jaholmes

This carries over from what you plan on doing to your car in 2008. A lot of people had JIC shocks on the list. I am wondering what spring rates people are planning to go with.

I have a set of JIC coilovers with 10k front and 14k rear springs. I track the car a fair amount and it's not my daily driver so ride quality can be ok.

My concern is that the current springs I have are too firm and may be a pretty big step going from stock SUV springs. I am planning on getting some RS sways to go with it and am wondering if the sways will help with the transition to the firmer springs and help dial the under/over steer out. Oh yeah, it's a C4S so it needs a little help.

The options are:
1. Keep what I have.
2. Go to 10k rear and maybe 7k / 8k front. The combinations may be 7k/10k and 8k/11k.

I am going to be doing the install so worst case if I change my mind I will be out time and the cost of an alignment.

Thanks,
Jim

viperbob

10/14 and TRG sways..... 8/11 would be the second choice

jaholmes

Thanks Viperbob, you were on my list to call about this. You can get the springs right.

I thought that the quality of the other sways wasn't the best compared to RS sways. Or is it the links that aren't the best.

TheOtherEric

Going to thicker sways will most definitely NOT improve your ride quality. Exactly the opposite. But yeah, they're great on a DE car to tweak the handling balance.

TheOtherEric

No, there's no problems with the quality of other sways or the links. The problem with TRG sways is that they don't have centering collars welded on. Instead, they have cheap useless bolt-on clamp collars. I solved that problem with a drill and a spring pin but nobody else has done that AFAIK.

Bull

I put the 10s and 14s on my 993, along with big sways and it was fantastic. Many people who experienced the car on the street were surprised that the ride was as good as it was, even though it was a 98% track car. The car is now in NorCal with an owner who is also very happy with the suspension. A couple of friends who tried lighter springs both ended up changing them out for the 10s and 14s.

ninjabones

I posed this question to a bunch of rennlist forum guys and guys in my region recently before I made my purchase. I got responses from about 10 guys who had done the JIC conversion. It seams that the consensus was that 10 & 14 was the right combo for mostly track use (although one went with 14 & 14 based on advice from his engineer/wrench). None of the guys felt that the car was overly harsh on the street at full soft. Additionally, the guys who responded that they went with 8 & 11 felt that in retrospect, that they should have probably gone stiffer.

Based on my intended use (street and track) and my limited experience, I went with 8 & 11. My shop (Dougherty's) felt that the JICs may have been too abrupt a step for me based on my experience, and that PSS9s would probably have been better. However, being a "know-it-all", I went with the JICs anyway; the overwhelming input from guys on the forum and my PCA region was that the PSS9s were just too soft for track use and that all who had them were sorry that they didn't get something more aggressive.

I got RS sways, and we're setting the car up to be as forgiving as possible. I'm going to be careful about pushing the car too hard (keep the ego in check) and avoiding putting it into a wall at my next DE event. I'm also going to do a few AutoX events prior to my next DE. The first DE in April will include skid pad time at Shenandoah.

TheOtherEric

With all due respect, that does NOT reflect the common opinion of PSS9's. They are intended to be a dual-use setup, street and track, and that involves compromises for both those uses. For a highly experienced driver in a 100% track car, yes, he'd want a more aggressive setup. But unless both of those are the case (i.e. intermediate driver or dual-use car), it's very hard to beat PSS9s. Many many people have been very satisfied with PSS9 on the track and don't regret the purchase.

Bull

Same input you would receive in our region. Most all have moved on from the PSS9s, which has been around a while.

Good luck with your new set-up Glen!

jaholmes

Thanks everyone for their input. This is exactly what I was looking for.

Sounds like I should just keep what I have. I do have some decent track time so I was thinking too hard about the learning curve. I do about 15 track days a season.

PSS9's were never an option. I heard a lot about how they were not ready for heavy track use. Plus I got a good deal for the JIC's from another Rennlister.

I also remember others commenting on the JIC ride quality with the 10kg/14kg spring rates.


Theothereric,
I live in the west burbs of Chicago. You interested in helping out on the install. I am installing a LWFW too.

ninjabones

I certainly did not mean to come across as bashing the PSS9... only that the overwhelming response that I got on this forum and the reisentoter forum was that the PSS9 was a bit too soft for my intended usage.

The PSS9 obviously has a long track record, with a manufacturer that likely will be around in 10 years (not so certain for JIC), has a great warranty (lifetime vs. JIC's 6 month), and is a known entity without many threads on this forum with complaints about longevity or leaking (JIC comps have only been around for about a year or two for the 993 as far as I am aware). I actually was convinced at first that the PSS9s were the way to go, and I bought a set; However, I ended up returning them after I learned that the PSS10s were out and after the deluge of comments persuading me to change my mind to the JICs.

You are absolutely correct in that any decision regarding suspension revolves around certain compromises (current skill level, intended usage, finances, etc). What is truly difficult is sifting through all the opinions and finding what works for you and your situation. Fortunately, I have a great street car (e39 M5) and don't necessarily need to compromise nearly as much as some guys regarding street comfort in my 993. However, I don't want to trailer the car; many tracks are as many as 5 hours from me; and, I'd like to be able to enjoy a weekend cruise here and there without losing my teeth. This setup also fit into my budget, allows the abilty to add stiffer springs later without revalving. Who knows, maybe in a year or two, I'll be asking the forum where to drill the holes for my Moton reservoirs... or perhaps I'll be selling the JICs to go back to M030/HDs like I had on my cab.

Tom W

FWIW, I found the 10/14 to be too soft for a dedicated track car. Yes, it takes a while to get used to driving with very firm springs (you need to be smoother with steering inputs) but you can get through the turns faster ...

Martin S.

As Far As I Know, AFAIK The Other Eric's pen name......

The Other Eric, brilliant idea about drilling the hole(s). I have the 25mm and 22mm (or is 23mm rear sways from TRG). IMHO, 25mm is just too stiff, over kill...but what do I know.....23mm fronts could be just right...WAIT A MINUTE, that's the size of the 993RS bars...the Porsche engineers, genius!

I am using the Tarett Engineering drop links...sweet!

TheOtherEric

lol, yeah Martin I'd prefer the size of the RS bars too, but heck you just can't beat the price of TRG's bars especially considering today's exchange rate. I suppose the 25/22 is fine on cup cars (hey, can't argue with TRG's results!) but I'd prefer a bit smaller too...if only we weren't such cheapskates.