best mono-tube suspension

[96'GSspyder]

Alright guys, just as the title says, whats the best monotube coil overs for a serious street/strip racer? I tried doing a search but haven't come up with much. JIC's seem like a good design, but have crappy build quality and even worse customer service. I was kind of set of the Tien type Flex, but that dual tube. Does DMS make anything for our cars?

 

[3literpwr]

A bilstien setup is a easy altrenative, but this would require the fab of mounts and a cup too run the shock inverted......... JICs are junk and DMS are way over priced for there adjuster to only make 10% change in valving......

Hotbits is a good choice! they are a stout NON-adjustabel shock that can handle the rigours of rallying......

Cheers
Larry
#622 SCCA Club Rally

 

[cait sith]

I'm thinking the more input I've read about JIC's the more I think you got a improperly valved set of shocks, Mr. Larry. Even the fact that they were off a 3000GT, not a DSM. If I get a set of DSM JIC's, I will send them over to a shock dyno I know locally and we can play note comparison. I wouldn't call them crappy build quality in so far as "occasionally flawed". Their service is terrible, I will say.

Rally stuff is way too heavy and too over done for a street/strip car.

Another street option is Zeal/Endless, but I am not impressed with their "paper specs" of having a rubber upper bushing instead of a bearing plate. Not impressed considering they're 2k+ for a setup for S6's!

http://www.endlessusa.com/estore/suspension_product.php?page=s6

My favorite "consumer blend" shocks are the Apexi N1's or the Cusco's, but they don't apply to DSM's, only "Japanese Japanese" cars, except for Apexi's bottom of the barrel world sport setup, and Cusco wants as little to do with DSM's as possible.

 

[3literpwr]

The fact that the ones I tested where from a 3000gt is irrelevant... The simple nature of the bleed design that is controled by a screw can vary greatly... Also recently I was contacted by a guy off the VR4 forum inquiring about my 50mm inverted mono-tube setup I am building now... We talk about all things dampers and his search for a good street setup for his VR4.. He mentioned that he had talked to koni alot lately and they mentioned that they tested JIC to find very similar results as I had found..... Inconsistant damping forces on both bump and rebound on all four shocks....the forces where all over the place!! and the adjuster didnt work as descibed.....So we know of 8 dampers tested all with similar results so whats that tell you? :thumbdown

Ohh and as far as what you have heard about them... I dont listen to people I read the results and data... The guy who had them on his car thought they where great! The car was not too harsh and didnt roll over in the corners due to the 800lbs springs on the car....Funny thing is they had less forces than the stock shocks? Not many people have driven enough cars whilst test dampers to tell the differences and not alot of people on the street push the car to the limits of there parts... So if people are not pushing and dont know how a properly damper XXX spring rate is then how will they know if its good or bad??

Many will install the stuff drive anound the block and say this feels tight.. I LOVE IT!! and then pimp that brand forever!


Larry (building, revavling, designing and testing shocks sense 2000)
Scca Club Rally #622

 

[igs]

Many will install the stuff drive anound the block and say this feels tight.. I LOVE IT!! and then pimp that brand forever!

and put stickers on their car :laugh:

 

[96'GSspyder]

How about B + M? I saw they had them on the tuners parts catalog. Anyone have experience with them? On a different note, why does the japanese aftermarket hate us so much?

 

[KFT0001]

Because we're domestics . Seems like the Japanese tuning shops usually only make parts for the JDM cars.

 

[Spinall4]

Right now I'll admit I know very little about how to build coil overs, but I've been researching this for quite a long time(around 3 years now) and one of these days I'll buy something. The 2g in the USCC won the track competion with JIC's, if they are such a crappy set up how come they won? on a dsm to boot(not known for being the best handling car out there).

 

[3literpwr]

Because amature level racing is mostly driver.......

Larry

 

[cait sith]

http://www.roadraceengineering.com/eclipsetech/mueller.htm

Mueller is no dumb-dumb, if this page says anything. He might not be Caroll Smith, but I'd say he at least has some experience.

 

[CornerHard]

RRE revalves and tweaks the JICs they prepare, e.g. the JICs setups in the USCC. It's been said on the DSM AutoX list many times that off the shelf JICs are not that hot. John Mueller is no shmoe, and RRE sets up cars for a variety of racing series with JICs, so presumably they have some good properties when set up correctly for DSMs.