My Next Upgrade: Suspension

[mADmAN]

i said brand new GAB SS.....so i meant gab malaysia... theres no more gab japan...tutup kedai long time already... and gab malaysia bought over the rights to the brand or something like that.

i thought about getting the GABs mainly coz i can customize the spring rates...which i want the to be super stiff for track days....hence the crazy 12/10 setup... my tein flex i dunno wat spring rates....but bekside itchy wan super keras hahahahha...plus the GAB SS is monotube while my flex is twintube


EDIT: the SR4 suspension u posted doesnt look like adjustables oso.... anyway...like the cusco site mentioned...best to get one with bodyshift... and almost all suspension these days have that...even GAB SS and HWL and D2 and Tein.

personally...for me they must have height adjustable via bodyshift... and soft/hard adjustable as well...preferably minimum 22 steps so that can better fine tune the absorber damping rate

 

[ddv_nk12]

12/10 setup is for track and those figures actually mean the stiffness. The higher those figures, the stiffer it is, right? What would be ideal for a street setup?

Alamak, new term... monotube and twintube. Need to google now. Can't recall how many new terms I learned today?

 

[mADmAN]

12/10 setup is for track and those figures actually mean the stiffness. The higher those figures, the stiffer it is, right? What would be ideal for a street setup?

Alamak, new term... monotube and twintube. Need to google now. Can't recall how many new terms I learned today?

yeah....the higher the stiffer....

as for monotube vs twintube....this is the best article ive found while doing my own research last time..

Mono Tube/Twin Tube suspension info by 'TEIN' - EK9.org JDM EK9 Honda Civic Type R Forum


if u get the GAB SS, the springs that come pre-packaged with the shocks is pretty good for steet use. for EG its 8kgmm front and 5kgmm rear iirc...not sure about the ones for DC/DB.

n in case u havent read...ive also edited my previous post

 

[ddv_nk12]

Owh ok. I just read that article. It's the first result in google. Hehe. Now I understand these terms. And now I see why you want a mono tube. But just to highlight:

Unfortunately we cannot say that it is suited for the hard circuit conditions because of these demerits.
But when we say the twin-tube is not suited for circuits, it is only based on direct comparisons with the mono-tube. In fact, the twin-tube design TYPE FLEX, which is available on the market, won its class in the 2005 Nurburgring 24hour race.

Bro, what do you think of the quality/durability of GAB SS?

 

[mADmAN]

yeah i know about that....

i havent heard of anyone complaining about their GAB SS....i recently successfully poisoned a friend to install it on his satria neo...and hes damn happy with it.

 

[klywh1]

yeah i know about that....

i havent heard of anyone complaining about their GAB SS....i recently successfully poisoned a friend to install it on his satria neo...and hes damn happy with it.

been using for few yrs liao overhaul once suit my taste

 

[AD_EG]

Okay, now I know that Super Street is not so good in handling. HA and Flex is better. But may I know why you say Flex is better than HA bro? What are you using now?

im not sure how to explain, but with flex the car feels firm on the ground yet soft? the character is different. before selling my car off i was on Tomei adjustables. this was quite good also but a bit hard to find i think

 

[Izso]

ddv : Here's what I think about the springs :

The absorbers are for just that - absorbing the knocks and bumps. How well it absorbs will directly affect your comfort. Koni Yellow has the strange ability to be stiffer the more it's pushed therefore giving you stability at the same time in corners. The faster is compresses and rebounds in some way the better the comfort level since it's more responsive. But too fast and it'll make the ride harsh. Too slow and it'll be all wallowly and magic-carpet-ride-ish.

The spring is there to support the weight of the car. Matched with the absorbers the suspensions rebound rate, reaction time and comfort will all be affected. The harder the springs the faster it reacts but the more uncomfortable it'll be since on roads that the absorber isn't doing anything the bumps will be transferred to the car.

IMHO (again), when testing a car, you shouldn't test how fast it can take a corner. Test it on a slow bumpy road (how comfortable it is), test it launching and braking (nose diving and frog jumping), test quick left-right-left-right turns (reaction speed and response). How well you take a corner depends on a lot of things - suspension is just part of the equation. How thick your antiroll bars are, the type of bushings, the number of bars you have, etc all affect cornering speed.

