I'm looking at different suspensions for my 240 and right now I've got it down to the JIC FLT's , and the DMS 50mm's.
I want the car to be 9/10ths setup for track events, leaving that 1/10th enough to let me drive it on the street to said track. Basically, I'm not interested in making very many compromises with whatever setup I go with.
I'll just run down the features of each setup that I'm considering.
DMS- Drummond Motorsports. They are based out of Australia, with some contacts and dealers in the US.The shocks are 50mm front and independant bump and rebound, 20 bump, 4 rebound settings for the rear, with 30 bump and 4 rebound for the front. With the order I can get whatever springs I want the first time around, so I can run whatever weights I want (probably 10-9/8-7 I'm not sure yet). Ride height adjustable independant of spring perch. They do not come with pillow ball mounts, those would run another 200-400 for some Teins I imagine. The 50mm strut size is supposedly better for smoother operation, better response with higher spring rates and lower operating temperatures. There are kits so you can rebuild them at home now, the shock uses oil instead of gas, and DMS is making an effort to move more support options to the US due to the Subaru community. Which is why I am considering them despite some obvious cost drawbacks- is the Subaru community. If you ask them, these are the struts to have. Cost including pillowball mounts is probably 2500-2800 dollars shipped. 1 yr warrenty, 40mm shocks are not covered under warrenty if you race while the 50's are.
JIC FLT A2/RS - Considered for obvious reasons.(SCC uses them so they must be good right!!!) They come with pillow ball mounts, although only camber adjustable in the front (although they say is adjustable in the rear but I can't see how thats possible?). They use oil and a nitrogen charge so I don't know if I can rebuild them at home (seems like I cant) Inverted monotube in the front (I don't think DMS has that from what I can see) Their struts come in 40mm and 45mm sizes (not specified what you get. My guess is 40 in front and 45 in rear.) They have a dampening adjustment which is 15 way, no independant rebound adjustment. They come with 8/6 springs but I hear you can get different springs for 50 bucks more. I cannot find warrenty info and if they cover racing or not. Can anyone justify why I would want the RS's compared to the A2's? Would I have to get the RS's in order to change spring rates? Right now I don't really see why I would bother with going to RS unless I needed aa helper spring. Cost is roughly 1800-2000 dollars shipped. (But I see people talking about getting them for less) And their US sales office I hear is not doing to well, so their support of the product may be shaky for awhile.
Thanks guys
DMS or JIC?
Jic's are 45mm.
They are not inverted for the 240...for the WRX they are though.
The Jics are designed for street/road racing. The DMS is mostly rally/tarmac.
You get no pillowballs with the DMS and they are super expensive.
The Jics have a threaded spring perch and shock body. This is good for the 240 b/c you can adjust the ride height w/ out affecting the strut travel.
DMS are cool and all, but for road racing, I'd go with the Jics...you'll save so much money and they are track proven/tested.
They are not inverted for the 240...for the WRX they are though.
The Jics are designed for street/road racing. The DMS is mostly rally/tarmac.
You get no pillowballs with the DMS and they are super expensive.
The Jics have a threaded spring perch and shock body. This is good for the 240 b/c you can adjust the ride height w/ out affecting the strut travel.
DMS are cool and all, but for road racing, I'd go with the Jics...you'll save so much money and they are track proven/tested.
Hmm, so how do the DMS shocks differ in contruction from the JIC's that makes them usefull for rally and tarmac only?
All valves are created equal right?
I'm not too concerned about the adjustable ride height because if your suspension is created properly the first time, you don't need to be adjusting ride height- I'm also concerned with JIC and the ability to adjust ride height to less than optimal conditions, the suspension geometry can easily be thrown off if your lower or raise too high right?
All valves are created equal right?
I'm not too concerned about the adjustable ride height because if your suspension is created properly the first time, you don't need to be adjusting ride height- I'm also concerned with JIC and the ability to adjust ride height to less than optimal conditions, the suspension geometry can easily be thrown off if your lower or raise too high right?
