Function & Form Coilovers Review: Are They Any Good?
When it comes to budget coilovers, there seems to be no end to the options available. Look up coilovers under $1000 and you will be met with hundreds of results in varying colors with largely the same set of features.
Now, some of these options will be decent, while others will be rubbish, and it can be very difficult to distinguish between the two until you have already spent your money and installed them to find out.
One of the brands that pops up a lot when it comes to budget coilovers is Function & Form. Especially popular in the Honda scene, Function & Form make a few budget coilover options under the $1000 mark.
But the question is, are they any good and should you spend your money on them?
Let’s find out.
Who Are Function & Form
Function & Form are based in Southern California and have been around since 2005, selling coilovers, air bags and other parts such as wheel spacers.
Aside from that, there’s very little information about the company. Their website doesn’t mention any specifics about how they design or make their products, only that they do significant road testing.
In my opinion, this is not exactly something I like to see, as it doesn’t inspire confidence about the quality of their parts or the expertise of the company about what they are selling.
Function & Form Coilovers
Currently, Function & Form offer 4 models of coilover:
- Type 1 – Street
- Type 2 – Street with adjustable damping
- Type 3 – “Tuned”
- Type 4 – “Performance”
The Type 1 and 2 are by far their most popular, with the Type 3 and 4 listed on their website as built to order which can take up to 45 days.
Their Type 1-3 models come with 2 years warranty, and they sell basically all the parts including complete dampers individually, should you need to replace anything.
All their coilovers adjust ride height by the shock body, and Function & Form say they aim to give you 1-3.5 inches of lowering on most applications, some go even lower.
Top mounts are also included in all kits, with camber plates for MacPherson strut models.
Let’s have a more detailed look at their individual models.
Type 1
The Type 1 is the entry level kit and gives you ride height adjustment with no option to adjust the dampening. These are designed simply as a bolt-in and go option for daily drivers and street cars.
They feature twin tube dampers for more ride comfort and Function & Form claim that they have “preset damping matched with proper spring rates”.
They also have “special oil lubrication to withstand conditions from -40 degrees Celsius to 200 degrees Celsius”, steel lower mounting brackets and top mounts which are camber adjustable on applicable models.
Type 2
The Type 2s are basically the Type 1s with 32 levels of dampening adjustment. They have all the same features of the Type 1s, including the twin tube dampers, damper oil, steel mounting brackets and top mounts with camber adjustment on applicable models.
These are basically for people who want coilovers for their daily or street car and want the ability to adjust the damper settings.
Type 3
The type 3 kit are designed to be more performance focused and feature monotube dampers instead of the twin tubes in the Type 1 and 2s. The dampers have “variable damping” which I imagine means digressive, but there are no further specifics given. They are also 24-level dampening adjustable.
The damper oil is “high-viscosity fluid for improved thermal stability and superior damping characteristics”.
These also have high-strength JIS G3445 carbon steel shock bodies, customizable spring rates and “Aircraft-Grade” Aluminum 6061 front camber plates on applicable models.
This kit is designed for people who take performance more seriously and will be doing regular track days.
Most of the Type 3s are “bench-made to order” and will take 45 days to be produced.
Type 4
The Type 4 kit steps it up another level and features inverted monotube dampers with longer stroke and “aggressively tuned damping characteristics” for even more performance.
The dampers have 24 levels of dampening adjustment and 40mm pistons which “increases damper strength optimizing performance during aggressive movement”.
This kit is designed to maximize performance handling for those planning to do regular track time.
These are also “bench-made to order” and will take 45 days to be produced.
So, How Good Are Function & Form Coilovers?
Despite the fact that Function & Form have been around almost 20 years now, there’s surprisingly not a lot of information to base a judgement call off.
Compared to other coilover brands, there aren’t that many reviews about any of their models.
Of all their models, the Type 1 and 2s are easily the most popular, so much so that I didn’t even find mention of the Type 3s and 4s anywhere other than their own website.
A recurring comment I did see about the Type 1s and 2s is that they ride extremely well on the street. A decent number of users who did post about them made this same comment, which does lead you to believe that there might be some truth to this.
However, there is also a lot of inconsistency, with some users reporting that they are too soft, others reporting they are too stiff for street use, some reporting that they don’t go low enough (or have clearance issues which prevents you going low) while others have said they can basically lay frame.