Besides, you won't be doing break neck speeds on corners every minute every day, you'll more likely than not be driving slow on some roads, speeding on some straights and launching at every toll and traffic light.

RCS is about RM4k at the very best btw.

 

[ddv_nk12]

madman: Seriously, after seeing your explanation, I'm quite convinced with GAB since its good and cheap. But why doesn't it come with EDFC or something like that? I mean I seriously think I need that. Is it difficult to change the hi/low soft/hard thing manually? Can I do it myself without much trouble? Or must I send it to shop every time I wanna readjust them?

Izso: Now I know how to test the handling. I thought it was just taking corners at high speed. Thanks. And what you said is true as well. I will not be speeding all the time. I will try this method later.

---------- Post added at 09:48 AM ---------- 6 hour anti-bump limit - Previous post was at 09:46 AM ----------

Oh ya, how come there is this poll already? Hehe. Thanks.

Would appreciate if those who voted for others could post which brand and series you voted for.

 

[yeehau86]

Izso: Yup, I remember last time drexchan did all the things that you mentioned especially the quick left-right-left-right turns (reaction speed and response) after installing the adjustables for me until the traction control kicks in & beeping. And he did ask me twice to fasten my seatbelts and trust me thank God I did that

ddv_nk12: Done :)

 

[ddv_nk12]

I see there's someone voted for others. May I know what is it?

On second thoughts, I think it's better if I ask a pro to test my car.

YH: May I know what's done? What suspensions are you using? Bro, you remember that night we had TT, Redice was also using DB8 and he also suggested Tein HA right?

---------- Post added at 10:05 AM ---------- 6 hour anti-bump limit - Previous post was at 10:05 AM ----------

I see there's someone voted for others. May I know what is it?

On second thoughts, I think it's better if I ask a pro to test my car.

YH: May I know what's done? What suspensions are you using? Bro, you remember that night we had TT, Redice was also using DB8 and he also suggested Tein HA right?

 

[yeehau86]

After installing the adjustables & adjust the height, drex getting ready to drive the car out and do all the above mentioned by Izso for a 'butt testing' around his shop. Since it is only around the area, I did not fasten my seatbelt the moment I get into the car but then he immediately asked me twice "Are you sure that you do not want to fasten your seatbelt?". The journey was fun I got to say until my traction control kicks in, and thank God I belted

I'm on GAB HA by the way. Yup, reddice did suggest Tein HA too, and also a brand (I forgot what was it) that was quite harsh even until when he sits in the home sofa he still feels the bumpiness.

 

[Izso]

madman: Seriously, after seeing your explanation, I'm quite convinced with GAB since its good and cheap. But why doesn't it come with EDFC or something like that? I mean I seriously think I need that. Is it difficult to change the hi/low soft/hard thing manually? Can I do it myself without much trouble? Or must I send it to shop every time I wanna readjust them?

Hi/lo/soft/hard adjustables are pretty simple to adjust if you have easy access to the absorbers (like my bare-no-plastic-boot Wira.. easy access). The hi-lo adjustment will need the special adjusters to turn the placement of the springs (in some case the body itself called 'body shift' so it doesn't compress the spring when you adjust). To adjust the soft-hard is just turning a knob at the top of the absorber which is normally sticking out when you open your hood and boot (assuming it's exposed). What the EDFC does is just electronically control these knobs from inside the car - that's it. Otherwise it's just a matter of how many clicks hard/soft you want to adjust and you do it for all 4 corners.

Not hard la. And people don't usually adjust the height, just perhaps the stiffness only.

If you're ever able to get Aragostas, I think these will cost way more than RCS since they are fully imported and pretty 'famous' amongst the tuning communities outside M'sia. Having said that though, RCS had a Scooby customer who gave up his Aragostas for RCS. That's saying a lot for RCS's quality.

At the same time though, there are lots of people out there happy with their GABs, Spoons, Teins, Improves, Titans, etc too. Honestly - go test drive yourself and see which you like the best. No point getting a 'pro' to do it for you. Get a pro to install it yes - get a pro to choose? Nah.

