Review on Megan Racing MR CDK TSE11 Street Coilover by Niranjan Reynolds

Although I didn't purchase them from Revain I wanted to give my detailed non-technical review because I felt it was money well spent. A little background: I've owned various German sedans and sports cars for over 20 years, and when I decided to trade my previous one in for a 2013 Sienna XLE, it was out of sheer kid-friendly practicality. Of course, I didn't expect to be able to pass someone off the freeway on the ramp, but I was NOT prepared for how TERRIBLE the handling of the standard XLE was. To give you my impressions of Megan appropriately. Racing coilovers, I think it will be helpful to first describe how I felt driving the stock XLE because when I originally bought it it didn't even occur to me to change it in any way - I didn't want to impress or transform anyone. . into a racing car (since it can't be one anyway, of course). The standard XLE felt chunky and clunky at low speeds, say when cornering in a residential area, like pushing a shopping cart that wants to go at the same speed all the time. Direction. And sag in the same direction. Megan at low speeds - it immediately feels like you're just pointing in the direction you want to go, making the process that much more relaxed. Country road - the body roll was just amazing and it just felt like the momentum was trying to carry me into a curb or into a ditch or into the middle with terrible understeer. Megan at medium speeds - little to no body roll but not a harsh ride at all (my shock is set at 14 I think). The location is reliable - you almost forget you're driving a minivan and can position your car exactly where you want it. Before that, XLE didn't drive on the road at all - you had to stay on it like a wild horse. The standard XLE for climbing, cornering and cornering is downright onerous in my opinion, only more pronounced for the reasons stated above. because when the car interacts with the road as much as it does when driving in the hills, you're constantly compensating and compensating for all the variables the road is throwing at you, which is made worse by the XLE's sloppy handling. Megan for mountain riding - fun! While I don't plan to push it to the limit, and yes you still feel all that heaviness and momentum behind you, I quickly found a rhythm, which is what I'm expecting because Megan literally smoothes out the bumps. , transitions and inertia. You're not playing this constant guessing game about what the car is going to do next. The standard XLE is fine for highway driving in some respects (smooth, quiet), but any little bump or dip, or even a gust of wind, will push the car around and you'll feel like you're about to be sent onto the next lane. And here, too, the track was terrible. Megan for highway driving - well, I'll never be the fastest on the road, and I don't want to be, but I can now say with confidence (both figuratively and literally) that the Sienna will stand up to tough situations can heavy traffic. I can poke the needle when needed, safely change lanes between vehicles in tight formations, accelerate or decelerate with no surprises (again, once that horrible body roll is eliminated), and when there's no traffic and I'm just driving, that is perfectly fine. . relaxed freeway drive. I never thought driving a minivan would be fun! Don't expect Megan coilovers to change the laws of physics for you. They won't trade a long-wheelbase 2-ton van for a nimble sports car, but they help a lot. For those like me who aren't aiming for performance or must-have looks (although it improves on both) but are disappointed or have put up with the crappy driveability of their non-SE Sienna, I'd say it's your best buck , which you can spend . I paid a little over 850 for the kit and I'm embarrassed to say how much I paid for the install (because I think I was scammed a bit, but at least that was with an installer who knew what he was doing did). You should be able to find a competent installer for between $250 and $400. I wouldn't take it to the local Midas store, but then again it's not common either. My installer said he had to shorten the end link on the stabilizer bar; but others have said that such mods are unnecessary. One additional note: when I first thought about it, it seemed like there wasn't much information out there as to whether this kit would fit the non-SE Sienna, and while Megan Racing only vouched for the SE (no matter how much I tries to squeeze information out of them). It seemed logical that the Megan kit could also be fitted since the SE suspension could be fitted to non-SE models. When I stumbled across other information that gave me confidence that this was the case, I couldn't be happier, although my installer claimed he had to do a little fabricating. I can't guarantee what your experience will be, but I have no regrets. And the last; This mod lowers your ride pretty deep. This can be good or bad from your point of view; It looks cool to me, but I honestly wish the van was about an inch taller now; At the highest point I have the lower plastic van front spoiler and rear fenders are about 4 inches off the ground, most of the undercarriage I'm guessing is about 6-7 inches, the side panels just under 7 inches and the distance between the tires and the fenders (vertically, not diagonally as the tires still sit comfortably on the fenders) is only about 2 inches. I've only started riding with this setup a few days ago and haven't had any issues so far, but I'm afraid I'll scratch something at some point. To my knowledge, the rear springs are the Achilles heel in this setup (my installer initially tried to get me to use the stock XLE springs until I complained), so height is limited by them. I'm pretty sure I can raise the spring seat (? not sure if that's the part) with a little effort, probably a few hundred bucks, which will then lift me higher and I can still get to where I need to be now am , simply by lowering the shock height settings. The front part, as I understand it, can be adjusted to any length. At some point I'll maybe deal with it, but as I said, so far it hasn't been a problem. In my opinion, you don't have to wish for a show car to benefit greatly from these coilovers.