Lancer Evo X Coilovers Upgrade Guide

The Mitsubishi Lancer Evo X is an awesome car that’s easy to tune and mod. An Evo X can eclipse 350whp with a few basic bolt-on mods, and there’s even more potential left. While power mods can be exciting there’s also tons of opportunity for fun with some handling upgrades. Among one of the best upgrades is a set of Evo X coilovers. In this guide, we discuss Mitsubishi Lancer Evo X coilovers, lowering, benefits, price, and much more.

Evo X Coilovers – The Basics

If you’re familiar with coilovers vs struts, spring rates, and other details on Lancer Evo suspension upgrades then feel free to skip ahead. Otherwise, read on and we’ll cover some of these basics. What are coilovers? How do they differ from shocks and struts? Where do Evo X springs tie into all of this? These are all understandable questions and suspension parts and mods can be confusing.

There are a lot of different parts and names, and they’re sometimes thrown around interchangeably. In the next few sections we’ll cover some of the basic info and then move onto in-depth topics. Hopefully this provides a good starting point to understand what you’re looking for in Lancer Evo X coilovers.

Lancer Shocks, Struts, Coilovers

It isn’t always easy to explain the difference between shocks, struts, and coilovers with words. We’ve referenced the below video several times in our articles, and it’s a good starting point.

Let’s add some a little summary and some additional notes. All of these parts share one thing in common. They all center around shock absorbers – or shocks for short. These are basically hydraulic pumps that use fluid to help dampen impacts and rebounding.

When you take a shock absorber and attach a coil spring collar you can then mount the springs on the shock. This becomes known as a strut, which some people also consider a coilover. It makes sense – the spring is coiling over the shock.

However, in the true sense, coilovers add height adjustability into the mix. The coil spring collar can be moved up and down along the shock. You can then easily adjust the ride height and lowering of your Evo X. In essence, coilovers are the same design as struts but they allow for simple ride height adjustments.

Higher-end Evo X coilovers also usually allow for shock adjustability. There are different degrees of adjustment, but most will allow you to change the compression and rebound behavior of the shocks.

Mitsubishi Evo X Coil Springs

To further clarify, the coil springs wrap around the shock absorber when talking struts or coilovers. The Evo X coil spring is debatably the single most important part of the suspension. Contrary to popular belief – it’s the coil springs that hold the entire weight of the vehicle and not the shocks.

Springs play a huge role in handling. For one, they keep the car from bottoming out. Additionally, Lancer Evo coil springs control body roll while cornering, braking, and accelerating. There’s a lot that goes into coil springs and choosing the right springs for your car. As such, we’ll circle back to this topic in a few moments.

Benefits of Lancer Evo X Coilovers

Mitsubishi Lancer Evo X coilovers can offer a lot of versatility. There are a lot of different things you can do with coilovers. How do you know which coilovers meet your goals and needs, though? It’s important to decide what you’re looking for in a set of coilovers before buying. Some possible benefits of Evo X coilovers include:

• Adjustable ride height (lowering)
• Improved handling, braking, etc.
• Better ride quality
• Upgrade old, worn suspension

This isn’t a totally exhaustive list, and there may be other upsides depending on what you want. Anyways, one big aspect of coilovers is the adjustable height. Many will allow lowering for about 1-2.5″. Some more aggressive stance coilovers offer lowering of 3-4″+.

Another big reason to upgrade Evo X coilovers is for better handling, cornering, and braking. This is where damping and spring rates become really important factors. You need the right setup for your driving; more on this later.

Then there’s ride quality. To be clear – if you’re going for stance or ultimate handling performance you’ll likely be sacrificing some comfort. The right set of Lancer Evo coilovers can offer better comfort, though.

Lastly, there’s wear and tear. It’s normal for shocks to wear down by about 8-10 years and 100,000+ miles, especially on performance cars. If you’re in this situation why not take the opportunity to upgrade? You can often find a nice set of coilovers for a similar or lower price than OEM replacements.

Evo X Coil Spring Rates

Again, this is one of the most important topics when it comes to Mitsubishi Lancer Evo X coilovers. Spring rate indicates the amount of weight needed to compress the spring 1″. This will normally be quoted as something like 500 lbs/in. In this example, it would require 500 pounds to compress the spring 1 inch. You may also see the metric system, which uses kg/mm rather than lbs/in.

There is no perfect answer to the perfect spring rate without extensive testing. It all depends on road surface, each vehicle, driving style, etc. However, there are some general rules of thumb to follow for spring rates.

Higher numbers indicate stiffer springs – it takes more force to compress the spring. Stiffer does NOT always mean better handling for the Evo X. That’s especially true for less smooth road surfaces. Too stiff a spring can make the chassis unsettled over bumps and imperfections. You’ll also be stuck with an uncomfortable ride quality.

