Yeah, but at least the Koni adjustment ***** don't dent your hood like the JICs do...

 

Independent bump and rebound adjustability. Low-speed and high-speed damping. Weight jackers. Y'know, all the track junkie wish-list options....

 

I can see rubbing holes in your hood liner, but if they're denting your hood, your hood is misaligned or you're slamming it shut...

 

A little cheaper, but still in the $1,100-1,200 range with the GC kit. I still think that if you're buying an entirely new setup, that you're better off with not trying to convert yellow Konis to coil-overs. And unless you just can't get the right ride height with the Koni 3-position lower perch clips, or you need narrower springs for more tire/wheel clearance, anyone who doesn't track their car is probably better off with a set of Koni yellows and a standard set of Eibach Pro Kit springs anyway.

The only reason I have coilovers is because I've cut enough weight out of my car that I wouldn't be able to set the correct ride height without the range of adjustability, and I wanted a little extra clearance for wider tires and wheels.

While this is true, how many people actually end up having their shocks rebuilt? I can see someone who was track-oriented being concerned about it, but for the street drivers, it's probably not something they'll ever take advantage of. In fact, some people won't even own their cars long enough to need the shocks replaced or rebuilt.

True. True.

 

At the risk of offense to some I would say if you are not competing with your car there is absolutely no reason to spend $1000+ on coilovers other than the fact that you can point at them and tell your friends "Look, I have $1000+ coilover shocks!" and wear them like some badge of honor. If you are driving around on the street with them you have no idea what a damper is really capable of doing to the handling of a car.

Anything that is expensive and anodized just has to make the car better, right? And as for those who need coilovers to make your tires fit under the car? Well, it's best I not get into that one either

This is by no means a slam on the other dampers mentioned, they are great products. I am astounded by how many are sold though, it's kind of like owning a Land Rover to take the kids to school. Thank you for my time on the soapbox

 

I had Tokico Illumina 5 ways with 550 F/450 R on GC.

It sucks!!

I'm now running Koni yellow with 450 F and 300 R on GC.

It's tolerable for daily driving; awesome around curves.

 

Ok, iv skimmed over this thread because theres 2 pages of stuff here to read and i dont feel like reading it all.
with that said, i see a lot of talk about double adjustable dampers.

first you have to know how a double adjustable damper is going to help you.
Then it probably would be nice to know how to tune a Double adjustable damper to make your car go faster around corners. Its both a science and an artform to tune those suckers properly. Im sure anyone who does not race there car regularly is not going to need a Double adjustable setup. How many people here actually know how to properly tune a double adjustable damper? or for that matter, a single adjust? Some1 also brought up High speed and low speed damping. How many people know what that means off hand, too? If you dont know the answers to those Q's off the top of your head, your probably not going to need a double adj.
When your getting this deep into suspension tech, it should be noted that dampers this advaced are no longer for ride comfort, but to maximize the tires contact patch at all times.

this was already said:
you have to ask yourself if you really need a double adjustable, and if its worth dishing out the cash.

 

I have Koni Yellows on stock springs and it looks like my upper mounts are shot now. I am getting rubbing on the drivers side front and the car looks too low. The yellows are on the highest perch. So, the best choice right now looks to be the GC kit, since I can keep my yellows and I'll get the new perch, plus I can set the ride height wherever I want. The question is what spring rate and length to get. My emphasis is street driving, I want the ride to be smooth, plus the Konis are damped for softer springs to begin with.

I know Mark Valskis had success with 400 lb F/300 lb R, 8" long, using Bilsteins, and there are a lot of people out there running 450/375 or higher and Konis with success, but how about 350/250? Would these bind? I know Eibach protrack springs are 350/255 and seem to work well with the Konis but those are 4" diameter springs so binding isn't an issue. Has anyone tried running 350/250 with a 2.5" spring? Basically I want to run as close to stock in terms of feel and ride height as possible (FYI stock is 263/193), and I don't mind running a longer spring if that'll keep me from binding, but I don't know how long of a spring I can run before I actually start raising the car too high. Ok suspension experts sound off! TIA.

 

Bump! Doesn't anyone have info on spring rates? Don't make me start a thread about running 20" wheels to get your attention!

