i have a set of tein RA coilovers. i am considering removing the helper springs and essentially leaving the perch in a stationary position. this will negate height adjustablilty but i feel the shock performance will be better and more consistant.

the spring rates are 14k front/ 10k rear and the shocks are obviously valved specific to this DC2-R application. i want to change spring rates to 10k/8k.

i called tein usa and it was suggested to only change spring rates by +/- 2k to still suit the "stock" shock valving... i asked it it will damage the shocks if i dropped the front rates by 4k, and was told NO it would not.

however, i was warned that the rebound might be too stiff for the new lower spring rate and when the car dives (for instance under braking) it will not rebound and come back as quicky, which will hurt steering response and stability.

* MY QUESTION is will this in fact be a noticable performance issue? this is a track/recreational car and performance is my first concern which is why i am considering this "upgrade". but i am not trying to shave tenths off times.

i think a 4k difference front-to-rear is too high and i also feel the rear springs at 10k are too stiff for the weight of my car, it becomes choppy which is not good for handling/predictability/ or control.

so should i have the front shocks revalved for 10k spring rates, or not bother? thanks

 

You won't damage your shocks by going with a lower spring rate but it might be more bouncy because of overdamping.

 

I asked the exact same question about the coilovers. I have no idea why the hell they would use such stiff spring rates. The car needs some compliance! Well when I talked to them about using a lower spring rate, they told me that I'd be running under the risk of messing up the valving. They said I could send them in and have them re-valved to suit softer spring rates but, it would end up costing me more than I actually paid for them! The only thing I think I'm going to try, is to use the softer perch springs they sell. But even then, I dont think it's going to make a difference. I notice the same thing you do with the 10k springs in the back. It's very responsive but very twitchy at high speeds. For the street the coilovers are garbage. For the track they work awesome, they like gripy roads which, where I live, they dont see them to often! Tein RA's are not a street coilover! There Ad should say "Full Race" or "off road use only" heh

 

well i wouldnt say they are garbage on the street, they are definatley not unbearable to me, the highway stability is incredble, and it very easy to tell what the tires are doing at all times, but if you hit a choppy section in a turn it takes attention to make sure the car doesnt get funny, b/c it will bounce.

i agree that tein should have lower springrates on the RA/RE though. if the springs allowed for more travel these coilovers would be the best deal out there imho, like i said a 10/8 setup would be ideal...

i have my coilovers apart and i have been experiementing with the stroke based on the different adjustment settings (1-16) there is a huge difference in feel and effort along that spectrum, but when the RA are on the car it is barely noticable at all, i always thought the shocks were just valved extememly stiff all the time, no matter the setting, but it turns out that the springs are just too stiff and it is not allowing enough travel.

do not use different helper springs to soften up the ride, they are fully compressed at rest while the car is weighted and changing them will not make a difference in ride quality. i am removing mine altoghether for weight savings and feel, but i will lose ride-height adjustment.

so again, is anyone sure what the effects of a softer spring in the front will be on stock valving? to say that the ride will be bouncy is too vauge, its already bouncy.

 

<TABLE WIDTH="90%" CELLSPACING=0 CELLPADDING=0 ALIGN=CENTER><TR><TD>Quote, originally posted by ITR Factor &raquo;</TD></TR><TR><TD CLASS="quote">They said I could send them in and have them re-valved to suit softer spring rates but, it would end up costing me more than I actually paid for them</TD></TR></TABLE>

they said the same thing to me, i didnt get into pricing but i think it would be about $150 per corner, according to them +/- 2k difference is ok so only the front would need to be done. but remeber they are a buisness that is trying to make money.

i kind of doubt that a 4k difference will be that harmfull to performance, im telling you the difference between 1 and 16 in the adjustment range is huge when there is not spring tension. i am thinking that the flexablity that offers can allow for a lower or higher springrate, assuming that the 14k/10k valving is "zeroed" in the middle around the 8th click. i can just lower the stiffness to around 14, which soften the stroke, and allow a softer spring.

but i am not sure that is how the shock works and i am hoping for other perspecives before i actually try it.

 

Interesting, I recently put some Type REs on my Type R and, while initially afraid that the rates might be too high (particularly in the front) i was surprised with how livable they are...and they made a measurable difference at the track. The May GRM should have a full article in it about the swap...

 

RE allows for adjustable height without effecting shock stroke, that my have something to do with it, thats basically why im removing the helper springs, i want to be running full shock stroke at all times.

also, i have civic/b18c hybrid that weighs about 400lbs less than the type-r. the lower weight may make the stiffer springs alittle more noticable, especially in the rear where the harshness comes from.

i just cant possibly run a 14k/8k setup and i dont want to buy 2 new pairs of springs when i can just buy 8k and swap my rear 10k to the front. i will be looking forward to reading that article in grm