Review: Area MS Yellowspeed Coilovers

[Indi]

They're excellent for the money. Mine lasted ages I used the same set on both my DC5's so in total had them for over 3 years and done numerous track days and few Ring trips.

 

[Midnight]

They're excellent for the money. Mine lasted ages I used the same set on both my DC5's so in total had them for over 3 years and done numerous track days and few Ring trips.

Good review mate, I was massively sceptical about them too. But I've been really impressed with them so far.

They ride really well on the road and performed on track. I've had bc racing in the past and think the yellow speeds are much better.

👍🏼

 

[Greedy Sheedy]

Nice to see some positive feedback on these as I am planning on getting some myself in few weeks from Tegiwa Imports!

 

[Midnight]

Personally I'd speak with Area MS. As their version come with the revised top mounts (swapped over) as well as the eibach springs etc etc.

 

[ldubl]

Thanks @Midnight for starting this thread and giving your excellent feedback on the Area Motorsport Yellowspeed Coilovers! How've you been getting on with them in the last six months or so?

I was planning B16s after great reviews on here, specialist recommendation & a bad experience with a different well-publicised brand that I won't mention.

Before the DC5, I had a modified Clio 200 with new B14s and they required refurbishment under warranty due to play, possibly caused by dirt ingress. My experience was better than with the brand-not-to-be-mentioned on the DC2; all sorted without hassle for me, partly because the selling garage had supplied & fitted them. I found the B14s firm but tolerable for the road and were very stable at Thruxton.

The Area Motorsport Yellowspeeds are very appealing as they've been adapted specifically for the DC5 by a UK specialist, are good value and have reviews on a par with B16s, if not better than, from this thread.

I've just spoken with Rob at Area and he suggested fitting shortened steering arms to allow more caster adjustment, and offers a good combined deal when buying the coilovers (please speak with Rob re prices if interested) so I'm going for those too.

The set I'll be having fitted by Area will come with Yellowspeed 16kg rear springs as Eibach struggle to meet demand (in terms of supply)
I'd rather have black springs all round anyway, so works out well!

I'm moving to the Peak District in the summer, so if I have any issues, Area are close by (24 month warranty, they've not had any issues to date)
Always great to have a top specialist nearby; Tom @ TGM has looked after me well whilst I've been down south.

Again, when my brother suggested that Rob @ Area Motorsport suggested the Yellowspeed coilovers i was extremely sceptical. Really wasn't much information about these on a DC5.

Why did we go with yellowspeed over other brands:

Not cost, we were looking at all sorts from Nitron, Bilsteins etc however my brother had a long chat with Rob and it was only then we agreed to try the yellowspeed coilovers.

Area Motorsport version:

In short the Area MS version use Eibach rear springs and the strut adjusted to suit. Top mounts are also swapped over L to R to increase castor.

Quality:

Very shiney, anodised yellow/gold everywhere. Time will tell how they hold up. Only been in the car over the weekend so can't really comment as 2 days isn't enough time to see how long they last.

Ride comfort:

This is what I'm impressed with as I've been in cars with D2, Tein, Ohlins, AST, KW, Bilsteins etc and didn't really expect much from the track version of the yellowspeed coilovers. Couldn't be more wrong. They ride over bumps as previous Bilstein B14's yet firm enough to keep the car planted through corners. I believe setting is 15 from hard front and 10 from hard rear so just past middle (at a guess).

Obviously these can be adjusted via the dampening at the top of the strut.

Overview:

Impressed! Didn't have any expectation and I think that's why I'm impressed with them. Obviously they are no Nitron but at 1/4 price would be extremely unfair to compare.

What I will say, they certainly give better confidence than Bilstein B14's and not as harsh as Tein on uneven roads.

Now time will tell how they hold up. I think if they last 2-3 years that's fair. But will update thread as the months pass.

At the moment I would say a firm 8/10 is fair however allow movement either way for the longevity of them.

 

[Area Motorsport]

Glad to see various people enjoying their coilover kits. It is hard to explain how the spring rate can be high on the rear yet the coilovers still be compliant down bumpy B Roads.

To try my best to explain it in a way that‘s understandable. The motion ratio on the rear of a DC5 or EP3 is 0.562 with the front being 0.946. Due to this the rear wheels only see‘s Half the rear spring rate that‘s actually present on the shock. It‘s obviously a little more technical than that. But in basic terms that‘s the reason why even with double the poundage springs in the rear compared to the front the car is neutral, stable and compliant.