All right. Now that I finally got the swap done this weekend (special thanks to Fiznat for his excellent DIY article) here are some photos and a preliminary review of what the suspension is like.
First, here's a photo of what it looked like before:
...and after:
I know. Hard to tell from these amateur photos. But the drop is just about perfect for my tastes - right about 1.25" in the front and 1.5" in the rear. Not too low, not too high.
Driver's side shot: (you can see the drop better)
Shot of rear wheel gap/spring (you can just see the logo)
So looks-wise, I love it. But how does it feel I hear you asking? Well, it's kind of early to tell since the springs and struts usually take a couple hundred miles to seat themselves in. My early impressions are as follows:
- Ride is way bouncier - not necessarily bumpier - if that makes any sense. On a road that's been rippled and deformed by heavy trucks, the 240 will bounce and jitter like a dancer in an Outkast video. That's both good and bad, good because you can really feel every imperfection in the road, bad because NJ has very imperfect roads and you will be constantly annoyed by this fact.
- Handling is far superior to the OEM setup, there's little body roll in hard cornering, no sense of floating at all; the car is very flat and predictable. Feedback is very, very good.
- There's been concern in past threads about the ability of the AGX to hold up to stiff rates like the Race Springs (5.0/4.2). So far I don't see or feel any evidence the shocks are being overly stressed. The ride is pretty stiff but not harsh. I'm currently using a 2/4 damper setting and will try out some others as time permits.
- Installation was pretty easy, took about 4.5 hours, although it should be noted my friend and I were goofing off a considerable amount. You could probably get it done in 3 if you're focused.
- I just took the car for an alignment at NTB, now it feels like something is loose/clanking from the driver's side front wheel area. I'm hoping it's just my imagination and I don't have to unleash whoop-*** later on. Or maybe just the new components settling in...yeah...that must be it. I hope. Anyway, I didn't have any problems getting the alignment back in factory specs without the use of camber plates/PBM mounts.
- Made an unpleasant discovery during this process: Thanks to a evidently retarded exhaust installer, my rear tie rod on the driver's side appears to be bent, as the exhaust pipe has been forced against it. So now I am looking at replacing the rear tie rods AND fixing the goddamned exhaust. Oh what fun it is! It never ends, does it.
Rant over - here's the info, hope you enjoy, PEACE. :peace
RS*R Race Springs/KYB AGX review
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whiterps13
- Posts: 4217
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http://www.mohdparts.com has cheap tein stuff.. dunno if they have them though.. worth a see.
Update on the suspension:
It's been about 1000 miles so far with no problems. I upped the setting of the AGX to 4/8 since I figured it would be better to have stiff dampers with stiff springs. The ride isn't that much worse than 2/4 and the car handles way better. I still bounce like crazy over those tractor-trailer ripples when I'm crossing the highway, but that's to be expected.
One thing to be noted, there's way more oversteer with this setup than stock. I took a few corners hard and the rear end likes to slide out more often than I remember. Not a bad thing, just be prepared (I wasn't!).
Overall I still really like this suspension, but those of you who live around rough roads and have daily drivers might want a less aggressive spring package.
It's been about 1000 miles so far with no problems. I upped the setting of the AGX to 4/8 since I figured it would be better to have stiff dampers with stiff springs. The ride isn't that much worse than 2/4 and the car handles way better. I still bounce like crazy over those tractor-trailer ripples when I'm crossing the highway, but that's to be expected.
One thing to be noted, there's way more oversteer with this setup than stock. I took a few corners hard and the rear end likes to slide out more often than I remember. Not a bad thing, just be prepared (I wasn't!).
Overall I still really like this suspension, but those of you who live around rough roads and have daily drivers might want a less aggressive spring package.
KYB's warranty is for springs that:lower less than 1.5 inchandare less than I think 50% stiffer than stock...I've been riding on kyb and rsr for awhile, so far I like em. I've seen ppl using KYBs and stiff springs and most of the times it's been fine though. Time will tell.Meantime:I used to be on 3/5 for street driving, just recently changed to 3/6 because I like the lil rotation (almost feels like oversteering) that helps the car around a corner.
