Coilovers.com Sponsors Pennsylvania Driver Nick Kohrs (Archive)
This article originally published as a press release during the early years of Coilovers.com. It is preserved here as part of our company archive because the sponsorship story it tells reflects the values that still shape how we work with drivers today. Read it as a historical piece rather than a current announcement.
In the early years of Coilovers.com, we committed to supporting grassroots and semi-pro drivers who shared our passion for performance suspension. One of the first drivers we partnered with through that program was Nick Kohrs. Nick was a Pennsylvania-based road course driver at the time. His Honda Civic Si time-attack build was one of the standout amateur cars coming out of the region.
This article captures the story of how that partnership came together, what it meant for Coilovers.com in that era, and why supporting drivers like Nick has remained part of our identity all the way through to today.
How a Shift Knob Turned Into a Time-Attack Career
Nick Kohrs is based in Murrysville, Pennsylvania. He finished his mechanical engineering degree at Robert Morris University and works as a project manager for a local construction company. His path into motorsports started with something almost every enthusiast will recognize. He bought a shift knob for his 2009 Honda Civic Si. From there it was the classic slippery slope of bigger and bigger mods.
After modifying the Civic well past anything he first intended, Nick started taking the car to local autocross events open to novice drivers. A full season of autocross later, he tried road course driving at Pittsburgh International Raceway. The moment he hit the longer course, he knew this was what he wanted to pursue seriously.
The Civic Si Build
Nick's Civic was built for the Time Attack SM Class in the Gridlife series. Custom class-spec aero. Weight stripped to 2,650 pounds without the driver. Making about 480 wheel horsepower. A continuous refinement project aimed at cutting lap times on every outing.
How the Sponsorship Came Together
Nick had a couple of coilover brands in mind for the next season. He was running out of suspension capability on his previous setup and knew a better coilover kit was high on the list for the next round of upgrades. When he started shopping, Coilovers.com came up on his radar as a multi-brand source with real technical know-how behind the catalog.
Nick called us directly to talk through his application. He spoke with our support team about his platform, his goals, and his event schedule. He was impressed by the brand and application knowledge he got on the call. That conversation gave him the confidence to commit to Fortune Auto coilovers with a Swift Springs upgrade for the build.
That kind of consult is exactly what Coilovers.com was built to deliver. A real person on the phone who knows the products, knows the platforms, and can help a serious driver make the right call on a significant buy.
Why the Fortune Auto + Swift Springs Choice Made Sense
Nick's SM class car needed specific things from its coilover setup. Tuneable ride height to dial in corner weight and aero balance. Damping range wide enough to work across hot tire pressures and cold warm-up laps. A locking collar and seal system that would stay put through an entire event weekend without drifting out of spec. Reduced unsprung weight to keep the 2,650-pound chassis responsive through the fast transitions a tight road course demands.
Fortune Auto delivered all of that. The brand's damper quality, rebuild capability, and custom spring rate options made it a strong match for a car running class-spec aero and 480 wheel horsepower. The Swift Springs upgrade added another layer of refinement. Swift's coil design is known for consistent spring rate behavior across the full compression stroke, which matters when you are chasing tenths of a second on a time attack lap.
That combination is why Nick made the call, and why we still recommend similar Fortune Auto plus Swift Springs builds to time attack customers today when the budget and the program support it.
How Coilovers.com Handled Sponsored Driver Builds
Sponsorships at Coilovers.com were never transactions. They were partnerships. When a driver like Nick committed to a season of real competition, we committed to supporting that program through the build, the season, and beyond. That meant stocking replacement parts they might need mid-season. Coordinating with brand engineers when a setup question came up. Being available by phone when something did not go according to plan at an event weekend.
That approach is why our sponsored drivers from that era tended to stay within the Coilovers.com ecosystem across multiple seasons and multiple cars. Nick's Civic Si program was representative of the kind of long-term driver relationship we aimed to build from the start.
Why Coilovers.com Supported Drivers Like Nick
Coilovers.com CEO Lou Tortola reached out to Nick personally during the sponsorship arrangement. He spent real time learning about Nick's background, his motivation for racing, and where he saw his competition career heading. That kind of direct engagement was not an accident then and is not an accident now. It is how Coilovers.com chose which sponsorships to take on in that era, and the same values still shape how the company approaches partner drivers today.
