Bilstein Struts and Ground Control coilovers

[mb7050]

Bilstein shocks and Ground Control springs
Front shocks reference F4-R36-5022-H0
Rear shocks reference F4-B46-1742-H0

I ran across this info and thought I'd share
The original installation instructions were in spanish I tried my best to translate it. http://www.cardomain.com/ride/348632/1993-mitsubishi-3000gt/page-3

Cut the plate that supports the original spring cushion and mark where to cut the tube.
http://img259.imageshack.us/img259/2271/20500968.jpg
http://img831.imageshack.us/img831/3938/53335286.jpg

After cutting the original tube then insert bilstein insert into the old strut housing, drill a hole (12 mm) at the base of the tube .
http://img833.imageshack.us/img833/3180/59196046.jpg
http://img818.imageshack.us/img818/6905/74942274.jpg

Weld a steel ring of 5mm in diameter at the shock tube to support the Ground Control threaded pipe.
http://img59.imageshack.us/img59/9892/50775215.jpg
http://img10.imageshack.us/img10/382/46807071.jpg

these rubber parts were custom made because the ones that came with the GC kit were too small to use with the larger bilstein shafts
http://img706.imageshack.us/img706/7337/88205207.jpg
http://img205.imageshack.us/img205/1516/51515682.jpg

the front struts
http://img163.imageshack.us/img163/9117/84895726.jpg
http://img24.imageshack.us/img24/1608/81214829.jpg

[mb7050]

front struts assembled
http://img814.imageshack.us/img814/2199/81527050.jpg
http://img16.imageshack.us/img16/6443/58950833.jpg
http://img52.imageshack.us/img52/2630/53890530.jpg


http://img594.imageshack.us/img594/1011/48982145.jpg

To install the rear Bilstein struts, I had to make a piece of Teflon that would fit in the damper camber plate, cut in half, and place it below the original piece of GC
http://img443.imageshack.us/img443/3540/56239015.jpg

Stock Wheel wells 27.50" front, 27.75" rear.
After Wheel wells: 26.77" front 27.16 rear (68cm front 69cm rear)

http://img217.imageshack.us/img217/3422/35652505.jpg
http://img52.imageshack.us/img52/1430/59713932.jpg
http://img94.imageshack.us/img94/3882/98773261.jpg
http://img706.imageshack.us/img706/9907/90241140.jpg



Usefull Links
Shock and Strut Removal & Disassembly
Stealth 316 - Shock & Strut Removal & Disassembly (http://www.stealth316.com/2-shockremoval.htm)

Ground Control Adjustable Height Springs Installation
Stealth 316 - Ground Control Spring Installation (http://www.stealth316.com/2-gc-springs.htm)

Bilstein install (HD struts)
http://www.3sgto.org/f17/bilstein-install-hd-struts-3675.html

[Vantage]

Nice find. Thanks for posting.

[mb7050]

I found an old email... I had contacted him back in 2005 asking how he liked the ride.He does not recommend the mod and complains about the ride quality. Ends up selling the set-up

[Vantage]

Well that's shitty..isn't that setup recommended by DG?

[GTOJOE]

That's the exact same thing DG recommends. I was planning on doing this at some point when funds were better.

[2fnloud]

I found an old email... I had contacted him back in 2005 asking how he liked the ride.He does not recommend the mod and complains about the ride quality. Ends up selling the set-up


That's the exact same thing DG recommends. I was planning on doing this at some point when funds were better.

And you STILL want to do it?

[GTOJOE]

not sure but I would tend to believe DG before anyone else when it comes to anything suspension related.

[mb7050]

Miguel wasn't sure of the spring rates he was using so if one were to use softer springs it might be tolerable.

[Rakuny]

iirc, the GC kit comes with like 600lb springs for the front... this is a lot stiffer than stock, of course the ride will be harsh... IMO helper springs should be ran with this set-up as well.

