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JIC Coilover Thread (Post Your Pics, Settings, and Discuss Please)

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Old Aug 7, 2009 | 04:06 PM
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Default JIC Coilover Thread (Post Your Pics, Settings, and Discuss Please)

What I really want to see is how low you can go on the FLT-TAR VIP with the spring perch remaining snug on the spring (anyone maxed out on 19s?). I know there's some showcase threads with JIC equipped cars in them but it's hard to compare when it's all spread out.

JIC only please.

*edit - Particularly interested in the UCF10, but 20s feel free to join the party for anyone else that might be wondering.

Last edited by BLKonBLK98; Aug 7, 2009 at 04:10 PM.
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Old Aug 7, 2009 | 04:38 PM
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Originally Posted by BLKonBLK98
What I really want to see is how low you can go on the FLT-TAR VIP with the spring perch remaining snug on the spring (anyone maxed out on 19s?). I know there's some showcase threads with JIC equipped cars in them but it's hard to compare when it's all spread out.

JIC only please.

*edit - Particularly interested in the UCF10, but 20s feel free to join the party for anyone else that might be wondering.
if you limit yourself to JICs you won't be getting too many replies.....but ur call to open it up to all coils.
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Old Aug 7, 2009 | 05:10 PM
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personally i am only interested in jic and i think opening it up would result in 32 megan posts with 1 jic hidden in there somewhere. if anyone else is curious about other brands i would prefer they start a seperate thread.
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Old Aug 7, 2009 | 05:23 PM
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ok, theres very few guys running the FLT-A2s, and fewer still running the FLT-ARs.

i think EXE_UCF10 (i always misspell his name) and SKPerfromance (who's on air now) where the last 2 guys running JIC coils.
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Old Aug 7, 2009 | 05:28 PM
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i'm looking through the ~60 pages of the "...ur ride" thread. even less jic than i rememeber.
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Old Aug 8, 2009 | 12:22 AM
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JIC's suck , the fronts are real short but for your 10 they will be better.
Teins cs drive much better and go pretty low.
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Old Aug 8, 2009 | 01:02 AM
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CS's go low, but nowhere near as low as the JICs. With that being said, the JIC FLT-TAR (F.K.A. FLT-A2) VIP will allow you to lay frame with full damper travel because it's a double tap coilover. The CS's are single tap, so ride quality will be affected once you start going lower and lower.
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Old Aug 8, 2009 | 07:51 AM
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Originally Posted by skperformance
JIC's suck , the fronts are real short but for your 10 they will be better.
Teins cs drive much better and go pretty low.
since this is a discussion thread for the possible reference of others in the future please elaborate "suck".

i obviously haven't run them on the ls, but i do run them on my q (flt-tar vip sl) and have ran them on other cars. always been satisfied to the point i won't run anything else.

Originally Posted by EXE.UCF10
CS's go low, but nowhere near as low as the JICs. With that being said, the JIC FLT-TAR (F.K.A. FLT-A2) VIP will allow you to lay frame with full damper travel because it's a double tap coilover. The CS's are single tap, so ride quality will be affected once you start going lower and lower.
that's what i needed to know. thanks.

i asked because the regular g50 model didn't go low so i had to special order the short damper version. wasn't sure if i needed to do the same this time around.

+1 on full (double) tap. single tap is not for those wishing to go really low.
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Old Aug 9, 2009 | 12:56 AM
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Just to be on the safe side, you may want to confirm with JIC that the FLT-TAR model is the same as the FLT-A2 model.
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Old Aug 9, 2009 | 06:49 AM
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changes from the a2 to tar were minor. nothing that affects the height range.
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Old Aug 9, 2009 | 06:32 PM
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From my research they need to be re-built more often than others. I'm lovin' my Megans.
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Old Aug 9, 2009 | 07:33 PM
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Main reason i dislike JIC is that they would not rebuild the shocks they sell . The to turn around and offer me 20% off MSRP is an insult after buying their crap and not even selling me a new set at cost or slightly above. Oh sure i will spend another 1800 ?!?!?!

