Ok so after some weeks of research, then more research and when I thought I had come to a conclusion, did more research until I finally got to where I am now. I’ve settled for Koni yellows over BC Racing and HSD coilovers which I still think are decent coilovers. Now I’m in a dilemma choosing between H&R sport springs and RS*R race springs to match with the Koni’s. Ideally, I’d love to have a set of KW V3 but I’d be looking $2000+ on a car that’s driven as a daily. Interestingly, Koni sport kit are Koni yellows paired with H&R springs.

My current setup:
• 1990 G-Limited with Beams greytop
• Suspension: 93+ springs with basically new stock shocks
• Prothane bush kit from Two’s R Us
• Toyota camber bolts
• Sway bar – stock (F-17mm, R-18mm)
• Standard rotors with Porterfield R4S pads and Motul 5.1 fluid
• Track tyres: Stock 15s (205/50/15, 225/50/15) with Yokohama A048 (r medium compound semi slick)

Here is a video with this setup:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=naJWlZP9x84

With this setup I had some understeer but it could have been my driving style. I tried lowering the front tyre pressures but to no avail. Some people said maybe I was braking too late so I overloaded the front traction. My friend said maybe I should try a bit of trail braking. I also felt a lot of body roll with the stock suspension and you could also see it from outside.

This is probably 85% daily, 15% track (more if I can help it). I considered Eibach springs previously but decided it was too soft for when I take it to the limit with r-compounds. Also I didn’t want to rely too much on sway bars as to keep the suspension more independent. In fact I recently spoke to a certain MK1 owner (you know who you are) who suggested no sway bars and stiffer front spring rates, similar to the H&R rates. This setup is not so uncommon after digging up some threads on MR2oc.

These are the specs of both, taken from reading MR2oc threads/excel file

H&R sports: Front: 4.1-4.6 kg, Rear: 4.17 kg. Drop: Front: 1.4”, Rear: 1.3”

RS*R race: Front: 201, Rear: 346 Drop: Front: 0.8”, Rear: 1” (rear rake bias)

So the RS*R has traditional rates for the MR2 which is heavier at the back whilst the H&Rs have stiffer front at full load though not by much. The H&Rs height is also past the “optimal” lowering height of 1” from what I’ve read.
From my previous experience at the track, one would think that going for H&Rs would only make the understeer worse, am I correct? Or would it be a different story with Koni’s now in the picture? As stated previously I would rather avoid aftermarket sway bars but if after installing the shocks and springs it still does not perform as desired, I may use it for tweaking.

My order of importance: Price, Performance, ride, warranty.

I am still just a rookie in all this as you can tell so I would love to hear your opinions on this :)

Cheers and sorry for the long post!

How about some TRD or Eibach Pro kit springs?
They have roughly a 1" drop and apparently quite comfortable for street use.
 
People seem to love the Koni and Eibach combo on SW20s.

the ONLY complaint i have about the above setup is that that rear springs are progressive (like most aftermarket) and can feel a tad floaty at high speed/cornering over bumps. Linear would feel more predictable. Apart from that it's brilliant. :)

I've been doing quite a bit of reading with suspension setups lately also.
I think most of the guys that run no sway bar in the front are autocross guys.
It must work ok for lower speed and quick change of direction.
I'm going a different route so probably not going to help you much but
I'm currently using Koni's with King springs.
I find these ride reasonably well for a daily but I think stiffer would be better for the track.
Once the car has settled in the corner the car feels very predictable.
I'm looking into coilover sleeves so I can keep my Koni's and choose my own spring rates.
 

Yeh I considered Eibach pro kit and TRDs but like MRTurbo said it's probably a bit soft for track days and would necessitate the need for aftermarket sway bars. According to the guys over at MR2oc, no aftermarket springs for the SW20 are linear (to a certain extent at least). The H&R and RSR are progressive but are designed to be more linear apparently. Interestingly, the stock SW20 springs are linear.
The King springs sounds like they would be similar to Eibach and TRDs since it feels good only after "taking a set".
I was looking for Ground control sleeves for the SW20 but looks like they only make it for AW11s so we probably have to design our own stuff. On the other hand aftermarket selection for SW20s should be wider hehe
 
 

There is a thread on mr2oc on the subject of coilover sleeves. It even includes links where to but all the components to do it.
http://mr2oc.com/showthread.php?t=411555
 
Have a read and see what you think. I'm not real keen on the camber plates that are suggested I think I would prefer cusco or similar.

I also was looking into gc sleeves. I emailed them with the correct strut sizes and got no reply.

I'm feeling pretty lazy gathering all those parts lol. So the stock spring perch won't be used? I think it's definitely worth while doing that if your racing competitively.
To be honest I'm probably only gonna keep the car around 1-1.5 years which is why I don't wanna shell out for KW V3s and trying to minimise any more labour put into the car lol

Instead of using the Ground Control sleeve kits, look into the HSD ones.
They come in a bunch of difference sizes, $299 / pair and any spring rate from 2kg/mm - 20kg/mm. If you decide you want different springs in the future, they are $100 / pair
http://otomoto.com.au/c/4037307/1/sleeve-kits.html
 
They also have universal camber tops for $299 / pair, if you want to go all out .
http://otomoto.com.au/p/4...al-camber-top-kit.html

hmm that looks like a good alternative for GC sleeves