Boostjunkie Posted August 29, 2006 Share Posted August 29, 2006 Still waiting for a callback from Tokico. I'll give them another call today. That is some niiiiiice customer service by Tokico so far... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
intercede007 Posted August 29, 2006 Share Posted August 29, 2006 For anyone that has installed them on a wagon... How did you get to the towers in the rear of the car? How do those panels come out? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
triniexr Posted August 30, 2006 Share Posted August 30, 2006 if the struts were $700 and springs were $200, why didn't you just go with the tein basic coilover kit? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
lhsa Posted August 30, 2006 Share Posted August 30, 2006 maintainence and pillowball mounts. coilovers are different beasts than struts. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
triniexr Posted August 30, 2006 Share Posted August 30, 2006 maintainence and pillowball mounts. coilovers are different beasts than struts. well if these are a problem, what's a good adjustable shock to go with tein s tech springs? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mach V Dan Posted August 30, 2006 Share Posted August 30, 2006 How did you get to the towers in the rear of the car? How do those panels come out? You don't have to remove any panels in the back. The struts attach to the floor of the car. Easy. --Dan Mach V FastWRX.com Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
lhsa Posted August 30, 2006 Share Posted August 30, 2006 that is the problem. there were no reasonably priced aftermarket options for struts until the tokicos (which have their own problem). why do you think people are going crazy over them:icon_wink well if these are a problem, what's a good adjustable shock to go with tein s tech springs? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
hal9e3 Posted August 30, 2006 Share Posted August 30, 2006 For anyone that has installed them on a wagon... How did you get to the towers in the rear of the car? How do those panels come out? http://www.legacygt.com/forums/showthread.php?t=5757 Should be pretty much the same for any spring or shock and this thread answers your specific questions. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
lhsa Posted August 30, 2006 Share Posted August 30, 2006 actually, your instructions don't direct how the side pieces are removed, only that they need to be removed. i couldn't figure it out either, so i ended up with an open wrench which fit under the side covers. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
hal9e3 Posted August 30, 2006 Share Posted August 30, 2006 Actually, I only mentioned the side panels in passing but implied that the top hat and strut nuts can be reached without removing the panels, which they can. I'll update my post to make that clear. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
rodan Posted August 31, 2006 Share Posted August 31, 2006 Just an update: 4-5 attempts to call Tokico yesterday, and about the same today, and I have not reached a human, just voice mail. They have never returned a call, so I don't expect one in the future... This is really starting to piss me off, and if there were another option, you can bet the struts would be in the box on the way back. The crappy part, is I really like the the way they work... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Boulderguy Posted August 31, 2006 Share Posted August 31, 2006 That's bizarre about Tokico cust service - when I was calling them about a year back I had nothing but prompt replies & mostly humans on the phone. I think the guy I talked to was Ernie, or Andy maybe? He was very helpful & I had no trouble reaching him there repeatedly. Maybe they're trying to figure out the answers to your questions before getting back to you? From what I've read, the US version of these struts is designed to work with US tophats & are painted gray & dubbed the HTS (?) version. It sounds like the ones y'all have gotten are the JDM versions - red - designed to work with the JDM tophats. Maybe the HTS's haven't reached our shores yet? All questions for Tokico I suppose. My understanding from conversations w/them was that the Euro/JDM division of the company doesn't necessarily play nicely with the US division, meaning poor communication. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
rodan Posted August 31, 2006 Share Posted August 31, 2006 Poor communication pretty much defines this experience so far... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mach V Dan Posted September 1, 2006 Share Posted September 1, 2006 From what I've read, the US version of these struts is designed to work with US tophats & are painted gray & dubbed the HTS (?) version. No. The gray shocks are the D-Spec, and they're for the WRX. D-Spec was the name Tokico originally gave the HTS shocks (they're all HTS inside, they just are colored/labelled differently) last year when they were painted gray and released here in the US market for the WRX and some other cars. But NOT for the Legacy. It sounds like the ones y'all have gotten are the JDM versions - red - designed to work with the JDM tophats. Basically, yes. As I have spelled out before in this very thread, Tokico simply brought over the shocks that they introduced in the Japanese market. It appears that Tokico USA didn't realize the top mount difference. Maybe the HTS's haven't reached our shores yet? These shocks ARE the HTS shocks. --Dan Mach V FastWRX.com Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
rossodave Posted September 7, 2006 Share Posted September 7, 2006 I just got a set of these shocks in yesterday. I am going to install them this weekend and I will post up a full report when I am done. Mine were also red and say HTS on them, even though they come in a box marked D-spec with a picture of grey shocks on it. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