The 2nd is they had a really short front shock to be able to use both 10 and 20 applications , they could have R&D it more to find it needed a few more threads to be able to work .

3rd the spring rates and dampening just was not tuned properly it was taking bumps hard enough to bend wheels but could never hold a corner with a bump as it would never respond fast enough.

I would rather have some megans or other budget brand as they have more features than overpriced crap that JIC sells.
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Old Aug 10, 2009 | 08:06 AM
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this is intended to be a discussion thread (although i already found out what i needed to know) so no harm in sharing your opinion. don't take this is argument, i'm just sharing my experiences/opinions.

Originally Posted by skperformance
Main reason i dislike JIC is that they would not rebuild the shocks they sell . The to turn around and offer me 20% off MSRP is an insult after buying their crap and not even selling me a new set at cost or slightly above. Oh sure i will spend another 1800 ?!?!?!
I've never had a problem with rebuilds or replacment parts.

Originally Posted by skperformance
The 2nd is they had a really short front shock to be able to use both 10 and 20 applications , they could have R&D it more to find it needed a few more threads to be able to work .
can't argue with that. if it doesn't fit, it doesn't fit. seems kind of strange to have 1 app for 2 suspensions that are fairly different from what i understand.

Originally Posted by skperformance
3rd the spring rates and dampening just was not tuned properly it was taking bumps hard enough to bend wheels but could never hold a corner with a bump as it would never respond fast enough.
there's a pretty good write up floating around the net regarding dampers by someone who knows suspension way better then me. it makes short mention of jic and writes them off as "unusable' (iirc) because of the high compression damping. i personally find them very usable for my purposes.

as far as cornering, geometry and articulation should be mentioned in all fairness. my q felt straight up dangerous slammed on just coilovers. after adding adjustable multi-link parts to correct some geometry (caster and toe) as well as adding tie rod ends with spacers and higher articulation it's on rails. before it's done i plan on adding adjustable upper/lower control arms and have it set up by a race shop.

Originally Posted by skperformance
I would rather have some megans or other budget brand as they have more features than overpriced crap that JIC sells.
please elaborate on "more features".

i tried to talk myself into megans and just couldn't do it. probably stupid given their reputation for ls400 coilovers (i've seen some other megan parts that were garbage) but it is what it is...

jic pricing really has got out of hand, particularly over the last year, but there are some things to consider (not saying it makes it any better). where as the "budget brands" are taiwan made for the u.s. market, jic is japan made for the japan market. the exchange rate and jic usa middle-man tax are what inflate the price to nearly unbearable. jic average retail in it's home market is less than dealer cost over here. not saying it makes it any better...
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Old Aug 11, 2009 | 12:52 AM
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I have thick skin so not much on the internet bothers me , but thanks for the for warning .

Because i had my set from Japan and no longer being sold here they would not repair it after the shocks blew.

I guess i was not the only one who found the bound level was way too high for being able to drive well.

1 product for 2 apps is like most companies as it fits but does not drive right as the spring rates should be adjusted as well as lengthened for extension.

Features such as adjustable bound and rebound to allow the wheels time to be pulled/pushed up be able to set the time for the wheel to get back down safely.
Value shocks all have this option nowadays without robbing you so they shoudl also.
Like i said i prefer tein for being able to make a clean set up and reliability.
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Old Aug 11, 2009 | 10:13 AM
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sounds to me like you had the sf1 model. for fairness' sake:
  1. they were very under-featured, as well as/because they were very outdated.
  2. they were not rebuildable because they were a twin tube design, not because they were old and from japan (currently: tar are monotube and rebuildable, fas are twin tube and not rebuildable).
  3. they were not total length adjustable (full tap) like all current options, instead they were ride height adjustable (single tap, similar to the tein you mentioned). this is a sub-par design. not only do you lose suspension travel as you lower the perch but, as you mentioned, you also can not adjust the overall length of the setup (apparently extremely important in this scenario).
  4. they were not damping adjustable, where as all current models are.
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