Help me decide on a new suspension set up... Ty
10-11-2011, 08:11 PM
#1
Help me decide on a new suspension set up... Ty
OK so let me fill you in.
A while back I decided on a new suspension. The Bilstein PSS9's. Life threw me a curve ball and I stopped modding the car for a while. The Modding is back in full force. The car is currently in the shop getting completely repainted and new aero parts. With that said new wheels are getting put on as well, so I need height adjustment to switch from beater to baller wheels. ----So I'm looking for a coilover suspension that does not have a super ruff ride for daily driving on NYC streets, and can take pot holes and super cold winters(durability). But that has the tune-ability to adjust for track use and hard spirited driving. I'm not a suspension wiz nor do I have a shop to keep fine tuning, so Ohlins are out of the question. I dont want to spend over 2k. So the suspensions I thought would be good; go as follows (please refer others)
1. PSS9
2. Tein Mono flex
3. Powertrix
4. Tanable
I have searched for days. I live on forum. I just want your opinion.
A while back I decided on a new suspension. The Bilstein PSS9's. Life threw me a curve ball and I stopped modding the car for a while. The Modding is back in full force. The car is currently in the shop getting completely repainted and new aero parts. With that said new wheels are getting put on as well, so I need height adjustment to switch from beater to baller wheels. ----So I'm looking for a coilover suspension that does not have a super ruff ride for daily driving on NYC streets, and can take pot holes and super cold winters(durability). But that has the tune-ability to adjust for track use and hard spirited driving. I'm not a suspension wiz nor do I have a shop to keep fine tuning, so Ohlins are out of the question. I dont want to spend over 2k. So the suspensions I thought would be good; go as follows (please refer others)
1. PSS9
2. Tein Mono flex
3. Powertrix
4. Tanable
I have searched for days. I live on forum. I just want your opinion.
Last edited by NYC Drift King; 10-11-2011 at 08:14 PM.
10-11-2011, 10:56 PM
#3
SARX Legend
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Okay, I have installed a few coil over setups on RX-8's. These are MY OPINIONS based on what I have experienced.
Bilstein PSS9:
Easy installation, no kinks, great fitment. Easy adjustment of height and valving. Great ride out of the box and they are rebuild-able. Don't go super low but low enough for you I think.
Tanabe Sustec Pro S-0C:
Easy installation, no kinks, great fitment. Easy adjustment. Ride is so so and no valving adjustment. But they are also only $800.00 or so and tbk ran them super low with a very aggressive wheel setup for a few years without issues so they are durable as well. I'd imagine the higher end Tanabe's are awesome as well.
Stance GR (Powertrix, or vise versa)
So so on installation, rears needed to be banged on to fit right and they came with springs that were too short (total pain in the ***). They go really low and are very adjustable however the adjustments don't seem to do **** in terms of feel (hard seems soft and soft seems bouncy). Overall not impressed given the hype but if you get the right springs from the get go and get them on without issue you will likely be happy considering they don't cost much. Adjusting the height is pretty easy. If I had to choose I would go for the Powertrix brand since I have a feeling you will have a better buying experience.
There are other options in your price range that are rebuildable and have a lot of features so you can really just pick a set and go with it. But IMO, and my choice would be the bilsteins just because of the the quality and customer service history and the fact that they can be repaired and rebuilt fairly easily.
Bilstein PSS9:
Easy installation, no kinks, great fitment. Easy adjustment of height and valving. Great ride out of the box and they are rebuild-able. Don't go super low but low enough for you I think.
Tanabe Sustec Pro S-0C:
Easy installation, no kinks, great fitment. Easy adjustment. Ride is so so and no valving adjustment. But they are also only $800.00 or so and tbk ran them super low with a very aggressive wheel setup for a few years without issues so they are durable as well. I'd imagine the higher end Tanabe's are awesome as well.
Stance GR (Powertrix, or vise versa)
So so on installation, rears needed to be banged on to fit right and they came with springs that were too short (total pain in the ***). They go really low and are very adjustable however the adjustments don't seem to do **** in terms of feel (hard seems soft and soft seems bouncy). Overall not impressed given the hype but if you get the right springs from the get go and get them on without issue you will likely be happy considering they don't cost much. Adjusting the height is pretty easy. If I had to choose I would go for the Powertrix brand since I have a feeling you will have a better buying experience.
