you can select custom spring rates and valving, Swift Spring upgrades and even get them revalved and changed from linear to progressive valving. You can also upgrade then to 2-way independent dampening adjustment.
Riaction also offer lifetime free labor on their coilovers, which means if you need to service or rebuild the coilovers, you only pay for the parts.
You can read my full Riaction coilovers review here.
Features include:
- Ride height adjustment by the shock body
- 1-3 inches of lowering
- 32-levels of rebound dampening adjustment
- Camber adjustable front strut mounts
- Customizable (Swift Springs and/or custom spring rates) and upgradeable to 2-way or even switching between linear and digressive valving
- Fully rebuildable
- 2 year warranty against manufacturing defects, as well as a lifetime labor warranty which means you only need to pay for the parts, and they will service your coilovers for free!
GET THE S13 RIACTION GT-1 KIT FOR THE BEST PRICE HERE
TEIN Flex Z
Price: $819.95
Best for: Street cars that will do the occasional track day
In my opinion, the TEIN Flex Z is the best coilover kit you are going to get under $1000.
These coilovers are seriously impressive for a number of reasons when you consider how cheap they are.
For starters, TEIN is very well known for their high build quality and great performance, and these coilovers are no exception. They are made at TEIN’s Yokohama facility in Japan.
Another thing that makes them special is that TEIN actual makes each kit specific to the region of the world its being sold to, to ensure the customer gets the best setup for their needs.
They feature ride height adjustment by the shock body, lowering the car up to 4.3 inches front and 3.7 inches rear.
The dampers are twin tube for extra road comfort and give you 16 levels of dampening adjustment. They also feature special oil designed to handle extreme temperatures and be resistant to foaming, which makes them suitable for track days and intensive driving sessions.
TEIN has also designed these dampers as replaceable inserts, which are quicker and cheaper to replace than if you had to send your coilovers in for a rebuild. TEIN will also custom valve these dampers for you to suit your requirements.
If you are building your S13 on a budget, and you are looking for a coilover kit that will be comfortable on the street and still handle the track, you are going to struggle to find anything better than these for the price.
You can read more about the TEIN Flex Zs here.
Features include:
- Ride height adjustment by the shock body
- Lowers 4.3 inches front, 3.7 inches rear
- Twin tube dampers designed to give you maximum ride comfort
- 16 levels of dampening adjustment
- Damper oil designed to handle intensive driving
- TEIN no sag springs
- Spring rates: 7 Kg front, 5 Kg rear
- Aluminium Pillowball camber adjustable front top mounts
- TEIN’s patented powder coat and ZT coating for maximum corrosion resistance
- Replaceable damper inserts (can be custom valved)
- 1 year warranty
GET THE S13 TEIN FLEX Z KIT FOR THE BEST PRICE HERE
The Top 3 Coilover Picks for the Nissan Silvia S13
Since I’ve given you a lot of good options here, I’m going to narrow it down to my top 3 choices. One for best budget kit, best value for money and best for performance.
Best Budget Kit: TEIN Flex Z
If you read my description of this kit above this should come as no surprise.
The TEIN Flex Z’s are an very high quality kit at an extremely low price that makes you wonder how they even manage to make them this cheap.
Nevertheless, for street cars being built on a budget, this kit is a great choice and will even handle some track use.
GET THE S13 TEIN FLEX Z KIT FOR THE BEST PRICE HERE
Best Value for Money: Feal 441
The Feal 441 kit is a fantastic performance coilover that will give you great handling, good ride comfort as is extremely customizable.
I like the fact that Feal will work with you to find out your exact requirements and put together the perfect kit to suit your needs.
They also offer a huge range of options which ensures that no matter what you are using the car for, they will put together the perfect setup.
GET THE S13 FEAL 441 KIT AT THE BEST PRICE HERE
Best for Performance: Fortune Auto Pro 2-Way
If you are after maximum performance from your S13, the Fortune Auto Pro 2-Way kit is the choice for you.
These coilovers offer a high degree of customizability and adjustability and are designed specifically to give you maximum handling performance. Their dampers allow you to change spring rates up to +/- 8 kg, and give you an ultra-wide adjustment range.
This kit has proven itself on the track with use in Time Attack series and other motorsport events. For uncompromised handling performance, this kit is the one to go for.
GET THE S13 FORTUNE AUTO PRO 2-WAY KIT FOR THE BEST PRICE HERE
Conclusion
I hope that this has helped you to select the right coilovers for your S13. Feel free to post in the comments below if you have any questions or would like to suggest another coilover kit for this list.
Cars owned: Mk2 Golf with 1.8T swap, BMW E28 with M30B35 swap, BMW E36 328I Mtech, BMW 750IL, Nissan 300ZX, Honda Civic EF
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