qwertymess

iTrader: (11)

Recently I was venturing into the idea of coil overs for track days and a spirited driving on the weekends or whenever I can get a chance to take the Evo out. I knew what I wanted but was stuck on the; what ifs and how about questions that we all ask ourselves when shopping around. Specifically when dropping down a good amount of cash for a good setup, you tend to look at your options with a microscope and start doing pro’s and cons about everything.

Im going to cut to the chase here as most of you have been there done that.

What I was running prior:
2010 Evo X with Swifts running on RPF1 18x9.5 +15 and Dunlop Star Specs 265/35/18

The ride was a bit stiffer then stock, but really not noticeable. Turn in was stiffer, body roll was minimal, and overall was a great spring.

For track use though, different story. It still didn’t give me the confidence I was looking for when diving hard into a corner under braking and quick transitioning from side to side with all that weight to throw around. Did it still work; yes, was it ideal; probably for a bit, but I was looking for sharper response, specifically when shifting weight around quickly.

I quickly opted for a whiteline rear sway bar and end links which I had set to the middle setting. This corrected a lot of the annoyances I had with shifting weight around, as it responded better, quicker, snappier. After driving the car around and taking some good turns, I still found myself in the same spot where I was still not completely satisfied with how the car was transitioning.

On comes the search for a solid coil over which I was hesitant on because I really didn’t want to kill my ride comfort, but at the same time I wanted something reliable, reputable, buildable, smooth, and quiet. <- this of course being a tall order, I immediately started looking at some Ohlin’s R/T’s and JRZ RS1.

After weighing the pros and cons of both for some time I decided to take a dive and go with the JRZ RS1’s.

Before I go any further though, I want to say thank you to Bryan at JRZ and Dan at AMS for essentially holding my hand through the endless questions and emails I through at both of them before I made the purchase. We all here it from the vendors right: “Are product is the best” “our product does better than the competition” blah..blah..blah.. We have all heard it, experienced it, and for the most part are deaf to it by now.

Taking a quote from one of Bryans posts on evom.net “I hate to toot my own horn, but I am really proud of what we came up with. The ride is awesome and it works on track like a JRZ should. There are over 55k miles on our test car with no issues (the car is not driven gently).”

So on to the ordering and install.
Called up Dan
Placed Order
Received Order
Picked Up
Installed
Asked Bryan a gadgillion questions

Lowered the car back down and went for a test drive (without alignment)

My first drive with this setup, (same tires and rims)
I thought something was immediately wrong within 2 min. of being on the road. Quickly went home to diagnose.

My Second drive with this setup (20 min. later)
Turns out, nothing was wrong. The car was riding smoother than my swifts. I couldn’t believe it. No noise, no drama, no bouncing, no rattling, and I didn’t even cringe when I hit a pot hole.

I really thought that this couldn’t be right. I had to of made an error of some sort. This is not how I remember coil-overs to be, nor how they react to bumpy, ****ty Chicago roads. 15 min. into the drive and I stop to fill up some gas. Met some other Evo owners at the gas station, talked, went home.

I sat in my garage a bit longer and was just wondering how it is possible that these coil-overs are meeting all of my expectations. This never happens. I usually get shafted in the brilliant Ideas I come up with.

I parked the car and called it a night, as in the next couple of days I was getting an alignment and the following weekend out to Autobahn to run with nasa.

Fast forward to the weekend at the track.

1st go around the track with the new setup (450lb springs front/500lbs springs rear, all settings in the middle)

I sucked horribly.

I was trying to get a feel for how the car was rotating and just wasn’t comfortable yet pushing the car around turns harder.

After about 2-3 sessions I started to get more confident, and hair started to grow on my chest. I found out really quick that the harder I push, the more the Evo was loving it. Turn in was great, response from side to side was better than expected. Braking hard didn’t nose dive the car, yet wasn’t so stiff that it was breaking your back either. I finally remedied the horrendous under steer and was able to just point and shoot the direction I wanted to go into.

When I hit the rumble strip a few times, that car didn’t get upset, I didn’t cringe one bit. In fact I did something that I normally don’t do when I drive the Evo around. I was enjoying the ride without fear of breaking something, or bolts flying off, or second guessing what it can or cannot do.

It took a total on 4 sessions to build the confidence I needed and found that I was pushing the car more and more around the bends.

I guess the biggest thing that put a smile on my face was that when the day was over and I was driving the car home, it was a smooth ride. Best of both worlds that as much as I am writing here cannot fully explain how nice this setup is.
So to wrap up and hurry on to the pictures:

Is it worth the price: Yes, and I would do it all over again in a heart beat

Should Bryan be tooting his own horn: Yes, and then some

If you are getting into any type of road racing but still DD your car: this is the setup for you

If you only use your car as a track car: This is the setup for you

If you only DD your car but want something you can live with, without hassle: this is the setup for you

I am extremely happy with how everything turned out and recommend this to anyone looking for a great setup. Especially with the support you get not only with Bryan at JRZ but with AMS as well.

