[463supra]

Let me start by saying this is my daily driver and will continue to be so. However I do live in Chattanooga and there is nothing here but twisties..OK I have the TRD front and rear swaybars and was thinking about getting the Big Ass front one. However I am also thinking about getting a good set of coilovers first. I do autox some and I plan on doing some road courses this year. I will probably start with a small one in Talladega and later this year try my hand at Road Atlanta. I am looking for a set that is EASY to change. I would like to be able to go from firm to soft without lifting the car up if thats possible. I am leaning towards the Tiens. How hard are they to change settings on? What is required? Any help or guidence would be appreciated. My wife hardly ever drives my car as it is so I dont care if it rides harsher myself if the handling is improved. Also if I get a set of coilovers do I need to go right away and get it alligned again?

Jeff

 

[463supra]

I posted this here instead of tech because I dont care about setting it up to drag race. I have done that once and road courses interest me alot more
Jeff

 

[Guest]

You definitely will need to have your alignment checked after you install the coilovers - at least your toe settings. And again every time you change ride height.

Bob
97 6-speed

 

[Guest]

Hi Jeff

I have been on the road course and autoxed with the new HKS HiperDampers and really like them..... I drive my '97 daily as well and the coilovers are fine in my opinion. You adjust them with a supplied allen tool and only have to lift the hood and rear hatch to access the top of the shocks. You will need a realignment after the installation, and a toe reset whenever you change the ride height by more than a few mm. The range of adjustment is wide with the HKSs. I've pretty much zeroed in on a ride height of .4" lower than stock in front and 1" lower than stock in the rear. Any lower in front and I get rubbing with my race tire/wheel setup (18x10, 285/30). Additionally, the travel with a lower front is insufficient for any bumps on the track. Put as much rubber on the road as you can. CCW sells a nice set of wheels for about $1800. He recommends 17x11.5 rear with 315/35. Tire availability in the correct diameter is the driving force for these wheel/tire sizes. Kumho and Hoosier make nice autox and track tires in these sizes.

Hope this helps,

Jeff Brauch
Colorado Performance Products

 

[463supra]

I really appreciate you inputs. So are the HKS's preferred over the tiens by road racers? When you are adjusting them do they stick up through the trunk some and under the hood where the strut tower brace goes? Any pictures?

Jeff

 

[463supra]

P.S. I like your car. Mine is a red 98 TT with black interior.

 

[Guest]

Jeff

The Teins are supposed to be nice units as well, but I haven't used them so cannot comment on them. The HKS shocks don't protrude into the passenger compartment, but are open on top for the adjusting tool. The stock setup has covers over the top end of the shocks. I could send some pix tomorrow if that would help. I have a TRD front STB and had to slightly enlarge one of the holes for the adjustment allen tool to correctly align with the top of the shock. My understanding is that the Teins need to be assembled before they can be installed. The HKSs are completely assembled at the factory.


Jeff

 

[463supra]

Some pictures would be great. I have the cusco front strut tower brace.

Jeff

 

[463supra]

Where did you get your wheels? Does he have a website?

Jeff

 

[Guest]

Jeff - His website is www.ccwheel.com. I should be able to get you the pix tomorrow - I haven't been home today. Let me know your email address and I'll send the pix directly to you.

Jeff

 

[463supra]

You can e-mail them to me at work [email protected]
or at home [email protected]

 

[Eric]

Jeff - His website is www.ccwheel.com. I should be able to get you the pix tomorrow - I haven't been home today. Let me know your email address and I'll send the pix directly to you.

Jeff

John is finally building five spoke wheels?

Eric

 

[Guest]

Eric -

Not yet. I think Jeff (the other Jeff) wanted info on the CCWs. The wheels in my sig are my 17" Ronals. Jeff, let me know if I'm confused.

Jeff in CO

 

[463supra]

I was asking about the CCW's but I am looking at all my options.
I may widen my stock ones and use them

Jeff

 

[463supra]

Jeff, what do you set your coilovers to for daily driving? What about for autox and roadracing? Or do you leave them pretty much the same..?

Jeff

 

[Guest]

Jeff, what do you set your coilovers to for daily driving? What about for autox and roadracing? Or do you leave them pretty much the same..?

Jeff

Jeff - I set them up full soft for running errands, almost full stiff for smooth tracks with the race tires on, and anywhere in between for playing on the street tires. I adjust them frequently.

Jeff

 

[bwill]

Hey Jeff,
Coilovers/spring set up is always a big dilemma. A lot of people love their Teins but many have also commented how damn stiff the spring rates are. You can only adjust dampening and rebound. Going to the TO4R site several of those guys with high hp Supras with teins readily admit that teins are in their opinion too extreme for daily driving. On the other hand I have also seen people comment that if you want to slip the big ass tire set up 275fr/315r you have to go with a really stiff spring rate usually coilovers.I think the HKS coilovers are lower in spring rate but at the same time way more expensive. I have been searching for a non coilover set up with something half way between eibach spring lbs and teins. BTW I had ordered big ass sway but cancelled due to my concerns that it was too much sway bar. You can get too much of a load transfer and find yourself with wheel slip on the inside tire. I have been told that previous Speedvision world challenge Supras ran a 1050lb spring in the rear and a 500lb spring in the front with STOCK sway bars as the ideal set up after testing bigger sway bars. But then I am sure others have a different opinion. I saw the intrax springs which have a higher spring rate than Eibach but it lowers the front 1.5inches/fr and 1.3inches/r and that is more than the eibachs. The search continues at least for me.
BTW, when are you coming to do the Talladega track? I am doing the PCA event there in March and I have a nephew who is doing the Honda/Acura 2 day event there in March too.
Barry H.

 

[bwill]

Oops, correction, that is a 1050lb spring in the front and the 500lb spring in the rear. Of course that is a race set up.
Barry H.

 

[Andi]

Oops, correction, that is a 1050lb spring in the front and the 500lb spring in the rear. Of course that is a race set up.
Barry H.

That setup would understeer like a PIG.

IMHO, for the best cornering balance and a better ride than the average Teins..... I'd order a set of Teins..... and then order the optional "12K" front springs (672 lbs/in) to replace the standard 14K (780 lbs/in) ones.

Regards,
Andi

 

[Grant]

1000# in front and 500# in the rear is pretty agressive... Maybe even too much oversteer for Andi? They have probably made other changes to the car though.

IMO the Teins are too soft (yes thats right, soft) for me to drive daily, and WAY too soft for autocross (although I've only autocrossed with the stock sway bays). I'm putting the stiffest rear springs available in mine tonight, (~560) and I might get stiffer fronts depending on how it handles. I think my opinion on spring rates is a bit different than everyone elses though

BTW I had ordered big ass sway but cancelled due to my concerns that it was too much sway bar. You can get too much of a load transfer and find yourself with wheel slip on the inside tire.

Thats true if the sway bars aren't balanced, there will be more load transfer to the inside wheel of the end of the car with the stiffer bar. Its the same effect as getting stiffer springs. There are downsides to really big swaybars, I can't remember what they are, I just remember reading about them in Tune to Win.

Remember stiffer sway bars will allow you to lower the car more w/o rubbing.