[mb7050]

There were many choices for spring rates;

The first set I purchased were Eibach 700.250.0400. These springs are 7" long and have a 2.5" inside diameter (I.D.) with a 400 lb/in spring rate. These springs are too long. GC is not to blame for his because I requested 400 lb/in springs and shorter springs have higher rates. I then bought from them another set of springs, 600.250.0500 ($55 each spring). These springs are the correct length, 6" (the shortest Eibach springs GC sells), with a 2.5" I.D. and 500 lb/in spring rate. The ride is very similar to stock. I think 600 lb/in springs would be even better (600.250.0600); some track enthusiasts use 700 lb/in and even 900 lb/in springs.

The rear springs were part number GC 200.64.44 (also Eibach springs) with a 200 lb/in spring rate (again at my request) and 8" length. For my 1992 Steath TT the stock spring rates are 218 lb/in front and 157 lb/in rear. To keep the same F/R spring rate ratio the following combinations would be needed: 500/360, 600/432, 700/504, 800/576, 900/648. I plan to change my too soft 200 lb/in rear springs to 350 lb/in springs. To summarize, you want 2.5" I.D. springs front and rear. The front springs should be 6" long and the rear springs should be 8" long.

people seem to have good results with bilstein and Tein S tech spring combo, just for reference the spring rates for the S tech springs:
Spring Rate Front: 4.2 kg/mm = 235 lb/in
Spring Rate Rear: 2.8 kg/mm = 157 lb/in
Ride Height Lowering Front: 39 mm = 1.5 in
Ride Height Lowering Rear : 33 mm = 1.3 in



According to the bilstein german representative the hd shocks are designed for stock ride height but of course they should work with lowering springs in the same manner as the oem shocks . I suppose Miguel knew it too because he only lowered it less than an inch.

[mb7050]

iirc, the GC kit comes with like 600lb springs for the front... this is a lot stiffer than stock, of course the ride will be harsh... IMO helper springs should be ran with this set-up as well.

yeah.. or one would pick longer springs with lower spring rates and the helper springs may not be needed as there is no possibility for the main springs to become loose in the spring seats.

[Rakuny]

yeah.. or one would pick longer springs with lower spring rates and the helper springs may not be needed as there is no possibility for the main springs to become loose in the spring seats.

ah, your right.. It's hard to tell exactly how the upper mount is designed to work by the pictures.

[green-lantern]

I'd like to do this but I don't want to use ground controls. I would rather use regular ebach or tien springs or something like that.

[mb7050]

GC uses eibach springs

[green-lantern]

GC uses eibach springs

I know but they are much different than the stock replacements that ebach sells.

[mb3000]

The stock replacement Eibach springs are quite good IMO. Not as much of a drop as everyone is used to, but a better ride quality. I would compare the Eibach's on the tour setting to a non-ecs equipped car w/ stock suspension.

[green-lantern]

The stock replacement Eibach springs are quite good IMO. Not as much of a drop as everyone is used to, but a better ride quality. I would compare the Eibach's on the tour setting to a non-ecs equipped car w/ stock suspension.

Yeah I like them. I still have them on the front of my car but after the AWD conversion I had to put stock AWD shocks and springs on the back. I'd like to find a rear spring with the stock height but stiffer. The reason I say stock height is because with the lean of the shock on a AWD conversion it lowers the car perfect IMO.

[2fnloud]

not sure but I would tend to believe DG before anyone else when it comes to anything suspension related.

Phillip > DG

Yes DG has a proven history of tack racing....in a Talon, Phillip has history too in a Stealth.

I remember a conversation about a F1 team that took all the best book work, computer modeled setups and applied them to their track car. Guess what, they are / were / took last place.

You can do all the book work and theory that you want, until it is applied to a specific car you don't know what is best for the car or your driving style.

[green-lantern]

I'm thinking of just doing the bilsteins with the springs I have now and getting sway bars.

[mb7050]

sounds like a good plan . I might do the same

[mb7050]

or
Ralli Art 3000GT - BILSTEIN SUSPENSION TUNING (http://www.fictrading.com/ralliart3000gt/spsu3a.htm)

http://img198.imageshack.us/img198/5407/bilsfw.jpg

http://img850.imageshack.us/img850/4364/bilsrw2.jpg

[RealMcCoy]

You can tell just from the pics that those springs are massive... I don't doubt they rode rough.

