rear aftermarket springs too compressed and clunking.
03-30-2008, 10:49 AM
#29
Power!!
Thread Starter
I'm still waiting on the RB springs. Should be here in 2 weeks from the guy I'm getting them from.
03-31-2008, 06:18 PM
#31
Administrator
iTrader: (7)
shaun: stop putting so many dead bodies in the trunk. The extra weight FUBAR'd your springs. 
03-31-2008, 07:52 PM
#33
I don't buy Kool-Aid
To the OP get some Tanabe GF210's. They go great with the shocks you have right now!!!
03-31-2008, 08:59 PM
#34
Power!!
Thread Starter
Nope. It happens when I brake hard too. I'm guessing that around 0.7G's or higher it's a large enough force to get the coils to jump over and slide across each other. That's why it doesn't happen when I accelerate hard. The RX8 can only pull about 0.5G's in acceleration.
(as measured by my Gtech)
(as measured by my Gtech)
03-31-2008, 09:02 PM
#35
Power!!
Thread Starter
Good to know someone else has them and they work okay with the Konis.
This is the last time I become an early adopter.
03-31-2008, 11:04 PM
#37
I don't buy Kool-Aid
Search up my old thread(s) when I had my AT 8 and was looking for Tanabe springs. A few guys had Tanabe GF210's and Konis shocks there rides look sick!
This is my second set of Tanabe GF210's. Nothing but good compliments.
Think I'm going to get the Konis soon
Let me know how it works out!
03-31-2008, 11:06 PM
#38
I don't buy Kool-Aid
Nope. It happens when I brake hard too. I'm guessing that around 0.7G's or higher it's a large enough force to get the coils to jump over and slide across each other. That's why it doesn't happen when I accelerate hard. The RX8 can only pull about 0.5G's in acceleration.
(as measured by my Gtech)
(as measured by my Gtech)
04-01-2008, 01:51 PM
#40
Power!!
Thread Starter
Thanks! I'll get some after shots when I install them. There is a track day on April 24th. I"m hoping I can put them on and be ready before then to get some impressions.
06-04-2008, 12:06 AM
#42
Purveyor of fine bass
FWIW, the Konis lowered my rear quite noticeably with stock springs and caused them to look compressed more than usual as well:
Of course, there's no coil binding there w/ the stock spring, but you can see it's not its happy "normal ride height" self.
Based on my experience, Konis will definitely lower your ride height, but it's a question of how much. On my car, the answer seems to be about half an inch or so.
Perhaps the Koni (low-pressure gas shock) difference has more effect in the rear than the front because the rear is a softer spring than the front spring.
It also seems that if your car has been lowered for a while, your bushings have probably settled in a slightly lower position than stock, esp if you had it aligned and had, say, the rear camber and toe cams loosened and retightened. So this may contribute to your rear (and my rear) dropping a greater distance when switching to Konis.
When people put in Konis on a previously stock suspension car, they may not loosen and retighten every single bushing in the rear suspension and consequently may not get quite as much of a drop, since most of the bushings will be in that "stock height" location.
See my "rear too low" thread.
Anyways, it seems that all the springs are designed with the high-pressure gas shocks in mind. I'm running a Koni/Tein H-tech combo and I'm as low as a Tein S-tech car on stock shocks and Mazdaspeed shocks. However, my spring rate is not as stiff as the S-tech. So I basically have the S-tech height with the H-tech spring rate increase.
I considered going w/ the RB springs, as they had the attractive combination more stiffness and less drop than other options, but I was concerned that I was going to get a fairly uneven front and rear wheel gap (more front than rear). So I decided to stop chancing it and went with H-techs that were advertised to drop the front more than the rear. In the end, my ride looks fairly even, maybe a touch less gap rear than front, but not much at all. However, you ran springs that had an advertised front & rear even drop, how did your drop look with the Konis? (Maybe the advertised numbers dont' tell the whole story)
(EDIT: I just re-read your post and noticed you say that the rear sat a lot lower after Konis... so let's hope that things will sit even with the RB or Eibach springs you're getting, but my feeling is skeptical on i).
Of course, there's no coil binding there w/ the stock spring, but you can see it's not its happy "normal ride height" self.
Based on my experience, Konis will definitely lower your ride height, but it's a question of how much. On my car, the answer seems to be about half an inch or so.
Perhaps the Koni (low-pressure gas shock) difference has more effect in the rear than the front because the rear is a softer spring than the front spring.