 

The problem is I don't think many, if any, people have run 2.5" springs in such soft rates. I think Max Cooper tried below 300 lb rates in the rear and experienced coil binding. Look for his posts or PM him to get the correct details on that.

Secondly, I would call Ground Control and see what their experience with people trying to run softer springs are -- they should be of some help to you.

 

Bah! I did dig up the old thread where Max commented on this and believe it or not I asked the exact same question 3 years ago almost to the day... time flies. GC recommends 450/350 so 350/250 is totally out of the question it appears. The GC guy didn't even want to do 400/300, but I'm going to keep digging to see if this will actually work. Maybe a PM to Mark is in order...

 

Even 450/350 seems a little light in back. 550/450 is what alot of folks use, and I use 500/400. If you go too light in general, you're really negating the purpose, and you might as well get an aftermarket replacement spring, like an H&R. As it is, I can bottom this suspension out on the right corners on the track.

To be honest, spring rate isn't the end all be all of ride quality either. I switched to my set up from Eibach pro-kits, and I think the car rode better. Eibachs are too soft for the height you car rides at, and consequently it crashes down over all the bumps. The valving of the shock has as much or more to do with the ride comfort.

 

Well after consulting Nick at N-Tech I went with 450/350 like GC recommended. Running the 8" spring in the back should keep me off the bump stops but I can always go to 375 if I have to. I plan to run stock ride height so hopefully the combination of the longer, softer springs, higher ride height, and a softer setting on the Koni's should make it street friendly. I'll let you guys know how it works out but I think this combo is pretty well proven, Nick said he sold a lot of GC kits in this configuration.

 

I run 650 up front and 500 in the rear. I have no noise unless I hit a very large hole. My car runs very smooth and surprisingly on 18s is comfortable. I have been running them for about 4 years now - no issues.

Chris

 

How is your ride now? I'm planning on continuing this car in autocross. Considering the RS*R are 447/391, I was seriously thinking 450/400 rather than 450/350 as GC recommends, but not I'm back to thinking 450/350. Anyone still enjoying Koni Sport yellow w/ these spring rates?

 

What are you doing with it? Track? Have R-compound track tires?

You might want to try 500/400. I know I wouldn't want any less than that.

 

I plan to continue autocrossing but this is also a summer daily driver. Yes, R-compound. I do not want to destroy my street drivability however, and I live in New England, the roads suck. I was thinking 500/400, but definitely not any higher.

One thought is to order the GC kit with 450/350 and buy two extra sets of springs to swap out, 500s and 400s or some such combination... ...use test&tunes to work out the best rate for autocross surfaces I run on.

 

My ride is still great. Much better than my wifes new Corolla.

 

Maybe the roads are better cared for in Cincinnati ;-)

Your spring rates (650/500) exceed even what I'd use with new coilovers for autocross. But then, you don't have a rotary engine in your car, do you?

 

The roads in Cincinnati suck. The only bad thing about my suspension is multiple bumps in close distance - like one wheel length. This is kind of rough but everything else is nice.

I did just drop in a v8 but it only adds about 60lbs - thats like one of my dogs.

Proper height adjustment, good bearing, and alignment go along way. Alot of people just slap together a kit. This is not the right way to do it. You need to get shocks that will absorb to your ride height.

Chris

 

We're talkin Koni Sport yellow here in this thread. Is that what you have?

 

Yes - to be more specific you need to have your valving set to your spring rates and adjusted for spring articulation. I think I had mine set for a max of 3 inches of articulation.

 

Thanks for the specifics. Mine were custom valved for autocross with the stock springs, but may need to go back if the spring rate I end up with is too high. I'm getting the 500/400 and see how it works for me.

 

IF they were valved with stock springs and you are shifting to GC's with those spring rates, they need to be revalved.

 

I've been driving around with 450/350 for about 6 months now and I'm happy with it. The solid uppers are a little noisier than the stock rubber-lined ones, but overall the setup is definitely streetable. Of course, handling is awesome, although I don't autocross so I can't tell you if 400lb rears or 350lb would be better. Maybe you can go halfway and get 375. I feel the Koni yellows are well matched at these spring rates, even though they have similar damping characteristics to stock R1 shocks, I feel those are a little overdamped on stock springs.