Stock rates are 218 front, 157 rear. If you were to go with the DG's recommendation of +10%, you'd still be choosing 250/175... (based on assumption of closest commercially available spring rates)

[Hans@GZP]

Those HD shocks/struts in the original post aren't really meant for road use. They will be harsh, even with stock springs. My old body guy had those HD Bilsteins on his Jetta and it felt like your teeth were getting knocked out of your head. My kidneys hurt after 40 miles in that thing.

[anyonebutme]

Those HD shocks/struts in the original post aren't really meant for road use. They will be harsh, even with stock springs. My old body guy had those HD Bilsteins on his Jetta and it felt like your teeth were getting knocked out of your head. My kidneys hurt after 40 miles in that thing.

Then why you sell them?

Bilstein says they are "stock replacement" according to their nomenclature.

[Hans@GZP]

There are 2 different styles. I run the regular replacements on my yellow vr4 and it handles just fine. The ones in the 1st post are not the regular replacements. At least the fronts aren't judging by the diameter of the shaft, although I could be mistaken. It happened once before.

[HLxDrummer]

I saw a post by Forest saying his Bilstein HDs ride like a caddy...

After trying to balance everything everyone has been saying I'm basically down to Apexi S1's with adapters, or revalved Bilsteins with a spring rate comparable to KWs or the Apexis (depending on price of revalving). I'm still considering the Megans but dunno if I want to deal with inconsistant "force levels" and/or relatively rough ride.

[Rakuny]

There are Bilstein HD's and Sport Bilsteins.. they only make HD replacements for our cars. The HD's are the ones that are OE replacement

[Chris@Rvengeperformance]

they don't ride bad at all. Way better than blown KYBs. If you want a better ride than that then go with stock.

[zelstin]

There are Bilstein HD's and Sport Bilsteins.. they only make HD replacements for our cars. The HD's are the ones that are OE replacement

IIRC The "Heavy Duty" and "Sport" Bilstein OE replacement shocks have the same valving. The Bilstein Sports have the upper bump-stops (or whatever the correct term is) at a different height, so a lowering spring won't come off the perch at full droop.

[Chris@Rvengeperformance]

you have to trim the internal bump stop on the front bilsteins if you are using lowering springs.

[TurboSinceBirth]

I saw a post by Forest saying his Bilstein HDs ride like a caddy...

After trying to balance everything everyone has been saying I'm basically down to Apexi S1's with adapters, or revalved Bilsteins with a spring rate comparable to KWs or the Apexis (depending on price of revalving). I'm still considering the Megans but dunno if I want to deal with inconsistant "force levels" and/or relatively rough ride.

I just bought some S1s with adapters last night so when I get them installed I can let you know how they ride. I probably won't be able to get a good review on them for a few weeks before I can put some miles on them but they'll definitely be better than the K-Sports on the car right now. I've ridden in Megans and Teins. I want something a little more comfortable than the Megans. I have a set of Tein Flex coilovers on a parts car I'm getting rid of because they're almost as bad as the K-Sports. On a budget Megans would be my first choice under $1k that I've ridden in. I was going to go with KW V3s until these Apexi S1s came out so I'm anxious to see how they perform. I know they won't be as stiff as some of the other cheaper coilovers but I don't want a track car either just a more comfortable ride that will get rid of the body roll, rear squat, and nose diving that wasn't able to be done without coilovers.

Swaybars will be next but I'm not sure if I'll install both a front and rear. I may just put in a rear to see how much understeer it gets rid of. The Quaife front diff and SCE center diff are on the list too.

[green-lantern]

I just bought some S1s with adapters last night so when I get them installed I can let you know how they ride. I probably won't be able to get a good review on them for a few weeks before I can put some miles on them but they'll definitely be better than the K-Sports on the car right now. I've ridden in Megans and Teins. I want something a little more comfortable than the Megans. I have a set of Tein Flex coilovers on a parts car I'm getting rid of because they're almost as bad as the K-Sports. On a budget Megans would be my first choice under $1k that I've ridden in. I was going to go with KW V3s until these Apexi S1s came out so I'm anxious to see how they perform. I know they won't be as stiff as some of the other cheaper coilovers but I don't want a track car either just a more comfortable ride that will get rid of the body roll, rear squat, and nose diving that wasn't able to be done without coilovers.