Now for pics:

WarmMilk

iTrader: (1)

I haven't been this jealous in a long time...

deanob

iTrader: (2)

Im a big McPherson strut fan... but damn those are NICE!

linjy2

iTrader: (4)

do want!

Iowa999

iTrader: (1)

In one of the last few pictures, the writing on a rear spring is easy to read. The rears are 500s, not 450s.

Nice review.

qwertymess

iTrader: (11)

Good catch, and edited. My oops.

digitalskillz

Thanks for the writeup Quertymess. People find these first hand experiences invaluable.

Do you feel that the 450/500 is a tad harsh on the street as a daily driver? I'm looking for a good DD setup with light AutoX use.

Now that you've got a good feel for the setup, what do you have the JRZ's adjusted to? Still 12/12?

Did you get the "front camber plates" and "rear adapter mounts" too? I'm not an expert in suspension but it looks like in the pictures that I see a camber plate there.

You said you went with the rear whiteline swaybar and endlinks. Did you get the front SB too, and the roll center kit?

Thanks!

qwertymess

iTrader: (11)

Considering the harshness of the stock ride on a scale of 1-10 1 being soft the stock suspension was a 5

with swifts maybe 6

with JRZ's 6 1/2

I think 450/500 is perfect, but everyone has a different opinion on this. This is the best of both worlds for DD and track. Honestly, in the past every time i had put on coil-overs i felt like i just ruined the car. To harsh, too bumpy, etc. Yes, it did provide performance, but with more set backs then i cared for.

This is what i like about the JRZ setup were as its great on street for DD and works awesome on the track.

I do still have them set on 12/12. I went from 10/10 to 11/11 then to 12/12. I will be testing really all settings to see what i am most comfortable with.

Yes i did get the top mounts front and back. Essentially if your coming from stock suspension, you will be getting the whole setup including front and rear top plates, tender springs, etc.

I did the whiteline rear sway bar with whiteline endlinks, and the roll center kit. I dont feel as though the front sway bar is necessary at this point as the install itself makes it not worth it for the minimal returns you get. At one point i will replace the front sway bar, but i would much rather spend my money elsewhere (good tires) until that happens.

digitalskillz

That's around $4,800 total in suspension parts (not counting tires/wheels or alignment/install).
I know it's worth it, suspension truly makes or breaks a car. But ouch.

Thanks again for the info. Seems like you have the best possible setup now within reason.

Iowa999

iTrader: (1)

Remember that harshness is much more determined by the shocks' high-speed valving than it is by spring-rate, at least for reasonable spring-rates, as these are.

jimm

iTrader: (3)

Sure they are great coilovers but you can get Muellerized Ohlins for 3200, Robi Spec Clubsports for 2800, AST 4100 2.5K with springs etc and I think AST 5100 which are triple adjustable for mid 4K.

Seems high for what it is (single adjustable monotube). If that was what I wanted, I would have a hard time justifying the cost.

qwertymess

iTrader: (11)

Dont think of this setup as how many ways you can adjust it. Sure i can buy many other coil-overs that have 100 ways to adjust, but that doesnt mean squat if you dont know how to adjust them, or how to use them.

Essentially, were this setup shines is the fact that they are smooth on the road, not harsh, wont kill you. (you wont ruin your ride comfort) This is the beauty of it. And as a bonus, it performs excellent on track.

jimm

iTrader: (3)

Ok, what do they offer over Ohlins...or Ohlins that have been setup for maximum performance? (Meullerized). Both high quality, both single adjustible monotube. One is over 1 K less expensive. Not saying this is not a quality product. But at this price point, I am trying to think of who this is trying to sell to.

Is a causual track guy who has a hard time setting up the suspension really going to pay over 1K more than for Ohlins? Would they, given thier limited experience really be able to tell the difference assuming there is one?

A more hard core owner seeing that they are either above the cost of a coilover is likely to pass this up for coilovers that offer more adjustments. Motons which are double adjustibles are around this price point for example...as are the triple adjustible ASTs with externals..

Point is that all of these are quality coilovers that can accomplish the same goal as these and are either are cheaper or offer more for similar money.

Summary...I think they look great, JRZs so no doubt perform great. Just think at this price point, they will have a hard time selling a bunch of them.

GTWORX.com

iTrader: (35)

Just a note, AST 5100 are single adjustable. 5200 are double, 5300 triple.

- drew

jimm

iTrader: (3)

(although I wrote 5100) I was thinking the 5200 were triple. Thanks for the correction. The rest of my point stands though.