theedge

Which place and when? I was quoted $3kCDN after import, duties, shipping, etc. $450 discount included in that.

Paulyy

Appreciate the options and opinions. I will be going with the KW. Theres no other setup with in price range that gives me the adjustability and the technology the KW gives.

Some say that theres no use for compression and rebound adjustability for street, but i see it as this. I can set it up for how i would like it to drive where someone else would like it harder or softer ect. Having 2 sets of tyres, a sticker tyre will give more body roll then a road tyre.

Dave W.

Good thinking. You have the option to fine tune your suspension to match any changes you might make to the car in the future, such as different sway bars, more power, bigger brakes, sticky tires, etc. Or even a long road trip.

Paulyy

I like to have adjustability options.

Some days i like to have 10-12 psi of boost. some days i like 15-16 psi and other days i like to go 18psi.

Same goes with the suspension. For the street, i'd like it a little softer. when i head to the hills, it does not bother me to set up the suspension a little stiffer.

blade7

I bought KW's around 5 years ago, they're still working fine, I had to wait weeks for delivery though. Leda/Gaz/ were a lot cheaper but there seemed to be quality issues back then. Don't know much about the Spax except they are a lot cheaper too, you get what you pay for maybe.

Paulyy

That is usually the case. You get what you pay for.
Spax are very popular on eBay.

Paulyy

http://www.superstreetonline.com/tec..._buyers_guide/

Droops83

Haha, Raceland. You get what you pay for indeed. I don't know about the rest of the country, but for the past few years it has been popular for younger guys (teens-early 20s) to slam BMW E30s. I don't have a huge problem with it (besides that it has driven up the prices of nice 325iS coupes, I wouldn't mind one for a DD), it's at least a cut above the rice rocket madness when I was that age.

Anyway, we have had a couple of such customers bring in Raceland coilovers to install, complete with Ebay camber plates . . . . total junk as one would expect. Horrible ride and damping, all kinds of clunking and popping.

It seems that not many here run Ground Control. I have had their inverted rear coilovers for almost 2 years, and just bought their shortened double-adjustable front struts. The quality is great, they are made in-house in CA and their pricing is very reasonable. They are very helpful on the phone in terms of assistance in selecting the proper spring rates and damping. I have the top-mount camber plates as well. They are actually perfectly quiet on the street; I was fully expecting them to be noisy.

There is not a single piece of rubber left in my suspension (rear shock eyes included), all is spherical or Delrin. It is a bit harsh but not unlivable; I am willing to compromise a bit with this car to make it better on track.

I can't afford Moton/JRZ/MCS, but I did consider KW Clubsports (V3s are too soft for serious track use), but in the end the pricing and doubts about factory support and the ability to rebuild them in the USA steered me towards Ground Control. They use off-the-shelf Koni race inserts, which means that while they may not be as sophisticated as the KW units and a bit harsh on the street, they are proven to be durable and are easily rebuildable/revalvable and replaceable by several well-known outlets in this country.

However, the V3s are a great option for street and limited track use. My shop has installed several sets in Porsche 9x6/9x7 cars and the ride is surprisingly good while offering much improved body control.

fejjj

Do you guys ever remove the helper springs in the rear and go with just a longer main spring to stiffen the rear up?

inactiveuser225

Droops83, I have been on the phone with ground control. They're very helpful. Does anyone have an instructional writeup for a full TB delete, coilover conversion? I'm really leaning towards that but am not sure if what I'm getting myself into. I'm only an aspiring gear head.

Paulyy

The helper springs only pre-load the spring. so when you go over a bump and the suspension expands, the springs can lift off the base or hat, the helper just keeps it in place

Paulyy

This is the same here too. A lot of people using eBay junk and think it's good. Well until they try some decent stuff.

Only thing i cannot work out is how the track gives your suspension more of a work our then driving on a road with bumps ect.

gruhsy

Sorry I was away in Mexico for the last week.

Quote was April 2013 from HPA motosports

Van

On all racing-style double-adjustable shocks, the compression and rebound adjustments are really only on the "low-speed" oil flow paths. This means they are really only changing the characteristics of weight transfer - how quickly the car transfers weight to the front wheels under braking and how quickly it transfers weight to the rear wheels under acceleration.

For example, as you brake and go into a turn, if you have under steer, you want to adjust the shocks to give you more front grip, e.g. Make the compression softer. This will get weight on the front wheels sooner so they have more traction.

Same thing applies if you're getting under steer between the apex and track out - you them need to slow down the weight transfer to the rear by increasing rear compression.

To just have a "soft" or "firm" ride over bumps, pot holes or gravel... That's not what adjustable shocks are made for. You will feel little difference as you go through the adjustment range.

As a tuning tool to extract the last bits of performance at the track, high-end shocks are awesome (but, like many other performance parts, they need to be rebuilt regularly to maintain peak performance).

Paulyy

Oh i understand how the KW v3s work with the high speed and low speed valving. I know that you only adjust the low speed valve for weight transfer. Primarily why i wanted KWs.

I'm just not sure how track driving puts more stress on the struts then normal street driving.