Stiff springs are good for smoother surfaces, though. It will help limit the Lancer’s body roll and weight transfer. You also need stiff springs when planning to lower your Lancer Evo X a lot. The stiffer spring will help prevent bottoming out on the bump stops.

In summary, use a higher spring rate for tracking and aggressive street driving for smooth road surfaces. It’s also good if you intend to lower the car more than 1.5-2″. Softer springs are ideal for bumpier roads and better ride quality, but they allow for more body roll and weight transfer.

Best Evo X Coilovers Upgrades

With that info out of the way let’s move onto some of the best coilover upgrades for the Evo X. Note – this is far from an exhaustive list. Tons of great coilovers options exist, and we can’t cover every single one.

Instead, we’re focusing on a few of our favorite options at different price points and goals. We believe these Evo X coilover kits offer a great balance of price, quality, and performance. Let’s jump right in.

1) Lancer Evo X BC Racing Coils

Tier: Entry-mid level street

Price: $1,030

First up are the BC Racing BR Series coilovers. They’re not the cheapest coilovers available, but they’re pretty close to it. The Evo X coilovers from BC Racing allow for 30 levels of damping adjustments. You can adjust the compression and rebound of the shocks.

The standard kit comes with BC Racing’s springs. However, for an extra $340 you can upgrade to swift springs. You can also find the Extreme Low options if you’re looking for stance and maximum lowering.

Overall, this is a great entry-mid level street coilover kit. You’re not going to get the same handling as some high-end kits, but they also cost a lot more. If you want a nice budget option that still delivers then BC Racing Evo X coilovers are a great choice.

2) Evo X Coilovers – Fortune Auto 500 Series

Tier: Mid-aggressive level street

Price: $1,499

Fortune Auto is another popular choice for Evo X suspension upgrades. Their single adjustable kit starts at $1,499, so it’s starting to get a bit up there in price. As single adjustable they only allow for rebound changes. However, these coilovers are completely hand-built.

They also use “Flow Digressive” technology. This allows for stiffer compression and rebound at lower speeds. With higher shock piston speed the suspension loosens up to maintain maximum grip over bumps and imperfections in the road.

Overall, this is a really nice set of Evo X coilovers for the price. $1,500 may seem pricey but it’s still a small price to pay compared to some top of the line options. If you want to upgrade to swift springs you’ll be shelling out another $350 on top. Still, this is one of our favorite mid-tier price options that delivers great handling and performance.

3) Mitsubishi Ohlin’s Road & Track Coilover Kit

Tier: Aggressive street & entry track

Price: $2,495

Ohlin’s is a big name when it comes to top-tier, expensive coilover kits. It’s no different for the Mitsubishi Lancer Evo X. At nearly $2,500 you’re certainly paying a premium for the brand name and top quality coilovers.

As with the other coilovers on the list the Ohlin’s Evo X coilovers are rebuildable. However, they’ll likely require more frequent rebuilds as an aggressive kit. There isn’t too much else to say about Ohlin’s. Their Evo X coilovers are the real deal, but you have to pay to play.

4) Evo X Coilovers – KW V3 & Clubsport

Tier: Aggressive street & track

Price: $3,019 (V3), $5,789 (Clubsport)

When it comes to top of the line kits KW is another huge name in the coilovers industry. For many cars, they have some nice mid-tier options at a better price point. The Evo X only gets their KW V3 and Clubsport coilover kits, though. Understandably, the price is going to scare most people away instantly.

For just over 3 grand you can land yourself a set of KW V3 coilovers. It’s their top-tier street setup that’s also a great choice for track duty. Then there are there Clubsport 3-way adjustable Evo X coilovers. They’re designed for the Nürburgring, which is one of the most demanding race tracks in the world – if not the most demanding.

Both of these options are sure to impress Evo X owners with demanding handling needs. Most people will never need the full capability of these KW coilovers, so they’re overkill for most. However, if you’re looking for some of the best of the best then KW has you covered.

Mitsubishi Lancer Coilover Summary

The Evo X is an awesome car for lot’s of reasons. Not only is it unique, but it’s incredibly easy to modify the Lancer Evo platform. Simple mods can take the 2.0L turbo engine to 350-400+whp. That’s already sure to be tons of fun. Add in some coilovers and the Evo X can transform into a totally different animal.

There’s a lot that goes into choosing the right suspension kit for your goals and budget. Among the most important factors is spring rate. You’ll want to go with stiffer springs for tracking and low stance. Springs on the softer side are good for street driving and comfort. Those who want to track and street their Evo X should look for rebound/compression adjustable coilovers.

BC Racing, Fortune Auto, Ohlin’s, and KW all have some awesome Evo X coilover kits. Depending on your goals and budget there’s likely a great kit for you from one of those companies. Regardless of which you choose, a set of coilovers can add a lot of versatility and fun to the Evo X platform.

What’s your experience with Evo X coilovers? Are you considering any?

Leave a comment and let us know.