Gauging Interest: Adjustable Struts for Evo 8 & 9
 

As far as I can tell the only replacement options available on the market are the KYB and Bilstein's that came on these cars from the factory and neither are adjustable. With that said:

1) Would there be any interest in an adjustable option manufactured by a reputable US company?

2) What price range do you feel would make these a worthwhile option / upgrade?

3) Are there any specific features you would like to see included if we move forward?

1) YES!
2) Cheaper than the Bilstein HD's would be nice, and also not having to deal with a constant back-order.
3) Koni has an adjustable lower spring perch they use on their S2000 shocks that is really nice

1) Would there be any interest in an adjustable option manufactured by a reputable US company?
Yes, another fixed perch shock option for the evo would be well received.</p>
2) What price range do you feel would make these a worthwhile option / upgrade?
Less is best, without quality sacrificing. With the current USD woes, a US made product should fall in competitively better than an overseas option.

3) Are there any specific features you would like to see included if we move forward?
Be sure that the valving would be completely useful. The Ohlins are a good option, but about half of their adjustment is barely noticable. Remember that a majority of people will be on non-OEM springs, and the valving should be a bit more aggressive to reflect that fact. Perhaps the first adjustments (first 1-3) could reflect usable options with the OEM springs, and the next 7-17 (making a total of 10-20 adjustment points) could make use of both leisurely and aggressive lowering springs.

I would definitely be interested in this for a summer setup on a daily driven, occasionally autocrossed and tracked evo. Thanks for inquiring.~brian

Thank you for the feedback!

Definitely make sure the shocks are designed to be used with lowering springs.

I'm fairly certain that ohlin makes an adjustable shock, not coilover, for the evo:

http://edohayre.com/road_and_track.html

I would love to have some adjustable koni's available (yellows).

~$150 a corner? Not sure how much the yellows go for these days.

Also, the kyb agx might be a nice alternative.

Ohlin's are adjustable and offered from Works for $2k including lowering springs.

1) Would there be any interest in an adjustable option manufactured by a reputable US company?
YES! Exactly as others have said, I would love more options than are currently on the market. In fact, I have specifically wished for this on a regular basis.

2) What price range do you feel would make these a worthwhile option / upgrade?
The depends largely upon the quality and effectiveness of the adjustments. Adjustments that don't do much are not something I'm interested in paying more for. I'd rather have non-adjustables with good valving than useless adjustments and crappy valving. And before I pay more for them, I am going to either want to see a shock dyno, or wait until I get a reveiw from someone whose experience, driving ability, and opinion I value and trust.
That being said, I think I'd put a cap of $1400 or so on a set them, IF they meet the valving, adjustment, and quality criteria I seek.

3) Are there any specific features you would like to see included if we move forward?
-Adjustments that are useful
-Bebuild service, or at least rebuilding parts, support available
-An option to provide more camber than the stock eccentric bolts! Either by means of an additional eccentric lower bolt like ZZYZX units, or adjustable upper plates, or both.

As a feature I would like the strut body to be shorter than stock to keep piston travel even when the car is lowered an inch or so

They do, and you're speaking of the Ohlins Fixed Perched. They run about $1700 for a set. Works has these coupled with their Ride springs for about $2000 iirc.

I think something like the single or double adjustable Konis are the way to go. Everyone pretty much covered the fact that a higher valving rate that works with a majority of the aftermarket springs would be awesome for the budget conscience.

This is our intention :) In regards to pricing I would like to see them in the realm of Bilstein HD's if not lower so that these are a viable option for the majority of Evo owners, those Ohlins units are expensive to say the least...

It they could come in around $600 for the set that would be awesome! Also, any idea if they'll be rebuildable with custom valving available?

sounds like a good idea

I'd love to see these tested with the GTWorx and Swift Spec-R springs. We would definitely love to get these into the hands of the experienced drivers who use their cars for both track and DD. Smooth Cali roads don't count! I want to see real world feedback compared to the OEM MR Bilsteins and see if the upgrade is in fact worth while. It should provide an advantage over the Bilstein HD's with something more than just price.

Camber adjustment is also something that would be awesome with more then just 2 settings.

-Jalal