Cusco Zero 2E(with Econ) and Greddy Oil Pan
 

Just installed the Cusco Zero 2E with Econ and Greddy Oil Pan last week and here are my thoughts on how it is.

(before installing the suspension, the car already has sway bars, under carriage brace, front and rear strut bar installed so they all play a part in my review done)

Cusco Zero 2E - Brought the car out to a mini circuit to test it round sharp corners and long bends to see how the car behaved. Wheel alignment has been set to as close to factory setting as possible so that my brother and myself can see the difference before making alignment changes next time. Started driving round the mini circuit to make sure the suspension is ok. Setting now for the Econ is softest for now. Feels good..almost like stock. Car seems to be able to keep its balance nicely even though the suspension is set to softest. much much more controlled as compared to stock. Body roll is still there but very minimal. During cornerings, oversteer is apparent but its much easier to counter as the tail comes out very smoothly as compared to stock.

Then i tried medium setting. Wowee. I never dare to take on corners like that before but now its all possible because it just felt so sure and stable. And the good thing…the feedback is so good that it felt like I am handling a go kart. (have to add that the car is NOT lowered by a lot. About 2 finger space all round). Almost no body roll at all. Just drive nicely into the corner, gas it nicely back on midway, tail moves out a little bit, correct it and the car just slings itself out of the corner. Very well balanced indeed. The tyres by now were already screeching but still holding up very well. Traction from them are top notch (AD07).

I did not try the hardest setting as I don’t see the need to for now. Its already pretty stiff at medium setting. The hardest setting should be for much more demanding drivers and driving locations.

On other days that I tried the hardest setting on normal driving road conditions…my verdict. Ouchhhhh…..F$%^ing shiok during corners but very hard to drive on.

Maybe I need to add one important note – NO SOUND at all for soft and medium setting. No metal hit metal sound. At the hardest….quite slight oinking sound can be heard.. That should put all those people who want to buy but are afraid that their wife will find out. So far so good for me and my brother. Both ladies never say anything until we told them we changed. Both said its pretty much like stock.

Greddy Oil Pan – We changed the stock oil pan to the Greddy on last week as well. Technically, the stock pan does not provide adequate oil capacity that is needed for engine cooling during hard driving or track use. The greddy unit adds about 750+ - cc of engine oil as compared to the stock unit. By right, it should prevent engine performance from going down when oil pressure occurs. Also, it should prevent oil starvation to the cooling system during hard cornering. By the way, the pan is made of aluminum, thus it offers better heat dissipation. Under carriage clearance is also not a problem cos the pan is pretty flat. So no worries about scrapping.

We have been observing the oil temp gauge for about a week. Normal driving temp with the occasional high revs has actually decreased now. Used to be about 88-93 but I am getting regular 85 and below now. Driving during hard conditions, oil temp has also gone down. Used to be about 107+ -. Now is about 100-105.


In summary, the cusco zero 2e (in my opinion) is really very good. Cusco being cusco, quality is there for sure. HARD yet SOFT….SOFT yet FIRM…..FIRM yet COMFY. Like a taiji master, using softness to counter hardness. I find that I don’t have to drive as hard as I used to BUT I can drive faster and better at trying to take on corners now..much smoother now since the car is much more balanced and predictable.

To really enjoy the suspension, I really recommend the usage of the econ. The convenience of tuning it in the car itself scores more point that anything.

The Greddy oil pan is something nice to have for the car. Mainly for protection and prevention purpose. It’s akin to having a 3rd oil cooler and a bigger water bottle.

Siesta has also done a review on the Cusco Zero 2E with Econ some time back. 2 different reviews with the same outcome. ‘Good Stuff’.

https://www.rx8club.com/showthread.p...ighlight=cusco

Did I mentioned that we also just fitted the racing cat from Knight Sports. Together with the KS headers and exhaust…pushing through the middle of the night in the mini circuit is totally heavenly. Wind down the window…listen to the engine note at high revs….ahhhhh……sweet

Where did i purchase these from? Monster Garage. Call them to check for stock availability and pricing.

Kindly PM coupe07 for details.

heresay somebody also giving up tein for cusco......after test driving rei's ride with cusco! :mdrmed:

oil pan good rite!!

Shucks...now you make me gian to change oil pan and suspension.

can't agree with you more Kenny .... tot of selling my Cusco off actually but can't really find anything to match it in terms of price and the quality at the moment. Tanabe might be good but I just can't bear to wait for 1 month or more for the delivery.... quite sian to wait actually ... coz I waited more than a month for the cusco initially...

Where is this mini circuit you are talking about ?

buy first...dun like then sell it off...but highly unlikely la. Sell more pizzas to cover the oil pan (or u can use the 20" pizza pan)....

somewhere my gd buddy brought me too. dead quiet...no cars. its like a mini track with no traffic lights....and you can push and push and push the car...bring u guys there one day. hard to describe the location.

here is a pic to show the temp after about a month after installation.

Travelling at about 100km/h under normal conditions when 2 sibeh tiong rx8 zoomed past me.

https://www.rx8club.com/attachment.p...id=87675&stc=1

quite cool eh....

https://www.rx8club.com/attachment.p...id=87676&stc=1

ur car undercarriage so many goodies hor......

ya lor see until i also dam gian....

jilat whole body start itchy again...

did i see sumting wrong?
how cum ur temp setting can set to 15 degrees?

maybe now oil temp cooler....so aircon also cooler la....

....hee....i thot can set 15 degrees as standard? Dun tell me only MM car can set 15 degrees? now thats cool!

i better go my show room n check my car 2molo.....

i think only MM cars can set 15c. mine JDM is 18c. or could be another running change that mazda does...... :mdrmed:

Nice review.... Thanks!

Bro,

You made the right choice......Those who need CUSCO ZERO2E can look for ME ...bringing in Some of it....

Let me know.....

I am a cusco fan

Virus

Dude,

Getting some knocking noises on the front recently(after 6mnths of use). Sent it for servicing, hopefully it solves the problem :mad:

hey heyy siesta,

you got the pillowball mount right...oink oink sound inevitable after some time.

i also encounter some slight oink oink sound...but thats when i go over small pothole or uneven road...but nothing audio set at level 5 can't solve. :)

email me the results after servicing ok. i am also curious!

Yeah, I get those noises over uneven roads and potholes too but Im also experiencing slight knocking noises sometimes when i'm doing slow turns and reverse parking. Anyhow, it's a relatively minor issue and nothing to kick a big hoo-haa about it.

Will be getting my car back tomorrow, will update you then.

Any updates on the noises after servicing? And any further thought on the Cuscos? Thanks.

One question - how much is the set?

There's not much help after servicing. I think I will just have to live with the noise. Performance wise I still like it alot. The 8 just feels so different on corners. I can't compare with other coilovers cos I've never had them on my 8 and it would be prudent not to comment.

Anyhow, If you're looking for coilovers of this price range with electronic damper adjustments, I think only the Tein type flex/super street and cusco zero2e comes to mind. I chose Cusco cos the names just more catchy.....CUSCO CUSCO............................ n its blue.....but wudever.

Thanks - there's a proposed group buy going on and I wanted to try and get some 1st person experience with them as the organizer has none. They sure do look nice and I agree the name is catchy.... have you ever taken them to the track or autocross?

Another option is Tanabe Sustec Pro 7.....