The Better Bilstein Ebay Coilover Thread
#421
Stock:
Normal? (Black Showa; I think I remember someone mentioning this, but I've never seen it)
Sport (Black Showa; this is what's on most cars)
Hard Sport (Yellow Bilstein)
R-package (Yellow Bilstein)
MSM (Silver Bilstein)
Aftermarket:
Bilstein HD (aka B6)
Bilstein Sport (aka B8, shorter body)
Normal? (Black Showa; I think I remember someone mentioning this, but I've never seen it)
Sport (Black Showa; this is what's on most cars)
Hard Sport (Yellow Bilstein)
R-package (Yellow Bilstein)
MSM (Silver Bilstein)
Aftermarket:
Bilstein HD (aka B6)
Bilstein Sport (aka B8, shorter body)
#423
Still finishing mine up. However, my ebay sleeves came with ~460 lb/in springs. I have 550/350 QA1's on the shelf, so these aren't really needed. Might hang onto a set, but if anyone needs springs in that range I'll let a set go.
Edit: To clarify, I'm willing to let the Ebay 460 lb/in springs go. They're just over 6" long.
Edit: To clarify, I'm willing to let the Ebay 460 lb/in springs go. They're just over 6" long.
Last edited by PatCleary; 02-19-2015 at 04:50 PM.
#425
Spoon feed me?
I just picked some new NB bilstein sports from Curly. I'm looking to build some adjustable coilovers and need help with spring rate/length. These will be going on an exocet race chassis that will weigh about 1550lbs wet. It will be mostly track day/weekend canyon carver. I don't need a cushy ride, but I don't want to see the chiropractor after a cruise on the street either. I've done my research unfortunately there is not any good info as far as exocet suspension spring rates.
I plan to order allstar sleeves and the Honda bumpstops.
Any thoughts?
I just picked some new NB bilstein sports from Curly. I'm looking to build some adjustable coilovers and need help with spring rate/length. These will be going on an exocet race chassis that will weigh about 1550lbs wet. It will be mostly track day/weekend canyon carver. I don't need a cushy ride, but I don't want to see the chiropractor after a cruise on the street either. I've done my research unfortunately there is not any good info as far as exocet suspension spring rates.
I plan to order allstar sleeves and the Honda bumpstops.
Any thoughts?
#428
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The exocet will weigh much less than a Miata so it will need less spring rate (with the same sway bars). I would want to know the size and compound of tire you plan to use to make a reasonable recommendation. Adhesion of the tire will determine the necessary rates.
#430
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If you are planning on the 225 Rivals (which have been out of stock everywhere for awhile) on a 1500lb chassis, depending upon your sway bar choices, I would consider 400/275 or 400/300 as a starting point. And I would recommend 7 inch springs for good travel without binding. Lighter rates generally need more length for travel to not bind. Larger rear bars than stock mean you can achieve cornering balance with less rear spring rate so therefore everyone has a different idea of "right" according to their package as a whole. Guys with stock rear bars will want more spring in the rear. But I enjoy the adjustability of both the front and rear as a way to fine tune without changing springs. The sways and the springs work together to achieve balance because sway bars are simply torsion bar springs that borrow spring rate from the opposite side of the car.
If you were running Hoosiers I would have advised slightly higher spring rates (450/300 or 450/325) or higher as a starting point. But since it will be used on the street and weighs as little as it does, you will find the lower rates far preferable and will end up with better tire adhesion over uneven asphalt.
Summit Racing's house brand is still the best deal on springs outside of "guess the spring rate" Ebay springs. I have had no problems with my Summit springs or heard of anyone running them with a complaint.
#432
Spoon feed me?
I just picked some new NB bilstein sports from Curly. I'm looking to build some adjustable coilovers and need help with spring rate/length. These will be going on an exocet race chassis that will weigh about 1550lbs wet. It will be mostly track day/weekend canyon carver. I don't need a cushy ride, but I don't want to see the chiropractor after a cruise on the street either. I've done my research unfortunately there is not any good info as far as exocet suspension spring rates.
I plan to order allstar sleeves and the Honda bumpstops.
Any thoughts?
