IS200 Europa coilovers review
IS200 Europa coilovers review
I purchased these before Christmas, as they were still on offer. Fantastic value for money.
Installation
Installing these couldn't be easier, it is literally a case of take the old ones out and put the new ones in. I did this with my dad in the space of 2 hours. It will be handy having a friend with you though, getting the OEM units out is a bit tight.
Adjustment
Again, very very simple. Before installing, I wound them up to match the size of the OEM suspension, then wound off the amount I thought I wanted the car to drop.
I've since lowered them all while on the car, which is again very easy. Bit of a pain after a while as the locking collars get covered in dirt, making them stiff. If you are organised, you can have all 4 dropped an inch in half an hour or less, including wheels on/off.
There is a handy video on the MeisterR website (under technical) which demonstrates the principles of adjusting the coilovers.
Damping adjustment is ridiculously simple, literally just twist a knob on top of them. You will need to slice a hole in the boot lining, but I've put mine in an X pattern and you can't even tell.
I have not messed about with the spring pre-load, mainly because I'm not racing on track (and I have no idea what I'm doing).
On the road
I've got these installed with the TRD anti-roll bars. The roll bars were installed prior to the suspension. All I can say is, the ride absolutely transformed once the MeisterR's were installed. Steering is extremely precise, the handling is A LOT better than standard and I've noticed a good improvement in grip. Coupled with the TRD roll bars, I'm almost flat doing 40 round corners.
Since the weather has been colder, I set the dampers to a softer setting, which again seems to have improved grip and handling in the ice. I can't stress enough how comfy the car is with a set up like this.
You do start to feel every bump in the road when you get past about 3/4 up the "firmness" scale, I also wouldn't recommend setting the back too stiff as it starts to slide under aggressive driving
This is probably due to the ditch finders that are on my wheels though.Currently, I've got mine set at the middle setting, with the rears 2 clicks harder than the front. I like the way the car feels like this and it seems to give more balance around tight corners.
The verdict
I absolutely love them, especially for the price I paid. I would suggest you keep them in this kind of ball park though, as if I wasn't an outlaw I would be swinging towards the HSD coils, which are only about £100 more expensive.
One thing I have noticed is that the car feels much slower at speed now. Doing 60 down the country lanes near where I live used to feel super fast, where as now I can comfortably do a lot more than that, with the car feeling perfectly under control and sedate.
Quick list of pros and cons:
Pros:
- Affordable
- Extremely comfortable
- very easy to adjust
- very easy to install (unless you have no friends)
- currently showing no signs of corrosion at all
- light (a lot lighter than standard)
- Drastically changes the feel of the car
- huge variation in ride height choice and damper adjustment
- Massive improvement in handling and grip
- makes my wheel well look like a game of mechano
Cons:
- Cspanners, these are abysmal. Trying to undo the lower locking collar with these is nigh on impossible. They are fine for the larger collar though. Please for the love of God include at least one that fits the smaller locking collar correctly.
- Locking collars need to be made of something stronger, currently the C-spanners cause a lot of damage/burring to the locking collars. I appreciate weight and cost is a concern, but something harder than whatever they are made of right now is a must.
If any of you are considering a set of coilovers, you will not be disappointed by Meister R Europa's. I thoroughly recommend them and will definitely be purchasing more if and when I buy more cars.
EDIT: I will be adding pictures at some point, light permitting.
el_bandido
18-12-2018, 12:40 PM #1Right, I'll try and keep this objective:
I purchased these before Christmas, as they were still on offer. Fantastic value for money.
Installation
Installing these couldn't be easier, it is literally a case of take the old ones out and put the new ones in. I did this with my dad in the space of 2 hours. It will be handy having a friend with you though, getting the OEM units out is a bit tight.
Adjustment
Again, very very simple. Before installing, I wound them up to match the size of the OEM suspension, then wound off the amount I thought I wanted the car to drop.
I've since lowered them all while on the car, which is again very easy. Bit of a pain after a while as the locking collars get covered in dirt, making them stiff. If you are organised, you can have all 4 dropped an inch in half an hour or less, including wheels on/off.
There is a handy video on the MeisterR website (under technical) which demonstrates the principles of adjusting the coilovers.
Damping adjustment is ridiculously simple, literally just twist a knob on top of them. You will need to slice a hole in the boot lining, but I've put mine in an X pattern and you can't even tell.
I have not messed about with the spring pre-load, mainly because I'm not racing on track (and I have no idea what I'm doing).
On the road
I've got these installed with the TRD anti-roll bars. The roll bars were installed prior to the suspension. All I can say is, the ride absolutely transformed once the MeisterR's were installed. Steering is extremely precise, the handling is A LOT better than standard and I've noticed a good improvement in grip. Coupled with the TRD roll bars, I'm almost flat doing 40 round corners.
