in dire need for help & advise!!!

[wildboar]

ok guys...now i reli reli pening...im having a dilemma & nightmares on which ADJUSTABLE COILOVERS to get..these are my choices...(prices stated r for wira gsr)

1. NEW gab adjustable, hi/lo - RM1.9k..these are claimed to be local assembled with the parts & technology fr japan...took a test drive in a perdana v6 wif these shocks n it performed nicely...quite to my liking..but dunno about its reliability

2. NEW hwl mt1, hi/lo - RM1.6k..heard from MANY shops that the HWLs are very prone to leaking...one shop told me that he had to claim warranty for so many ppl till he dun wanna sell anymore...
2.1 USED HWL mt1 - saw a set in m-power selling for RM800+..it was claimed that the shocks were leaking n the owner sold them to mpower..so they repaired it and r now selling for RM800+...another case of hwl causing problem...

3. USED Tein HA, hi/lo & soft/hard without adjustable cambers - RM1.8k..seller is a forummer...he had this set installed into his wiralution n took me for a test ride...performed quite well too..kinda liked it..but worry about servicing...but heard from a fren that there is a suspension shop which is able to service ALL types of shocks..they can only service, not customise...

4. NEW APM, hi/lo - RM1.3k..now this is the biggest headache...as far as i know, the monotubes should be better...twin tube have a bad reputation for making those sounds after a few months usage...i dun even know whether ive been lookin at the monotubes or twin tubes all this while...cos theres a forummer who said that apm stopped the monotube production n many shops were just changing the spring colors to look like the monotube..wat ive seen so far, the coil n tube r blue & yellow...and then came the real mind buster...went to mpower yesterday...the apm he had was different color, cant remember if the tube diff or the spring diff color...but he said it was twin tube cos the shaft was thicker (or watever the f*ck he was saying)...now the best part is...he said twin tube is better than monotube!!!dat made me wonder...was he trying to cheat me or was he just plain dumb?? my guess was he trying to cheat me cos im not a familiar face there...so he prolly was trying to get rid of those lousy twin tubes he had lying in the store...

5. NEW RG, hi/lo (front also got soft/hard?? as claimed by forummer) - RM1.1k (fr forummer), RM1.5k fr shop..ok i heard n read that RGs r being manufactured in the same factory as the APMs...just they changed the spring color

6. NEW DR, hi/lo - RM2.3k..first time i seen or heard this brand...the coils r white and the shocks r blue...saw it in a performance part shop in SP (BKM)..claimed to be the latest brand in performance shocks...also claimed to be the same as D2, oni they changed the name to DR cos cannot use the same name in m'sia (???)

7. NEW Hot Bits, hi/lo - RM2.3k..hoping to have a test ride in a fellow forummer's ride this weekend...heard from a shop that i frequently visit for suspension advise, that these coilovers r HARD...but hard to wat extent, i can oni know after the test ride..all the other NEW coilovers i stated above have 1yr warranty..but this hot bits got 2yrs...not sure if its diff from shop to shop but this is wat the guy told me (the shop that i frequent to)...

8. and finally...the cream of the crop..TITANS, hi/lo - RM2.8k..now with all that great quality...i wonder if i will be utilising it to the fullest??

abt the prices, i got this stupid theory in my head...say i pay RM1.3k for apm...if i top up just another 300, i can get hwl....but from 1.6k, i top up just another 300, i can get gab...and if i top up 400 from 1.9k, i can get an additional i year warranty from hot bits...and so on...

so...dun ask me about my budget...i want sumthin which is PRACTICAL...it is goin into a daily driven wira gsr...not for race, not for track, not for drag...so a combo of performance & comfort is best..now, i mean practical in the sense that...if i get a real good set of coilovers, eg. titans, i wont be utilising the full potential or value of the shocks...cos its just a daily driven car to take me to work & back on weekdays (normal driving)...while on weekends mebe boost around here n there...so...mebe just getting a lower end coilovers like apm or hwl will be sufficient for me?? PRACTICALITY is the keyword here, not overkill...

reliability is another important factor...i dun wanna be always removing my shocks for repair cos im in penang...it should take at least a wk to send it back...dats y im keeping my stock shocks so i can still use my car when i need to service/repair...dun wan a shock which keeps leaking...even if i keep claiming for warranty, its gonna b a real hassle to keep removing & sending for repair...

pls take note that im in penang...so regardless of what brand i get, the shocks still need to be sent to kl for servicing or re-tuning...so the free tuning provided by titans (or other brands for that matter) wud not reli be a bonus for me cos each time i wanna fine tune, need to send them all the way to kl...

NOTE: I want to be able to adjust the ride height, so for sure i will get the adjsutable coilovers...dun ask me to buy the normal non-adjustable koni or sumthin like dat...

NOTE: I am in no way bad-mouthing or condemning the brands mentioned above...this is just what i heard from shops/users/frens...DO NOT take my word for it..for all u know, i could have oni heard the bad reviews but not the good reviews...

sorry for being so long winded...but i really really really need some help n advise...

thanx in advance for all those who contribute ur advise/experience...

 

[phat7]

Hi there. Was in the similar situation before. The best way is to test out their units and copy it into your car. Believe you me when some people say its comfortable it may be real shitty to you. What i'm trying to say is test them all out then decide. There is also the sacrifice of ride comfort to handling etc so since you're gonna spend hard earned money i suggest you perhaps as your friends with different setups and see which one you like best. hope this helps.

