ping Posted February 25, 2008 Share Posted February 25, 2008 I have made it through the rite of passage that is undoing the rear lower shock bolts! Not before I bled in my glove though. 8hrs of my life gone too. I have pinks in the fronts, wagon JDM spec B in the rear (reputedly same rate as pink rear, less the ride ht reduction) , with JDM rev C GT Bilsteins. Pic on left is the way it was on day 1 of ownership, stock. Pic on right is with pink and yellow goodness inside. I rode on a stock set up prior to this (44k mi). Ride is surprising, considering the % change in spring rate, esp. in the front. I can make up stuff about compression damping and stiction and NVH, but I'll save you any 'expert' analysis. Instead I present the Bottom Line: my wife thought it was barely different from stock. (we have our share of wretched black top in San Diego). Alignment and Handling: I cranked in as much negative camber as I could in the front. I measured -1.3 deg on the left and -1.4 deg on the right when I was done. A pleasant surprise -> lowering (~3/4")+ more negative camber (~-1.3) yielded negligible toe change with the new struts. I measured about 0.2degree toe out at each wheel. Saved some $ on alignment! The car corners flatter (duh!), but a big improvement is in reserve grip during turn in. The car is a lot more flingable. But to you guys running a bigger RSB..... I admire your car control. Plenty of rear end action the way it is I really need to wear out those wretched RE92s now.... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
xenon expert Posted February 25, 2008 Share Posted February 25, 2008 Congrats! Looks nice Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SBT Posted February 25, 2008 Share Posted February 25, 2008 Really looks nice. PM'd you. SBT - Pro amore Dei et patriam et populum - Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
legacy_y_tu Posted February 25, 2008 Share Posted February 25, 2008 Looks nice! Where'd you source the JDM Rev C bilstein's. These aren't the Spec B's? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ping Posted February 25, 2008 Author Share Posted February 25, 2008 (Shux) thx all! I got all my components (er.. 'pre-owned') here! 1) pinks (thanks hal9e3). 2) revC GT Billys + SpecB springs (thanks morrisok) Then I let them age in my garage 6 months <- most important ; miss this step at your peril:lol: Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
rudy Posted February 25, 2008 Share Posted February 25, 2008 So, in terms of noise, like squeeks and groans - with the OEM tophats is it no different than stock? As I debate bilsteins/pinks vs. coilovers w/ non-OEM style tophats that's a concern of mine. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
sactojesse Posted February 25, 2008 Share Posted February 25, 2008 Looks great and the wheel gaps appear to be fairly even. Regarding the ride, I guess there's a big difference between the Bilstein Rev C LGT/USDM Spec B struts/springs and Bilstein HDs. My car is noticeably firmer riding than stock w/ the HDs on pinks F/JDM LGT springs R. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ping Posted February 26, 2008 Author Share Posted February 26, 2008 I've got a mini squeak in the front left assembly. I suspect its from a missing sleeve around the spring where it sits on the strut. There is some extra rumble and road texture that seeps in, and the car seems to have less muffled thumps over bumps. Worthwhile compromise for me. sactojesse: I gathered that HDs are firmer that JDM specBs, so I did not consider them seriously. Must make the car a lot more fun in transient maneouvers (sp?)though Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
sactojesse Posted February 26, 2008 Share Posted February 26, 2008 sactojesse: I gathered that HDs are firmer that JDM specBs, so I did not consider them seriously. Must make the car a lot more fun in transient maneouvers (sp?)though True dat. The HDs make my car a hoot w/ abrupt steering input in the twisties. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ping Posted June 11, 2008 Author Share Posted June 11, 2008 Alignment and Handling: I cranked in as much negative camber as I could in the front. I measured -1.3 deg on the left and -1.4 deg on the right when I was done. A pleasant surprise -> lowering (~3/4")+ more negative camber (~-1.3) yielded negligible toe change with the new struts. I measured about 0.2degree toe out at each wheel. Saved some $ on alignment! The car corners flatter (duh!), but a big improvement is in reserve grip during turn in. The car is a lot more flingable. But to you guys running a bigger RSB..... I admire your car control. Plenty of rear end action the way it is I really need to wear out those wretched RE92s now.... Update 6/11/08: About 6k later, I find that the 'mild' toe-out I had above was enough to wear my RE92s (what a shame) along the inside edges. I think I will get it aligned to zero toe Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
sactojesse Posted June 11, 2008 Share Posted June 11, 2008 Congrats on wearing out your RE92s! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Hugo L. Posted June 11, 2008 Share Posted June 11, 2008 Seems like my lower shock bolt must've been an exception. No effort at all. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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