Ridetech Coilovers installed

[bkevind]

Had my favorite suspension and all around race shop do the install and alignment for me today - SoulSpeed in Austin.

If you're in this area and need help with your race / track or street car these guys are the real deal. Racers and master mechanics. Anyway enough about them (only affiliation is that I've been a customer for 10 years)

While it's too soon to give my impressions of the Ridetechs, as I've only had a dozen miles on them and no track time, I'll give my initial first impression. I live on rural backroads with some nice twisty sections so I got a little taste in familiar settings. I'm impressed. I was impressed with the 1LE suspension, but this is worlds better.

Now I will say that...perhaps the alignment settings are accounting for a lot of that improvement. They gave it a moderately aggressive street alignment.

Front camber is
-2.2 -2.2
Toe is 0

Rear camber is
-1.6 -1.6
Toe is practically 0 (0.16)

With the stock suspension in certain corners it was very easy to get a bit of slip, a little wiggle in the rear as I carry speed and apply some throttle.

Same corners now with the new suspension and alignment are completely planted and controlled, at a faster pace.

Now I know this is no track, and I was no where near what I would push on the track, but I know the car and the roads well enough to get an idea where it wants to be a little loose, and a little tight.

Next test will be a very tight decreasing radius turn that is very easy to get push at a moderate pace with the stock suspension. I'll give that a whirl tomorrow and see how it feels.

Tires are Michelin PS 4S in stock 1LE sizes on stock 1LE wheels.

Comfort:
So far so surprisingly comfortable. I left the settings where the shop put them, so far on the street I don't feel a need to change it but I will to test a bit. I'll do more of that at the track of course. They do feel like more spring rate than stock and you get a little bit of that stiff spring bounce, but it's very well controlled and I have yet to experience any harshness. It seems the shock absorbers/dampers are quite a bit better than OEM (to be expected but not always the case).
The OEM I think have more rebound baked in, which isn't always the right answer.

And course, I love the way it looks now, lowered just about an inch. Doesn't look so much like a 4 wheeler now.

Give me a few months with them, a track day or two and maybe the afterglow will fade a little

If anybody wants 1LE shocks (springs too sure, but they're the same as SS springs) let me know. I'll put them up for sale soon. Also have a used set of z/28 springs and multimatics I bought from a member here that I probably won't feel the need to use either.

[Juiced1]

Get some pics up. We carry Ridetech coilovers. Great set ups for sure.

[VR Baron]

Originally Posted by bkevind

Had my favorite suspension and all around race shop do the install and alignment for me today - SoulSpeed in Austin.

If you're in this area and need help with your race / track or street car these guys are the real deal. Racers and master mechanics. Anyway enough about them (only affiliation is that I've been a customer for 10 years)

While it's too soon to give my impressions of the Ridetechs, as I've only had a dozen miles on them and no track time, I'll give my initial first impression. I live on rural backroads with some nice twisty sections so I got a little taste in familiar settings. I'm impressed. I was impressed with the 1LE suspension, but this is worlds better.

Now I will say that...perhaps the alignment settings are accounting for a lot of that improvement. They gave it a moderately aggressive street alignment.

Front camber is
-2.2 -2.2
Toe is 0

Rear camber is
-1.6 -1.6
Toe is practically 0 (0.16)

With the stock suspension in certain corners it was very easy to get a bit of slip, a little wiggle in the rear as I carry speed and apply some throttle.

Same corners now with the new suspension and alignment are completely planted and controlled, at a faster pace.

Now I know this is no track, and I was no where near what I would push on the track, but I know the car and the roads well enough to get an idea where it wants to be a little loose, and a little tight.

Next test will be a very tight decreasing radius turn that is very easy to get push at a moderate pace with the stock suspension. I'll give that a whirl tomorrow and see how it feels.

Tires are Michelin PS 4S in stock 1LE sizes on stock 1LE wheels.

Comfort:
So far so surprisingly comfortable. I left the settings where the shop put them, so far on the street I don't feel a need to change it but I will to test a bit. I'll do more of that at the track of course. They do feel like more spring rate than stock and you get a little bit of that stiff spring bounce, but it's very well controlled and I have yet to experience any harshness. It seems the shock absorbers/dampers are quite a bit better than OEM (to be expected but not always the case).
The OEM I think have more rebound baked in, which isn't always the right answer.

And course, I love the way it looks now, lowered just about an inch. Doesn't look so much like a 4 wheeler now.

Give me a few months with them, a track day or two and maybe the afterglow will fade a little

If anybody wants 1LE shocks (springs too sure, but they're the same as SS springs) let me know. I'll put them up for sale soon. Also have a used set of z/28 springs and multimatics I bought from a member here that I probably won't feel the need to use either.

After having Pedders supercars for four years the ridetechs are way better in ride and for my autocross lots surface we use way better handling. I have a bit stiffer springs but ride is great. FYI I like the suggested 20 clicks from stiff for street, no need for stiffer on the bad roads unless you want. Nice as stock again!

[phoenix78]

My apologies for reviving this thread. I've got the same coilovers and tires. Overall, they're one of my favorite upgrades thus far! It's insane how much they transformed the car's handling while maintaining a stock comfort level (if desired).

However, I've run into some things lately with them.


The driver's side rear began to squeak and it's been getting a bit worse. I've also had clunking in the front on both sides. Soulspeed (small world, eh?) fixed the clunk on the front driver's side. It was related to the bracket that connects the end link to the strut. However, the other issues appeared maybe 1-2 months after the appointment.


Have you ever run into these issues? To be fair, some friends helped install the coilovers (not Soulspeed). I've read that aftermarket coilovers sometimes take more maintenance than stock equipment, but these were installed less than a year ago. D:


EDIT: I had subframe bushings and sway bars installed at Soulspeed. During the appointment, they found the cause of the two suspension issues. The front endlinks had become loose on both sides, to which the shop applied loctite and retightened. The noise in the rear appears to be related to "spherical upper spindle bushings", which will have to be resolved once the necessary parts are acquired.

[bkevind]

Originally Posted by phoenix78

My apologies for reviving this thread. I've got the same coilovers and tires. Overall, they're one of my favorite upgrades thus far! It's insane how much they transformed the car's handling while maintaining a stock comfort level (if desired).

However, I've run into some things lately with them.


The driver's side rear began to squeak and it's been getting a bit worse. I've also had clunking in the front on both sides. Soulspeed (small world, eh?) fixed the clunk on the front driver's side. It was related to the bracket that connects the end link to the strut. However, the other issues appeared maybe 1-2 months after the appointment.


Have you ever run into these issues? To be fair, some friends helped install the coilovers (not Soulspeed). I've read that aftermarket coilovers sometimes take more maintenance than stock equipment, but these were installed less than a year ago. D:

Hah yes it is a small world.

I didn't have any issues with mine, but I wound up selling the car a few months ago due to a long string of bs with my poorly chosen shop that was handling the engine upgrade. 2 years debacle with no engine in the car

I heard some folks had some issues of bending some connecting parts (maybe sway bar link)...sorry vague recollection, read that somewhere on the forums.

At least the Fox shock should last a very long time, and of course the hyperco spring as well.