 

[wildboar]

thing is...nobody i know running on these shocks...ive oni had a chance to test ride in brothers mugen hi power (this is out), gab & tein HA...i dunno anyone who riding on apm or hwl or the others...sigh....

ok so who is staying in penang and are using hotbits or apm or hwl or rg??? who wanna gimme a test ride?? teh tarik on me!! :D

 

[Kenboy]

wow...i dunno where you guys get your stories from. a lot of misinformation in your post.

1. GAB - parts and tech from japan? no comnment.

2. HWL leaking? APMs oso leak. RGs oso leak. RM3k HBs oso leak. Konis oso leak. it depends wat you use them for i suppose. one fact you should know: HWL sponsors more local offroad rally cars (!) then any other manufacturer.

3. Teins can be reserviced. by who? HWL lar!! and reservicing teins aint cheap ok. they can cost the same as a brand new set of shocks! you can ask N1 to reservice them teins since they are the authorised distributors. but pls do ask abt the price and lead time. you may not like wat u hear.

4. monotubes were made first. then they had a lot of noise problems. monotubes are like that. need very precise parts. so they opted for twintubes. cheaper to make. and they also made the damping less stiff. good or bad? depends whether you like soft or hard la.

5. RGs are NOT made in the same factory. if you call the number in the press ads, you will know. stop listening to salesmen. find out for yourself!!.

6. Ditto. if you dun trust the brand, dun buy the shock.

7. no comment on how hard they are.

8. Titans are great if you can afford them. but pay a bit more and you can get brand new teins...hahaha

am i confusing you yet? sorry.

lets put it this way. dun listen to sales men. listen to friends who have used the shocks, not heard abt them sum where or read it sumwhere. go find out for yourself abt the different brands and who makes them. you can call the manufacturers up and talk to a tech person. if the tech person is not available, then you know how these guys work. also be aware of why certain ppl choose certain brands and slag off other brands. and why certain brands go racing and others dont. and why would someone sell a perfectly good set of coilovers cheap to you for half the price? must be something wrong, rite?

and of the day, choose one. use it, and learn from the experience.

i have met someon who have claimed to have used 6-7 different types of japanese shocks and made judgements on all of them. when i asked him..hey..you musta spent a fortune on suspension. you can buy a damn car with the amount of money you spent!! oo...i dint really buy them. some were test rides on friends cars, and some were used shocks from forummers or chop shops. it was obvious that i stopped listening to this fellow soon after. come on..,you cant base ur findings on hand me down stuff and 5 minute rides!!!

just buy something, use it. then you will know what you want later on. its part of the journey of customising your car.

 

[wildboar]

thanks for ur feedback dude...oh well..i guess i'll just have to look for ppl who using those shocks...

btw, where can i have a look at the apm monotube & twin tube pics?? i reli have no idea how different both versions look...

and is the hwl mt1 a monotube??

so again...who is staying in penang and are using adjustabe coilovers??

 

[Kenboy]

the APM monotube body is silver in color and is thick bodied all the way to the top of the bolt that goes into the top mount. the APM twintube is gold colored, and the shaft that goes into the shock body is slightly thinner. both use either red or blue springs.

HWL MT1 is a twintube design. they have selectable linear pr progresive rate springs. depending on the version you have. the later the version the more improved the product. try to get as new a set as you can.

for your info, teins and konis are twintubes too.

 

[wildboar]

wokay...i'll be posting up a pic of the apm coilovers shortly..its in my frens h/phone n ive asked him to email me the pic...so that u can verify whether its mono or twin...

i take it that the mono will give a stiffer ride while the twin more comfort..so...which apm is actually better in terms of reliability?? the mono or twin??

very strange cos i've always read in zth that the twin tubes are the ones which make the irritating noise...n r not as reliable as the monos...

wat differences will linear & progressive springs make?? which are the newer version??

 

[chelnick]

best if you try each car by yourself.....because different ppl different feeling...

i can let you try my car if you want when i go down to penang(not sure when)

i'm using titan.....

gimme your number ... i'll call you if i'm down in penang...

 

[wildboar]

ok this is the apm that i've seen in brothers and other shops...the one i saw in mpower has different color...either the spring or the tube was different...cant reli remember...

so...is this the monotube or twintube??

chelnick..i'll pm u my number...

 

[Kenboy]

this looks like a twin tube. if its gold, then its the twin tube.

 

[wildboar]

ok...but isnt it a bit subjective to judge the shock (mono or twin) based on color?? i mean issit possible apm just changed the body color?? mebe to get rid of their old monotubes??

 

[techtic]

-edited- wrongly login. sorry.

 

[delphinium]

the above reply was my officemate's one. i didnt notice that i was browsing ZTH under his nick :)

ello alex, i'm running on RG hi-lo front and rear. all of 'em are in a not pretty good condition. looking all over penang to service 'em. wanna test ride? heheheh... just imagine yourself seating in a boat in a soft windy condition.

 

[DDgreystar]

go for TITAN if u have no qualms abt $$, its certainly worth it !! :)

 

[dolly]

wont you be utilising titan's reliability to the fullest since it will be a daily driven car?

granny always say get the best option you can or dont bother getting at all. pay 2.8k and dont look back. no regrets!