Since the weather has been colder, I set the dampers to a softer setting, which again seems to have improved grip and handling in the ice. I can't stress enough how comfy the car is with a set up like this.
You do start to feel every bump in the road when you get past about 3/4 up the "firmness" scale, I also wouldn't recommend setting the back too stiff as it starts to slide under aggressive driving This is probably due to the ditch finders that are on my wheels though.
Currently, I've got mine set at the middle setting, with the rears 2 clicks harder than the front. I like the way the car feels like this and it seems to give more balance around tight corners.
The verdict
I absolutely love them, especially for the price I paid. I would suggest you keep them in this kind of ball park though, as if I wasn't an outlaw I would be swinging towards the HSD coils, which are only about £100 more expensive.
One thing I have noticed is that the car feels much slower at speed now. Doing 60 down the country lanes near where I live used to feel super fast, where as now I can comfortably do a lot more than that, with the car feeling perfectly under control and sedate.
Quick list of pros and cons:
Pros:
- Affordable
- Extremely comfortable
- very easy to adjust
- very easy to install (unless you have no friends)
- currently showing no signs of corrosion at all
- light (a lot lighter than standard)
- Drastically changes the feel of the car
- huge variation in ride height choice and damper adjustment
- Massive improvement in handling and grip
- makes my wheel well look like a game of mechano
Cons:
- Cspanners, these are abysmal. Trying to undo the lower locking collar with these is nigh on impossible. They are fine for the larger collar though. Please for the love of God include at least one that fits the smaller locking collar correctly.
- Locking collars need to be made of something stronger, currently the C-spanners cause a lot of damage/burring to the locking collars. I appreciate weight and cost is a concern, but something harder than whatever they are made of right now is a must.
If any of you are considering a set of coilovers, you will not be disappointed by Meister R Europa's. I thoroughly recommend them and will definitely be purchasing more if and when I buy more cars.
EDIT: I will be adding pictures at some point, light permitting.
Have some Rep for the review quality.
"Life's goal is not to arrive safely at the grave in a well preserved body. But, rather to skid in sideways........
totally worn out and broken, shouting 'Holy ****, WHAT A RIDE!'"
FirebirdPhil
21-12-2018, 03:55 AM #2Excellent product review.
Have some Rep for the review quality.
"Life's goal is not to arrive safely at the grave in a well preserved body. But, rather to skid in sideways........
totally worn out and broken, shouting 'Holy ****, WHAT A RIDE!'"
el_bandido
21-12-2018, 08:47 AM #4Thanks guys, I'm going to clean the car this weekend and get some photos up if the weather is good!
And I'll make sure to be careful with the locking rings/c-spanners.+1 Rep :thumbup1:
sprinter2012
21-12-2018, 09:38 AM #5Fantastic review, I still haven't fitted mine yet! First sunny weekend we get they'll be on though And I'll make sure to be careful with the locking rings/c-spanners.
+1 Rep :thumbup1:
el_bandido
21-12-2018, 09:43 AM #6Sprinter - wrap a rag around your knuckles mate, I only made that mistake once!
This is the only picture I could find of what my car actually looked like before I swapped to coilovers:
![[Image: RvY1i.jpg]](http://i.imgur.com/RvY1i.jpg)
After installing:
![[Image: YHXIN.jpg]](http://i.imgur.com/YHXIN.jpg)
(yes I know I haven't connected the brake line holder).
I'll get an after shot of how it's sitting tomorrow!
el_bandido
31-12-2018, 07:21 AM #7Right, I've cleaned the car but there is too much stuff in the way to get a decent picture of how it sits at the moment. I'll get a couple of shots at the pub tomorrow!
This is the only picture I could find of what my car actually looked like before I swapped to coilovers:
After installing:
(yes I know I haven't connected the brake line holder).
I'll get an after shot of how it's sitting tomorrow!
![[Image: cLL6U.jpg]](http://i.imgur.com/cLL6U.jpg)
there we go! Sits much nicer now. Fronts could probably drop a little more, but as I have 9 speedbumps on the way to work, I've left it raised! Just waiting for some 18" wheels and it will sit nicely.
el_bandido
01-01-2019, 09:26 AM #8
there we go! Sits much nicer now. Fronts could probably drop a little more, but as I have 9 speedbumps on the way to work, I've left it raised! Just waiting for some 18" wheels and it will sit nicely.
el_bandido
02-01-2019, 02:17 PM #9right, I've just stiffened these up 4 notches on each corner and OH MY GOD have I found the sweet spot. Just taken it for a right ragging session and it feels amazing. Still pretty comfy but you get just enough feedback from the car to feel the road. I love them.
jay_russell
02-01-2019, 10:54 PM #10i must say that i like mine to. very nice feedback and ride comfort
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