I'm not so sure what you are saying about the Jics...but I think you should read this (from SCC speaking about the S13):The biggest problem with Nissan suspensions of this era is limited compression travel. Lower any Sentra, Maxima or 240SX from the '90s and you'll get to know the bump stops. To work properly, a 240SX suspension will either have to sit at nearly the stock ride height, or have shorter shock bodies that allow more compression travel. The problem with shortened shock bodies, however, is the amount of compression travel you can actually use depends on the size of your tires. Suspension travel is useless if the tires just bottom out in the wheelwells.
This is where the JIC suspension stands out. In addition to a threaded spring perch that allows you to adjust ride height, the lower shock mount is also threaded, so you can adjust the position of the shock body. This allows you to position the shock so the bump stop stops the wheel just before the tire bottoms out, maximizing travel no matter what size tire you have
The DMS only have an adjustable spring perch, so lowering the car reduces suspension travel and gives adverse effects to the cars performance/drivability.
You seem to think that the ability to adjust height is not important. First off, when you recieve any of these coilovers, there is no factory settings. You asseble the strut. The instructions will give you a general idea of where to set them, but really it's all in how you set them. Second, if you are serious about road racing, you will want your car pretty low to the ground for 2 main reasons...lower center of gravity and less lift. Third, (again, if you are serious about racing) you will want to get your car corner balanced (which employs adjusting the height of the struts to balance the car). If you also buy adjustable suspension components (like battle version or Jic), you won't really have to worry about suspension geometry.
Also, about your valving comment; no, all valves are not created equal. There is different types of valving available from different strut manufacturers...the Jics employ a mono-tube design. What does the DMS have? Probably the same...but the main problem is how they are valved. What I mean is that struts are valved for certain conditions...Dms's are valved for street, rally/tarmac, or rally/gravel, you get to choose. Notice though that none of those are for the Track. Jic's FLTA2's are specifically designed with someone like you in mind. Someone who wants to build a steet car that can run at a racetrack. Who knows though...this is all just speculation anyway. Good luck either way.
This is where the JIC suspension stands out. In addition to a threaded spring perch that allows you to adjust ride height, the lower shock mount is also threaded, so you can adjust the position of the shock body. This allows you to position the shock so the bump stop stops the wheel just before the tire bottoms out, maximizing travel no matter what size tire you have
The DMS only have an adjustable spring perch, so lowering the car reduces suspension travel and gives adverse effects to the cars performance/drivability.
You seem to think that the ability to adjust height is not important. First off, when you recieve any of these coilovers, there is no factory settings. You asseble the strut. The instructions will give you a general idea of where to set them, but really it's all in how you set them. Second, if you are serious about road racing, you will want your car pretty low to the ground for 2 main reasons...lower center of gravity and less lift. Third, (again, if you are serious about racing) you will want to get your car corner balanced (which employs adjusting the height of the struts to balance the car). If you also buy adjustable suspension components (like battle version or Jic), you won't really have to worry about suspension geometry.
Also, about your valving comment; no, all valves are not created equal. There is different types of valving available from different strut manufacturers...the Jics employ a mono-tube design. What does the DMS have? Probably the same...but the main problem is how they are valved. What I mean is that struts are valved for certain conditions...Dms's are valved for street, rally/tarmac, or rally/gravel, you get to choose. Notice though that none of those are for the Track. Jic's FLTA2's are specifically designed with someone like you in mind. Someone who wants to build a steet car that can run at a racetrack. Who knows though...this is all just speculation anyway. Good luck either way.
wow, good job Dori, that was the link I was refering to a while back. however my knowledge of suspension tuning is limited to what I read, and sometimes I can spit it back out ok, but I don't really know much. I'll try to help people when they ask a question on something I just read if I can, but now I know who to talk to when it comes tuning time for me. I saw in another link that you still like the teins. why are you selling your wrx? I'm selling my elipse gst for an s14. and it's fast enough for you to call me stupid, but something about FR.....:ylsuper
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