xthephilx

My FD is going to be a both street and track driven car. So, I'll need adjustable suspension. Money isn't an issue.

For some cars, it seems that the prepackaged coilover systems (Endless, Tein, etc.) aren't really the best option, and some people go with coilover sleeves and separate adjustable shocks. I'm pretty much wondering if this is the case with the FD.

Anybody's comments about their suspension setup would be nice as well.

RETed

Although mines is an FC, I'm in almost the same boat as you are...

I'm trying to figure out what I want to do, since I blew one from Tokico Illumina - running GC coilover kit.

Buying one new Tokico Illumina would be the cheapest option right now.

There was a set of custom Ohlins in the For Sale section for $1,600, but I just didn't want to spend the cash on them right now.

I kept thinking about those "pre-packaged" kits, and the more I think about it, the more I hate them.
Even though many are touting rebuilding services in the U.S. (for most of us U.S. folks), how long is turnaround?
I mean it's gotta take at least one week minimum?
How much are the rebuild costs???
I don't see too many people posting how much it costs to rebuild one of their dampers?

This means the car will be down for a significant amount of time.
Not very good if this is a daily driver.

So, I'm seriously looking at going with the Koni Yellows.
I can buy one corner at a time brand new and in stock.
Rebuild them if I wanted to...get the converted to double adjustable if I wanted to.
The Koni yellows will handle up to 400...450...maybe even 500 in-lb springs if I wanted to go that stiff.
So, with a daily driver, I looked at the worse case scenario, and I dunno how those coilover kits can beat that in terms of turnaround in case the damper does fail?


-Ted

75 Repu

It may be different on a Acura, but a buddy of mine has a 94 Integra he bought new.. In 95 he put koni adjustables on it with H & R springs.. and to this day has never had a problem with them.. thats ten years.. thats quality right there.. and he drives it alot, not daily anymore, but still very spirited.

I think about the same thing too.. I have a chance to get crux coilovers for the fc.. but what if I need one repaired? how much would it cost? where would I take it? sooo many more factors than just gettin Konis or Tokicos which are in stock at soo many places..

ARD T2

iTrader: (22)

The Zeals for a non inverted coilover are between $120 and $150 per corner to rebuild, turnover is one to two weeks plus shipping. Total expenditure figure about $600.00 and shipping. At that time they can be valved differently if desired. That's the only thing I can attest too. I know Zeals turnaround time and their costs. I think Tein is about the same but don't know about turnaround. Zeal has a very very low volume of service calls, so they get worked on when they come in. Most of the shims and seals should be in stock.

2cute

tein turn around time depends on how busy they are. i think it took one month for me to get my strut back here from them cuz they "didnt get to it quick enough" they sent me a brand new one.

xthephilx

Bumping this back up to note that this isn't a daily driver. I have a honduh for that.

ARD T2:
Have you worked with the zeals personally? Do you have any comments about them?

Thanks.

ARD T2

iTrader: (22)

Yes I have totally worked with the Zeals. It's pretty much the only coilover we work with very heavily and is why we stand so firmly behind it. The ride quality spring rate for spring rate with different coilover brands is phenomenal. THe build quality is bar none, the service, and warranty are superbly handled. The guys at Endless USA are real attentive to your needs. They are a great company behind a great product. I've seen many great products become **** because the company behind them was not supportive.

Rishie

xthephilx

So, would the best solution (at least with the endless brand) be to get the most expensive coilovers, i.e. the super functions?

DamonB

This year anyway. It used to be JIC this, JIC that.

DamonB

There is no best solution. The only opinions you'll get around here are "the kind I have is the best". There are many good products out there. Get to know some of the manufacturers and/or their sales reps and buy from whom you feel comfortable.

Why do you think you need adjustable suspension? Do you track the car often? My daily driven car is tracked often and its suspension is very stock. I drive around "faster" cars with "better ($$$$)" suspension setups all the time.

xthephilx

I have adjustable suspension on my prelude. The roads around here are pretty shitty, I have them on the softest settings for normal street driving, and that's barely acceptable. However, at the track, I can leave them on the hardest setting without problems.

Without being able to soften the suspension, I'd be stuck driving on the rich people roads that get repaved every 3 months, which would mean that I couldn't drive home

ARD T2

iTrader: (22)

Ya Damon I hear ya. Our initial workings with JIC were good until a year or two passed and then we started too see issues with the product as well as a severe lack in customer service. This has been unheard of with Zeal. Regardless the proof is in the pudding. I am sure if you used some Zeals Damon your note would change dramatically. I will not give weight to anyone's opinions, nor should anyone else, unless they have used this specific product both on the street as well as the track.

