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Coilovers Vs Spring/strut Combo

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Old 09-11-2003, 06:54 PM
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RB is only 7% stiffer then stock It will lower youe car I doubt you will notice the difference other then lower stance. R2 springs are only about 5lbs stiffer then base. I don't think you can physicaly tell the diff bet R1 & R2.



Bilstein shocks with the new HKS white springs would be a good choice and keep your g/f happy.



The next step higher would be Eibach sport (not race) prgressive springs and you may want to match those with Koni's for ocasional track.



Springs do wear out as well. I don't remember the life expectancy but I doubt it's more then 10 years.



Find out:

what the spring rates are that you want.

How much will they lower your car?

How much will they sag after broken in?

Will the shocks that you choose handle the spring rates well?
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Old 09-11-2003, 08:25 PM
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Originally Posted by GoRacer' date='Sep 11 2003, 03:54 PM
RB is only 7% stiffer then stock It will lower youe car I doubt you will notice the difference other then lower stance. R2 springs are only about 5lbs stiffer then base. I don't think you can physicaly tell the diff bet R1 & R2.



Bilstein shocks with the new HKS white springs would be a good choice and keep your g/f happy.



The next step higher would be Eibach sport (not race) prgressive springs and you may want to match those with Koni's for ocasional track.



Springs do wear out as well. I don't remember the life expectancy but I doubt it's more then 10 years.



Find out:

what the spring rates are that you want.

How much will they lower your car?

How much will they sag after broken in?

Will the shocks that you choose handle the spring rates well?
Ok, that's all great, but what about the fender rubbing problem?



Here's my new question:

Will Eibach Pro-Kit/Tokico Illuminas rub the fenderwell?



How about HKS white-springs/Bilsteins?



Is either of the two above setups better handling than stock? Or is the R2 suspension better?



I think I've all but eliminated coilovers from my buying decision.
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Old 09-11-2003, 08:28 PM
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Originally Posted by j9fd3s' date='Sep 11 2003, 09:09 AM
yeah the drop + a bump and turning the wheel will yank your front fenders out. if you dont want a harsh ride id look into maybe tokiko illuminas with rb/or eibach springs



mike
I have that exact set up. It is alot softer ride then my other Fd. However it does rub my fenders a lil bit
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Old 09-11-2003, 08:50 PM
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Spring/shock combinations might rub under harder driving if your springs are not stiff enough to keep the tires out of the fenders. If you find a rather stiff spring it will help combat this. This is not to say that springs/shock combos are bad.



I think all of the stock springs are of the same spring rate and the increased stiffness in the R models was due to different shocks and valving. I do think I remember something about the rear shocks having a different part number though?



Progressive springs kind of have wierd handling characteristics on the track I think.
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Old 09-11-2003, 09:06 PM
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Originally Posted by Mazderati' date='Sep 11 2003, 05:50 PM
Spring/shock combinations might rub under harder driving if your springs are not stiff enough to keep the tires out of the fenders. If you find a rather stiff spring it will help combat this. This is not to say that springs/shock combos are bad.



Progressive springs kind of have wierd handling characteristics on the track I think.
*boggle* ok, so coilovers don't rub? Or they just don't rub because the spring rates are high?



I guess it looks like I can't have a nice ride, lowered stance, and no rubbing on the fenders, eh?



I have an RX7! I want my cake, and I wanna eat it too! What will it take to get this? Maybe I shoulda bought that Lancer Evo.
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Old 09-12-2003, 11:38 AM
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I would say to just get the Koni adjustable shocks and keep the stock springs. You can use the Konis to lower the car slightly. The shock valving of the Konis at full soft is fairly close to the stock R2 valving. So you will get a slighter lower stance, with the same ride quality (you will lose a little suspension travel though). Then for race situations, you can crank up the Konis and have crisper response.



You can also read my review of the HKS Springs/Konis at the "other" forum:



http://www.rx7club.com/forum/showthread.ph...2&highlight=hks
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Old 09-12-2003, 07:19 PM
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Of all the adjustable drop in replacement shocks available, I have yet to hear anything bad about Koni's other than they cost more than most. But for performance? I've heard a lot of good things from people that have used them on all sorts of cars and they like them very much.
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Old 09-12-2003, 09:59 PM
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What have you heard about the Tokico Illuminas?
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Old 09-14-2003, 03:58 AM
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That's another good shock. It seems to me from what I've read that most that know it well put it at one step below the Koni's. Not that it's bad or anything. It's another one to look seriously at when deciding to buy some new shocks.
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Old 09-14-2003, 05:04 AM
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And what about the Bilsteins? Its just that I read the review on the Konis and he said he didn't like that he couldn't adjust the jounce, or the bound...I forgot which. I think the Tokicos allow you to adust both, albeit at the same time, but at least it increases proportionately.



I just like good handling, and I want some good stuff.
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