mattyturbo Posted August 25, 2009 Share Posted August 25, 2009 I recently installed a new set of Race Comp Engineering (RCE) Tarmac 1 coilovers on my 2007 LGT. Additonally, I had the car corner weighted (The whole point of running coilovers) at Lynmar Motorsports in Huntington. I figured I would provide you with my review. First, my previous setup was a set of progress lowering springs and progress front and rear sway bars with stock dampers. I later had to change the rear sway to a cobb one to clear the Cobb TBE. That set up did remove a lot of squat, dive and roll from the car with a slight increase in harshness over bumpy roads. The steering response was a little more precise, but the body control at the limit was still a little sloppy. The progress setup was good, but not great. Let start by saying that the Tarmac 1's (T1's) are my first experience with coilovers on any car that I have owned so I cannot really make any comparisons to any other coilover setup. Also, other coilover setups might yield similar impressions. What I can say is that these coilovers are much better than my pervious setup. If I were to sum up my impression of the T1's with just a few words, they would be: Solid Stable Precise Excellent Damping Great Body Controll Responsive Steering Driving Impressions: Exit ramps on any parkway are much more fun then they used to be. The car stays flat, with little or no squat, dive or roll. With just a little bit of mid corner braking and/or throttle adjustments, the tail end of the car will step out in a very controllable and predictable fashion. This particular trait makes driving on my favorite curvy roads a lot more fun because the I can use the throttle and/or brakes to adjust the car's angle during one turn to set up the next turn. I don't pretend to be the best back road driver in the world, but I think that the T1 set up will help me learn how to be a better driver because the car is so much more responsive to the driver inputs. On the highway at high cruising speeds the car is really stable and tracks straight with very, if any steering correction. Fast sweeping turns are a joy because the car takes a firm set and stays planted through out the turn. Even my wife noticed that the car felt more "road worthy" (that is how she put it). Which brings me to my last point. The car actually rides better down bumpy roads then it used to. Bigger bumps don't create the same loud and sometimes slamming sound that used to occur(I am no longer hitting the bump stops). I recently drove a small road trip (200 miles) with my wife and daughter and neither of them had anything negative to say about the ride. Believe me when I say, my wife would notice. Overall, I am very happy with my purchase and would recommend this product to anyone. I must also give a special public "Thanks" to Miles at RCE because he answered a lot of questions from me and always provided answers that came from his experience. Please view the attached pictures. 1st Picture: my car with the progress springs 4th Picture: my car with the T1's Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
edssti Posted August 25, 2009 Share Posted August 25, 2009 nice review, i'm excited for mine. I am currently running BC Racing Coilovers on teh lgt... I have ridden in some STI's and wrx's with KW's V1's to V3's and loved them. I'm hoping they are similar to my old STI's coilovers (no longer produced Whiteline Group 4's) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
RaceComp Engineering Posted August 25, 2009 Share Posted August 25, 2009 Awesome review !! Keep us updated as time goes on ! Myles Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JoeFromPA Posted August 25, 2009 Share Posted August 25, 2009 Myles - I understand you may be slightly biased with this question, but what would you say is the useful life of the stock LGT dampers? I.e. at what point have they provided the most useful life and are not going downhill. I understand this is a range question, and can be a much different answer depending on whether you live in ice-smooth texas or New York City. I keep reading reviews like this and, combined with knowledge that the pre-setup coilovers are a piece of cake to install, think that these are the best choice for my car once the stock dampers have used up most of their useful life (i.e. when I can convince my wife that it's time to upgrade!) Joe Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
RaceComp Engineering Posted August 25, 2009 Share Posted August 25, 2009 Myles - I understand you may be slightly biased with this question, but what would you say is the useful life of the stock LGT dampers? I.e. at what point have they provided the most useful life and are not going downhill. I understand this is a range question, and can be a much different answer depending on whether you live in ice-smooth texas or New York City. I keep reading reviews like this and, combined with knowledge that the pre-setup coilovers are a piece of cake to install, think that these are the best choice for my car once the stock dampers have used up most of their useful life (i.e. when I can convince my wife that it's time to upgrade!) Joe Most oem shocks go down hill around 12k, tet still work well. So at 50k its time to butter up the wife and get some new shocks. Especially when these are on sale for a few more days !! Myles Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