To me this sounds like a product that has not been properly engineered or designed for every application, and thus on some cars they work great while on other cars they have problems. This is hardly surprising given the low price and lack of information.
My Problem With Function & Form
I have now spend a considerable amount of time reviewing and comparing practically every popular coilover brand and many of the no as popular ones as well. After a while, you develop a feel for which companies actually know what they are talking about, and which don’t but just say the right buzzwords.
For example, when you look at higher end coilovers, such as Fortune Auto for example, they clearly explain their design and their features, and they say why they made them the way they did and the benefits you get from that. They are also pretty open about all the details because they know that by telling you, they build trust and you are more likely to buy.
Unfortunately, in the case of Function & Form, I found the exact opposite.
There are no specifics about where the coilovers are made, by who, what testing they did, why they designed them the way they did, what valving the dampers use, and so on.
In fact, there is so little detail about them that I wonder if they themselves even know, or if they are just reselling a generic product.
This sort of thing is quite common with budget brands, and I’ve seen this quite a few times now.
My Verdict On Function & Form Coilovers
While there are people out there who are happy with their Function & Form coilovers, I personally have not found any reason to choose them over the very wide range of other options that are available, some of which have a substantially better reputation and are much more open about their products.
Sure, if you are just looking for cheap coilovers for your daily driver, they will probably do a decent job, as they seem to have done for a number of other people.
However, the lack of information and detail about their products, combined with the lack of serious reviews to be found online leads me to believe that they are hardly some undiscovered secret that is going to amaze you and outperform other kits double their price.
The one thing I do like about them is the red and gold color scheme, which I do think looks great. Unfortunately, that won’t make them perform well, and you won’t even be able to see it when they are installed.
Overall, I can’t find anything that makes them stand out in any way (except the colors), and as such I can’t recommend them when I believe there are better options out there.
However, if you don’t want to listen to me and really want to try them out, you can find them here for the best price:
GET FUNCTION & FORM COILOVERS FOR THE BEST PRICE HERE
What I Would Recommend Instead
If you are looking to buy coilovers in the price range of the Function & Forms, there is one kit that stands out head and shoulders above the rest.
These coilovers have a very good reputation and are made by one of the top suspension manufacturers on the planet.
TEIN puts a high degree of engineering behind these coilovers, even going so far as to make the kits specific to the region of the world they are being sold to, in order to meet the demands of the expected environment.
These feature everything that the Function & Form Type 2s claim to have including ride height adjustment by the shock body, twin tube dampers with high performance damper oil designed to withstand intensive driving, 16 levels of dampening adjustment and aluminium top mounts with camber adjustment on applicable models.
The one key difference here though is that the TEINs have proven to be a very high quality kit that is made to a very high standard, has to pass strict quality controls, is made in Japan and has a great reputation for proving an excellent ride, good handling performance and lasting the test of time.
TEIN also sell replacement damper inserts for this kit so if you need to replace a damper, you can just order a new pair and swap them in. TEIN will also custom valve these to your specifications.
Overall, this is a much more proven kit with an excellent reputation which is why it is one of the most popular coilover kits on the planet, and is roughly the same price as the Function & Forms. If you want to know more, you can read my full review on TEIN coilovers here.
If you want my recommendation for a coilover kit in this price range, it’s definitely the TEIN Flex Zs.
GET TEIN FLEX Z COILOVERS FOR THE BEST PRICE HERE
FAQ Regarding Function & Form Coilovers
Where Are Function & Form Coilovers Made
While there is no official information on the Function & Form website, third party sources suggest that Function & Form coilovers are made in Taiwan.
How Low Do Function and Form Coilovers Go?
Function & Form coilovers are designed to lower your car form 1 inch to at least 3.5 inches, depending on the application.
How to Adjust Function and Form Type 2 Coilovers?
There are two things you can adjust on Function & Form Type 2 Coilovers – The ride height and the dampening adjustment.
The adjust ride height, you need to lower the bottom locking collar and then turn the shock body to wind it up or down, then tighten the locking collar.
To adjust dampening, you need to turn the adjustment knob, usually at the top of the shock shaft to either stiffen or soften the dampers.
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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