There are other options in your price range that are rebuildable and have a lot of features so you can really just pick a set and go with it. But IMO, and my choice would be the bilsteins just because of the the quality and customer service history and the fact that they can be repaired and rebuilt fairly easily.
Last edited by 9krpmrx8; 10-11-2011 at 11:00 PM.
10-12-2011, 11:20 AM
#4
Just installed my powertrix over the weekend. I use my car as a daily driver and so far haven't had any problems/kinks to work out at all. Installation was super easy except for the OEM strut bar not fitting but the fix is already in place and should be no problem from here on out.
Adjustability, from my experience so far, has been straight forward as well. I can't compare ride quality to other coilovers but so far, it is as I expected. Nothing bouncy and the car feels very planted. These coilovers have the ability to SLAM your car to the ground or raise it to factory level. I have mine very low at the moment but will go up in a couple weeks after I get an alignment done and new rear tires put on.
I am overall very satisfied with my purchase, especially at the group buy price of ~$1100.
Adjustability, from my experience so far, has been straight forward as well. I can't compare ride quality to other coilovers but so far, it is as I expected. Nothing bouncy and the car feels very planted. These coilovers have the ability to SLAM your car to the ground or raise it to factory level. I have mine very low at the moment but will go up in a couple weeks after I get an alignment done and new rear tires put on.
I am overall very satisfied with my purchase, especially at the group buy price of ~$1100.
10-12-2011, 01:43 PM
#5
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Stance GR (Powertrix, or vise versa)
So so on installation, rears needed to be banged on to fit right and they came with springs that were too short (total pain in the ***). They go really low and are very adjustable however the adjustments don't seem to do **** in terms of feel (hard seems soft and soft seems bouncy). Overall not impressed given the hype but if you get the right springs from the get go and get them on without issue you will likely be happy considering they don't cost much. Adjusting the height is pretty easy. If I had to choose I would go for the Powertrix brand since I have a feeling you will have a better buying experience.
So so on installation, rears needed to be banged on to fit right and they came with springs that were too short (total pain in the ***). They go really low and are very adjustable however the adjustments don't seem to do **** in terms of feel (hard seems soft and soft seems bouncy). Overall not impressed given the hype but if you get the right springs from the get go and get them on without issue you will likely be happy considering they don't cost much. Adjusting the height is pretty easy. If I had to choose I would go for the Powertrix brand since I have a feeling you will have a better buying experience.
-I, and others, have found no banging was required for installation; I have installed four sets of these without this problem. In my experience, it has depended on whether you tighten down that bottom mount first or not.
-Powertrix come standard with 200mm springs front and rear. No binding found on the track at all; this is standard for all kits so no special requests must be made.
-Rear top mounts are mounted correctly (previously an issue with Stance).
-Powertrix offers affordable replacement dampers in the event there are issues. Not sure about Stance's policy in this regard.
-With regards to adjustability, under-damping may seem present if you choose too stiff a spring and leave the damper at the softest rate. Unfortunately NYC isn't local, or a ride a long would really be telling in this respect.
I am not going to preach that Powertrix are the absolute best coilovers out there. I would recommend, however, considering the Group Buy price of $985 + $49 shipping and the retail price of ~$1200+$49 ship, and cross shopping others in this price range. Really compare the options and the decision should be pretty clear
To give a little overview of the other options:
Tein Mono Flex - Search for Imput's car, as he was running these. They don't go too low in the rear really. Ride height and spring perch independent adjustment, which is always nice as you can change ride height without effecting the preload.
Bilstein PSS9 - A great coilover from a great company. I would say they are more of a comfort coilover than performance coilover (these are comparable to the HKS Hipermax in design). These are only adjustable at the spring perch so when you adjust ride height, you will be adjusting preload. If you drop too low, you will have some spring droop which is a concern for some.
Tanabe - Which Tanabe's were you interested in? If the Sustec Pro S-0C's, these are a very entry level coilover at an affordable price. Not pre-load and ride height independent as well. I don't have too much info on these, but I would say they are a decent option for those looking for a decent entry level coilover that will provide a bit of drop. These coilovers feature dual tube dampers, rather than monotube like all other options mentioned (monotube is usually more sought after than dual/twin tube designs). I have had friends with the Sustec Pro 5's which were great, but those are a large step up from the S-0C's.
