Whats the Lowest True Coilover?? JIC? Tein? Apexi WS?

[Twisted Talon]

I do alot of showing with my car, and Im looking for somthing that will put my car down far...but not airbags..no thanks. I have a ground control set up now which slams the rear really good, but I want the front down farther. So I will be getting some true coilovers here before spring but I need to know which will slam me. Pics and set ups would be great. anyhelp???
Thanks
Aaron

 

[sjwelna]

It's not low enough for you already? That looks like you would have to dodge just about any bump in the road as it is.

Are you looking for better performance or just to drop the car lower? If you just want it lowered and don't care about performance, why not just get a set of lowering springs.

Put the money you saved by buying springs aside somewhere to pay for a new set of ball joints you're gonna need soon...

 

[Twisted Talon]

Just to fill you in on what happends at a show....Usually if you can, you lower your car down so it looks better. I put mine as low as it goes for the show...cause thats the look. I then at the end of the show raise it back up for driving and what not. Then its driven home to the garage till the next show. So I dont drive like what you see in the pics. Thanks for your imput though.....If you have any info on the topic that would be great.....
Aaron

 

[sjwelna]

How much of a drop are you at right now?

I've only been able to dredge up info from www.tein.com and depending on the model of coilover you go with, they are adjustable down to -2.9 inches in the front and -2.5 in the back if i read the chart correctly.

I couldn't find any hard numbers on the other coilovers you listed, sorry.

Sorry if i sounded like a dick in the previous post.

 

[Twisted Talon]

Well I was hoping for pics of people that have these true coilovers on there cars and the pics of what they look like drilled....Post some pics guys so I can see what you all got

 

[leet]

If you just want to go lower, I would not shell out big dollars for a JIC Setup...

 

[cait sith]

To quote RRE on JIC's:

While these are quite beautiful, they are not for Disco Show Lowered Dumpy Boyze. If you ask how low you can go with them, that is the first clue that they are not for you.

You obviously are a Disco Show Lowered Dumpy Boy.

Go get an air ride system.

You are not going to be able to make your car go "up and down" all day long with JIC's.

 

[wret]

When I installed Tein Flex at recommended settings I was close to three inches below stock. Much too low for my taste (and undercarriage). Fortunately, there is plenty of adjustment room to go higher or even lower. You could likely drop it down far enough to rest the tires on the wheel wells. Drivability would be seriously impaired obviously.

 

[Twisted Talon]

I understand your point on the JIC's, but this car is far from a disco #### show boat or whatever. Its an all around car, ran high 12's last summer, and won shows all this season with my ground controls, but the front wont go low enough for my taste at a show. So you have the Tein Flex suspension? Hows the ride of them, when they are at a good level? These were what I was gonna get, but I pondered the idea of Apexi WS. Thanks for your info on the Tein's.
Aaron

 

[wret]

The ride is very firm. So firm I am considering lighter springs. Most other users seem to be happy with the ride comfort. Handling is very tight. I guess if you expect race-car handling you have to put up with race-car ride comfort.

I am wondering if I somehow got a set with heavier springs.

 

[jim97gst]

I am wondering if I somehow got a set with heavier springs.

Wret, check the spring. My front Tein flex spring has something like 100 printed on it in white, and the rear has 60 (I think). They are supposed to be 10 kg/mm in the front and 6 kg/mm in the rear. But I guess for some reason they put the put it in Hectograms/mm on the spring itself? Anyway, if you have 10XXX in the front and 6XXX then you got the standard rate springs.

Does anyone know if Tein springs are the "standard" size? I know "standard" coilover springs are 2.5". I measured my Tein springs and the inside of the coil diameter seems to be pretty close to 2.5".

 

[wret]

Hey, thanks Jim. That may save me a lot of time trying to figure out what I have before I try to replace.

 

[Blizz92tsi]

If it were me and just doing it for show I'd leave the ground controls on and spend the $1000 + on something else. If you go to alot of shows how do the other guys get theirs to lay lower than that without air bags?

 

[Twisted Talon]

Well this is what I was told. The KYB AGX's which is what I have are actually longer shock bodies which is making it harder to slam. Now the Tein ones have shorter shock bodies than stock....But the ones I have now have longer ones than stock....Now this is what Im told....is it true?
Aaron

 

[jtmcinder]

The shortest shocks (off-the-shelf) for a 2G are Koni Yellows. These, of course, can be painted any color you wish after you buy them. You do not need new coil-overs. If you are all the way at the bottom of the sleeve on your GCs, then just buy shorter springs, too, or get GC upper plates (if you don't have them already), since these will get you another 3/4" of travel. GC can swap the little black rings inside the sleeves for ones that fit Konis. You have to do this, too, because Konis need a different sleeve support from all other shocks.

- Jtoby

 

[Twisted Talon]

Thanks for your imput, but I think I was trying to go with a NEW true coilover. Somthing like Tein or Apexi WS or somthing that route. I guess my question is, which true coilover has the shortest shock body? And has which has the spring that will allow for the lowest drop when I slam it all the way down???? thanks for any answers guys
Aaron

 

[jtmcinder]

JIC FLT-A2s are not only short to start with, but are adjustable in body length. Contact Road Race Engineering. But keep the fact that it's a show car to yourself.

- Jtoby

 

[Twisted Talon]

haha...I hear what your saying. Thats what i was looking for. Any idea how the Tein Flexs line up with teh JIC's? Shock body length?? LEt me know
Aaron

 

[jtmcinder]

I don't know the actual minimum body length for Teins, but I doubt that it's as short as JICs. If you search around on the RRE site, there are pics of FLTs that will show you how short the bodies really are.

[musing mode]

The real trick would be to somehow shorten the lower lateral control arms (front and rear), moving the pick-up points closer to the wheels, so that you don't gain a gazillion degrees of negative camber when you slam the car for the show. If the car still looked vaguely streetable when sitting with it's oil-pan on the ground, you might turn off fewer serious drivers (like me). When I see a slammed car at a show with excessive negative camber, I know that it's just a set of coil-overs that were reset when the car arrived. It immediately turns me off. In the same way that a woman who is built such that she cannot even walk fast - let alone run - doesn't do much for me.

Or do you need the negative camber to get the tires to tuck in?

[/musing mode]

- Jtoby

 

[jtmcinder]

Oops.

Because JICs have the spring hat on the shock shaft, they do not have any more travel than Koni SAs with GC coil-overs. I've put a picture and more explanation on the H&R Race Springs thread.

- Jtoby

 

[Twisted Talon]

So Im thinking the Tein Flex is what I should be going with...
Thanks
Aaron

 

[jtmcinder]

Well, I don't know. Here's a pic of Teins:

 

[jtmcinder]

It's hard to tell, but those look like pretty long shock-bodies to me.

I'd call a few vendors. Ask RRE if you can slam JICs so far that the upper A-arm hits the upper section of the fender liner. (They might hang up on you, of course, but it's worth a shot.) Then call SlowBoy Racing and ask Mike if you can do the same with Teins. (I'm quite sure that Mike won't hang up on you.) You might be in over-kill zone: where making the bodies any shorter is not relevant, since you've already bottomed out some other part of the suspension.

- Jtoby