xMetal

With the various topic on here discussing suspensions, I staretd looking around at alternatives. I had a catalog at home from Truechoice Motorsports (right here in Ohio) and checked out their package deals. Price-wise, it seems like you can get some pretty nice stuff for less that comparable "jap-spec" stuff (zeal, tein, mugen, etc).

Does anyone have any experience with these guys, or with the Koni/Eibach products they offer?

I'm looking at the Phase II stuff, and for $1100 you seem to get a nice package:



Phase Two - Street Performace, Autocross & Drag

Phase Two uses Koni Sport Shocks with Coil-over Kit and Eibach ERS Spring System.

Features:

* Adjustable ride height improves looks and performance.
* Adjustable corner weights allow driver to optimizes chassis balance.
* Adjustable Sport Shock valving can be tuned for street or competition and varying spring rates.
* Multiple springs available for street and competition in both linear and progressive rates.
* Lower center of gravity reduces "body roll" in turns, "squat" under acceleration and "dive" under braking.
* Reduction of aerodynamic drag and improved fuel economy

Warren

I have a TC setup. Revalved externally single adjustable Konis on 400F/600R springs. The car rotates very nicely now. Braking has also become more stable. I thought it was going to make braking hairy, but it's great.

At any rate, if you're serious about the TC setup, talk to Greg @ TC, and make sure he sends you the extra hardware for the top shock bushings (nuts and bolts) for the front AND rear! Also, your stock shock bushings don't have a big enough hole for the Koni rod. I had a machine shop drill mine out to match the washer that comes with the TC kit.

Oh, and get him to drop the price for you. He'll go for $1500. The $1100 kit doesn't get you a revalve. It's just an overpriced GC kit. $1500 will get you a revalve WITH conversion of the rears to be externally adjustable rather than having to compress the damn thing, then turning it.

OMP Motorsports can do a similar kit for around $1400. You can set the car up exactly how you want it to handle. I prefer to bump the rear spring rates to promote a more neutral handling car. If you want a bargain, get a GC kit w/ 400F/500R, and ITR Bilsteins. You can get this for under $900.

Warren

xMetal

thank you for the info Warren. If memory serves me right, your suggestion of roughly 400f/500r spring rates is roughly twice what stock is. How does normal streetability feel with that rate? While I mostly use my car for fun purposes I don't want to rattle teeth with a bone-jarring ride. (every once in a while someone other than myself does get to ride in the R )

ghettoracer

A budget setup is skunk2 coilover with GAB AGX (only cost about $600). my setup beat the APEX sponsored ITR (running APEX coilovers) in lapping and skidpad. it was slightly slow in slalom but my car had 2 people in it (timer busted, doing manual timing) while the ITR had just the driver... look for my red del Sol in the upcoming SCC BFG G-Force challenge.

Another intersting aspec about JDM coilovers... their tracks are pretty different than ours. We have genrally bumpy tracks and they have glass smooth stuff. They have lots of tire compound to choose from as well as wheel size/offset, we have less. their competition setups are usually stiffer springs up front than rear while US people uses the reverse. (on FWD cars).

Brett@SoloRacer.com

Paul, I should give you a ride in my GS-R with 375f/450r GC Coilovers. Normally it wouldnt be bad, but as you know, roads in Northern Ohio SUCK. Its too stiff for me and I am taking them off and selling them. They are already sold, otherwise I'd sell them to ya (plus they wont fit the Type R).

I dont think your R is your daily driver though, so 400f/500r shouldnt be bad. You might even want to go stiffer.

xMetal

Brett, maybe I will take you up on that sometime. If you aren't too far from Goodyear maybe I could swing by after the race on Sunday just to check it out before you get rid of them.

Thanks for the options fellas. The whole point of this is to get BETTER THAN STOCK handling. If this stuff doesn't make the car better, there's no point. I'm willing to go with a bit harsher ride to get some more performance, but at the same time don't want a "crashy" poorly sorted out setup just to get a lower ride height. Ideally I want a setup that will not beat me up on the roads but will make a positive impact on my AutoX racing performance.

yellow blur

hey warren, i just wanted to get your view on the GC set. I'm looking into some koni yellows like you but you have the truechoice coilover set. that is sleeved correct? if so how does it differ from the GC sleeved coilover? i think this is a great alternative to spending 1000+ for real coilovers. Also how adjustable are the koni shocks?

I'm also very interested in the ERS springs that GC carrys. The eibach racing springs, how do they differ from the sportlines/pro-kits, besides being a much harder rate. thanks for your input, anyone else have any info to share?

Warren

Nothin wrong with GC, as long as you call GC directly and specify YOUR OWN spring rates. Not the screwy ones the kit has. Get some good shocks too like ITR specific Bilsteins. Konis are great too, and I love them, BUT, Koni does not make shocks for rear of an ITR. It's a CRX shock, which really should be slightly modified to make them fit. Comptech carries them. Yes, the TC setup is sleeved, and you need to reuse the stock bumpstops. I cut 1 ring off mine, because they were so tall.

As for how adjustable? Enough. I can make them pretty squishy for really bumpy surfaces, and I never crank them all the way up, because I'd loose all my teeth by then. It's adjustable in rebound only, which is fine since you don't really want to change compression under normal tuning.

ERS springs are linear in rate and flat on each end. You'd have to have coilovers to use them. I prefer linear springs to progressive setups. I just think the car acts more predictably since the spring rates won't change on you mid-corner.

Warren

yellow blur

great, thanks for the info warren, im gonna look into differnet shocks. i heard kyb agx is some pretty good stuff. i'll keep ya posted.

ghettoracer

kyb agx's are plenty good. lots of good driver drove my car and when they found out it's a budget setup they're like are a little surprised.

i just picked up some skunk2 550/550 with kyb agx to replace the gc 225/300 w/koni yellows in for my civic hatch also. gonna send it back to koni i think they're a little tired, and then probably sell them later. hmm, or it might be a good time to revalve them for stiffer springs. and maybe add dual adjustability.