KW V3 - I would also recommend cross shopping the KW V3's, as those are a very popular option as well. These are similar in design to the Bilstein PSS9 & HKS Hipermax RS's in that they are ride height adjustable based on the spring perch so changing the ride height effectively changes pre-load.
10-12-2011, 04:11 PM
#6
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^ Yeah, the Powertrix are tempting and definitely offer more options I think at a better price. My experience with Stance may have just been a fluke but there were three or four of us there who all have done coil over installs on an 8 before and we could not figure out why they were not going in. So finally (with owner approval) we used some "finesse" to get them in 
and then the fiasco with the springs was a whole other deal.
I know Powertrix is a different company and I expect that they will handle their customers the right way and assure the boxes contain the right items before shipping them. Hopefully I can help shady with his Powertrix install and then I can have some direct experience with the brand.
and then the fiasco with the springs was a whole other deal.I know Powertrix is a different company and I expect that they will handle their customers the right way and assure the boxes contain the right items before shipping them. Hopefully I can help shady with his Powertrix install and then I can have some direct experience with the brand.
10-12-2011, 05:21 PM
#7
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Let me know how things go - if you need anything, you know where to find me! 
The whole spring dilemma + rear mounting bracket on backwards did leave a bad taste in many mouths - this is the sort of thing I am making certain is addressed with Powertrix.
Anyways, thanks for the input/kind words 9k. Like I said, if you hit any snags with the installation, you and Shady are always free to contact me.
The whole spring dilemma + rear mounting bracket on backwards did leave a bad taste in many mouths - this is the sort of thing I am making certain is addressed with Powertrix.
Anyways, thanks for the input/kind words 9k. Like I said, if you hit any snags with the installation, you and Shady are always free to contact me.
10-12-2011, 05:52 PM
#8
SARX Legend
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I actually forgot about that, the rear brackets were on the wrong way on the Stance as well. That is easily fixed but i can see how a more inexperienced person trying to install them could miss that and waste a lot of time figuring out what was wrong.
10-12-2011, 08:52 PM
#10
No Problem bro. I was asking for more suggestions.
Thank you everyone for your input. The info you guys posted is great and is helping me. I hope it will help others as well. It's one thing to know the black and white facts of the products, but to get info on install, ride feel, track worthiness; from peoples personal experiences here on the forms is priceless. Especially on new products like Powertrix.
Right now I'm leaning towards PSS9's and or Powertrix. I've been in a Stance car and the ride was to ruff for me. I've been in a Tein Mono Flex rx8 and it rode amazing, and the handling was superb.
KW V3 whats the cheapest you guys have seen them selling for. And how the ride quality on soft?
Thank you everyone for your input. The info you guys posted is great and is helping me. I hope it will help others as well. It's one thing to know the black and white facts of the products, but to get info on install, ride feel, track worthiness; from peoples personal experiences here on the forms is priceless. Especially on new products like Powertrix.
Right now I'm leaning towards PSS9's and or Powertrix. I've been in a Stance car and the ride was to ruff for me. I've been in a Tein Mono Flex rx8 and it rode amazing, and the handling was superb.
KW V3 whats the cheapest you guys have seen them selling for. And how the ride quality on soft?
Last edited by NYC Drift King; 10-12-2011 at 10:30 PM.
10-12-2011, 09:13 PM
#11
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Stance and Powertrix will ride comparably, depending on the spring rates/lengths and the damper settings. On full soft, my ride was smooth as butter so it could have been the case the owner had other chassis stiffening mods and had the dampers on full stiff perhaps?
Best of luck on the search, NYC!
Best of luck on the search, NYC!
10-12-2011, 09:38 PM
#12
SARX Legend
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Yeah chassis bracing sucks and in unnecessary IMO. The NVH it creates is nuts.
But remember too that tires will also play a role in how it rides. I actually don't have a problem with how Hoss-05's car rides on the Stance now that it is somewhat dialed in but it doesn't handle great like he wants it too so he is going with a custom to him/his RX-8 fixed height system from Fat Cat Motorsports. There is a bit a tweaking needed with each setup so just be prepared to put the car on the stands a few times before you get it right.
