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Gixxer Drew Suspension Update 2014

Old 11-13-14, 04:57 PM
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jeffreyjje
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Default Gixxer Drew Suspension Update 2014

Figured I'd give some love back to this awesome site and help some people interested in the Gixxer Drew Suspension coilover set-up (G.D.S. from here out) save some time, money, and a whole ***** ton of aggravation. I will be discussing only my experience w/ the 600/325 set-up. Before going into all this, I would like to take the time to thank all the people who have spent the time, money, & effort necessary to research & development this coilover. Special thanks to Gixxer himself.

Entering into the build, my goal was to have a lowered car w/ about a 1.5 finger gap in front, and 2.5 finger gap in back. I wanted my car to be tight without sacrificing ride quality (similar to an IS-F or German sports car). I went w/ the G.D.S. because, after research, I believed it to be the best bang-for-buck suspension out there under $2k, and refused to buy any cheap asian market product for the simply reason they, well...suck!! The only option I found that I might have gone w/, but wasn't able to find, was the H&R Coilover Kit. Here is my experience w/ the G.D.S. 600/325:

First, this set-up is not as cheap & easy as people think. Second, most people who did write-ups on this never followed thru on their post to the very end of the build. Their questions never answered, and their findings never documented clearly. In addition, because the posts are 4-8 years old, things have changed regarding availability, part specs & part #'s. Aaand third... the G.D.S. set-up is as good as advertised.

For the most part, the part #'s and items you will need are exactly what has been outlined in the past. Where the confusion lies is in whether you should or shouldn't do some of the things others have, because of the problems they encountered. In other words, do I need helper springs, do I need to modify my shocks, what about c-clip placement, can I substitute other items for what is recommended, and why does my car now look like a 4x4. I will attempt to clarify all this and again, I am only speaking for the 600/325 set-up.


-Bilstein Shocks: AK1242, AK1243: Part #'s are legit, however, although the part #'s are the same, the shock is now longer for some reason than it was back in the day, and needs to be modified. Yes modified !! This is the point where you say good-bye to the "low priced" aspect of this build. Speak to Juan @ Bilstein. I had him cut an inch off both the body and the rod. In addition, have additional groves cut so you can move the c-clip. I had one cut between the two stock ring groves, and another cut an inch below the lowest stock ring grove. Cost of modifications + shipping came to just under $500. Time spent shipping back-n-forth = 2 months. Save urself $50 and some time when initially ordering ur shocks, instruct them to have Bilstein modify from the get-go. There is no need to change dampening since everything still falls within spec range, however, if you do, no more than a 10% increase.

-Hypercoil Springs: 2) Front: 8" x 2.5"ID, 2) Rear: 10" x 2.5"ID - Nothing to think about here, just look for the cheapest ones online and ur good.

-4)Bilstein Coilover Sleeve Kit Bilstein part #193117 these are the 2" wide sleeves & need to be cut to the specifications previously mentioned by Gixxer.

-Moog Strut Mounts: aka top-hats. Part #'s K90292, K160129. You can re-use the stock one from the car or go this route. IMO Moog make the best oem replacement part, however, I got screwed this time around. Didn't realize that the factory messed the part up (made one of four w/ a different thread width) until install (right part # & everything just made wrong. I just ended up reusing one of the stock but I was pissed at Moog and more pissed at myself for not catching it.

-2) Energy Suspension Bump Stops: part # 4.6103G - again just search for cheapest.

*Dust Boots: Some go with them, some dont. I wanted them (at least I thought I did), however, I can tell you that ALL previous posts regarding part #'s and what other did, is a complete waste of time & money. Whether its going w/ rack-n-pinion boots or something else, The smallest & thinnest ones I could find still got in the way and so I scrapped them. In hindsight I recommend asking Juan @ Bilstein if they have dust boots for the AK's

*Genesis Helper Springs & Guides: Not necessary w/ the 600/325 spring rate as long as the shock is modified. The confusing aspect is that alot of people who didnt know the shocks were changed slightly while still keeping the same part # thought the "helpers" were needed. When they put the coilovers in, they quickly realized that the car now has a stance similar to a monster truck. They then thought to add the helper spring in order to keep spring tension during full drop (think car on lift & wheels hanging). This allowed them to lower the car further, but never to an actual attractive stance. This is why the shocks need to be modified. IMO the helper spring are cheap looking and only add noise to the system. Made the mistake of buying and then scrapping 'em.