It also seems that if your car has been lowered for a while, your bushings have probably settled in a slightly lower position than stock, esp if you had it aligned and had, say, the rear camber and toe cams loosened and retightened. So this may contribute to your rear (and my rear) dropping a greater distance when switching to Konis.
When people put in Konis on a previously stock suspension car, they may not loosen and retighten every single bushing in the rear suspension and consequently may not get quite as much of a drop, since most of the bushings will be in that "stock height" location.
See my "rear too low" thread.
Anyways, it seems that all the springs are designed with the high-pressure gas shocks in mind. I'm running a Koni/Tein H-tech combo and I'm as low as a Tein S-tech car on stock shocks and Mazdaspeed shocks. However, my spring rate is not as stiff as the S-tech. So I basically have the S-tech height with the H-tech spring rate increase.
I considered going w/ the RB springs, as they had the attractive combination more stiffness and less drop than other options, but I was concerned that I was going to get a fairly uneven front and rear wheel gap (more front than rear). So I decided to stop chancing it and went with H-techs that were advertised to drop the front more than the rear. In the end, my ride looks fairly even, maybe a touch less gap rear than front, but not much at all. However, you ran springs that had an advertised front & rear even drop, how did your drop look with the Konis? (Maybe the advertised numbers dont' tell the whole story)
(EDIT: I just re-read your post and noticed you say that the rear sat a lot lower after Konis... so let's hope that things will sit even with the RB or Eibach springs you're getting, but my feeling is skeptical on i).
Last edited by Astral; 06-04-2008 at 12:15 AM.
06-25-2008, 03:33 PM
#43
Power!!
Thread Starter
Update:
So my used Racingbeat deal isn't going to happen but I have a line on another set used.
I'm not as worried about too high ride height as I am getting good suspension travel and too low ride height. I think right now my shorter suspension travel is also starting to cause problems with my front control arms. I'm getting some clunking when I turn the wheel while the suspension is compressed. Like hard cornering under braking or going up an incline into a parking lot or my garage. I am speculating that my front upper control arm is bottoming out the ball joint articulation and rubbing on the spindle arm. I am hoping there is no permanent damage going on here.
When I turn the wheel while in the compressed state I can feel in the steering wheel and hear a clunk.
I'm not going to track it again until I get the new springs in.
So my used Racingbeat deal isn't going to happen but I have a line on another set used.
I'm not as worried about too high ride height as I am getting good suspension travel and too low ride height. I think right now my shorter suspension travel is also starting to cause problems with my front control arms. I'm getting some clunking when I turn the wheel while the suspension is compressed. Like hard cornering under braking or going up an incline into a parking lot or my garage. I am speculating that my front upper control arm is bottoming out the ball joint articulation and rubbing on the spindle arm. I am hoping there is no permanent damage going on here.
When I turn the wheel while in the compressed state I can feel in the steering wheel and hear a clunk.I'm not going to track it again until I get the new springs in.
Last edited by shaunv74; 06-25-2008 at 03:38 PM.
06-25-2008, 04:00 PM
#45
Administrator
iTrader: (7)
shaun: have you looked into some Tein H-Techs?
DPE had some great experiences with that combo on their track car
DPE had some great experiences with that combo on their track car
06-25-2008, 09:55 PM
#47
Administrator
iTrader: (7)
yes, but they still were VERY knowledgable about suspension setups
06-26-2008, 01:17 AM
#48
Power!!
Thread Starter
Yeah I've looked at them too and I know they would work well. I'm just set on the Racing Beat springs. I like their stuff and one of my driving buddies has them and it's exactly the ride I'm looking for.
06-30-2008, 12:05 AM
#50
Power!!
Thread Starter
Well I had to back out on our monthly drive today because the steering clunk was just getting too bad and I wanted to limit the amount of damage I might cause the suspension.
So I spent the day ripping out the Espelir springs and putting the stock springs back in. I did the front's first and lo and behold the clunking with steering was completely gone! Imagine that. At least I know it was just the springs and not something else. So I'm half done with the rears now. Hopefully have them finished tomorrow night or Tuesday.
I'm actually interested to see how the stock springs with the Konis and RB sways will act. It may be a nice compromise for a while...
At least I'm getting better at changing the springs now. God the rears suck though.
So I spent the day ripping out the Espelir springs and putting the stock springs back in. I did the front's first and lo and behold the clunking with steering was completely gone! Imagine that. At least I know it was just the springs and not something else. So I'm half done with the rears now. Hopefully have them finished tomorrow night or Tuesday.
I'm actually interested to see how the stock springs with the Konis and RB sways will act. It may be a nice compromise for a while...
At least I'm getting better at changing the springs now. God the rears suck though.