What brand of street shocks do you have?

[Apolan]

yes im wondering about that too?

edit: falquzz, it seems we're gonna heave a simillar setup after all if i can get the items i want. Tanabe springs are also at around 2.5-2.7 kg/mm springrate (much like your TRD's) - this is a cca 30% increasment over stock (i think stock are between 1.5-1.8 kg/mm springrate;anyone know the exact numbers?)

So im really curious how it will preform, will it be too soft or good. please report.

[Fallguz]

As requested:


TRD Shocks & Springs installed
**************************


OK so I was a little stressed right before the Ring event. A huge bulk of packages arrived last minute, and we just installed as many parts as possible until the meeting.

So suspension-wise, this was installed:

- TRD Shocks (Adjustable rate, front 4 way, rear 8 way adjustable)
- TRD Springs (Soft version, only 3 kg front and rear)
- Cusco Pillowball Upper Mounts
- Cusco adjustable Panhard rod
- About 50% of bushings from the TRD Bushing Kit

First things first: The "TRD shocks" had a light blue color, and KYB written on them so they're probably the same as the KYB adjustable shocks?


The car dropped only around 2-3 cm, as predicted. I will post pictures soon, so we will be able to see the difference to before. (you can find some pics already in the nurburgring thread) Note that i'm running very low profile tires (205/45/14) so the wheel is much too small, making it look a bit goofy. Also note that you should be looking at the pictures when the car is empty. On some pics the car looks very low because me and my friend had our fat asses sitting the car.


Now I tested the setup on my favourite mountain, and on the Nordschleife for lots of laps. I must say I'm absolutely satisfied! Dampers were set on MEDIUM settings, so it would be possible to turn them harder, but it was not really needed.

I'll just comment on the things Apolan seems interested in:

The car did get a bit firmer when riding around town, but comfort actually increased compared to the worn out stock shocks. It feels like the dampers really match the springs well - no hopping around or anything.

As you will see on some nurburgring pictures, I still get noticable bodyroll at the limit, but when riding it doesn't bother at all because the car corners very stable now. The setup is just what I was looking for in a daily usage, streetable setup. (body roll still reduced compared to before of course!)

I was a bit worried at first taking it to the Ring, but it proved to be an extremely nice setup for fast speeds there! could easily jump over Curbs at sick speeds without fear! It was just ... stable!

Unfortunately, the alignment place who did the quick alignment job 1 day before the Ring was crap. They didn't set up the panhard rod correctly, and also they removed front camber so I the car was a bit too much on the Understeering side. But it was possible to get it more neutral by braking into the corners, so it was all good. Also i'd rather have an understeering setup on a dangerous track like the Ring.

Never managed to bottom out the suspension by the way, even on the hardest runs.

However I am getting some nasty noises somwhere from the Upper mounts ( I think) when riding a bit hard over a bump. Will get it sorted I suppose.

One question:

I have not yet installed the RCA's under the car. Car was only dropped slightly, should I still install them? I did notice a bit of bump steer when cornering hard, so maybe they could help some?

Do I need a fresh alignment after installing the RCA's? most likely yes..?



OK so in the end I can recommend this setup for anybody looking for a daily-use & streetable setup. Since it went so well on the ring I would even say it can be used on the track, but should probably be completed with a set of fatter sway bars. (I won't be doing this)

Also, it doesn't drop the car too far down. That's a big plus for me because I don't want to worry about scraping the front lip or exhaust on the ground. Pics will be added to the project log when i have time..

[Apolan]

Wow, great stuff Fallquz. Thanks for the feedback, much appreciated. Your car looks stunning on the ring and by the description, this setup is very close to what i would like my car to feel like. Though the trd units are abit pricey for my pocket, so ill have to find a similar solution.

Good luck with the car!

[Fallguz]

thanks I think you can just buy KYB adjustable shocks - check the prices. They are light blue, here's a pic of the color.

Probably I overpaid for the shocks because TRD just sells the KYB adjustables like that.