Swaybars will be next but I'm not sure if I'll install both a front and rear. I may just put in a rear to see how much understeer it gets rid of. The Quaife front diff and SCE center diff are on the list too.

I'll be interested in the review.

[HLxDrummer]

Turbosincebirth, I'll be very interested to see your review! I was really close to ordering those but decided to put a new fuel system in first since my A/F is all over the place and I've pretty much narrowed it down to the fuel system.

[familyMAN]

Turbosincebirth, definitely give us a review on those S1s. I am anxious to hear how the street ride quality is.

[TurboSinceBirth]

I'm very curious too since on other platforms people said the ride quality was better than KW V3s but a little worse on the track due to the softer spring ratings. There's one stretch of highway by my house that has continuous bumps in the road. With the K-Sports I felt like I was riding a bucking bronco going through it at 65 mph. I could hear tools and everything jumping around in the back due to the really stiff rear springs and high rebound rates. They came with the car and I'm glad to get rid of them. I was willing to spend the money on KW V3s for a quality street ride I can do some spirited driving in only as good as my tires will hold since I've pushed past that many times sliding through turns so it'll be interesting to see how these perform. Our roads last year were the worst I've ever seen before having been here 24 years. Because of budget cuts the city ended up using a cold asphalt patch/rock base and come the first time it snowed most everything came up. You could not go more than 30 feet without seeing some sort of pothole. Thankfully they've fixed quite a bit right this time but the roads still aren't the best around here.

I won't have any reviews on launching the car with these coilovers though. I refuse to do so with the 6-speed because it isn't braced and will break the bell housing at any time if I do I'm sure. I have three 5-speeds, two SS transfercases, two CFDS, multiple rear subframes, rear ends, shifter cables, etc to do the conversion and I know it'll handle the power then. I need to strip down one of the rear subframes, powdercoat it, source bushings and any other worn parts, get the material for undercoating, maybe have a rear diff rebuilt, as well as anything else I need before I do the conversion. I don't have the time or space for it right now plus I was hoping to get a SCE center diff before I installed the Quaife diff. It was either coilovers or the SCE center diff and I decided on coilovers since they were needed worse. Once I sell the K-Sports and Teins I'll be putting another order in to Philip.

[a2j]

my ecs started to fail and I need new struts, so I ordered Megans from Philip. If S1 will have good reviews and I won't be happy with Megans, I might switch.

[green-lantern]

I won't have any reviews on launching the car with these coilovers though. I refuse to do so with the 6-speed because it isn't braced and will break the bell housing at any time if I do I'm sure.

I'm not too concerned with that part of the review anyway. My 6-speed is braced but I’m sort of leaning the setup of the car toward road course/spirited back road twisty driving. :)

If you have a 6-speed CFDS you want to get rid of LMK.

[mb7050]

saving some info for future use

s14 shocks

http://desmond.imageshack.us/Himg210/scaled.php?server=210&filename=1002380iz2.jpg&res=medium




I have been wanting some Bilstein HD's for my S14 for some time. They are super beefy, cheaply rebuilt/revalved and monotube. I ran the PSS9's on my Miata and as very happy with their performance.

Bilstein makes struts for the S14 but they do not import them to the US. So I have been randomly searching around for the past couple of months trying to find struts from other cars that might work. From my research, the S14 is an odd sort. The fronts are REALLY short and the rears are REALLY long. At first I thought I was goning have to go with the A2 VW Golf/Jetta front struts. They are the smaller 30mm shafts.

I was browsing ebay and stumbled upon a set of EVO 8/9 struts and they looked like they might work. I emailed the owner and he measured them for me. As I was awaiting his response I was further searching for pictures of EVO struts and found some pictures of 3000GT/Stealth shocks.


3000GT front shock

http://desmond.imageshack.us/Himg38/scaled.php?server=38&filename=imag0611q.jpg&res=medium
http://img51.imageshack.us/img51/5610/imag0619m.jpg
http://img804.imageshack.us/img804/610/imag0627.jpg
http://img809.imageshack.us/img809/2023/imag0626c.jpg
http://img705.imageshack.us/img705/264/imag0625v.jpg
http://www.stealth316.com/images/stim/tim_02-07.gif



Just eyeballing them they looked like they would work. So I called Bilstein in Mooresville, NC and Keith is the man. Within 3 minutes he told me all I wanted to know.