wcbjr Posted September 7, 2006 Share Posted September 7, 2006 I emailed JDSPerformance, the guy said that he is waiting on feedback from you guys to place another order. Soooo, anyone want to contact him and tell him how they are? I replied with info about the threading issue, and how someone has been running them fine that way for a year now. I forgot what I was supposed to remember. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mckman Posted September 8, 2006 Share Posted September 8, 2006 Purchased my HTS shocks from JDSperformance.com. Received them in about a week and a half. I finally had my HTS shocks, H&R springs, and JDM rear sway installed today by Darrin at West End. If you are in the southland, definitely make the trip up to Gardena. You will not find a better suspension shop. Took pictures during the install and will post a thorough review, once the springs settle and I get the shocks dialed in. Just like everyone else, Darrin was worried about the small amount of threads available to secure the piston to the top hat. One trick he used is to replace the thick OEM washer at the bottom of the top hat with a thinner one. This increased the number of threads securing the strut by at least 50%. He also used a bit of loctite to make sure the bolt doesn't back out (hope I like this setup, since they will be a bitch to get off!). As long as the thinner washer holds up, this should make for a much more secure installation. I started with the recommended 4 turns from full hard which is too soft for the H&R springs based on my limited drive home. The ride has hardly suffered on the normal bumps, but seems a bit harsher when you hit a big one. More info to come.... Kevin Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
LittleBlueGT Posted September 8, 2006 Share Posted September 8, 2006 Good idea on the thinner washer! Full tune of 68HTA, KSTech 73 MAF, Racer X FMIC and ID1000s................by the DataLog Mafia!!! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
rodan Posted September 8, 2006 Share Posted September 8, 2006 I started with the recommended 4 turns from full hard which is too soft.... That's my only real complaint with these, other than fitment. It seems they were designed for the stock springs, and any aftermarket springs are going to put you in the top 10-15% of the adjustment range. I settled on one turn from full hard w/ iON springs. Kind of kills the whole point of having 'adjustable' shocks.... BTW... still nothing but voice mail from Tokico tech support.... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
LittleBlueGT Posted September 8, 2006 Share Posted September 8, 2006 That's my only real complaint with these, other than fitment. It seems they were designed for the stock springs, and any aftermarket springs are going to put you in the top 10-15% of the adjustment range. I settled on one turn from full hard w/ iON springs. Kind of kills the whole point of having 'adjustable' shocks.... BTW... still nothing but voice mail from Tokico tech support.... That is to bad. At least you still have another q1 or 2 adjustments to go firmer, as most people once they find what works will leave it at that. Not the best for turning it up for the track though. Full tune of 68HTA, KSTech 73 MAF, Racer X FMIC and ID1000s................by the DataLog Mafia!!! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Boulderguy Posted September 8, 2006 Share Posted September 8, 2006 That's exactly what you should expect tho. The purpose of adjustable shocks isn't adjustable suspension, it's the ability to dial the shocks in to match the spring rates. They aren't designed to be adjustable "stiffness," that's what the springs do. All the struts can do is adjust how quickly they move, and as a result haw far they move. Ride quality is ultimately a result of the spring choice you make. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
rodan Posted September 8, 2006 Share Posted September 8, 2006 I wouldn't say that's entirely true. There is a noticable difference in handling (near the limit of adhesion) with the different settings I have played with. More range of adjustment would give you more ability to adjust handling for daily driving/autocross/track. If you're stuck all the way at one end of the range just to get it to match what are arguably one of the softer springs on the market, there isn't much 'adjustability'... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Boulderguy Posted September 8, 2006 Share Posted September 8, 2006 Disagree. While I'm no suspension expert, just look at the physics of it. The struts are infinitely adjustable (sorta), so you can go to more dampening almost to the point of lockout - try it, it's painful on zero turns. How much more do you want?? The Ions are by no means a "soft" spring - they start soft & ramp up quickly to very stiff. The catch is they're progressively stiffer springs while the shock is effectively linear in dampening ability. Meaning if you set it to match the softer initial parts of the Ion's travel the ride will be underdamped when you push harder. Set it to more damping & you get the opposite effect, a bumpier ride that tracks undulations rather than just absorbing them. The ideal strut for that spring is one that ramps up dampening with travel. I don't know if that's even possible, but what a great idea. Maybe. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
rodan Posted September 8, 2006 Share Posted September 8, 2006 There may be "infinite" adjustability in that last one turn, but how do you effectively access it? With a protractor? And then build some kind of indexing mechanism so the protractor goes in the same spot each time you adjust? My point is useable adjustability. Anyway, I don't want to get the thread too far off track. I finally got in touch with the tech guy at Tokico. Turns out he never got my email with the pictures of the problem two weeks ago. (that's another frustration, he incorrectly answered a specific question to verify I had accurately written down his email address...) Not only did he not call me to say he never got it, but he never contacted the engineers with the very specific information I gave him then... So here we are back at square one after two weeks... I can pretty much guarantee this will be the last Tokico product I buy if this is indicative of their customer service... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
wcbjr Posted September 9, 2006 Share Posted September 9, 2006 Just keep going back and forth with them. Before you know it, the Koni's will be out. I forgot what I was supposed to remember. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Recommended Posts
Archived
This topic is now archived and is closed to further replies.