Too low for AGX? I doubt it. It didn't lower the car that much.
Too hard? Maybe. That's the $600 question. I'll serve as ginuea (sic) pig and see how long they last. By the time they blow I'll be ready to move up to coilovers anyway...
On 4/8 there is a good deal of rotation even under light acceleration, and I'm not running a rear STB either (just HICAS swaybar).
Too hard? Maybe. That's the $600 question. I'll serve as ginuea (sic) pig and see how long they last. By the time they blow I'll be ready to move up to coilovers anyway...
On 4/8 there is a good deal of rotation even under light acceleration, and I'm not running a rear STB either (just HICAS swaybar).
does anyone know of any shocks/struts that are ment to handle such high spring rates?
My only guess would be koni yellows, but hopefully other people have some ideas.
RSR-Springs with adjustable front upper mounts were a planned upgrade for me, thanks for the ginuea pig volunteer work Meantime :thumbup
My only guess would be koni yellows, but hopefully other people have some ideas.
RSR-Springs with adjustable front upper mounts were a planned upgrade for me, thanks for the ginuea pig volunteer work Meantime :thumbup
I remember BadMojo emailed Koni a while back to ask them about the Hard Springs. Koni said their dampers would be okay with the high rate springs.
Your other option would be to get something like GAB Short Strokes (KYB Buzz Specs) or Tanabe adjustable dampers, but those aren't the easiest thing to find for sale here.
I love the springs, the handling is awesome.
Your other option would be to get something like GAB Short Strokes (KYB Buzz Specs) or Tanabe adjustable dampers, but those aren't the easiest thing to find for sale here.
I love the springs, the handling is awesome.
... just a thought ... your "bouncing" problem is most likely being caused by your tires, not the spring/strut combo. I'm assuming you have a 55 series or higher tire, so that would be your sidewalls flexing more b/c of the stiffer springs/struts. You would probably experience the same 'feeling' with coilovers as well (speaking from experience).
my 2¢:)
my 2¢:)
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nismostate
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Nolimit wrote:... just a thought ... your "bouncing" problem is most likely being caused by your tires, not the spring/strut combo. I'm assuming you have a 55 series or higher tire, so that would be your sidewalls flexing more b/c of the stiffer springs/struts. You would probably experience the same 'feeling' with coilovers as well (speaking from experience).
my 2¢:)
or more likely, the setup is underdampened.
"or more likely, the setup is underdampened."
true, but that depends on what kind of bounce he's getting. if the entire setup is bouncing, IE car cahsis and tires are nearly comming of the ground, the srping rates, and dampers are too high...
Its true you can add a bit of "spring rate" by increasing tire pressure or lowering it...but its more likely either too stiff a spring with too low a damper, or too high of both...
Road conditions vary, so should the damper settings.-chet
true, but that depends on what kind of bounce he's getting. if the entire setup is bouncing, IE car cahsis and tires are nearly comming of the ground, the srping rates, and dampers are too high...
Its true you can add a bit of "spring rate" by increasing tire pressure or lowering it...but its more likely either too stiff a spring with too low a damper, or too high of both...
Road conditions vary, so should the damper settings.-chet
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240 or die
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240 or die wrote:I have Rsr down and AGXs and couldnt be happier, there is no comparison between my old sportlines and Tokicos. I like to ride on 1/1, which still gives me a soft ride on these f'd up New Orleans streets. For Auto-x 4/6 sometimes 4/8 it depends on the surface. All in all great for the money.
How competitive is your setup for AutoX? I'm researching different suspension setups for AutoX duty before I find my ideal S13 coupe.
BTW, good thread. Coilovers aren't the only answer to good suspension setups.
Guess it depends if you need the height adjustability or not. The only downside I see to coilovers is this: What happens when you blow one of your UM coilovers? Unless UM is able to ship out a single replacement coilover, you're going to have some significant downtime if they need to be rebuilt.Projex240 wrote:600 for these and 720 for th UM coilovers--maybe the coils would have been better chosen?
At least with the AGX's, you can get on TireRack and order a replacement ASAP.
I'm just curious to see how they've held up over 6 months.
I think Tein Basics are in the 700-something price range too, FWIW.