But remember too that tires will also play a role in how it rides. I actually don't have a problem with how Hoss-05's car rides on the Stance now that it is somewhat dialed in but it doesn't handle great like he wants it too so he is going with a custom to him/his RX-8 fixed height system from Fat Cat Motorsports. There is a bit a tweaking needed with each setup so just be prepared to put the car on the stands a few times before you get it right.
10-13-2011, 01:54 PM
#14
Triangular Bee Hive
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I don't own KW V3, but plan to get a set in the future.
From talking to different ppl at the local meet. (various cars)
You can get same quality as KW from Tein, but u'll pay much more.
And there's a reason why KW gets more penalty points at track/race compare to same range MSRP suspensions.
It's about 2K for the V3, but i'm sure if you dig around u'll be able to find a good deal.
From talking to different ppl at the local meet. (various cars)
You can get same quality as KW from Tein, but u'll pay much more.
And there's a reason why KW gets more penalty points at track/race compare to same range MSRP suspensions.
It's about 2K for the V3, but i'm sure if you dig around u'll be able to find a good deal.
10-13-2011, 02:17 PM
#15
SARX Legend
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Tein coil overs are really considered crap by many track junkies in my experience so I totally disagree that they are on the level of KW's.
Buying Shocks:
http://farnorthracing.com/autocross_secrets18.html
Buying Shocks:
http://farnorthracing.com/autocross_secrets18.html
Last edited by 9krpmrx8; 10-13-2011 at 02:30 PM.
10-13-2011, 03:28 PM
#17
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The bottom line really is that most off the shelf coilovers under 2k will likely be okay for 90% of the people buying coilovers. Can you track on "cheap" coilovers? Sure you can but whether they hold up very long to the abuse is the question. For example, Tein stuff is pretty well built but a lot of the adjustments do really do anything and really once you get them set right height wise you usually won't mess with them so why not just buy fixed height setup properly tuned for your use?
But, if you are serious about tracking you will want shock dyno graphs of your shocks and this means you will spend a lot more.
But, if you are serious about tracking you will want shock dyno graphs of your shocks and this means you will spend a lot more.
10-14-2011, 11:57 AM
#20
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Tein coil overs are really considered crap by many track junkies in my experience so I totally disagree that they are on the level of KW's.
Buying Shocks:
http://farnorthracing.com/autocross_secrets18.html
Buying Shocks:
http://farnorthracing.com/autocross_secrets18.html
It's really a very subjective subject, and while there is nothing wrong with a properly set up fixed height system, I don't think this is necessarily what NYC is looking for. Based on his post, he is looking to get something that can be ride height adjustable, rides smooth over NYC roads, and has the durability to last on the east coast.
11-24-2011, 09:39 PM
#21
AHHH I'm going crazy. I'm finally pulling the trigger this weekend as I have the car back in my house. Thmotorsports has a good deal on Stance for Black friday, so I'm strongly considering those. I hate this. I wish i had test cars I could ride in. I may have to make some phone calls this weekend.
11-25-2011, 12:02 AM
#22
Needz moar Mazdaspeed.
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If you were closer, I'd let you see how the Powertrix coils feel.
I've been enjoying their ride quality on stiffer settings, but I haven't adjusted them back softer since the end of the auto-x season. Mainly because I still haven't installed the rear extenders for the adjustment ****, haha. I'm lazy.
I personally don't have any complaints with them though. Their ride is just right in my opinion. Not too soft, they've got a nice firmness, but not too firm for a daily car.
Of course, I can't compare them to any other Rx8 coils, having not tried any others.
I've been enjoying their ride quality on stiffer settings, but I haven't adjusted them back softer since the end of the auto-x season. Mainly because I still haven't installed the rear extenders for the adjustment ****, haha. I'm lazy.
I personally don't have any complaints with them though. Their ride is just right in my opinion. Not too soft, they've got a nice firmness, but not too firm for a daily car.
Of course, I can't compare them to any other Rx8 coils, having not tried any others.
11-27-2011, 06:55 PM
#24
As many as I needed to help me with this quest lmao! I spoke to Adam over at THmotorsports on Friday. I have my mind set now. So I'm good finally. Now I can lean some attention over to some unfinished projects for the 8. CarPc/Boost.
