Torqueless

I recently purchased the function xs coilovers from zeal and was perusing through the warning manual (10 pages!) and i had some concerns over a few things mentioned in the manual.
-The shell casing wasn't apparently corrosion protected and it mentioned greasing it with wd-40 every once in a while to prevent rust.
-The coilovers had a "life span" of 1 to 2 years
-Theres a break in period of 30-60 miles
-The springs were said to "lose strength" over time and may sag
-And lastly the coilovers weren't meant to be driven on bumpy roads or dirt roads (i guess this ones subjective, but driving in la... going over a "bumpy road" is a common occurance)

My concern isn't really much over the usual amount of care i need to take while driving this kind of vehicle around... but after paying over 2 grand for a relatively high end coilover, i didn't really expect this much. especially the one about it having a lifespan of 1-2 years. Is this just the nature of coilovers: to tip-toe around town and not drive it hard other than the track, or is endless just being over cautious with their warnings? I was expecting pretty much a "set it and forget it" idea when i bought the coilovers. I didn't expect to have it rebuilt every year or so depending on how hard i drive it and check up on it every so often. I mean even the stock showa damper/spring setup lasts for quite a while without having it rebuilt. Even my last suspension setup (neuspeed and bilsteins) lasted me over 5 years and i must have checked it like once a year.. plus i spent less than a grand on that one.
So what do you guys think? Can other coilover owners chime in and lend me their experiences on how often they had to get their coilovers rebuilt, and is the companies recommended suggestion of getting it rebuilt every couple of years a bit too much? thanks

Borbor

I think it all depends on:

a) what you're looking to get out of these coilovers
b) the conditions in which they'll see
c) the amount of care you look after them.

Torqueless

hmm. but for any other coilovers.. is a lifespan of 1-2 years normal? and if i drive my car normally as any other average person.. would i be expected to have them overhauled after a couple of years?

A51_AP1

I've had a set of zeals on my S13, and there were no problems. I had them for over 2 years, tracked and daily driven, and never had to have them sent in to get rebuilt. These are great coilovers, and I highly doubt that you will need to get them rebuilt in 2-3 years unless your doing some crazy stuff on the track and on the street. The break in for them is also important, there should be a recommended setting in the manual to break them in. I've also seen people run these for more than 4 years w/o needing a rebuild. Everything depends on how you drive, what they are used for, ect.

The part about the springs and the rust is true though. The rust shouldn't be anything more than surface rust, and as long as it is lubed and kept clean, you shouldn't have too many problems. The good thing is that, once the springs begin to sag, you may want to upgrade to some swift springs. I hope that helps. Congrats on the nice coilovers! I wish I could afford a set of them, but I'm broke right now.

Torqueless

Thanks for that reply! yeah, although i haven't taken them out for a real drive, the experience from the break in period assured me they are top notch components.
Hmm yeah, i was hoping they were just being conservative with the number of years before the rebuild but i wasn't sure. I mean i drive like any other normal person out there and don't really go looking for the bumpiest road around or anything. But thanks for sharing the experiences you've had.
were there any others?