no, its not "better".
each people have different driving style on the track, and different suspension on different track. so adjustability comes in to play to suite each person's preference and track's need.
although i've never driven a koni, but from their reputation, i'm sure their valving is better then stock.

 

Well, I made my comeback from knee surgery (I can work my clutch again), and I've had the car out to the track with this suspension kit twice in the last 3 weeks. It is very sweet. I'm going to put together some impressions very soon. What I'll tell you now though, is that the adjustability on this kit is incredible. One or two clicks on compression or rebound makes a world of difference. It's my first time on double-adjustables, and I'm stunned at what you can do with them. I know a couple of guys are getting their kits installed in the next week or two, so there should be lots of good feedback soon. Stay tuned!

 

A few sets shipped yesterday, including mine!

I doubt I'll have time to install, corner weight, & align before I leave for Watkins Glen, but at least one of the Glen participants WILL have his installed.

 

Mine were installed at unitech earlier this week. I'll give a full review next week after some track time.

 

As long as their in my hands Tuesday, I think I'll be driving them at the Glen.

 

Unitech has all the spring perch / ride height measurments for a fairly well balanced car. They put my car on the scales and didn't even need to make any corner weight adjustments. First try!

It's probably safe to say that if you're pressed for time, you can skip the cornerweighting if you use Jackson's measurments. Call in sick, install them yourself, get an alignment and your ready to roll.

 

With this advice, I MIGHT have to install mine! Be warned though, Jackson is pre-setting the ride height for a 1 1/8" drop. Much more than I want.

Just found an article in the August Sport Compact Car magazine that you all need to read about roll centers, bump steer, etc. It's the 3rd of at least 4 excellent articles on suspensions. Next month is on damper tuning!

 

I found some pix I took about 10 days ago of the production shocks. Too bad no one has posted pix of their installed shocks yet.

 

Here's a teaser for you. It shows the 1 - 1.2" drop.

edit: looks like pics won't upload.

 

Damn no delivery today.

 

Sorry to hear that Redfoot. I didn't get mine yet either.......

What tires DID you get?

 

That is a teaser! I can host the pic if you want to email it to me. geoffbrown@comcast.net

 

Found some Toyo RA1s out in AZ at a decent price. Only needed 2 for the front. These might be the last Toyos I get though, unless I find someone that shaves better. Road force measurements were a bit high.

 

UPS Man passed me up again But the post man did deliver my bullet cam today.

 

Sorry to hear that Brian!

Black Flag Jack & I both got ours today!

We are going to install in both our cars tomorrow!!!!!

Yes, I'll take pictures.

NOW.....since I will be driving my Z to the Glen, can someone PLEASE recommend the max comfort setting for the shocks? I'm guessing full soft on everything, but I would appreciate recommendations from those lucky enough to have already had them installed.

 

So, are you going to go without an alignment for this weekend?

 

I hope not, but from what Jackson says, it MIGHT not be necessary. I am planning on an alignment though....gotta make a call tomorrow. I'm only dropping 1/2" front, & 3/4" rear though......I will know a LOT more Friday. Camber will only get better, and toe is easy to change. Still not sure how aggressive I want to go with front toe out. I don't think a lot will be necessary for the tracks I run. BF Jack wants to start at 0 front toe.....I might go with 1/16" toe out though. We can easily do this with a pair of levels and a tape measure.

 

Good deal guys...I'm glad you guys got your gear!!!

A few tips:
1. Comfort setting. I went with a rebound setting of two F & R, and a compression of 1 F / 1 R. If you find the car oscilating a bit, try bumping compression up on the rear a click to 2 (this worked in DaveH's case).
2. Track shock setting. I'd start with a rebound of 6/6 F/R. Compression will probably also be pretty decent if you start out at 6/6. I've run it up as high as 8 on the front and 7 in the rear, but it's going to depend on how bumpy the track is. I haven't been to the glen in 4-5 years, but I don't remember it being particularly bumpy. Dial up compression until the car gets skittish, then dial it back 2 or 3 clicks. You WILL know when you have too much compression. It was a real eye-opener to me to see how one click on the shocks can make such a dramatic difference in feel!
3. Sway bar setting. If you're running 350Evo bars, I'd leave the front on Med. From what I've experienced, the rear is going to depend on your tire size stagger. If you're running the same size tire all around, I'd definitely recommend starting at full soft on the rear bar (the holes closest to the ends of the bar). With 275's on all around, the car was a little more neutral through the high speed stuff than I would prefer (would like a little more understeer). During testing on GAC Hoosiers at Streets last month, we were running 245/275. The car would even understeer a bit with the rear bar set on the middle setting. My suggestion...start conservative on the rear bar setting, particularly if you aren't running a tire stagger. It will be safer to dial IN oversteer, rather than dialing it OUT. Start soft on the rear bar, and stiffen it if you need to. The Glen is very fast and dangerous.
4. I talked to DaveH today, and it sounds like he may have went a little too low on his height adjustment...which led to him hitting the bumpstops on the rear shocks. Don't slam out your car on ride height. The bumpstops are huge on these things, so if you need to trim them down a little bit, it doesn't sound like an issue to do so. I personally have never bottomed out the rears, and when viewed at rest, I have probably 2 1/2 inches of travel.
5. For rear rebound adjustment, I find it easiest to jack up the rear and use a very thin alan key to do the adjustment. It will take a few tries to get a feel for it, but once you learn where to insert and sweep, it will be a piece of cake.

I think that's about it for now. You're going to have to experiment to find what works on the track with your car, your alignment, and your tires. I'm learning more and more about the suspension every time I drive it hard. Fortunately, it's extremely sensitive to small changes in setting, so you should be able to get it dialed. I think the thing you guys are going to notice most (particularly those of you coming from a different aftermarket setup) is the compliance of the system. You'll be able to hit curbs, bumps, dips, etc. without upsetting the car...which is a great feeling! I was riding over curbs at Buttonwillow like they weren't even there. Also, because of the lower spring rates in the rear (vs. other systems) you should have much, much more traction coming out of turns. Let me know if you guys have any other Q's. I think you guys are in for a treat.

 

Thanks for the suggestions!

Jack is running Stillen bars, and I have Cusco, sooooooo, I'll just go full stiff on the front as their rear has no adjustment. He's running staggered Hoosier's and I'm running non-staggered RT-615's.

Time to get busy!

 

Wow, I'm suprised to hear you recommend such a seemingly conservative sway bar setting when running the same rubber all around. Did you ever try stiff/stiff on the sway bars? I'll be running 275s all around for the first time this weekend... too bad my LSD won't be installed.