*It is possible to substitute parts in this set-up (springs, coilover kit, etc.) with other brands...just keep the specs the same. The parts that went into this were not fancy. Gixxer put together the most cost effective set-up that gave him the ride he desired. You just have to weigh how much time its gonna take to hunt & cross reference things so that you dont F it up, and whether its worth it, and the added $$$, for a part that works the same & no one will see. When putting the shocks together, again, just follow previous post as they are on point. I took the liberty of getting my shocks coated in black carbon and painted the springs red (cost $200 total). I did this simply because the default color of the parts are yellow & blue and that annoyed me. I could have bought different springs w/ a 2.5 I.D. that were already red, but they would react different than the Hypercoil and so I decided to trust the previous R&D. Whatever you do, do not paint the shocks...they will explode w/ baked.

Regarding other issues like c-clip position, its gonna take a little trial an error to figure out where you want it based on stance and feel. As long as you have them cut additional groves, you wont back yourself in to a corner.

-The overall process of researching, buying the parts, getting aggravated, shipping, and final install was close to 6 months. BOO !!. Better love ur car like I do.

I will try to get some pic up shortly. Hope this helps !!!




-jeffreyjjefe
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'92 SC400 : G.D.S. 600/325 \ OS Giken 1.5 rear diff w/ Poly rear bushings & ears \ Supra front/rear Swaybars \ TRD Tower Brace \ Battle Version Suspension Arms, Rods, Links, & Mounts \ Apexi Ram Air \ 3" Custom Catback Exhaust w/ X-pipe \ Dragon Torque Converter \ Retro fitted HID/LED Headlights & Taillights \ Stainless Steel Brake-Lines (complete), LS400 Caliper Swap w/ drilled rotors & EBC redstuff pads \ Custom Interior w/ C.F. GS steering wheel & Audio w/ Grounding Overkill
*Coming soon: Rush Long Header Install, EGR Delete, Tusco Shift Kit, Supercharger, 6-piston calipers front / 2-piston back Brake upgrade, & the biggest custom FMIC I can find.

Last edited by jeffreyjje; 11-17-14 at 12:47 PM.
Old 11-13-14, 08:59 PM
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KahnBB6
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jeffreyjje,

Excellent thread and I freely admit I am guilty as charged among those who did not post a complete and comprehensive installation in my Gixxer thread a couple of years ago. I always meant to go back but some of my reference links were lost and I only had hard copies of some instructions (gleaned from all over many different SC/Soarer forums).

Care to post your impressions of the 600/325? That's what I run also and I love it but due to the horrible roads where I live I have strongly considered the 500/250 Hypercoils at a later time. It has to be said that some road surfaces in L.A. are truly horrendous and it's NOT the fault of the Gixxer suspension design. If it were truly hard enough I'd have swapped them before now but I love the way the setup handles and goes over MOST roads. No complaints there.

Your post is the first I have read that concisely explains exactly what to do about the added shock length of the AK1242's and AK1243's. So you have to buy the AK's and then contact Bilstein and have them sent in for modification, correct? Are they aware that they need to go back to the original measurements for these part numbers?

I have a set of helper springs for my rears waiting to go in and I have never been able to tell if I have the longer versions or original shorter versions. All I do know is that I have a just-below-stock ride height now (where I like it) but that preload was an issue when I first did the installation.

Thank you for your informative post! I'd love to see more owners get into this great suspension setup which from outward appearances looks very sleeper at near stock ride height with factory TT wheels.
Old 11-14-14, 07:43 AM
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Kahn, I can easily tell you that the roads here in Jersey are about as bad as they get. I haven't had enough time on the suspension yet to really give it a solid review, but for now, im happy w/ it. Im currently running my car too low, so after I tweak the ride height a bit, I'll give it a good thrashing and post my review. Dont know if I can speak to it 100% because, at install, I also put in Battle Version front & rear upper arms, toe-links, traction bars, and front & rear end links. Would be tough to dissect how much those parts are coming into play.
Regarding going w/ the softer set-up. Its definitely all about what ur looking for, but my opinion is that it wouldn't be far enough away from an O.G. ride, and there IS a reason i'm modifying my car. There's only so much you can do to balance the luxury ride vs sports car...eventually you're gonna lean one way or the other.

I want the sports car.

*Sounds like you have the newest versions of the AK's if you had the preload issue when tweaking ride height. Suspension is very tricky stuff, as in serious geometry stuff, which is beyond my knowledge. The best thing about this set-up is that Gixxer took the time, and was qualified enough, to do the calculations right, and make it work (with three different option) for all of us. However, once we go w/ a different ride height than he did...we're basically messing up the math. In hindsight, it would still be best for everyone to have addition c-clip grove cut, simply to ensure more adjustability :/ when you give ur car to the professionals for a legit alignment job. After they calculate things, it will at least give you some options if they come back saying things aren't ideal. I only sent my shocks in for modifying after mock up and realizing that if I could avoid using the "helpers", I would. Because I had that "something isn't right" feeling, I went deeper into researching this suspension and BOOM GOES THE DYNOMITE. Realizing that I did not want a stock ride height, let alone a 4x4 lift that some were rockin, I bit the bullet and sent them to Bilstein. Juan there was helpful. He vaguely remembered helping others w/ the AK's but could not provide any solid details (one of the other reasons I wanted to make this post).

