The MeisterR Zeta CRD+ coilover was designed for fast road & track use, with focus on fast road use. This is the most common setup for most UK owners, as this is design for road compound tyres and deal with uneven road surfaces comfortably. Most regard this setup as compliant as OEM, but more responsive.

I've had BuddyClub Racing Spec coilovers on my car for the last month and a half or so, but after having some issues with noise I decided to see what my other options were.

I spoke to Jerrick at MeisterR after seeing their thread on ft86club (first to see if he knew what may be causing the noises with my BuddyClubs, and then about what MeisterR had to offer), and decided to give these coilovers a shot. My new set of MeisterR ZetaCRD+ coilovers arrived 2 days after placing the order. They have now been on the car for about 2 weeks. Here are my findings...

My first impression was that these are quality items. The welds looked good, the anodized finish on the top hats and lock rings looked good, as did the pillowballs. The finish on the shock body looks like it'll hold up well during Chicago winters too.

Install was a breeze. The FRS isn't a very challenging vehicle to install coilovers on to begin with, but everything went on as planned without any hick-ups.

Note: One of the selling points in the MeisterR thread was that the c-spanner to tighten the lock rings was a patent pending, laser-cut design. I assumed it was just a bit of a gimmick because a c-spanner is a c-spanner, but I was actually pretty wrong on that. It does grip the lock rings and make getting them tight without slipping and damaging the rings much easier.

These coilovers are 32-way adjustable. I decided to start at 16 clicks for a baseline. In this setting, the car feels a little bit more aggressive than factory suspension. It's a little firmer, but the turn in is noticeably sharper and it felt more planted coming out of corners.

Next, I put it up to 20 clicks front and rear which made a noticeable difference to the driving dynamics. It was noticeably firmer, but still very compliant over bumps. The car was noticeably flatter through corners, it reacted immediately to steering inputs, and I definitely felt more feedback with what the car was doing.

After that, I bumped it up to 24 clicks, and the result was pretty much what I expected. Essentially all of the feel and responsiveness that I noticed from bumping up the hardness before was amplified even further. The biggest thing that surprised me was that even though it's a very firm ride in this setting, it still wasn't punishing. At any setting, these coilovers seem to iron out bumps. You absolutely know they're there, you definitely feel them, but it's not violent jolts to your spine... Compared to the BuddyClubs it feels like the MeisterR's were designed to keep the car flat and planted, but also not rattle you to death in the process. The BuddyClubs definitely made the car feel more planted and flat too, but they felt a little bit more like that's all they were meant to do- where being comfortable was an afterthought.

NONE, thank God. This was the primary reason I decided to switch coilovers, and thankfully there hasn't been any up to this point. I think the rear top hats are largely responsible for that since they have plenty of rubber for noise suppression where the coilover bolts to the chassis. I expected to hear the normal pillow ball noise in the front (occasional noise when jolted that you expect to hear with any coilover that uses pillow balls), but I haven't heard any of that.

While not directly related to the product, I feel like I need to mention Jerrick. I wasn't a customer when I first messaged him, and he was happy to trade PMs back and fourth trying to diagnose my issues with my BuddyClubs. I don't know many companies who would take the time to do that for someone else's product. Once I decided to make the switch, and up through now, he has answered every question that I've thrown his way, often times responding within the hour- even on weekends or after normal business hours. Because of his above and beyond efforts, I know that if I do encounter any problems with these coilovers, I'll be well taken care of. He even PM'd me while I was installing them just to make sure everything was going smoothly, and to see if I needed anything.

I'm couldn't be happier with these coilovers. They are comfortable enough for everyday use, but capable enough to make a big difference auto crossing or at the track. I expected to make some sacrifices when I decided to put coilovers on my car- whether that be mild noise (mild noise, not WWII tank noise. Looking at you BuddyClub) or a compromise in comfort for performance, but MeisterR has definitely done their homework with these. I'm very pleased with the performance gained, but I don't feel like I've sacrificed anything. I'm pretty picky with these sorts of things too, so that's saying something.

If you're looking for a track-focused coilover, these may not be the ones for you because a harder set would probably be better for your needs. If you DD your car and want something you can easily live with every day and that also gives you a big boost on the track then these are a great option- especially with the special they're currently running.