R36-5022-H0 insert

OD 45.8mm (1.8")
Extended Length 480mm (18.89")
Collapsed Length 380mm (14.96")
Body Length 266mm (10.47")

On paper they looked like they would work. So, I bit the bullet and bought a set, here is what they look like compared to my Koni Yellows


bilstein
S14 – R36-5034

5022

Extended Length 482.5
Collapsed Length (bstop contact) 380mm
Body Length (Yellow tube) 271mm

5023

Extended Length 474.5
Collapsed Length (bstop contact) 396mm
Body Length (Yellow Tube) 309mm

( valved for #450/#300 springs iirc)

http://i145.photobucket.com/albums/r221/ecugrad/Bilstein%20Goodness/IMG_04961.jpg



Ok, more measurements. I inserted the struts into the my Techno Toy Tuning camber plates, the strut rod sticks up .3" beyond the threaded portion (you can see a mark from a sharpie in some of the pics).


http://i145.photobucket.com/albums/r221/ecugrad/240%20Konis/IMG_0502.jpg



That will be perfect! However they are cheaply re-valved to whatever spring you may want to run. These front inserts ran me less than $200 TOTAL from Tire Rack.

Well the T^3 camber plates do not allow the shock shaft to articulate but rather bend the shock shaft. I took a steel 7/8" OD, 5/8" ID sleeve bushing about 7mm long and put it on top spring hat. It spaces the tophat down to allows the spherical to do its thing.

To finish things off in the front I needed some coilovers. I purchased a set of Ground Controls when I first got the car 8 months ago but really wanted to get rid of them. I scored a "grab bag" of circle track coil over tubes and collars on ebay for $40


http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_GK4oVuYY36M/SHLU_2b4DzI/AAAAAAAAAAM/v6oWXRek0RQ/s1600/6546_1.JPG


Excellent, I actually got MORE than what is pictured there. I cobbled together the fronts to look like this

[mb7050]

http://i145.photobucket.com/albums/r221/ecugrad/240%20Konis/IMG_0709.jpg


The "tubes" need to be around 5" long to sit like I have these sitting.

On the car:

http://i145.photobucket.com/albums/r221/ecugrad/240%20Konis/IMG_0781.jpg



Now all I need is a HD strut for the rear. The rear 3000GT's MAY work with the stock S14 uprights but I have not had a chance to call Bilstein about them. The G35 front struts MAY work with the Z32 uprights but they are kinda pricey at $200/ea.

As crazy as it sounds, Monroe shocks have been a GREAT resource for comparing various shocks/struts. They are one of the few companies to give out dimensions.

Rear 240sx Dimensions according to Monroe Shocks
Body 18.625"
Compressed Length 19.25"
Extended Length 26.625"
Travel 7.375"

Thanks to another assist from NRR member WishIhHadaSilvia the measurements for the 3000GT rear shocks are

F4-B46-1743-H0 rear struts

Extended - 23.48"
Collapsed - 15.63"
Shock Body (from where the piston goes in to the end of the eye ring) - 16.32"

Much like everything else I do in life, I jumped in head first and bought a set of rear 3000gt Bilsteins for my S14.

The first issue to tackle was the lower mounting eye. The hole in the eye is 40mm long and is 23mm in diameter for 37mm and then flares out to 25mm for the last 3mm. The lower mounting hole is approximately 2.2mm bigger than the mount on the 240. I see no reason for it not to work by just adding a metal bushing to take up the extra space.

First things first, get a simple 7/8" OD x 5/8" ID steel bushing from Lowes racing supply and drill it out to 25/32". 25/32"? yeah, not the most oft used drill bit size but my local Napa sold me one for $25


http://i145.photobucket.com/albums/r221/ecugrad/240%20Konis/IMG_0679.jpg



Drill the bushing ID to 25/32" and everything slides on like a glove. I pressed the steel bushing in with my 20 ton press but could have easily been hammered in carefully. The fit is nice and tight so there shouldn't be ANY play.