-jeffreyjjefe
___________________
'92 SC400 : G.D.S. 600/325 \ OS Giken 1.5 rear diff w/ Poly rear bushings & ears \ Supra front/rear Swaybars \ TRD Tower Brace \ Battle Version Suspension Arms, Rods, Links, & Mounts \ Apexi Ram Air \ 3" Custom Catback Exhaust w/ X-pipe \ Dragon Torque Converter \ Retro fitted HID/LED Headlights & Taillights \ Stainless Steel Brake-Lines (complete), LS400 Caliper Swap w/ drilled rotors & EBC redstuff pads \ Custom Interior w/ C.F. GS steering wheel & Audio w/ Grounding Overkill
*Coming soon: Rush Long Header Install, EGR Delete, Tusco Shift Kit, Supercharger, 6-piston calipers front / 2-piston back Brake upgrade, & the biggest custom FMIC I can find.

Last edited by jeffreyjje; 11-15-14 at 09:41 AM.
Old 11-14-14, 11:37 AM
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LEXXIUM
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Great post Jeffrey!!

I'm currently still using bilstein am shocks and tein s tech springs, but was on Ak's and 500/350 combo the front was too soft on my 400( keep in mind, each car responds different to the same mods, from car to car!!!)
You did this a hard way too, I was able to use 10" spings instead of 8", it solves the problem with cuting shocks, need no helper springs preload problems and 4x4 issues most people have , I liked the setup except for the noises and softness of the ride scraping being low(which can all be managed with rubber O rings on contacts and firmer springs) , but other than that it was awesome!!
As a matter of fact I just recently bought a 650lb hypercoils ready to go on instead of 2 front teins for now .... only if I had time!!
Oh Yes, I forgot alignment is the most importat adjustment for your ride after the drop!!!!!!!!!!!

Last edited by LEXXIUM; 12-05-14 at 07:12 AM.
Old 11-14-14, 01:46 PM
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Lexxium,

where are you putting the rubber I ring...between the top hat and the upper spring perch? i was thinking of putting some type of bushing between that myself but when I pow-wowed w/ my boys, we all thought that with the amount of force keeping tension, that it was pointless. I am hearing some noise but thought that was coming from either the Battle Version parts having no rubber bushings, or that the tire was hitting the inner wheel well shroud. My plan was to either roll the fenders and/or go a little higher in height. Not cutting the inner shroud. Only reason I would not go heaver springs is that for the roads i'm on, I definitely need some plushness. I've driven some exotics on bergen county roads and porsche beats ferrari any day of the week.

-jeffreyjjefe

Last edited by jeffreyjje; 11-15-14 at 08:33 AM.
Old 11-16-14, 05:38 AM
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Great info here you guys should post up some pics

And prices for whole complete setup since I was thinking of doing this or just buying a Fortune Auto setup
Old 11-17-14, 11:18 PM
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jeffreyjje,

You're probably right that I was among those just at the start of receiving the incorrectly lengthened AK shocks. Other than the preload issue and some occasional "pong" noises early on (which I no longer have) I have had no issues. My ride height isn't "lowered". It's adjusted to what looks like a "stock" ride height with plenty of shock travel room. Fairly boring looking actually which is what I wanted.

I also did not want to mess with Andrew's settings and measurements but I wish the thread had been easier to understand as to the shock length issue a couple of years ago.

I believe you about NJ roads. To be honest it is only bad when I encounter a road which clearly, obviously is in dire need of resurfacing and that isn't the fault of the car or Drew's suspension. Hard bumps can be felt very firmly but on decent roads there isn't an issue at all. 95% of the time I feel like I have a near "OEM" ride that's just the opposite of the "Lexus Waterbed Hover Craft Express" OEM.

