Hello S2KI,
I am continuing my track build journey with further improvements to my suspension. I had been running the over-the-shelf DFV coilovers for the past 5 years and felt it was time for me to upgrade my suspension to a more track focused setup. The Ohlins performed fantastically as a dual duty setup. But, with having mild aero upgrades as well as moving to a 'slick' tire, I noticed a lot more braking dive & body roll than I wanted. My local NASA chapter, Rocky Mountain, is home to the 2024 NASA National Champion for TT5 which is also the class I compete in. Fortune Auto came highly recommended by the National Champ and they offer several configurations for motorsport-level setups. I reached out to Fortune Auto and received a timely response from Ray. Fortune Auto supports motorsports and I inquired about their contingency program. Ray answered any and all questions I had regarding the program. After a few back and forths with Ray over the program, I was locked in and wanting to move forward! Ray directed me to Devin for any suspension-related questions through their Spring Selector form. After consulting with Devin and letting him know my goals, setup requests, and level of modifications, Devin provided a couple of options that he believed would work well for my setup. This was very much in line with what I was theorizing so it was great to see my non-scientific brain thoughts aligned with the experts. After about a 6 week wait, which was the expected turnaround, the coilovers arrived and the installation began!


The coilovers arrived in very nice double boxed packaging. Upon opening, you are greeted to some some Fortune Auto swag & some documentation. The documents included dyno graphs for the front and rear shocks, QR code link to setup instructions, and a build certificate.




The dyno graphs really help visualize the proprietary Concave Flow Digressive Piston system. In layman's terms, I get to keep attacking track curbs, while minimizing body roll & brake dive.

The current setup I opted for was the absolute basic of basics for the 510 series. Simplicity on a race weekend is an underrated thing. Having only one single adjustment for compression and rebound really simplifies the suspension setup and minimizes the time needed to fine tune suspension settings. Again, being a bit of a caveman, limiting the available inputs to mess things up is always a plus. I plan to upgrade the setup as the year progresses to further tailor the system to my needs. This means no radial bearings, no helper springs, no aluminum body. The coilovers are anodized beautifully and come with brake line holders for the fronts.





Installation setup was a breeze. I wanted to maintain my existing ride height to try and minimize any outside factors to try and give an apples to apples comparison of my old coilovers vs new. In the end, I was able to maintain my existing ride heigh to within 1/8th of an inch in the front, and the same in the rear. I expect some spring sag once the suspension settles and will keep an eye on the ride height through more test days to see if any additional adjustments will need to be made.



By maintaining the same ride height, no adjustments were needed to the alignment. Again, I wanted an apples-to-apples comparison of the old setup vs new.



The Juicy:
Global warming's impact allowed us to have a winter open lapping day at our local track and I was able to test the suspension a day after installation. I had previously managed to break the 2 minute barrier at High Plains Raceway which is regarded an extraordinary feat for the track. That day served as a test day and break-in day for the suspension, but the coilovers made a huge impact even before I made it on track. I drove the vehicle to the track and almost immediately noticed how compliant my suspension was. The ride was surprisingly smooth and compliant when the dampers were set to 2 clicks from full soft. This is in spite of having spring rates 4k higher than previously front and rear, no optional upgraded radial bearings (tophat bushing/bearing), and the basic Fortune Auto springs. They were able to soak up road imperfects without being 'jolty' which we are all familiar with when moving to coilovers. The digressive/concave damper settings really allowed the dampers to absorb the high speed impacts.

On my first session, I had set the dampers at 12 clicks from soft, which is right in the middle of the damper settings. The firmer spring rates helped control body roll, but I felt the setting was too soft and when loading up in corners, it was underdamped. This was the only session where I was able to successfully set up video. I ended up following a buddy's miata for most of the session.

I ended up tightening up the dampers to 18 clicks from full soft (6 away from full hard) and started to get comfortable with the car again. The suspension was predictable and I was able to push more comfortably. I ended up with predicted lap times of high 2:01s but never got full clean laps as it was an open lapping event. I ended the day being very happy with the performance of the coilovers. I will need more seat time and more and more fiddling in the higher damping settings of the coilovers, but being able to theoretically run ~2 seconds within my best time ever on a partially repaved track with LOTS of traffic is a testament to the performance ability of the 510 Series from Fortune Auto. I have to reiterate that I am on the 510 series with absolutely no optional upgrades. The ability of the coilovers to perform on track while also being able to be comfortable on the street is amazing. The design of the damping is really well tailored to be able to handle all sorts of driving!

 

Nice writeup and thanks for sharing. Fortune Auto are good people, they're support of grassroots racing is fantastic.

 

I haven't really been on here much, but the FA-510s are phenomenal coilovers with a lot of Grassroots level support. I had a visible leak with one of my shocks and sent them all in for a check. Turns out over the 4 years and TONS of miles with a few HPDEs and dozens of AutoX's on them, they serviced them all and had them sent back with a new dyno chart that was the same & sent the new style locking collars and my clearanced ones (offset UCA bushings) all for just the cost of shipping. A friend of mine has them now, and has loved them at Road Atlanta, but today he was at The Firm in Florida, same setup as you (18 from soft F and 16 from soft R) to get his AP1 happy there.

Turned them back down to 7/5 and his mom enjoyed the ride to dinner in it too!

 

Did you ever consider revalving the Ohlins for higher spring rates?

 

Agreed, I am having a very positive experience with their customer service and the performance of the suspension itself.

Awesome to hear! Glad to hear about the long-term use and how they held up. I usually don't mess with damper settings that much as I always found it hard to adjust properly. But, it was very obvious from 12 clicks vs 18 clicks. Hopefully, I can find some time to fine-tune the damper setup so I don't have to end up fiddling during competition events.

I did. But Fortune Auto supports amateur-level competition via their contingency program which was a major turn on. And the guy who kicks my butt locally is also on Fortune Auto 510s and he won nationally which also turned me on to their products

 

Been tracking my 510s for a few years now. Car is very capable with them, Im running mine with swift springs 14K front and 13K rear, very happy with that set up with mild aero(splitter/APRGT250 wing)