goneskiian Posted August 25, 2009 Share Posted August 25, 2009 Thanks for sharing mattyturbo. A couple of questions for you: Are these the standard T1's that RCE ships or did you opt for custom spring rates? What did it cost to get it corner balanced and would you be willing to share more details on this process? I'm at over 62K now and trying to do the same as JoeFromPA regarding convincing the wife it's time to upgrade. Cheers! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Aczwild Posted August 26, 2009 Share Posted August 26, 2009 Just do it and ask for forgiveness later can't wait to get my whole order in! JDM'd All to hell Thanks Jimmy @ Hkc-Speed.com! RIP Coxx & Thanks Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mattyturbo Posted August 26, 2009 Author Share Posted August 26, 2009 I went with the spring rate that RCE specs. Miles can chime in HERE! I believe that they are a 400 lb/in race spring. They are supposed to be of higher quality then the standard spring, what ever that is? As far as the corner weighting process, there some links to some sites that I have included. I will give an over simplified explanation, but you should read more about it. Corner weighting/ Balancing your car will make it handle better. I paid a total of 300 dollars for a corner balance and an alignment. I did the install myself. You might be able to find a cheaper rate. The best analogy that I came across was that of a table that rocks when you lean against it or place something heavy on one end. The table rocks because only three of the legs are making contact with the ground. What is really happening is that the two legs that are diagonal from each other that never come off the ground are holding up more than 50% of the total weight of the table. You can think of the points where your 4 tires make contact with the ground as analagous the the points where the table legs are touching the floor. Because your car has springs is does not rock like the table. Corner balancing is the process of balancing the total weight of your car diagonally across the front right/ left rear wheel axis and the left front/right rear axis. You you find a much better explanation here: http://www.elephantracing.com/techtopic/cornerbalance.htm Here is one person's log of his corner balancing process: http://robrobinette.com/corner_weight.htm Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
goneskiian Posted August 26, 2009 Share Posted August 26, 2009 Just do it and ask for forgiveness later can't wait to get my whole order in! I think I'm going to have to go this route. Thanks mattyturbo! That does help the visualization a bit. Cheers! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JoeFromPA Posted August 26, 2009 Share Posted August 26, 2009 Wow, so my 06 Civic SI with 71k on the stock shocks (and some really rough roads that bottom out the car regularly) is probably due for an upgrade.... I'm thinking RCE Tarmacs + 225/45/17 will provide a fantastic near-stock ride height, comfort, and balanced feel one day. Sorry Myles, that one-day is at least 1 year off Joe Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
goneskiian Posted August 26, 2009 Share Posted August 26, 2009 And I'm waffling between these and an Eibach/Koni combo. Oh, the choices! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mindspin311 Posted August 27, 2009 Share Posted August 27, 2009 And I'm waffling between these and an Eibach/Koni combo. Oh, the choices! Get the RCE T1's, you'll be very happy. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JoeFromPA Posted August 27, 2009 Share Posted August 27, 2009 And I'm waffling between these and an Eibach/Koni combo. Oh, the choices! How could they even compare man? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
edssti Posted August 27, 2009 Share Posted August 27, 2009 ^ +1234 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
goneskiian Posted August 27, 2009 Share Posted August 27, 2009 They're nearly half the cost! That is, when I can use Subie bucks for the springs from Fred Beans. I know, I know. I understand where you're all coming from. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JoeFromPA Posted August 28, 2009 Share Posted August 28, 2009 Goneskiian - Are you going to do the install yourself? Keep in mind that the install of the KW's is far less work and therefore going to be far less expensive (when using a reputable shop). Joe Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JoeFromPA Posted August 28, 2009 Share Posted August 28, 2009 Oh and by the way, did you get a quote for the Kw's straight from the vendor?...Might be worthwhile when doing a cost-benefit analysis Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
goneskiian Posted August 28, 2009 Share Posted August 28, 2009 No, not going to install myself, but hoping some friends of friends will help with tools and a shop. Shouldn't cost me much at all. Yes, I got a quote from RCE for the T1's. Same as what they're advertising in their vendor classified thread. It's not that I can't afford them. I'm also thinking that the Koni's have a lifetime warranty and there are service centers locally that I wouldn't have to take my struts off and ship them to get them rebuilt when it comes to that. Cheers! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
RaceComp Engineering Posted August 30, 2009 Share Posted August 30, 2009 I think I'm going to have to go this route. Thanks mattyturbo! That does help the visualization a bit. Cheers! IF thats the casethen at least pre order before the end of August as the price goes up Sept 1. Myles Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
RaceComp Engineering Posted August 30, 2009 Share Posted August 30, 2009 No, not going to install myself, but hoping some friends of friends will help with tools and a shop. Shouldn't cost me much at all. Yes, I got a quote from RCE for the T1's. Same as what they're advertising in their vendor classified thread. It's not that I can't afford them. I'm also thinking that the Koni's have a lifetime warranty and there are service centers locally that I wouldn't have to take my struts off and ship them to get them rebuilt when it comes to that. Cheers! Then consider this: KW V2's we sold as long ago as Sept 06 are just coming up for rebuilds now. Mileage was about 84k( 62k on the shocks). This set had many track days and alot of NY abuse. Rebuilds are relative to the usage and how long you intend to own the car. MOST people dont keep these cars part 3-4 years. Something to consider. Myles Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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