PoLaK

iTrader: (1)

Razz no idea that you had a set of KWs, totally aggree with you on the quality hense the Group Buy I'm running on them.

TerenceC

Photo,

Yep, I took them apart last Friday, the rear springs show signs of touching bewteen coils. The worst is the 2 that has different diameter(the 2nd lowest from the bottom spring perch has smaller diameter than the upper coils), it looks like the smaller one was half way stuck at the coil above it and than release on big bumps or heavy load in the middle of a dip. It think that was how the uncomfort noise came from.

So I changed the whole set to the stiffer springs that originally shipped with the kit. My dealer told me that was a mistake and that were not the spring rate I want or not even the standard spring rate but told to just keep them. There are some hand written writing that reads "12/9.1" on the box. But from my calculation, the front and rear springs seem to be about double than the one I have(which they told me are 7kg/mm frt and 5kg/mm rear). That was the plan before I declare "I'm done with this crap" and swap back to stock shock/springs combo.

So I test drive it for a bit and the loud noise seem to be gone but there are still some poping noise on some bigger bumps. I'm pretty sure all the mounting nuts and bolts are torqued properly. I didn't switch the top mount bushings to the stock ones. The ride seem to be still acceptable on my first test drive but this morning on my way to work it feel a bit too stiff.

I will wait for a couple more weeks to see if I can stand the noise and the stiff ride before I get rid of this setup completely.

Terence

PhotoMunkey

I tried 8 kg/mm at the rear and they were FAR too stiff... like D1GP-star loose at the rear. They were even twitchy during high speed sweepers, which makes on ramps very nervous-feeling.

I went back to the 6 kg/mm springs, but set the shock setting to 3/4ths on each side, and set the adjustable Progress Technology anti-roll bar to it's stiffest setting. I'm only getting coil-bind on the very worst of the bumps, and only then when driving through a BIG dip, like a runoff dip in a road.

I would not characterize the 10 kg/mm front and 6 kg/mm rear rates as "too stiff". In fact, they feel awesome compared to stock shocks!

Speedtoys

TC:

Would you say that the difference between 0 preload in the rear and 1" of preload in the rear solved:

25%
50%
75%
90%

Of the coil bind issues back there on 5Kg springs.


I got the kit and drove from SF to denver and back, and the rears bound up like mad a lot with no preload. Entering driveways/etc.

TeamRX8

iTrader: (25)

preload will not solve coil bind, only a longer spring or different shock length will

frankly it sounds like this kit is not well designed, with the spring rates mentioned you typically would be using helper springs and have zero preload to get proper length shocks in the preferred operating range

also note that 1 kg/mm is approx. 56 lb/in, at least one of the conversions above is incorrect

Speedtoys

I didnt think so..but..ive got some photos to post here soon on whats going on..

Daemos

I had them on my sentra, pretty good handling, horrible ride.

The shocks are REALLY bad, uneven valving, poor quality, just not even close to being matched to the springs.

After riding in other cars with much stiffer spring rates using higher quality shocks like blistens and konis, the ksports pretty much proves you get what you pay for.

Cheap price, cheap quality, cheap everything.

But the proof is in the pudding as they say, some people actually did some shock dynos...the results speak for them selves

http://www.mazdas247.com/forum/showt...hp?t=123666252

The link is quite a good read and provides lots of useful suspension/shock info

TeamRX8

iTrader: (25)

it appears that they're using a variable rate spring rather than a true fixed rate coilover spring as noted by the changing conical spring diameter, definitely smacking the coils together on the bottom end shown ...

but otherwise that thread link pretty much shows what I've been posting about all these overhyped, acid trip anodized, crap shock kits that uninformed JDM wannabes seem to get so hot about ...

Daemos

TeamRX8: Yes the ksports are garbage, the only reason I jumped on it was because I got them when they FIRST came out.

From what I can tell the RX8 has some really nice high end suspension from blisten, but the Ohlins coilovers are probably what I'd go after.

Robbie

Yes KSport is just another one of the cheap coilovers manufactured in Taiwan like Megan. They have the same crappy damping curves that are nowhere near optimal for any car. Seal quality varies and the adjusment doesn't change the damping curve much at all. Anyone will be better served with Tociko D-Specs or Koni's and a good spring. Avoid these if you do track days.