VS8

iTrader: (4)

I am looking to upgrade my suspension and I cant decided between Tein Basic Coilovers or DSpecs Shocks and Tein Springs...can some of you guys give me your set ups for under 1k

HeavyMetal699

Lots of views no replies so I'll take a swing at this.

You have a bodykit and staggered wheels. You won't be competitive in ANY class.

My best suggestion would be to find some local guys who have tiens and ride in the car with them. And while your at it try as many set ups as you can.

I'm guessing performance is #1 goal since this is the competition forum. What are your goals on ride height? Is it a daily driver?

VS8

iTrader: (4)

i am going back to 18s stock and i put on my stock kit for autox
and this car will be a daily driver

HeavyMetal699

Oh, in that case the most popular and successful suspension set up for autocross is koni yellows and stock springs(can't change springs in BS). After that an alignment does wonders, but should suit your driving style. There are different opinions on alignments.

Last piece of the puzzle is front sway bar (rear takes you out of BS). Again theres a little bit of personal preference and voodoo on that as well.

Good Luck!

VS8

iTrader: (4)

if i did want to change springs what would be a good set to get

HeavyMetal699

Depends on what you want for a drop really. If I were to get springs it would be a battle between Swift and Racingbeat.

Swift publishes their numbers(I believe they make them in house) while racingbeat does NOT and has not been tested by anyone on the forum to see what their true values are. Racingbeat claims 20% stiffer which puts them in the same ballpark as swift.

http://www.swiftsprings.com/file/SportSprings.pdf

Don't forget that koni's are low pressure shocks (stock is high pressure), so the drop will possibly be more than advertised.

Edit:

You will get about a .5" drop just from switching to Konis, this will effectively increase your spring rate by preloading the springs more. Racingbeat requires you to trim the bump stop with .5" drop on their springs. Swift springs have more of a drop but have less coils than stock(and Racingbeat) but you will still have ot trim the bump stops. Through lots of searching the only guy who quoted an opinion on racingbeat springs and koni yellows was like back in '05. Swoope mentioned in an ancient thread he rode in his car so maybe he can jump in and say something. I'm not sure of anyone who has a koni/swift combo, although Endless Rotaries is a big fan of them.

I only fear losing too much suspension travel and riding on the bump stops while racing. Or worse scraping more than I already do.

chiketkd

iTrader: (5)

Okay, so as to not spread mis-information, I have a set of SA koni yellows installed on my RX-8 and I didn't see a 1/2" reduction in ride height.

Shocks control the rate of body roll on a car -- while springs affect the ride height.

The ONLY way you can reduce ride height by swithcing just shocks, is by de-gassing the shocks. I've come across a handful of S2000 drivers who've done this but with mixed results on whether it's of benefit or not.

NgoRX8

iTrader: (1)

it shouldn't drop 1/2 inch more just cuz of the shocks, but it does drop very slightly. has to do more with the specifics of the springs as well.

TeamRX8

iTrader: (25)

the OE shocks are high pressure monotube

the standard Koni shocks are low pressure twin-tube, they can be easily modified to be zero-pressure/hydraulic operation

the shock gas force exerted against the static spring load force is F= P * A, where P = gas pressure and A = area of the shock shaft. The greater the gas pressure and the greater the shaft diameter, the greater the lifting force of the shock gas pressure. Unlike a spring though it is basically a constant force through the travel range for all intents and purposes.

Example; 300 psig gas pressure with a 3/4" diameter racing shaft = 132 lbs of force at each corner. A 1/2" shaft diameter would drop down to 59 lbs force per corner, or dropping pressure to 200 psig would change it to 88 lbs force per corner. These shock gas forces would work directly against the spring force load resulting from the chassis weight.

there's a right way and a wrong way to do everything, do it wrong and you likely won't see the same result

VS8

iTrader: (4)

are mazdaspeed shocks and springs anygood

Works Concepts

iTrader: (12)

Koni shocks are a good start, because as mentioned earlier there are companies that can modify them for you later on if you want to do so. They can be made into double adjustable shocks, which is something that is huge for competition purposes. They also have pretty good support in the racing community. If you just wanted to go the quick and easy route Tein basics would be an easy solution, but they have no adjustment other than height.