The upper end of the rear shock shaft is the same OD as the Koni/OEM, so no modifications necessary except I decided that I didn't want to risk having too SHORT of shocks on the rear. The total length and body length are roughly 3" shorter than the Koni's. I am hoping this isnt TOO short but I think it will be ok. To help things ourI took all of the extra rod out at the top by using steel bushings from Lowes Racing Supply to space the shaft down an extra inch.

I still had parts left over from my front coilover project, so I just continued the theme on the rear.


http://i145.photobucket.com/albums/r221/ecugrad/240%20Konis/IMG_0783.jpg




That's about it as best I can tell. I'll try to get some more pics of the rear when I put my new rear tophats on next week.

So as a recap parts needed:

(2) F4-R36-5022-H0 front inserts
(2) F4-B46-1743-H0 rear struts
Coilover tubes, collars
Camber Plates
Rear Upper hat with spherical bearing
(2) 7/8" x 5/8" Steel spacers (Lowes Racing Supply)
(4) 3/8" x 5/8" Steel spacers (Lowes Racing Supply)
JB Weld
25/32" Drill Bit ($25 @ Napa)
Something larger than a 3/8" drill bit for the smaller steel spacers.

[mb7050]

I'm very curious too since on other platforms people said the ride quality was better than KW V3s but a little worse on the track due to the softer spring ratings. There's one stretch of highway by my house that has continuous bumps in the road. With the K-Sports I felt like I was riding a bucking bronco going through it at 65 mph. I could hear tools and everything jumping around in the back due to the really stiff rear springs and high rebound rates. They came with the car and I'm glad to get rid of them. I was willing to spend the money on KW V3s for a quality street ride I can do some spirited driving in only as good as my tires will hold since I've pushed past that many times sliding through turns so it'll be interesting to see how these perform. Our roads last year were the worst I've ever seen before having been here 24 years. Because of budget cuts the city ended up using a cold asphalt patch/rock base and come the first time it snowed most everything came up. You could not go more than 30 feet without seeing some sort of pothole. Thankfully they've fixed quite a bit right this time but the roads still aren't the best around here.

I won't have any reviews on launching the car with these coilovers though. I refuse to do so with the 6-speed because it isn't braced and will break the bell housing at any time if I do I'm sure. I have three 5-speeds, two SS transfercases, two CFDS, multiple rear subframes, rear ends, shifter cables, etc to do the conversion and I know it'll handle the power then. I need to strip down one of the rear subframes, powdercoat it, source bushings and any other worn parts, get the material for undercoating, maybe have a rear diff rebuilt, as well as anything else I need before I do the conversion. I don't have the time or space for it right now plus I was hoping to get a SCE center diff before I installed the Quaife diff. It was either coilovers or the SCE center diff and I decided on coilovers since they were needed worse. Once I sell the K-Sports and Teins I'll be putting another order in to Philip.

Would you measure them and post some pics if possible? I would like to know how they would compare to bilstein inserts(oem struts..

something like this
Extended Length ?
Collapsed Length(bstop contact) ?
Body Length ?

[TurboSinceBirth]

I'm not too concerned with that part of the review anyway. My 6-speed is braced but I’m sort of leaning the setup of the car toward road course/spirited back road twisty driving. :)

If you have a 6-speed CFDS you want to get rid of LMK.

They're both for 5-speeds. One is a PST 2-piece I'll probably be selling and the other is an ACPT 1-piece I plan to keep. When I do the 5-speed swap everything in the rear will be rebuild so I don't have to worry about vibrations. I never had problems with the 1-piece driveshafts when everything from the motor mounts back to the rear end busings/subframe bushings were all in good condition. I'm a ways out before that happens since I need to address some rust and worn ball joints first.


Would you measure them and post some pics if possible? I would like to know how they would compare to bilstein inserts(oem struts..

something like this
Extended Length ?
Collapsed Length(bstop contact) ?
Body Length ?

If I remember to I will. I probably won't be installing them right away so I'll have time to do that. I need to order more parts first. The money just went through today for the coilovers so at least they're not backordered.

