No problem mentioning names. I should have mentioned that I am Jim Thompson....Carter's Dad/tire warmer.
Regarding sway bars...we are still using stock bars. For BS we can only change the front. We have tried a larger front bar but couldn't overcome the additional understeer. By the way, all our testing is with 275/40/17 Hoosiers.

Our Setup for those interested:

Enthusiast Model
Koni double adjustable shocks
Kodiak wheels ( 16.5 lbs )
1/4 " wheel spacers with long wheel studs
275/40/17 Hoosier tires
Muffler removed with short tip off tailpipe
Camber frt=stock,rear=1.5 neg
Toe frt=0.25" out, rear=0.25" in
Weight= 3030 lbs ( we run with 5 gallons fuel or less )

 

Thanks for the info Jim.

 

Mark, thanks for keeping us updated on the status of the Koni shocks. I think I've concluded that I don't want to lower the car so now I'm looking for a set of shocks that will work better than the stock units. The Konis sound attractive.

Will get the NISMO sway bars as soon as they are officially approved for VDC equipped cars.

 

TCL,

I agree. The Konis have been tested to work with the stock springs and seem to fix the bounce problem too. The stock shocks are the weak point of the suspension IMO. If they come in around $600 a set I think it will be worth it. They are warrantied for life too. Come on Koni get them into production!

 

Echo that. They were supposed to be out late summer, like now, but have been delayed. I want them because I will NOT change my ride height and I am still not free of the bounce. COME ON, people, lets show Koni some Demand! $600 is fine with me!

Gordon, I talked to you 6 months ago, tell your techs to finish up and get them to market. As far as I'm concerned, the vaunted S-suspension is not an option for me, NISMO priced themselves out of the market with their ridiculous prices, even the retailers are cutting their profit to the bone and its still too much. KONIS NOW!

Boomer--no jokes, no b.s., every time I drive the car, it never feels the same, Ripple INDUCED shocks=crappy vintage.

 

Everyone interested needs to contact Gordon with Koni NA. I told him there was a lot of interest here.........

 

I have been AutoXing a Track Model out here in the wild west, tire pressure seems to be the biggest adjustment. Last weekend installed the Stillen adj bar up front and did some toe out, seems to use more of the tire in the turns, this season I have worn 2 sets of Kumho's out, they where wearing on the outer edge only, so I would have them flipped to get a little extra use out of them.
The bar did seem to help in the slalom, but NOT in hard turn arounds, I used the mid setting of 30 some percent stiffer than stock. Yea, shocks would be a nice addition.
The Hondas are still eating our lunch at teh big events. I have not had a problem with wheel hop most of the time, seems to depend on the surfaces. See ya in Topeka! John

 

Here is Gordon's email address gbenson@koni-na.com if your interested.

 

I just sent him a note.

 

So did I.

 

can't wait for them to be out.. Currently have the Eibach Pro Kit springs with stock shocks, still has minor bounces, but it lower the ride height, which is not driveway friendly

Also dealer refused to do pull to the right TSB because I lowered the car.. I will change to Koni with stock springs, that should be fine with them..

 

I agree. I changed all of my rear bushings and it eliminated at least 75% of the bounce. I also changed the spring rate with JIC progresives and the bounce is gone WITH stock shocks. Withe the JIC shocks the ride is just more controlled.

From my experience a cheap way to eliminate the bounce is to change the control arm bushings 1st, change the spring rates second, shocks optional.

Jeff

 

If you replace the control arm bushings along with your Eibach springs, I bet you will quite pleasantly surprised how the car rides and handles with the stock shocks.

Jeff

 

Who makes the bushings you changed to and how much did they cost? Did you install them yourself? I am sticking with the springs because of the tire wear issue and Gordon at Koni told me he rode in their test mule and the sport shocks eliminate the bounce completely. I already changed my tires, stock size Michelins, which helped a lot, but there are some roads the suspension simply will not stop bouncing and the Konis will cure it. Gordon said the shocks were tested with the 17" tires, but will work just as well with the 18s.

 

How are these new bushings different from stock in terms of material and stiffness? Sounds like new shocks would still be a good idea even with new bushings per dwnshft's post.

 

I think shocks certainly are an improvement. I like the way my JICs provide a more controlled ride. I initially bought the FLT-A-2s to get rid of the bounce and feathering issues. When they were installed the bounce was gone so I figured my $2k that I spent was what was needed to solve the problem. At the same time I also installed new bushings to bring the rear alignment into spec.

I recently started to have some rattling problems with the rear JIC shocks so I sent the back to JIC. I wanted to drive the car so I threw the stock shocks back in temporarily thinking that the ride was going to be awful but I could live with it for a couple of weeks. I was SHOCKED (pun intended) at how well the car rode. No bounce and a VERY smooth ride. Granted the JICs shocks offered more control over the stock shocks but for every day driving the set up was surprisingly nice. A very minimal difference but noticeable.

The bushings cost $320.00 and I think the Eibachs are under $300.00?? So for roughly $600.00 vs. $2000.00 I could have got something that met MY needs and upgraded to Konis or a better shock in the future and probably still be less than what I spent.

The bushings are made of urethane and the stock bushings are made of rubber. The stock bushings do not give on the aluminum control arm meaning while moving the control arm on the bushing the rubber bushing will twist causing the control arm to bounce back to it's original position. The new urethane bushings allow the control arm to move freely around the bushing.

The hardest thing about installing the bushings is pressing the stock bushings out of the arms. Otherwise the install goes fast with just a couple of sockets and a wrench. Easier than installing an exhaust.

Here is the link to where I bought my bushings:

www.k-mac.com.au or
www.f1.net.au/kmac

Jeff

 

Thanks, Jeff. I am not a DYIer, so I will look for a shop that specializes in suspensions. Any thoughts about how to locate such a shop? I am a neophyte about suspension work, so I need all the help I can get. Keith

 

Hi Keith,

I had a tough time finding a place here in the Minneapolis area to install the JICs. I ended up going to a small performance shop that specialized in imports. I think that would be your best bet to find a import performance shop or even a shop that sells aftermarket import parts and ask them who they use for installations.

Jeff

 

Controlled bump.

 

Thanks, Jeff. I will do so.