KSport, Tein, JIC or any other coilover suspension installation. How to install mount

[bluemax_1]

Alright, seems folks don't search too hard these days so the header for this thread should make it easy to find in a search.

That said here's a write-up I did when I put on my KSports:
http://www.3si.org/forum/showthread....ghlight=ksport


Max

[clumzy]

Hey Blue, do you have links to the pictures/write-up with what to do with the brake line brackets? I seem to remember seeing people use worm-gear clamps to attach them to the lower threading.

[bluemax_1]

Originally Posted by clumzy

Hey Blue, do you have links to the pictures/write-up with what to do with the brake line brackets? I seem to remember seeing people use worm-gear clamps to attach them to the lower threading.

I don't have any pics, but the write-up with the worm clamp pics is in the thread titled something like "Supercar Engineering now carries KSports".

The worm clamp method is better than using the included brackets since it holds the lines in place securely and if you take the car for an alignment, you don't have to worry about the person doing the alignment messing with the positioning of your lines while adjusting the camber using the top camber bolt of the front struts. The included bracket has to use that bolt so the moment they loosen that nut, the bracket and lines shift.

Max

[clumzy]

Found the thread with the pictures (in the first post) .. thx to the original poster!
Supercar Engineering now carries Ksport Coilovers

[mehlosTT]

Excellent!!! This is sure better info then what the 92 manual shows...some slight improvements in info is always_ a good thing. thanks!

[LeMoN1438]

I'd like to add if you have ramps it is easier to uninstall the rear struts. I reversed my car onto the ramps and was able to use a breaker bar to crack the bolt lose.

[GTO Assassin]

Max....

You know, if I was gay, Id'e do you for sure! LOL Easy big guy. Can you tell us your thoughts on the KSports? Ride quality, parts quality, how they feel to lowered springs or even stock. I am about to buy some but would love some insight on how they feel with you.

Thanx Max

Scotty

[bluemax_1]

As far as how the KSports feel, I like them. They aren't terribly stiff IMO. It really does depend on the conditions you're assessing the ride under though. I did a sort of ride comparison between ECS Sprt vs KSports, and felt that the KSports weren't any harsher than ECS Sport and in fact were possibly a little smoother due to the damper's being matched better to the springs than stock ECS in Sport mode.

Performance-wise, there's no doubt they're better than stock ECS on Tour or Sport mode. The car stays much flatter through turns, the response is quicker and it takes a set faster. There's simply a much better reduction in roll, pitch and dive. The car also has better roadholding on rough surfaces, and it's better the faster you go.

For example, there's this one on-ramp that I take that is rutted and rough, and on stock Tour mode, it's not so bumpy, but of course, there's body roll when you're going round the curve. In stock Sport mode (which I think sucks on anything except glass smooth roads), the car gets jounced around and I can feel the tires losing traction.

With the KSports, at the same speeds, it holds to the road better despite the rough surface but the fun part is, the faster I go, the smoother it gets and the better it corners.

There is one caveat though. The spring rates ARE higher than stock so if you hit a rather large bump, the KSports WILL bounce you more. It has to do with the amplitude of the unevenness you encounter, and at what speed.

Jeez, if I had to explain it, I would need to explain how suspensions work and how different spring rates change the behavior and how the dampers affect the behavior, and go into the downsides of overdamping/underdamping and being oversprung or undersprung, plus how momentum and inertia affect things.

IIRC, the thread that the install write-up was originally posted in also has my review of the KSports and what I think of them (a few pages before the install write-up or a few pages after). I also posted some info about overdamping (stock ECS Sport mode) and such.

For now though, I'd have to say that the KSports are definitely the best bang-for-the-buck suspension upgrade for our cars, and it seems, one of the few options which (to me) is quite streetable as my car IS a daily driver.

Still don't know about long-term reliability, but they've held up just fine thus far, daily-driven and taken to the track (roadcourse) a couple of times. At this point, I'd say if I were to spend my money on any other suspension, I'd just bite the bullet and pay the $4k-$6k for a custom Ohlins setup.


Max

[GTO Assassin]

How much did you pay Max, and where from?

[bluemax_1]

Originally Posted by GTO Assassin

How much did you pay Max, and where from?

Mine were $858 shipped from the Group Buy in the thread that the write-up is posted in (the link in the first post in this thread).

Philip from SCE sells them now too $899+s/h IIRC if you'ld like to support a 3si sponsor, but the cheapest price someone's found for them recently was some place called Ultrarev ($792+s/h).


Max