I just picked some new NB bilstein sports from Curly. I'm looking to build some adjustable coilovers and need help with spring rate/length. These will be going on an exocet race chassis that will weigh about 1550lbs wet. It will be mostly track day/weekend canyon carver. I don't need a cushy ride, but I don't want to see the chiropractor after a cruise on the street either. I've done my research unfortunately there is not any good info as far as exocet suspension spring rates.
I plan to order allstar sleeves and the Honda bumpstops.
Any thoughts?
obviously these are rough gestimates, and I am not sure that roll stiffness is chosen based on chassis weight as much its chosen based on a combination of weight and tire grip. I would probably go for a bit stiffer, because your lower weight will get more out of your tires. So my final suggestion would be something more like 500 and 300-400 (with the sway bars).
Blonde moment. Yep this is a good suggestion. my numbers match up closely to the 800/500 suggestion on the miata.
Last edited by Seefo; 03-05-2015 at 09:18 AM.
#434
I think you maybe missing that a lower weight car with the same tire & size will have more grip. The car will need less spring rate overall too. my first set of numbers match more with the 700/400 setup, the second ones are close to the 800/500.
Otherwise, on a guess and minimal math I am sure my numbers are not ideal. I think the responsibility falls to him to figure out what is ideal.
#435
Thanks for the advice guys. There will be some learning to do and trial and error for sure. I'm new to performance cars and setting up suspension. My plan is to get something decent for now and pick up some xidas next year. To be safe and more comfortable i will be using something that has been used (just looked into the uk exo race series). I'll be going with 350/250 and a tubular sway bar. Enough of a thread hijack. I'll post some pictures when I have them built.
#436
I would recommend an adjustable sway bar because it aids in fine tuning the balance. I believe the RB and the FM bars are all multi-hole adjustable rate bars but I'm not sure of the others. ISC Racing makes a really trick-looking adjustable front and rear bar as well that comes with aluminum arms on a hollow splined steel center with roller bearings for chassis mounting. If you end up with a non adjustable then you may have to play with changing spring rates a little more to find your balance. Since the weights and balances of the Exocet are different from a Miata because of the completely new chassis, I would expect the FCM calculator to be somewhat useless other than a starting point.
If you are planning on the 225 Rivals (which have been out of stock everywhere for awhile) on a 1500lb chassis, depending upon your sway bar choices, I would consider 400/275 or 400/300 as a starting point. And I would recommend 7 inch springs for good travel without binding. Lighter rates generally need more length for travel to not bind. Larger rear bars than stock mean you can achieve cornering balance with less rear spring rate so therefore everyone has a different idea of "right" according to their package as a whole. Guys with stock rear bars will want more spring in the rear. But I enjoy the adjustability of both the front and rear as a way to fine tune without changing springs. The sways and the springs work together to achieve balance because sway bars are simply torsion bar springs that borrow spring rate from the opposite side of the car.
If you were running Hoosiers I would have advised slightly higher spring rates (450/300 or 450/325) or higher as a starting point. But since it will be used on the street and weighs as little as it does, you will find the lower rates far preferable and will end up with better tire adhesion over uneven asphalt.
Summit Racing's house brand is still the best deal on springs outside of "guess the spring rate" Ebay springs. I have had no problems with my Summit springs or heard of anyone running them with a complaint.
If you are planning on the 225 Rivals (which have been out of stock everywhere for awhile) on a 1500lb chassis, depending upon your sway bar choices, I would consider 400/275 or 400/300 as a starting point. And I would recommend 7 inch springs for good travel without binding. Lighter rates generally need more length for travel to not bind. Larger rear bars than stock mean you can achieve cornering balance with less rear spring rate so therefore everyone has a different idea of "right" according to their package as a whole. Guys with stock rear bars will want more spring in the rear. But I enjoy the adjustability of both the front and rear as a way to fine tune without changing springs. The sways and the springs work together to achieve balance because sway bars are simply torsion bar springs that borrow spring rate from the opposite side of the car.
If you were running Hoosiers I would have advised slightly higher spring rates (450/300 or 450/325) or higher as a starting point. But since it will be used on the street and weighs as little as it does, you will find the lower rates far preferable and will end up with better tire adhesion over uneven asphalt.
Summit Racing's house brand is still the best deal on springs outside of "guess the spring rate" Ebay springs. I have had no problems with my Summit springs or heard of anyone running them with a complaint.