Hey guys,

i've done a search for the JIC FLT-TAR coilovers on this forum but only 2 posts came up. Curious as to what people think of it in terms of streetability.

I use this as a daily driver and do a few track days a year. I need to ability to change damper settings, height etc.

Can people comment on how streetable this particular coilover is on the 8? Im in aus and our roads here are pretty ****

I've also considered the Cusco zero 2Es & Tein flex's but a good deal witht he JIC's have come up

Be looking at getting the 8kg / 5kg combo

 

Anyone? Someone must use these in the US. i heard they wer quite big there.

 

i've never heard of FLT-AR. A1 has the same spring rates. it's a pretty comfortable ride for a full coilover setup.

 

Thx for that info !

Yeah i think the FLT - TAR's are an updated model of the A2s? read that somewhere.

 

i believe A2 is somewhere like 12kg/15kg...that's a bit harsh for a daily driver.

 

i have the flt-a2's and have about 20k on them an love them they are great!!!

 

The TAR is defitnely a 8kg and 5kg front rear

really interested if anyone actually has this particular model

 

For reference:

http://www.jic-magic.com/ViewProduct1.aspx?ProductID=33

 

I have the 8kg/5kg FLT-TAR's and I am very happy with them. Even with the dampers set to full soft, the ride is a bit rough, but that's a matter of personal preference. Light-weight wheels & brakes will bring back some of that ride quality. I have also heard the Ohlins HA coilovers (same spring rates) have similar track performace with better ride quality, but they are a bit more expensive.

 

I am just about to pull the trigger on the JIC FLT-TAR.

How much harsher is the ride compared to stock with the dampers set to full soft?

 

there are two types for the RX-8

FLTA2S 8kg/5kg rate (450#/281#)

FLTA2H 10kg/7kg rate (564#/393#)


the rear spring rate is progressive on both

 

The spring rates are almost three times stock (higher for the 10k setup). With that in mind, I think the ride is acceptable for daily driving. However, it is quite a bit harsher than stock. Others may disagree, or even say they are "more comfortable than stock", but that is not my experience.

Still, I think they are a good coilover for the price. If you are really concerned about ride quality, there are better options out there.

There are a few nuggets of good advice (along with a lot of bad advice) in this thread:
https://www.rx8club.com/series-i-wheels-tires-brakes-suspension-55/best-coilovers-street-driven-rx8-188905/

 

I started that thread and searched for threads talking about JIC's and decided to bump it for more details.

 

I would go for the softer version.

Progressive = bad correct?

 

My bad... I just noticed that was your thread after I posted. Anyway, the ride quality of different kits is very subjective. Different people have different ideas of what constitutes a "harsh" ride or a "sporty" feeling suspension. You will also get a lot of differing opinions on build quality.

Also, I noticed that you want coilovers so you can raise your car up in the winter. Two things:

1.) The JIC's have an aluminum body and will oxidize quickly if you drive them on salty winter roads.
2.) Don't assume all coilovers will allow you to raise the car to stock ride height. Most are designed to work within a specific range which is lower than stock.

My advice: Swap your stock suspension in for the winter. It won't take long, and it's not like you could get much money selling your stock setup.

 

not for a street car

 

Great!

 

I have the JIC FLT-TARs that originally came with 10kg fronts and 7kg rears. I knew of JICs "aggressive" spring practices since I used to have the FLT-A2s on my NA Miata.

I went with the more aggressive valved "Hard" setup and then switched out the springs for a set of Swift Springs: 9kg front and 6kg rear.

The original setup had severe bump steer issues and it was quite a handful to drive on anything less-than-glass-smooth streets.

With the new custom springs, it's a bit better and more manageable on the street. On the track, it is so far FANTASTIC! It really made the car overexert itself on the street tires I was running on and just BEGGED for a fresh set of R-compounds.

Both sets are not perfect out of the box, but they're great coilovers if you're looking for a dual-duty type. They are NOT race / competition coilovers by any means though.

 

^I actually wonder how much of the behavioral improvement you noted with the Swifts is due to the higher quality, more consistent (read: linear) springs. Many racers will swap out the springs that came with their coilovers (which often are not as linear as you would like to believe) with units like Swift.

 

The rear spring was changed from a progressive spring to a linear one per Swift's recommendation.

I'm sure that little detail has a lot to do with how they perform now. I've done this before on my Miata as well and never really ran the springs that came with the set for an extended period of time.

I forgot that we have to compare apples to apples. Good eye GeorgeH......I totally forgot about that little detail.

 

Thanks - although I don't think the progressive rear spring was the cause of the skittishness. My KWs have progressive rears and don't exhibit any problems of that sort. I'm thinking it was the fronts - also, perhaps a mismatch side to side.

Did you change your ride height at all when you installed the new springs? Too low of a ride height can give bump steer as well.

 

My ride height not "slammed"

It's actually far from it. I've found that too low is bad for handling long time ago when I used to slam my civic with ground controls back in the days.

It's lowered about 1.75" all around from stock.