Legitimate coilovers

[SHG_Mike]

No prob, not often you can have an intelligent convo on this subject on this board.

[sl0wp0k3]

Originally Posted by SHG_Mike

No prob, not often you can have an intelligent convo on this subject on this board.

+1 on that...

[sl0wp0k3]

i got a question about ground control...can you pick any 2.5" ID spring?

on the GC site, they have G.C. spec springs, and they also have other springs.

also...have your springs ever been too short, as in does the shock extend further than the spring? cause if you get stiffer springs and want the car to sit lower, and you have the same travel in the shock, potentially, the shock can extend further than the spring will. do you need to use helper/assist springs in this case, or is there another alternative? can you adjust shock travel on konis?

on the dg's autox secrets stuff, it says that konis can be very unmatched when bought...is there any way to avoid this?

[Scratch&Dent]

I am a street "autocrosser" if there is such a thing. I really want to take it to a track and test the limits. I have been enjoying your discussion and have learned quite a bit.

[SHG_Mike]

Originally Posted by sl0wp0k3

i got a question about ground control...can you pick any 2.5" ID spring?

on the GC site, they have G.C. spec springs, and they also have other springs.

also...have your springs ever been too short, as in does the shock extend further than the spring? cause if you get stiffer springs and want the car to sit lower, and you have the same travel in the shock, potentially, the shock can extend further than the spring will. do you need to use helper/assist springs in this case, or is there another alternative? can you adjust shock travel on konis?

on the dg's autox secrets stuff, it says that konis can be very unmatched when bought...is there any way to avoid this?

Yes i believe the correct spring for a gc sleeve is 2.5". Yes the spring very well may end up being loose when totally unsrung, and yes you use helper springs if you feel its an issue. But with front and rear roll bars no corner should become that unsprung unless your airborne

You can buy shortened koni shocks, but they are not adjustable per say. The only way to avoid it is to buy from a dealer who willl dyno them before they sell them. Tough to find. IMO even unmatched koni's will be FAR better then the "jdm" coilovers

[Type 100]

Originally Posted by SHG_Mike

To understand damping and setting up your suspension, this is a good read....

DGs Autocross Secrets aka Autocross to Win - Shocks

Nice link! I read through the other sections of his website as well. Very interesting. He's even got a section specifically on setting up FWD cars.

[sl0wp0k3]

Originally Posted by SHG_Mike

The only way to avoid it is to buy from a dealer who willl dyno them before they sell them. Tough to find. IMO even unmatched koni's will be FAR better then the "jdm" coilovers

so...if they are unmatched you get them rebuilt to match?

would you recommend a front strut tower bar or a lower tie bar for the fit? do they really make that much of a difference?

what spring rates came in the package with your mugen sports suspension? i think i saw 2.6 and 4.3kg/mm somewhere.

i saw in another thread that you liked buddy club n+ coilovers, what other ones do you like? (i.e. cusco, hks, KW)

do you have stiffer engine mounts? does the wheel hop go away with coilovers?

[SHG_Mike]

Originally Posted by sl0wp0k3

so...if they are unmatched you get them rebuilt to match? yea but like i said unless your running nationally its not worth it, you wont be able to tell.

would you recommend a front strut tower bar or a lower tie bar for the fit? do they really make that much of a difference?

lower bar absolutely not, strut bar i cant tell you, i havent felt a fit with one. though on my civic it made turn in more crisp.

what spring rates came in the package with your mugen sports suspension? i think i saw 2.6 and 4.3kg/mm somewhere.

i saw in another thread that you liked buddy club n+ coilovers, what other ones do you like? (i.e. cusco, hks, KW)

Buddy clubs are the only ones i like. KW ive heard many good things about but no personal experience. All other japanese companies are generally garbage.


do you have stiffer engine mounts? does the wheel hop go away with coilovers?

no and no. I will eventually get a engine damper i think.

blah blah 10 chars

[Zangoose GD3 Blue]

hey mike quick question, have you heard of the D2 coilovers...

[SHG_Mike]

yes and you should pretend you havent :P

very cheap will wear out in 5-6 months

[Zangoose GD3 Blue]

Originally Posted by SHG_Mike

yes and you should pretend you havent :P

very cheap will wear out in 5-6 months

lol cool than because im new to the coilover game, and i figure to ask ppl that know more about coils, now my next one was the cusco comp-s coilover butmy friend with the k20 fit told me to wait for the Progressive Coilover, is there a big difference between them too ?

[dela]

any idea if/when koni yellows would be available?

guessing GEs wont be getting them for a long time.. but for the GDs i guess?

[SHG_Mike]

Originally Posted by Zangoose GD3 Blue

lol cool than because im new to the coilover game, and i figure to ask ppl that know more about coils, now my next one was the cusco comp-s coilover butmy friend with the k20 fit told me to wait for the Progressive Coilover, is there a big difference between them too ?

Cusco has never been a performance part company rather a "dress up part" company. They are probably fine for DD'ing and just to make your car lower but they wont be good for performance applications.



Heres my THEORY on the koni stuff. They currently just redesigned their SPSS racing spec damper, to go along with the new look and just update the casing and making them a bit better, a more "Modern" Shell.

I Believe they wouldnt just leave the koni sport "yellows" hanging with the old design. So I think instead of R&Ding the old stuff for the Fit, and then replacing it quickly with the new stuff. They just Designed them with the new design and are just waiting until they release the new design.

[dela]

Originally Posted by SHG_Mike

Cusco has never been a performance part company rather a "dress up part" company. They are probably fine for DD'ing and just to make your car lower but they wont be good for performance applications.



Heres my THEORY on the koni stuff. They currently just redesigned their SPSS racing spec damper, to go along with the new look and just update the casing and making them a bit better, a more "Modern" Shell.

I Believe they wouldnt just leave the koni sport "yellows" hanging with the old design. So I think instead of R&Ding the old stuff for the Fit, and then replacing it quickly with the new stuff. They just Designed them with the new design and are just waiting until they release the new design.

a good theory... makes me a bit excited.. lol

im new to the fit market... but koni has always had great products in the mr2 market... good to know they're evolving

[Zangoose GD3 Blue]

Originally Posted by SHG_Mike

Cusco has never been a performance part company rather a "dress up part" company. They are probably fine for DD'ing and just to make your car lower but they wont be good for performance applications.



Heres my THEORY on the koni stuff. They currently just redesigned their SPSS racing spec damper, to go along with the new look and just update the casing and making them a bit better, a more "Modern" Shell.

I Believe they wouldnt just leave the koni sport "yellows" hanging with the old design. So I think instead of R&Ding the old stuff for the Fit, and then replacing it quickly with the new stuff. They just Designed them with the new design and are just waiting until they release the new design.

thanx for the Help mike...

[Type 100]

There's only one real problem with DG's short-list of good shocks: They're hard to buy for the Fit.

I know Bilstein and Ohlins make dampers for GDs and sell them via Japanese channels (albeit really expensively), but Koni doesn't have anything according to their websites.

[sl0wp0k3]

another idea: removing front arb and stiffening the front springs to compensate.

stiffer springs should increase grip during acceleration and braking, right?

[SHG_Mike]

like i said earlier if it were a race car that may be ok... but to have the fronts stiff enough to have high roll resistance it would be way to harsh for bumps. Stiffer front springs will do nothing for front accel grip and MAYBE will help braking but there are a lot of other components

[sl0wp0k3]

well it wouldn't need to be that much stiffer would it?

so many coilovers have at least 300lb springs in the front...

[SHG_Mike]

it would probably need to be at least doubled. The oem front sway is 21mm why do you want to disconnect it anyway?