HondachrisEJ1

Normally I would have gone with tein flex (as I have in the past) or silk road rm-a8's (64 just to much) for my civic. I have been hearing a lot about PIC lately and have talked to them and enjoyed their help. As for the price, I have heard that in this case you don't always have to pay for what you get. I am still having trouble comparing PIC selects vs tein/silkroad and deciding if all I am going to spend the extra $800+ for is a name brand, vs performance. let me know what you guys think

HondachrisEJ1

anyone with input?

Targa250R

I've never heard of this Silk Road brand before, but upon perusing their site they look just as crap as most similar dampers being sold for hundreds less (F2, D2, Ksport, etc.). Honestly, you'd pay $1600 for a product with no dyno charts in sight and any real useful information limited to a short list of lame "features"? Who is going to support or fix these things if you have a problem? Why anyone would consider those is beyond me . . .

HondachrisEJ1

acutally silkroad is a small but very well established company who provides pieces for tein and works with section and cusco

Chrome Pipes

I made a similiar thread a while back. I was torn between the Monoflex & PIC Selects, and decided to go with the Tein's. The PIC coilovers have a pretty decent following on here and their customer support is top notch. However, I was drawn to the Monoflex for its low-speed damping abilities - NJ roads can be pretty nasty. I am completely satisfied with them, the car rides great even at the stiffest setting with 14k front springs. Ride characteristics vary depending on what the owner deems as acceptable, some may be content with a harsh ride, but the Monoflex delivers a ride that feels sporty enough without knocking out your fillings.

Good luck with your decision

Targa250R

What do road conditions have to do with low-speed damping?

Chrome Pipes

I was under the impression that "low speed" meant the vehicle's speed..but I guess it refers to the piston speed? Can you explain?

beanbag

Sure, I can explain.
When people talk about low speed damping, it refers to the piston speed.

Does that answer your question?

HondachrisEJ1

I had the control master flex with custom s/rates for track when my car was stolen, I loved those things but I was thinking about another setup. And Al (PIC) has been great through this for support. However still thinking go with what you know works.

high speed dampening/rebound = rumble strips, bad gravel roads large abrupt bumps/potholes (speed bump at grocery market)

Low speed damening/rebound = shallow bumps, corners, oscillating pavement (raised sidewalks)

HondachrisEJ1

Correct me if I am wrong but too much low speed dampening around the tracks will cause unsettling of the car from the rumble strips or wheel off situations

Too much high speed dampening will cause the car to want to "snap" giving you a loose or wobbly feeling out of the corners and cause brake dive.

Chrome Pipes

Thanks for clearing that up, I think I was a little confused. That makes sense. Try to bare with me guys, I'm still new to all this suspension tech..

"MICRO SPEED VALVE (M.S.V.) -This new system allows for improved comfort through more precise oil flow control inside the damper. MSV is most effective at low speed damping, and is therefore most effective during street driving." - taken from Tein's website

- I think this is where I got confused, as I thought "low speed damping" meant the vehicle's low speed, as in 30mph local road around town driving.


On a side note, I was able to make a back to back comparison between my coupe on monoflex's and my buddy's S2000 on 32 way adjustable Megan Racing "Street Series" coilovers, which are 12Kf/12Kr. They are nice for the price, comparable to the D2's/Ksports..etc..

After driving each car on the stiffest setting for comparision purposes, the Megan's retain a harsh ride in both city and highway driving, where as the Tein's city ride is more compliant. Driving the car above 50 mph the monoflex seems to change character and tighten up. The car has a totally different feel to them. It's as if they know when it's time for "spirited driving". It's hard to explain, but this is the main reason why I like them. They seem like an able coilover for a dual purpose car which spends most of its time on the street.

beanbag

I would have thought a good comparison would be "with both of them adjusted properly".

Chrome Pipes

My buddy likes the way the Megan's feel at full tilt, so I said screw it and left the Teins at the same settings and we took the cars for a little rip...and that's it, didn't have much time to mess around with the settings

hayabusa160

silk roads are more popular with the 240 crowd then the honda guys.

but from my experience with them on a 240 they feel over dampened.
the ride is very bouncy and harsh. compared to other setups with the same spring rates.

chargeR

Voted for PIC select because they seem to have good support and at least you have a chance of getting them serviced relatively locally when they need a rebuild.

sgallagher

I've got PIC selects R2 for my 90 hatchback. The setup is originally 10k front and 14k rear. I opted to get 8k and 12k springs so I could play around with different spring rates. In my car now is 8k front and 10k rear, settings set to 1 click from full soft in front and 2 clicks from full soft in rear. I am running the stock front sway bar and no bar in the rear. I have an Integra 4dr rear bar which I was playing around with but the car gets a bit loose out back for my liking at this point in my driving experience. The quality of the PIC's are great. My car also has Mugen bushings all around, including engine mounts.

A friend of mine has Ksports on his 90 hatch. Not sure of spring rates but they are the ones that came with the struts. He has E-suspension bushings all around.

I drove both cars with settings the same. The PICs seem to recover almost right away when driving over all types of bumps. My car with the PICs overall outperformed my buddies. I am very satisfied with the quality and performance of the PICs and love the customer service when contacting them directly. I have limited track time but have many many hours of high performance driving on real roads, mountains, canyons etc.

The PICs may not be the best coilovers for extreme race or track use but for extreme driving they are great.

dcvt16

its an 89 buddy...lol but yeah, the ksports suck.. but out perfoming me on real roads... not to sure bout that one...lol
the pics are nice, much better qualiy than ksport.

heres a good article on shocks written by a guy with alot exp. dyno'ing shocks:
http://farnorthracing.com/autocross_secrets6.html

speedooo

PIC's look astonishingly similar to Omni Power...

tuhboek

I got PIC drag setup on my hatch 10K front 18K rear and it feels great! No complaints what so ever...plus the price is pretty good for what you get! If you want to cut your 60ft down its a great way to go!

PIC Performance

And that contributes how to this thread?

Curiouz_G

hes just saying it looks similar. no need to get your panties in a bunch.

Targa250R

There is a need due to the implications of the statement. "Looks similar" does not necessarily have any bearing on anything.

If you don't know that what you're talking about is certain, then STFU.

highroller54

love my pic's and I love the customer service I get with them

The only thing I would trade them for is a set of remote or piggy back reservior pic coilovers, now I just need Al on board, lol.

Targa250R

Why do you want remote reservoirs?

mrlegoman

Show points dawg! We can put a remote reservoir on your remote reservoir, so your reservoir can remote while it's remot'n.

I have a set of Flex's on my car for almost four years now. No problems and I really like the EDFC attachment. I have a contingency sponsorship with them, so obviously I'm bias towards them.

PIC though has been much more active in our local environment. They where at ITR expo, NASA events, etc. Obviously active on HT. Much more approachable. I've heard numerous stories about how great their CS is.