BikeOr?

Done it!, Done it!, Done it! Ordered them last night and should be here for the weekend. I’ll let you know what I think after I get a few miles on them. Thanks all for the advice!

noodels

Will need running in also & search for preload chart with springs used with Ohlins.
Oh! and congrads

BikeOr?

Last night I pulled they stock suspension out in a little over an hour and a half. I’m, I think, the fifth owner of this 19 year old car but it must have been a garage queen it’s entire life. No breaker bars, WD40 or swearing, just ratchets and sockets and a YouTube video and done. Shocks arrived today while I was at work and I spent over two hours assembling them and adjusting the preloads and lengths to SakeBombs recommendations, etc. I had hoped to have two of them on tonight, but that will need to wait till I can find a helping hand. They sure are pretty! ”I love go-o-old. The look of it, the taste of it, the smell of it. I even lost my genitalia in an unfortunate smelting accident, hence the name, ‘Goldmember’.” I hope the hype is for real! I pretty much spent 10% of the purchase price of the car on a set of shocks.

B serious

I'm sure you'll love them, cousin.

I've had them on my AP1 since 2018, in a few different configurations. The car itself has seen quite a few iterations too.

It's a really nice setup.

noodels

Could also check eccentric adjustable areas b4 you get toe/caster/camber done ,yep very nice looking coilovers

BikeOr?

Got the car back together today, had a Halloween party last night so no work on the car yesterday. I set it up with about a half inch drop all around. Front preload per Ohlins (almost) at 2mm. Rear preload at 18mm per Sakebomb garage. Adjusters dialed to 12 clicks from full stiff which is coming close to the track settings range according to Ohlins. Neighbor and I went for a test ride and all I can say is…….awesome, amazing, incredible! Complete transformation of the car. No banging, hammering or slamming at all! I could feel the difference while driving down my gravel drive. Pavement joints and small potholes are like you never hit them. I took the car across a road here that is similar to route 28 near the dragon that I mentioned before, rolling, uneven, much patched. At 70mph the car was stable, controlled and controllable and quiet. I may have hit the rear bump stops on a g-out but it was not harsh at all. The other thing is that my AP1 still has the stock 16” narrow wheels. I have a set of new 17” Enkeis stacked in the garage waiting for powder to go on because it felt like the tires were rolling over and pushing on hard corners. That feeling is gone now! Can’t explain it but so. The ‘03 had stiff rear springs and roll bar and softer front. They were known to be “tail happy” but I was pushing the front. The stiffer front springs should have aggravated that but I am not seeing that at all. The car seems more balanced and am taking corners another 5mph faster than before. I had ordered the 10k springs for the rear but they haven’t arrived so I decided to try the 8k. It does feel a tad soft to my butt, but I’ll give them some time before I switch.
Was it worth the money? An emphatic ‘Hell Yes!’. The only negative I see so far is that I took my wife for a ride, (she has an ‘05 AP2) and now she wants a set also! This is getting pricey! I also felt the chassis itself shudder over some of the really rough stuff, something that I never noticed before, likely because of the noise and trying to keep the car on the road. Some bracing may be in order. To answer my own question, no, you don’t NEED to have the longer travel for another $1000, but money no object, I would buy them because, just like horsepower and sex, the concept of too much doesn’t exist.

BikeOr?

I’m going to follow up with a few days/drives under the belt. I’m going to say that this is one of the better purchases that I have ever made in terms of smiles per dollar. These things are amazing! When set properly stiff, you cannot upset them, no matter what. Always composed, always compliant, never bite back. You can confidently drive at 9/10ths and know that your shocks aren’t going to let you down. I experimented and reduced damping by five clicks, (street territory according to Ohlins) and the ride was more supple and smooth but around the same corner that I ripped around before with no problems, I had tires slipping after encountering bumps. Adjusters promptly wound back down to twelve clicks. The biggest endorsement I have for these shocks is my wife, after a few rides in mine, is on her iPad shopping for a set for her ‘05. She’s afraid I outrun her on the next group drive! (We’re members of Performance Car Syndicate). As Dzings2k said, “Do it, Do it, Do it!”

B serious

Glad you're enjoying them, bruv. Your wife sounds like she has good taste

BikeOr?

Well, yeah….she married me.

Mar2000

The shocks made such a difference is my husband’s car, I told him I don’t want them, I need them!