Lou's statement from the original press release still captures the approach. "This sponsorship is a testament to our dedication to build winning partnerships by supporting the racing community that also supports our business. Our message is simple. If you love what you do and do it with passion, we welcome the opportunity to be part of your winning story."
What We Looked for Then and Still Look for Now
Real commitment to the sport. Respect for the brands and products. A driving program that represents the craft well. Coilovers.com sponsorships have never been marketing transactions. They are and always have been partnerships with drivers who represent what the tuning community is actually about.
The Bigger Picture: Why Sponsorships Matter
Grassroots and semi-professional motorsports are where real talent develops. Every top-tier Formula DRIFT pro, every club-level time-attack champion, every road course instructor started somewhere, usually in a modified street car running a coilover kit they scraped together the money to buy. Supporting drivers at that stage has always been part of how the tuning community renews itself generation after generation, and it remains part of how Coilovers.com engages with the sport.
For a retailer operating in this space, partnerships like the one with Nick were also a way to stay connected to how the products actually performed under real competitive stress. We learned from drivers like Nick what worked, what did not, what the brand engineers needed to hear about, and what the next product generation needed to address. That kind of feedback loop has shaped how we evaluate and recommend coilover kits to this day.
About Coilovers.com and Racing Coilovers USA
Coilovers.com is operated by BC Performance Parts USA Inc., based in Plymouth, Michigan. The company has delivered over 20,000 coilover kits over more than a decade in business. We are an authorized dealer of BC Racing North America, KW Suspension, Fortune Auto, Feal Suspension, Ohlins, Tein, Bilstein, Ksport USA, Megan Racing, and more. The core principle has been the same since day one. Expert application guidance, timely service, and a genuine commitment to getting each customer onto the right kit for their specific car and their specific goals.
For drivers considering their own build or their own season of competition, the conversation starts at 1-800-460-9106. Tell us the platform, the program, and where you are heading with it. We will take it from there.
Frequently Asked Questions
Who is Nick Kohrs?
Nick Kohrs is a Pennsylvania-based time-attack driver from Murrysville who built a highly competitive 2009 Honda Civic Si for the Gridlife Time Attack SM Class. He was one of the first drivers Coilovers.com sponsored in partnership with Fortune Auto and Swift Springs.
What is the Gridlife Time Attack SM Class?
Gridlife is a multi-discipline motorsports series that includes time attack competition. The Time Attack SM Class is a specific class for street-modified cars with defined rules on modifications, tire, and power-to-weight limits. It is a serious amateur-to-semi-pro competition category.
Why did Nick choose Fortune Auto coilovers?
Fortune Auto builds performance suspension tailored to competition use, with customization capability and proven durability in time attack applications. Paired with a Swift Springs upgrade, the kit delivered the damping range, spring rate flexibility, and build quality Nick's program required.
Does Coilovers.com sponsor other drivers?
We have supported various grassroots and semi-professional drivers over the years through relationships with our brand partners. Sponsorship decisions are based on driver commitment, program seriousness, and how the partnership represents the tuning community. We welcome conversations with drivers who are building real competitive programs.
What brands does Coilovers.com carry?
We are an authorized dealer for BC Racing North America, KW Suspension, Fortune Auto, Feal Suspension, Ohlins, Tein, Bilstein, Ksport USA, Megan Racing, and others. The brand range covers the full spectrum from budget street kits to pro-level motorsport suspension.
How do I build a competitive time-attack Civic Si?
Start with weight reduction, a proper coilover kit with appropriate spring rates, sticky class-legal tires, a limited-slip differential if the car does not have one, and safety equipment appropriate for the class. Aero depends on class rules. Call us to spec the suspension component. Each time-attack class has its own rules that shape the build decisions.
How do I reach Coilovers.com about a sponsorship or a build?
Call 1-800-460-9106 during business hours. Email support@coilovers.com any time. Build inquiries, program support questions, and sponsorship conversations all start the same way. With a real phone call or email to a real person.
Ready to Put This Knowledge to Work?
You know what you need. Now talk to someone who can actually help you choose the right kit for your car and how you drive it.
That is the conversation we have with customers every day. BC Racing, KW Suspension, Fortune Auto, Ohlins, Feal, Tein. We know the brands and we know the platforms. Tell us what you drive and what you are trying to do. We will point you at the right kit. No runaround, no upsell. Just a straight answer from someone who actually cares whether your car ends up set up correctly.
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