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Hey everyone. After making a great deal on our local forums I'm pulling off my great budget bc and upgrading to figs top option! If anyone is thinking about changing the suspension on their isf or any model lexus can't recommend a better place than Figs, great to do the business with. He caught a mistake on my original order with the BC and provided great speed and service. He has now been helpful with me buying a used set of his coils from another member and is continuing with getting me some new top hats to get the set up on ASAP! I'm excited for the new to me gear. Thanks goes out to mike@Figs and ilv1004s for the deal!
That will be awesome! In other news, are you selling your stock intake?
No , I'm not one to sell my factory parts.
Been thinking about the suspension more and I think I'm gonna try them out with my factory sway bar. Take the sikky off and set the penskes on the soft side. -24 compression, -14 rebound front. -26 compression, -12 rebound rear. Use this as my base. I think this will give me nice comfortable street ride. A little stiffer compression in the front to prevent nose dive with softer rebound to give a little extra forward bite. I have read more than once that soft is fast if you can handle the sway. Hoping to be able to dial out the sway with the shocks rather than a sway bar.
just curious, do adding high quality coilovers (only, and by themselves) necessarily improve the performance/handling characteristics of the car or do other things need to be matched up with them?
just curious, do adding high quality coilovers (only, and by themselves) necessarily improve the performance/handling characteristics of the car or do other things need to be matched up with them?
Obviously you will need to be realigned but Absolutely. On most vehicles a high end suspension will take seconds off lap times and can dial out sway much more persicly than a sway bar.
Obviously you will need to be realigned but Absolutely. On most vehicles a high end suspension will take seconds off lap times and can dial out sway much more persicly than a sway bar.
i see i see, i guess i was just kind of thinking if these interfere at all with the other components of handling.
for example, like would setting different ride heights with these vs just the stock height, could that possibly negatively impact steering in some way?
or is it simply 'better/higher quality' shocks and springs always = improved handling
i see i see, i guess i was just kind of thinking if these interfere at all with the other components of handling.
for example, like would setting different ride heights with these vs just the stock height, could that possibly negatively impact steering in some way?
or is it simply better shocks and springs always = improved handling
sorry if stupid question...
If you have high end coils and leave height alone it will be better once adjusted. If you lower the car you may need other parts to correct alignment . Having coilovers does not mean your car needs to be lowered
If you have high end coils and leave height alone it will be better once adjusted. If you lower the car you may need other parts to correct alignment . Having coilovers does not mean your car needs to be lowered
ah i see man, thanks.
when you say adjusting, so you just adjust like the stiffness (i guess thats 'damping') then? and how would you know if its back to stock ride height, do you take measurements when installing or something?
i see i see, i guess i was just kind of thinking if these interfere at all with the other components of handling.
for example, like would setting different ride heights with these vs just the stock height, could that possibly negatively impact steering in some way?
or is it simply 'better/higher quality' shocks and springs always = improved handling
sorry if stupid question...
Lower center of gravity = less roll. So, slamming your car to the ground with coils optimizes handling performance (as long as your frame drags on the concrete).
Coils stiffen up a ride, provide for less body roll, ideally make the car's steering more predictable.
Supporting mods like polyurethane bushings, control arms, toe links etc will obviously only aid in optimizing your car's handling but coils themselves make a good chunk of difference...usually.
Lower center of gravity = less roll. So, slamming your car to the ground with coils optimizes handling performance (as long as your frame drags on the concrete).
Coils stiffen up a ride, provide for less body roll, ideally make the car's steering more predictable.
Supporting mods like polyurethane bushings, control arms, toe links etc will obviously only aid in optimizing your car's handling but coils themselves make a good chunk of difference...usually.
This could not be more incorrect. Lower center of gravity ASSUMING the roll center's distance from it is maintained will optimize performance. Unfortunately, in order to move the roll center, you have to move the points on the chassis where the suspension components attach. Usually "slamming" the car makes it much slower around a timed course because the roll center drops too low (often below ground level) and the roll couple (distance between roll center and center of gravity) gets very large meaning you need MUCH stiffer springs and anti-roll bars to correct the problem you just created. If your roll center is below ground level, it is impossible to find a stiff enough spring.
It is just as possible (regardless of the manufacturer) to screw up a good suspension by installing more expensive components. The spring rates are fundamental to success, and a spring rate good for street driving will not be good for track driving and vice versa (no matter what the marketers say, springs good for both is impossible). Add to this the damping rates are unique to each spring set up, and are only useful within a narrow range of adjustment because the damping attenuates the spring's action. If you are tuning with damping, you'd better be really certain your spring rates are correct. It is not possible to correct a spring problem with damping settings.
This is why the brand name on the shock is not nearly as important as the work done behind the scenes to tune the device for the car it is supporting. The whole reason for buying from Mike at FIGS is simple - he's done the homework, and regardless of which solution you pick, it is much likely to be better than anyone else's off the shelf solution because he's put it on an IS F, tested it, tweaked it, and can actually tell you what worked. Not to gas up his head, but the reality is, no one else has done this to the extent he has, so even if he charged 50% more than the competition, it would be worth it unless you are willing to take the time to tune your own suspension.
This is akin to, "I just installed an AEM and it runs great. I haven't tuned it yet, but I was out last night..." I guarantee you, it doesn't "run great". It runs like any out of the box ECM. It might be better, it most often is worse, and without tuning, the whole thing is a waste of time and money.
I've said this before, and I'll say it until I die. A car is a symphony of parts. If they are not all working together for a common goal, then it's just a bunch of teenagers in a garage band. If you really want to get the most out of it, there is a lot of homework to do, and a lot of testing. You can do it yourself, or you can pay someone to do it for you, but if you choose not to do it, don't be upset when your garage band gets stomped by the guy who did the work and got it right.
This could not be more incorrect. Lower center of gravity ASSUMING the roll center's distance from it is maintained will optimize performance. Unfortunately, in order to move the roll center, you have to move the points on the chassis where the suspension components attach. Usually "slamming" the car makes it much slower around a timed course because the roll center drops too low (often below ground level) and the roll couple (distance between roll center and center of gravity) gets very large meaning you need MUCH stiffer springs and anti-roll bars to correct the problem you just created. If your roll center is below ground level, it is impossible to find a stiff enough spring.
I thought the "frame dragging on the concrete" would give away that comment's identity as a joke
11-12-14, 05:51 PM
Switching up the suspension.
