I should have qualified that with the word "stock". After a revalve and some springs I would.

 

well said!

 

Very well stated.

Also, don't forget that the single adjuster on the Ohlins does affect both rebound and compression damping. So you can adjust both settings, just not independently. While there is value in being able to independently adjust compression and rebound, that value is almost always minimal. Furthermore, that independent adjustment is only really going to be useful if the valving is correct to begin with and matches well across dampers. I can't speak to the FAs, but adjusters on cheaper 2-way shocks are notoriously inconsistent.

So don't get hung up on number of adjustments.

 

also well said. my compression and rebound settings have almost always been the same; 2-way not needed. also, i'm a noob at suspension tuning. the more adjustments i have, the more confused i get.

i've always used single adjustables and did really well with them. i'm not at the level where i need more adjustment.

i'm going to contact FA and see about a set of their single adjustables. i'm willing to try them if we can work something out.

 

Make sure you speak directly w/ Terry

 

I must have been bored, because I just read this whole thread. (I'm also waiting for Penn State to find their offense in this game). I am surprised there are no shock dynos or critical damping curves compared between the various setups. Some folks have mentioned street manners and "stiffness" of various setups. The science behind that is in the damper performance. High speed "blow off", or a digressive damper, is critical to minimize harshness of a damper setup.

A while back, I did a comparison of the FA 510s to my Moton Clubsports for a friend who was trying to figure out his setup. I need to find it and maybe post some useful plots. The moral of the story was that quality dampers can allow you to approach or even exceed critical damping at low speeds (2in/s and lower) while being 50% or so at high speeds. This lets you really control body movement from corner loads while allowing bumps (or curb hits) to move the wheel and not upset the car... or the drivers butt.

In order to get shock dynos to exhibit this digressive behavior, there is a lot of engineering that goes into the design of the valving. That's what you are really paying for with Ohlin's, Moton, etc. Companies like FA have great support, but they are still figuring out the valving to catch up.

 

Well said Sir!

 

Here is a snapshot of my comparison mentioned in the previous post. Names and springs rates not mentioned on purpose, but you can get the idea. The calcs and plots are based on actual shock dyno results from the two cars. Real world data

 

Now I just gotta learn to read it LOL

 

my suspension is soo difficult to make it working properly, needed a suspension guy from EU and 7 days to dialed in to have a base line, and set ups for different weather and surface. ( that is all guide lines still but at least a solid starter points for almost any circumstances) Dont get me wrong it is amazing if not the best suspension today for the Evo, but still you need to dial in for your car and driving style.
Also its 4 ways adjustable. LOL
So i ended up run the base set up for each situation. Like grave or tarmac. Deep surface or hard or wet, etc

I am still learning the set ups. But the coil is sooo good is actually a cheating. No joke.

so when you have a good suspension , you or some one needs to dial in for your car. With spring rates etc. I am not sure how that works with FA with they looks to me very limited experience yet.

 

So not to take this thread too far off topic, but I'm installing my new Ohlin's R&T's and am wondering what other street / HPDE types are setting ride heights at?

I've got a full weight Evo8, Whiteline FSB/RSB, RCK, springs are F8k/R10k, stock wheels on the street, 17x9.5's w/ 255/40 Maxxis RC-1 at the track.

Thanks!

 

The recommended settings are good.

The general rule of thumb is that you don't want to lower the front end past the point at which your LCAs are parallel to the ground. With the RCK that means you can go a tiny bit lower than stock.

I don't have the RCK (classing restrictions) but my LCAs are just a few degrees higher than parallel to the ground. I still have to drive carefully around certain parts of town to avoid scraping and I have to confirm ahead of time that tire shops can get my car on to their lifts. I really wouldn't want to go any lower for street use.

 

Nil's evo was at 6.5" front and 7.5" rear (measured to closest part of pinch weld) with Evo 9 arms and Whiteline RCK from what I recall. The Cyber Evo was also slammed pretty low to the ground.

 

For what it's worth: I'm fairly positive that the Cyber Evo wasn't running anything near stock suspension geometry, so I wouldn't use it as a reference point.

 

So. I sold the KW and bought a set of AST 5100s.

I'm happier.