I have searched the archives and its kind of all over the place most people are looking for a nice street set up some track. Most like the GC/koni set up

What im looking for is a coilover that can handel R compound tires take lots of abuse at the track and keep the car planted. I do drive the car on the weekends but im not to concerned about comfort on the street. The new eibach set up looks good but not alot of spring options yet and I like the new Tien Type HT as well but im open to options. The GC koni set up is good but i want something with more adjustments etc.

So what are your recomendations?

-Chris

 

These look nice (PIC R+)
http://forums.itrexpo.com/zerothread?id=14576

Or buy my Koni/GC (450/550) setup so I can pickup the PICs

 

Something with more adjustments? Please explain.

 

If comfort isn't a factor then why does it being driven on the street matter?

Also there's a bajillion threads on shock/spring combinations, and they all say the same things.
There's no 1 size fits all set-up.
Go talk to the fast people who race at your local track.
Koni/GC is a good start.

 

I guess I should have been alittle more specific. Im looking for a set up I can use now and still grow with as well. I want to be able to play with compression as well as rebound and options later to upgrade springs rates if needed. GC/koni is a nice set up I have used them on my old EM1 and its a great set up but I really plan on going all out on this car. I want to do everything right the first time on this car. I hate buying parts then out growing them or wish I should have gone another route and not have wasted valuable funds. I would rather have and not need than need and not have.

I have talked to a few guys at the local track and have gotten some feedback but I figure I can get larger input base on HT and from ITR specific owners.

Thanks
-Chris

 

How much spring do you need? they have a rather vast selection of springs. I forget the exact amount they're valved to handle but I remember that number crossing 1000

 

Then it comes down to your price range.

 

Where did you hear that Koni's can't handle r-comps?

Agreed, the Eibach R2's have plenty of spring options. They are also USA made and serviced in the USA. I'm in the process of trying to get Tein to service a set of Flex's right now and it hasn't been fun.

 

I guess I need to read up more on the eibach R2s last I read on the boards was they were in the 600-700lbs from factory and no spring options were available as of yet. If I can go over 1k rates then I might have to go that rought since their headquarters is 20 min from my house.

 

You're putting over 1K springrates on a car that sees the street? Are you going to cage the car?

There is a point that when sprung too stiff, the chassis will start to deflect instead of the suspension. With the R, I heard that was right around 1K rates. Could be wrong, but the source seemed pretty credible.

Why do you think you need rates that stiff? If you aren't actually competing with the car, then I think you'll find that even during an HPDE with R comps, rates under 1K will be just fine if you setup everything correctly.

 

I'd look at the offerings from Koni and Bilstein.

 

As people have said, 1k+ rates are probably best left to caged cars. 700lbs or so is pretty well sprung for a street/track car. Why make the car totally unenjoyable on the street because you want to "go all out"? I'm sure that something like 700F and 800R is PLENTY for a non-race car....even on R comps.

 

At this point they ship with 450f/400r. This may change in the future; however, at this point you can use any spring in the ERS line. I went with 650f/750r, you can get up into the 1k's. There is a thread not to far back in this section where jackson and vtecvoodoo (both eibach employees) give a lot of insight on the setup.

 

I am going to cage the car or at least roll bar and race seat and harness's. It's gonna be primarely a track car that is still legal enough to drive on street when i want to. My drive to my fire station is 15 miles of twisty mountain roads so every day is a track day.

I stumbeled on teh PIC coilovers last night researching and they sound promissing and a hell of a bang for the buck. I might have to give them a call and see what's up.

Chris

 

Idunno. Seems like you're after some magic number. 1k+ rates take a good amount of chassis prep to use. The car will probably be a bit dangerous/slow on your mountain road commute if there are any bumps in it. Having a fast track car is a lot about a solid setup....which means a lot of knowledge gained from a lot of track time. People don't usually recommend throwing on 1000lb/in springs and starting to do track days.

I'm kinda guessing you're not currently an avid track person. Correct me if I'm wrong. 1000lb/in just seems like an impressive number to tell your friends about. How do you even know that those springs are going to make for a fast setup for your driving abilities/environment...let alone the rest of your setup?

The car weighs 2400-2600lbs. You're contemplating putting 4000lb/in of spring underneath it without having figured anything else into the equation.

Not hatin. Just sayin.

 

Yeah, I guess I don't see the need to run the ultra-high rates if you aren't going to be actually racing.

