So then I'm thinking about upgrading my suspension, might as well as get something more decent other than the GC/Yellow combo.......

I love the Teins HAs but I sat in a friends FD with HAs and it was just ridiculously stiff and I won't be able to use that for daily driving. I don't know what the spring rates were but it sure as hell wasn't 448/336 like someone here said they were. They felt more like 800/800 and he had them on almost the softest setting too. I just can't drive around absorbing every single thing on the road.

And then there's the new guys, JIC starting to make coilovers and I've heard pretty good things about them. I know they're more pricey than then HAs so now the problem is I don't know which models are good for street.

BTW is it possible to get custom spring rates for the HAs?

Thanks.

-Dan

 

Just to keep in mind. There's very good reason why the JIC FLT-A2 are more pricey than the HA's.

1. Anodized Aluminum body vs. Steel body
2. Monotube damper vs. Twin Tube damper
3. Independent preload and ride height adjustment vs. the opposite. In other words, when lowering the vehicle you will not sacrifice ride quality or suspension travel.
4. Pillowball mounts are included in the price

If you're really interested, I have a few guys locally that you can ride in to see how you like the JIC's. That's how we want to do business ideally. Allowing you to feel the differences prior to purchase.

Let me know as I'd be more than happy to help. PM me with your exact location and I'll see if we can't figure something out or offer a demo at a meet sometime soon.

Thanks, Rishie

 

The spring rates for the HA's are 550/450 for the FD. The JIC's come standard with ~670/500 rate springs. I do believe you can get custom rate springs with the JIC's but the shock valving range does not change.

Why are you considering coil-overs? Adjustable ride-height, more clearance? With the M2 kit or GC kit, you can specify the spring rates you would like to use. Spring rates between stock and 550/450 will likely work very well with the Koni adjustables.

 

Rishie, I'd like to take you up on that offer next spring when I'm looking to upgrade the suspension. Unless the JIC's are just too stiff for me, I'll be going with them over the Tein HA's for the reasons you listed above.

 

Great, thanks Mr. Berg. hehe. TTYL.

It's nice that the JIC's don't make noise like the typical twin tube damper coilovers due to the fact that spring preload is maintained throughout the suspension's travel.

I think the JIC's are still more comfortable than an M2 or Koni, GC setup. GC's on FD's are crazy expensive. Too much money for my taste on a make shift sort of system.

JIC's can be revalved, but they are great the way they come. They've already been revalved to be more suitable for daily driving over here.

 

Rishie,

What is the spring rate on the FLT-A2, this is for FD?
Are they good for autocrossing? The above listed spring rate sounds to high for autocross...

Reza

 

Well the last set we did were 10Kg and 8Kg, but now they've changed to 12Kg, and 9kg. I would recommend the 10 and 8 setup for autox. These springs can be interchanged if you so desire.

I truly believe it will depend on your driving style/preferences. Different drivers like their damping and rates set differently. I would suggest riding or asking if you can drive any of the JIC guys' FD's that we have around. This will allow you to feel out exactly what you want.

Let me know,

Rishie

 

Well at first I wanted the GC/Yellow combo but found out that GCs make too much noise and I don't want that. And also with that setup it's almost as much as the Teins HAs.


I heard that the HAs will rust around the thread area after a while of use? Any truth to that?

-Dan

 

That is true and the nature of steel. So it's all chemistry I guess. Hence the benefits of aluminum, weight and rust resistance. It's been known to have the collars seize on the treaded portion due to rust with the HA's.

The GC's make noise and it's a pretty rough ride. I drove GTmacways FD with the JICs and was amazed. I wish I could have driven it some more.

I'm sure the Flex is also a steel body. If it wasn't that would be the entry level one to go. It has independent preload and ride height. But is still a twin tube damper. I'm sure it's a steel body because of it's price. It would only save you a couple hundred bucks over the superior damper of the FLT-A2 and aluminum body.

I think I've covered most bases and at least shown the logic behind my thinking.

 

Hey Rishie thanks for the info. So what's the difference between monotube vs. twin tube damper?

JIC FLT-A2: What do they retail at?

And did you say you can get custom spring rates for them besides the 650/500 that they're suppose to come with?

Thanks.

-Dan

 

Oh one more thing, I'm considering true full coilovers because they're designed and made to work together unlike the GC/whatever shocks.

I'm looking for a setup that will definately improve handling but won't sacrafice too much comfort. A little harshness is fine with me, but as long as it won't make creaking/squeeking noises like in some GC/HAs equipped cars I've been in.

-Dan

 

i like my teins...think i have them set at 10 and 8 and it's ok to drive around town.

 

double-tube shock absorber:
An older design of hydraulic shock absorber using two concentric tubes, one serving as the working cylinder, the other as the reservoir.

single-tube shock absorber:
A common type of shock absorber with the working cylinder and reservoir contained in one tube.

http://www.eotb.ca/offroadtech/shocks/5.htm

This link will give a brief description and illustration of the monotube advantage.

http://www.iluvmyrx7.com/3rdgen/how-...ion_tuning.pdf

Excerpt taken from doc above:
"Lets move on to shocks. Shocks are the 2nd thing most important in a suspension,
next to the tires. Tuning them correctly is almost as important as the kind of shocks you
have. There are two types of shocks. The first is the twin-tube low pressure shock. This
shock (standard Konis are twin tubes), as its name suggests, uses an inner and outer tube.
The inner tube has a piston and chamber filled with oil, while the outer tube has low
pressure gas (usually nitrogen) in it. The nitrogen compresses as the shock compresses to
allow movement of the hydraulic oil. The second type of shock is a monotube shock.
This shock has only one tube but usually with two pistons. One connected to the shock
shaft, and the other piston serving as the gas/oil boundary. As the shock is compressed,
the main piston moves oil against the 2nd piston which compresses the nitrogen chamber.
In both types of shocks, washers stacked upon one another are used to control the oil flow
through the pistons, thereby varying the amount of damping force the shock is putting
out. Monotube shocks (Koni 28/30 series, Penske, JRZ, Ohlin, Bilstein) are almost
exclusively used in professional racing. This is because the monotube shock has
advantages. These include a larger diameter piston (thereby being more sensitive to small
suspension displacements), better heat dissipation (the inner tube/gas interface on the
twin-tube shock is not a great heat conductor), and very little cavitation (when air gets
mixed in with oil, causing foaming or aeration)."

Rishie

 

Any comments on the differences. Personal thoughts on the advantages and disadvantages of a monotube over a twin tube.