The EDFC sounds brilliant, though a bit of work to install and tune (for beginners).

Imagine if we had the kind of money the Porsche guys have to develop our restomods:

 

From what I understand it does a lot of the heavy lifting as far as tuning is concerned, you don't have to do a lot of fooling with it.

Yeah Porsche people have huge money to throw at cars, we're not playing in that playground .

Dale

 

Had a somewhat longer run on the new set up (Bathurst R Showas with Tien progressive springs) tonight; out cruising on the commuter arterial freeways south of Vancouver that are virtually empty after nine.

Car was very stable and seemed to get more so as I crossed 140 km/hr. Friend behind me in his GTR said the car appeared very sorted when we crossed a bridge that had a rough surface, while his GTR (R32) has bouncing around.

In fact I had not noticed the rough surface at all.

It was the first longer drive seated on my new Recaro SPD seat as well. Result was a very "comfy" ride while the turbos were lapping up the cold moist evening air and enjoying the free run.

Probably the most pleasurable cruise I have had in the car yet.

 

Another point in Fortunes favor: The Gears and Gasoline guys both have 510s on their cars and just completed a 48 state road trip in 2 FDs. They never made a mention about an uncomfortable ride, I imagine that would have been one of the first things they would talk about after many days of driving. Granted peoples taste of what's "comfortable" is subjective. Granted the 510s are about the same price as Ohlins from SakeBomb.

 

its like saying your clutch is comfortable on the highway as you're cruising in 5th gear

you cant determine if the suspension is comfortable when the road conditions on highway are for the most part very well.
also, weren't they sponsored by fortune auto?

 

There was a lot of highway, but I know they dipped into Chicago a bit, and I'm sure there were some other non major roads taken to.

I don't know, they very well may have been, but I didn't notice any major promotional material like they had for Advanced Auto Parts. I've only seen parts 1 and 2, and no mention of FA at all.

 

https://www.ebay.ca/itm/TEIN-Springs...EAAOSwwlVgKAuG

If this is what S-tech look like, I need to guess what else it is that I have.

 

That's a stock picture, that's not the S-Tech FD springs in that Ebay ad. I think they will have "S-Tech" printed on the springs.

Dale

 

these are S-Tech

 

The ones I picked up seem to have extra turns at the top. The opening at the shop came up quick and I did not even get them out of the bubble wrapping to take a picture of the markings.

I have been looking for a technical description of how the Showa "harmonic drive" works. I know I previously read a paper. However, I can not find it now. My understanding is the shock internal mechanisms react to the road surface by pumping the shock oil around internally.

It seems to be the case. If I drive over a series of manhole covers, the first bump is harshest, but the ride becomes markedly smoother as I deliberately hit subsequent manholes covers. So now when I leave the driveway, I look for the first few bumps, on my route, to set things up.

 

My P2M rear lower control arms arrived today. They did not come with dust boots. Their website picture is a bit deceiving as it looks like dust boots are attached to the arms by zip ties. But on closer look, it is just shadows.

I assume I can use some generic dust boots. There seems to be no mention on P2M website of dust boot availability.


P2M adjustable rear lower control arms. Can you spot the dustboots?

 

They have arrived

 

Redbul sorry to hear that. I didn't think any of these with the "spherical" bearings would.... I am not sure what to expect out of the life either. Some say 30k no issues and others say just a couple thousand miles and they are toast.

 

Yikes! Maybe I should start a subscription. New set of control arms every 5000 miles.

Just like I have for a new engine every 30,000 (or three years, whichever comes first).

(** just joking. I have 4.5 years and 27,000km on my rebuild. Seems like the motor is getting smoother and stronger. Helps that I am getting other areas slowly sorted. Ironic that a complete OEM bushing replacement would cost the equivalent of an engine rebuild.)

 

I hope I didn't sound negative. I just put a "launch kit" on from J Auto when I did the rest of the rear bushing and got quite a few messages about them.

27km I hope it's getting smoother as it breaks in! Hopefully you have many more km to go!!

 

Wear on Teflon-lined (and other) spherical bearings in that sort of location is most affected by loading and tightness of the bearing. Tight means no hammering back and forth with alternating loads, plus there is less probability of dirt getting between the bearing ball and the race and wearing it out. However, excessive tightness causes friction and harshness, so it's always a compromise. On my racecar, I tend toward just barely tight, since friction reduces grip. YMMV.

 

I personally think with the way the market is choosing to 'value' the FD currently, this type of restoration with its' money spent and attention to detail shouldn't be considered out of the ordinary. Many original and/or longtime owners received a huge increase in monetary value while doing absolutely nothing and it's in no way a secret that the majority of FD's are abused and neglected. We all know Mazda stopped importing LHD cars due to being relatively over-priced which manifested itself into poor sales and imo accurately represents Mazda owners of past and present.

If you think the FD is worth $50k+, then I think you'd better be prepared to spend at least that much maintaining it. If the costs are even a consideration, then unfortunately you can't afford it. It's the 'live within your means' argument all over again and debt is an incredibly negative thing to have for any amount of time (in case there was any confusion). If you can't pay in full at time of purchase, then maybe one should re-evaluate where their time and money are spent. Debitum ante omnia. Not for me.

This perception of 'value' seems to be most dependent on the assessment of others and things are only going to get more expensive from here.

 

Dale, I have the tein street advance coilovers and they're very soft. I have a herniated T6, C5-C7 and I can ride in it all day without really feeling as bad as say driving around in the F-350. You're welcome to take a drive in my FD anytime to try them out. I'd say they are about the same as my wifes 2009 R3 Rx8.

 

Fyi, I had Fortune make me an old man setup, and imo it was the most comfortable riding FD I had been in.

 

How did you spec them out?

 

FINALLY drove my friend Jimmy's car with Tein Flex Z. VERY impressed. He had front and rear set to 8 (out of 16) and it rode very nicely - not harsh or bouncy. Exactly what I'm looking for and at a good price point.

I think I'll be going that route in the not too distant future.

Dale

 

Dale in case you don't have your mind made up yet, I can say the fit and finish of these Fortunes are pretty nice. Very tight tolerance.


I will have the car off jacks soon and can let you know how it goes. Damn good warranty and at least they are assembled in the good old USA. Can't say I like the color though lol.

 

Most of us are too old to crawl under the car to rate the color of your struts! The Fortune 500,s are great.

 

Sweet Dale, as I said before... I'm very happy with the Tien Flex Z after 3 years on the car.
Great budget set up without breaking the bank.

Steve

 

I think Fortune is a solid way to go. Drove a friend's car with the Fortune 500's and was very impressed with the ride quality.

For me, I'm going towards the Tein because I would like to do the EDFC in the future. That seals the deal there.

But, either way is a good setup. Also it's nice to know you can have a good, comfortable ride without breaking the bank and still have a car that handles amazing.

Dale