The best solution would not be too purchase the most expensive suspension but one that suits your needs as Damon indicates.

Regardless lap times can be largely affected by driver skill. If your suspension is near stock Damon and you used some Zeals I guarantee you will pull much faster lap times. Imagine how much farther ahead of the pack you would be. You'd be untouchable. I'll only make relative comparison so same vehicle, same driver, then compare the deviation in times and overall feel. Weight transition, steering response, as well as feedback.

Yo x, what suspension is on your lude?

We've also put Zeals on our R2 and even put them thru the WIFE TEST. They passed with flying colors. If you really want to PM Rotary Racer and he'll put you in touch with his wife. I can do the same. Mine daily drives a Miata with Zeals. I've tested nearly every popular suspension for the Miata, including coilovers, with extremely poor results. AT the time that we were endorsing JIC I had never tested Zeals due to their price point. After testing it was an easy decision. For the first time she wasn't complaining to me about poor ride quality. Do some research on Endless USA as a company as well as their customer service. If you would like feel free to PM me and i'll give you their phone number, you can talk to them yourself and see how attentive they are to your needs. We take care of all technical setups, they take care of all service needs.

ARD T2

iTrader: (22)

I have clients in VA and MD that are running zeals. I'd have to see if any are FD owners, but I have other vehicles running this suspension.

Rishie

Mahjik

iTrader: (1)

xthephilx,

You don't need coilovers to "soften/harden" the suspension. If that's all you need to do, just get some adjustable shocks and the RSR Race Springs. That will be a good setup for street/track until you graduate to "needing" coilovers.

xthephilx

I was referring to the adjustability of the dampener, not the ability to separately preload the springs.

Mahjik

iTrader: (1)

Yes, which is why you don't need coilovers then...

xthephilx

I think I misphrased that last comment.

When I made the post about the pavement being of poor quality around here, I was referring to the adjustability of the dampener. I did have the spring preload set properly for the corner weights of the prelude, as I will do for the FD.

Mahjik

iTrader: (1)

That fine, but if all you are looking for is adjustability of the damper, you still don't need coilovers for that.

If you just "have" to have coilovers for the car, I would recommend Tein Flex. Unless you are heavy into competition lapping, those will be more than sufficient without killing your wallet. However, I would still recommend an adjustable shock and the RSR Racing Springs.

xthephilx

What would the difference be, however small, between the Flexes and any of the more expensive coilovers?

Mahjik

iTrader: (1)

Like I said before, unless you are going to be extremely competitive, you'll never notice the difference. IMO, I would still say to get some adjustable shocks and the RSR Racing Springs. When you get the point that the nut behind the wheel is out-driving the suspension; then upgrade to coilovers.

xthephilx

Fair enough.
Any suggestions as to what brand of adjustable shocks to get?

And to dive into the realm of the less educated, would I need any part of my stock suspension to go with the aftermarket adjustable shocks and springs? The main reason I'm asking this is because a bunch of the parts on my stock suspension are worn to crap and will need to be replaced anyway.

My original plan with this car was to have it be all stock at first to get a feel for the car with this motor, and then start upgrading things...but I think I might have to change some of the more worn parts out.

DamonB

I agree with you in my case. I'm at the point driving wise where I can really take advantage of such performance gains. On the other hand too many people insist you MUST have this that and the other thing to go to the track and be fast and my car is proof that you do not need it.

If the driver is slow no matter what he bolts onto the car or which car he drives he's still slow. Coilovers, tires, horsepower whatever have yet to make anyone a better driver.

Mahjik

iTrader: (1)

I'm using Tokico's with the Tein S-Tech springs and really like the setup. However, the main benefit to spending the extra money for Koni's is that you can have them revalved later for stiffer springs (as your driving ability increases).

xthephilx

The main question I now have about the spring/strut combo is whether or not I'd need anything other than the struts and springs. Do they include the top mounting plates and bolts? Camber plates, if those are present on the FD?

rynberg

No, you get spring and shocks. You reuse all of the original mounting "plates". Actually, it's best to replace your upper spring mounts anyway, as they tend to get pretty beat up by 50k miles or so.

Ugh. The FD has a real suspension and camber is adjustable. No stinkin' camber plates required.


BTW, my 2 cents on the spring/shock combo are that they work pretty well, assuming you can stand the height that the springs drop you to. A well-designed coilover with a properly valved damper will ride and handle better than a spring/shock combo, but has other negatives -- cost, more frequent rebuilding, etc.