Also looking forward to any further details post install for your car.
Old 11-18-14, 03:25 PM
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Jeffrey, I ment the rubber o rings, dang slow iphone : D, but yes you can get an intertube from an old tire, cut it round 2.5" od and a 2" hole and put it where sping meets the bottom and the top of the pearches, it will keep it on the hush!!
Nothing too fancy
Old 11-21-14, 02:44 PM
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I'm really interested in this 10" spring Lexxium mentioned. How does it get rid of the 4x4 too high look? I hate slammed cars but i do want like an inch under stock with the 600/325 spring rates. Is it worth going for these still? There's also the H&R coilovers for 950$ which people are claiming copied this setup to cater to a lower stance.
Old 11-24-14, 10:07 PM
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I never had an issues being 4x4, I could even slam my ride If I wanted to on 10" springs
I did a little comparison between eibach 10" 500 lb spring vs hypercoil 10" 650lb .
Eibach spring felt lighter in my hand than the hypercoil, so I had to put them on the scale to see what's up.
2 things I'll point out that H spring is heavier thank E spring because of 2 things obviously, more material used in producing spring H, but most importantly what materials used making the springs.
10" spring worked fine for me, trust me, why would I buy another one, of same size different weight ?
I think I asked Drew on sf why he didn't use a 10"spring vs 8" and needing a helper spring, I think he said because of the unsprung weight of the 8"vs 10". To me it did t make any sense because after you add a helper spring you're back where you started.
Before this setup I had a advox coilover setup for mk4supra, I dismantled that setup to find out what spring size and rates to use including talking to advox about the suspension itself and how much air to pump, spring upgrade etc. ( had a lots of questions answered before I dove into the bilsteins/eibach setup) After doing some research I ended up buying 10" spings, and never looked back and been happier ever since!
Most people on supraforums, have 8" spring they can't use it without a helper
Here is a kicker: I do think if eibach makes a 10" 650lb coil to compete exact same 10" 650 hypercoil, I think eibach would win in weight because, when I hold both springs in my hand, the eibach spring feels like it's made with more quality of different materials used, but most importantly their experience in racing!! I bought the hypercoil springs for 40$ used for both and couldn't pass up a local deal! But eibach all the way!!!
Attached Thumbnails Gixxer Drew Suspension Update 2014-image.jpg  

Last edited by LEXXIUM; 11-24-14 at 10:29 PM.
Old 11-26-14, 01:08 PM
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Quality addition to the discussion Lexxium.
Old 01-03-15, 10:46 AM
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After further debate...the 650/500 setup is the way to go if you plan on running low w/ no issues.
The weight difference on the drivers side vs passenger side dictates it for me. Its the only way I can ride as low as I want without scrapping the left lip. Can you say battery relocation !!!
Old 03-28-15, 11:50 AM
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Originally Posted by LEXXIUM
I never had an issues being 4x4, I could even slam my ride If I wanted to on 10" springs
I did a little comparison between eibach 10" 500 lb spring vs hypercoil 10" 650lb .
Eibach spring felt lighter in my hand than the hypercoil, so I had to put them on the scale to see what's up.
2 things I'll point out that H spring is heavier thank E spring because of 2 things obviously, more material used in producing spring H, but most importantly what materials used making the springs.
10" spring worked fine for me, trust me, why would I buy another one, of same size different weight ?
I think I asked Drew on sf why he didn't use a 10"spring vs 8" and needing a helper spring, I think he said because of the unsprung weight of the 8"vs 10". To me it did t make any sense because after you add a helper spring you're back where you started.
Before this setup I had a advox coilover setup for mk4supra, I dismantled that setup to find out what spring size and rates to use including talking to advox about the suspension itself and how much air to pump, spring upgrade etc. ( had a lots of questions answered before I dove into the bilsteins/eibach setup) After doing some research I ended up buying 10" spings, and never looked back and been happier ever since!
Most people on supraforums, have 8" spring they can't use it without a helper
Here is a kicker: I do think if eibach makes a 10" 650lb coil to compete exact same 10" 650 hypercoil, I think eibach would win in weight because, when I hold both springs in my hand, the eibach spring feels like it's made with more quality of different materials used, but most importantly their experience in racing!! I bought the hypercoil springs for 40$ used for both and couldn't pass up a local deal! But eibach all the way!!!
Does the company have to modify the Bilstein Shocks if 10" eibach springs are used?
Old 05-06-15, 09:09 AM
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Originally Posted by LEXOWINO
Does the company have to modify the Bilstein Shocks if 10" eibach springs are used?
I am wondering the SAME thing?

Just curious, with the shock body being longer now, would this mean the shock travel be shortened? i.e. you hit the Bump Stops sooner. Is that something to be concerned about?

I have in the past paid Bilstein, $10 per shock, to cut new groves for the snap rings (c-clip), but no way am I going to even consider paying that kind of money to have the shock shortened!
Old 05-07-15, 01:04 AM
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Really helpful thread. Im just so disappointed that they had changed their length from before. At that price point and work, might as well pickup some HKS coils.

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