Btw, if you really want 'pro' installation, shops that use corner weighting to select the right springs is a good idea. I've heard a few shops offering this service now. RCS being one of them.

What is it? Corner Weighting

Otherwise the springs that comes with the adjustables specifically for your car make is usually more than sufficient for usage unless you want to go hardcore.


Yeehau : Your biggest mistake was assuming Drex would be testing your new suspension slowly. And seatsbelts are always a good idea!

 

[Prabakar Naidu]

How about TITAN?

As I know TITAN is totally customized based on your car. So its more based on individual requirement.

 

[carent9]

My comment :
Koni absorbers + Eibach springs = comfort and stability. BUT handling is not to the MAX.. not as good as adjustables

GAB SS - pretty good for me. but comfort is not as good as EIBACH...

 

[mADmAN]

madman: Seriously, after seeing your explanation, I'm quite convinced with GAB since its good and cheap. But why doesn't it come with EDFC or something like that? I mean I seriously think I need that. Is it difficult to change the hi/low soft/hard thing manually? Can I do it myself without much trouble? Or must I send it to shop every time I wanna readjust them?

as izso has mentioned above.... EDFC is basically adjusting ur ride stiffness within the car via an electronic controller....it doesnt touch the height at all... EDFC is basically a luxury...not a necessity... n like i mentioned before...Tein's EDFC will require their pillowball mount as well...which can be noisy. and us hondas has easily adjustable camber kits in the market. much better than pillowballs....no noise

as for adjusting manually... damn easy...its basically turning a knob at the top of the suspension....front is easily accesible....and the rear not sure about ur DB...but should be alright as well i guess

 

[yeehau86]

Izso: My bad on the seatbelts (:

 

[Izso]

How about TITAN?

As I know TITAN is totally customized based on your car. So its more based on individual requirement.

The same applies for RCS. But with Titan you probably have to go back to them to have them adjust it a few times before you're finally satisfied. But I guess that's a small price to play for customized suspensions.

My comment :
Koni absorbers + Eibach springs = comfort and stability. BUT handling is not to the MAX.. not as good as adjustables

GAB SS - pretty good for me. but comfort is not as good as EIBACH...

Probably true, but then again depends on what you mean by "handling". Do you mean like those supremely stiff suspensions found on GT cars and rally cars? Or for just street handling? No right no wrong la.

But for my opinion, I'd rather go for comfy Koni + Eibach, thick front and rear antiroll bars, a few strut bars etc, solid PU bushings and absorber mounts and comfy not-too-low-profile 195/55/15 tyres or 205/50/16.

Street mah. Performance and comfort compared to the adjustables equivalent. But I concede that the same setup with adjustables would be able to corner more agressively compared to Koni + Eibach.

 

[WPQ800]

dude, im in klang valley area only.... let us all meet up for teh tarik.... maybe at taipan area? i know an area nearby where we can test each of our suspension setup (even r3 n proton guys test their cars there.... for street application la.....)

i voted for others.... personally id love to go for ohlins.....but cant afford it...hahah FYI i have used HKS hipermax, cusco, and zeal...... been using this tein superstreet for about 2 yrs now....

my personal review, hipermax and zeal handle corners without effort n depends on whether u got balls or not, seriously it wont complaint n remains planted to the tarmac.... but to stiff for road use, even my dashboard rattles due to it, as for cusco it was quite ok but the brand is slowing down in japan..... at that point of time all "kaki" was going for tein.... so i opted for the superstreet instead.... even the hardest setup is still softer than the other 3 brands i have used.......

used to be more track focused so i didnt really mind using hks/cusco/zeal.... but since i have kids, the superstreet still allow me to drive agrresively at corners while being a liltle comfy on most road condition..... due to that, it also taught me to be more technical too when driving to the max cos it is not as stiff n track focused as the other 3 i have used......

BUT STILL....... I WOULD GO FOR OHLINS IF I GOT THE MONEY!

 

[zuzulim]

what about ohlins ? nice ?