[mb7050]

no wonder why people were complaining about the bad ride quality with bilsteins, especially when lowered.
,
Bilstein R36-5022-H0 inserts


Extended Length 480mm (18.89")
Collapsed Length 380mm (14.96")


OEM

Extended Length 485mm (19.1")
Collapsed Length 335mm (13.2")

looks like the bilsteins have considerably less down travel vs OEM ? How much does cutting the bumpstops help ?

[Chris@Rvengeperformance]

no wonder why people were complaining about the bad ride quality with bilsteins, especially when lowered.
,
Bilstein R36-5022-H0 inserts


Extended Length 480mm (18.89")
Collapsed Length 380mm (14.96")


OEM

Extended Length 485mm (19.1")
Collapsed Length 335mm (13.2")

looks like the bilsteins have considerably less down travel vs OEM ? How much does cutting the bumpstops help ?

They complain because they can't get the dampner apart to cut the bumpstops. When lowered you probably have like a half inch of travel with the bumpstops in factory condition. There are 3 ~.75" bumpstop segments. I cut off 2.

I have not cycled the dampner all the way in, but I can do that before I install it and verify that it doesn't bottom out before hitting the bumpstop piece that remains. I really doubt it will though as they wouldn't design it that way since they are just rubber bumpstops. They are more there to keep the car from bottoming out.

[TurboSinceBirth]

I'll give you guys a sneak peak to drool over. Coilovers came in today. :D

http://i280.photobucket.com/albums/kk184/Schuppenherz/95%20RT%20TT/P1010622.jpg

[familyMAN]

Those look awesome! Do they come with the helper springs or did you buy those separate? Can't wait to hear what you think about them!

[Vantage]

Damn those are nice...sell them to me! DOO EEETT!!

[J. Fast]

Those look awesome! Do they come with the helper springs or did you buy those separate? Can't wait to hear what you think about them!

They come standard with 6K (350lb) helper springs. You can order them with 7, 8, or 10K helpers for the same price tho. Their 8in main springs come in 6-12K. The standard street kit comes with 8K main springs (which is about a 450lb spring) and a 6K helper.

[TurboSinceBirth]

What Jeremy said. :) They're definitely nice and the quality of construction is good.

Some pics next to the Teins:

http://i280.photobucket.com/albums/kk184/Schuppenherz/95%20RT%20TT/P1010632.jpg
http://i280.photobucket.com/albums/kk184/Schuppenherz/95%20RT%20TT/P1010633.jpg

The front springs are shorter on the Teins compared to the Apexi's. I don't think the previous owner adjusted the Teins correctly for the front because the shock bodies were screwed closer to the bump stop likely because they wanted the drop. They should have adjusted the lower mount instead for the ride height like you're supposed to. The lower mounts on the front coilovers have stop welded for the camber bolts whereas the Teins lack one. The adjustment knob for the dampening on the front coilovers is on the bottom of the shock due to Apexi's inverted mono-tube design. It almost seems like it would be more of a pain to adjust than just popping the hood but I think I can deal with it. I doubt I'll end up adjusting them too often anyways. You can definitely visually see the difference in spring rates so I'm anxious to see how well it rides on the street and if it stiffens up enough for some intense backroads. I don't expect track performance or I would have gotten a different coilover. I still want to take long trips with this car without getting beat up during the ride.

I ended up pulling a set of adjustable control arms of a parts car, sourcing some replacement ball joint boots, retuning the Stealth, and checking for some leaks so I didn't get a chance to work on the suspension. I have some vacuum leaks to track down because the car was wanting to die taking off or reversing without giving it more throttle input. The 3SX chrome oil cap was leaking so that was part of my problem. Either I'll double up the gasket or just put a stock oil cap on so I'm not messing with it. I'm hoping that next weekend I can swap out the K-Sports for the Apexi coilovers but I'll have to wait and see how busy I am with work and other projects.

[Chris@Rvengeperformance]

fyi the bilstens travel is only limited by the stock bumpstop. I compressed my strut with no spring and even with 2/3 of the bumpstop cut out the strut will still compress all the way down against it. That is about 2" more travel than they will have with stock bumpstops.