If you have to drop 250lbs on the springs but that makes you .1 slower around a track, does that really matter right now? And those high rates on even the best street tire is going to lead to a slightly uncontrollable ride because the sidewall of a street tire is too soft. And I assume you will drive road tires to/from the track and to work/play.

Still, standard springs are cheap in the grand scheme of things. Why not start out more modest and if you find that isn't enough, start going up. I have at least a dozen or more sets of extra springs in my garage. It's not uncommon.

And if you're dead serious about shaving a half second off or more, you really should spend the money on a good coilover setup. Don't cheap out.

 

As Steve noted, Eibach has a long list of spring rates available. I'm going with the 650F/750R setup when I place my order next month. This is primarily a DE car that I drive to and from the track, otherwise limited street use.

Before picking your rates I would recommend reading up on ride frequency. It may help confirm or alter your position on 1000LB springs.

Putting a cage on a street driven car sounds like a recipe for a coma, but to each their own.

 

I apreciate the input seriously and im still undecided on final rates. Im not saying 1k rates r gonna make me a F1 driver and school everthing on the track. I would like to have a set up that was capable of 1K rates down the road if I make my R a dedicated track car. As for my track experiance I cut my teeth in my old si with TIEN RA's about 5 track days. Then about 8-10 track days in my evo 8 set up by john mueller. Im no pro but I can hold my own but its been 4 years since last event so im a bit rusty.That's why I just baught my ITR to get back to my roots. I guess I gotta sit down with someone who really knows how to set up a FWD and come up with a solid starting point and work up in stages making small tweeks as I progress.

 

Good point prob just gonna stick with a kirk racing roll bar, Belts and seat. I have scene enough car acccidents and head trama at work don't need to become one

 

not sure what your budget is but I am completely impressed by the KW coilovers

I have a set of KW V3's on a K20 Powered Integra RS that is awesome on the street and the track - best all around setup I have had on any car for all around usability

for comparison i have Tein RA's on a car and although they are nice on the track a bit to be desired on the street compared to the KW's for overall ride quality

and I have some KW Clubsports on another car and those are just flatout badass, honestly past my ability to really use them for all they are worth but gives you options for days, definitely something that you could grow with for years to come.

 

For a dual purpose street/track car I think Steve's (itrSteez) car did the job just well with 650f/750r rates on the Eibach R2 coilovers. At full soft the car is very compliant for the street but just a few clicks of compression really change the handling characteristics.

There's a lot of good info in this thread about the Eibach R2s. I've personally tested these with a lot of different rates and even with 1000lb springs there is still room for adjustment on the dampers.

https://honda-tech.com/forums/road-racing-autocross-time-attack-19/eibach-multi-pro-r2-coilovers-track-3083921/

 

Im really considering the R2's now that there r more options now and the 650/750 sounds like perfect set up out the gate. Plus I can get a rebuild pretty fast since im local to them. Im prob gonna go r2's but I really want to see what picperformance has to offer. I like the fact they put all there info and shock dyno's out there and build to your needs and for a hell of a price.

 

I'v run PIC Select R3's with 12/14k rates since since 2008 until I sold my set last week. Al and Jim at PIC are great and have done quite a bit for the track community through the years. I feel PIC makes great products but they are not not made or serviced in the USA. That being said, from reading online it seems as though PIC will usually replace the unit if/when there is an issue.

Eibach's R2 coilovers are made here in the USA, serviced here in the USA, and to add, you say they are 20 minutes down the road. There is a price hike when compared side by side but I'm okay with supporting USA made products if it costs a bit more. The R2's are also an upgrade compared against the PIC's. Both Steve (SmitDog - the set linked earlier) and I are both selling/have sold our PIC setups to upgrade to the R2's. Just food for thought.

 

You could also get the Koni SPSS valved + double-adjustable. We know those are good for 1000lb springs and they are rebuildable to your exact specs in the USA.

But, when you step up to a DA shock, you *really* need to know a good baseline for what it is you're going to be doing as DA's will make you faster, but they will also slow you down if you don't get the settings correct.

 

Well didn't know that pic's are not made here. I thaught it was a in house set up and build.

The R2's are the the ideal choice. Your right DA's will make u faster or slower depending on how they r set up. To be honest that's where im alittle intimadated but then again the car is for fun not competition. I guess they will give me an excuse to go to the track more to play with all the settings and dial it in to my needs and driving style.