bgoetz

I currently have a Koni yellow/GC OTS setup running 525/440 (f/r) and ESI bushings all around. It hasn't been bad, but I have been mostly driving on the road vs the track and to make it even remotely comfortable I had to dial the rebound back. Now I get tons of clunks and pops that are getting worse, I think it is the springs moving around with the slower rebound. I also am getting an annoying creak from the bushings. So it is coming apart this winter and I am making it what I want.

I started by grabbing S2000ellier's entire swift/helper setup and figured going from an 8" spring to a 7"+2" helper would keep the springs in place. The swift springs should also be better than the eibach I am currently running. TC Klein is local so I was going to look into having them rebuild the shocks to custom spec. I think this should get me a really nice suspension setup, way better than OTS Ohlins for half the cost.

The second thing I wanted to consider was redoing the bushings, at a minimum the ESI need removed, greased, and repressed in. I am thinking if I am doing that why not just do some sort of urethane/spherical setup. It is unfortunate as the ESI only have like 10k but I think it will be worth it. Any suggestions on a good setup for the $?

Bullwings

Three questions.

1. Why are the swifts springs be that much better than the eibachs? At the end of the day, springs are springs, and whether it's eibach, swift, or hyperco, you're essentially getting a spring that has decent quality backing and isn't made from paper mache. Is it the helper spring combo that you're thinking will help?

I'm using an 8" spring without helper springs and have zero clunks (700 lbs./600 lbs. Bilsteins). This has been my DD for the last 1.5 years due to certain life changes (lol at euphemisms).

2. What makes you so sure of this? Do you have a proven dyno chart that you're able to replicate with a Koni damper? Just like it's easy to buy $6k triple adjustable coilovers and set it up to handle worse than OEM suspension, it's equally probable (if not more so) to build a shock with poor characteristics that also handle worse than OEM.


3. What's the budget? You never stated what the actual $ was...

I lied... four questions.

4. Is the car dual purpose use? Or mostly a toy car that is majority track and weekend use? That dictates what is best

These are just questions, no actual solutions or answers.
Without an actual $ amount budget, the money answer is...
1. Replace control arms with full OEM if it's a dual purpose car (sell used arms). Or, replace all bushings with full sphericals if it's a track/weekend good weather use car only.
2. Get the Ohlins. There are literally no bad reviews or complaints with these shocks other than being too soft for a full track use car, in which case you can get the Urge or PSI revalved DFVs that accommodate stiffer springs. (sell the Konis)

bgoetz

Thanks for the response! I went with the Swift/helper combo because, yes the helper springs are key in getting rid of the noise IMO. As for the springs, I was under the impression that Swift was a better spring that were not as harsh and had a more linear feel due to the less coils. The 7" spring + 2" helper should get me about what you have with an 8" spring.

The thought on the rebuild was:
1.) my hope is that it is a cheaper route than going with the Ohlins. I think I could get $700 out of my Konis with the Eibach. Urge Ohlins with the spring upgrade are $2400-$700 leaves me at $1700. I am hopeful that the custom build is under $1000, so that $700 savings is a good chunk of Ballade sports Spherical kit. Or think of it this way, every $400 saved is a weekend at the track!

2.)A custom build from a reputable shop who is a "go to" in racing suspension has to be better than a OTS shock, right?

The car will be a weekend track/nice day toy, that said I don't want to put spherical bushings on if they are going to make the ride more harsh or be obnoxiously noisy. I figured sphericals would make the ride smoother. If I went sphericals I was thinking of Ballades kit.

As for budget I want to be as cost effective as possible as $ will just be allocated to other aspects of the car or seat time. If the rebuild is crazy expensive or isn't going to be as good as Ohlins then I am not opposed to selling the suspension and new springs that I just bought. I have time to decide, this is a winter project.

bgoetz

I am curious to get more opinions on the custom build vs OTS Ohlins though. and maybe I am way off on rebuild cost, I haven't called yet but figured under $1k

Apex1.0

I bought my Koni/gc setup considering the positive feedback and experience you had with the setup. For the price the konis can not be beat imo. I fully believe they can be tuned to be better, but they will be limited compared to something like a dfv. I am not sure I fully understand your goals. I have 500/500 7" springs and have zero clunking or noise with my gc setup. I don't think the swift setup will do anything for you. Like bullwings I also believe a quality spring is a quality spring. Suspension magic is in the damper not the spring.

In the end I have very few complaints with my Koni setup, however when given the opportunity I snapped up a set of Ohlins. I hope the higher damping sensitivity provides the feel I am looking for. If you look at the financials of Ohlins vs valved konis it is compelling. If you have 1200 into your setup now, add 800 for valving. What's the value of the shocks, 1k maybe if you sell it. With the dfvs you pay 2100 or so and what's the used value? You could easily sell them for 1800. Something to consider.

imstimpy

I have a full set of rear a-arms and a pair of front lower a-arms, all with aftermarket hardened rubber bushings, that I'll be putting into the classifieds.

Requiem

I have tracked/autocrossed and daily driven my s2000 quite a bit with this set up with no issues. The ES bushings aren't bad to daily or track with. The Koni/ swift set up was good in the street and they paired will with one another on the track too. I have tracked with them at Sebring, a known harshly paved road course several times and the were very good.

JJ7

I would buy new OEM arms with fresh rubber and a decent OTS shock (DFV, KW). No more noise, fresh suspension, great street/ track characteristics. You can sell all your stuff to recoup some costs.

bgoetz

Overall I AM very happy with the current setup on the track and smooth roads, I still think for the $ it can't be beat. I recently moved to a area with tons of awesome back roads and if I drive to work I head into the city. The back roads are really uneven at times and it tosses the car everywhere. My city commute the car crashes pretty hard on potholes and has really become noisy, to make the ride comfortable I have cranked the rebound slower which seems to actually make the noises worse. I need to iron out the noises which at a minimum is going to require me to tear things down, so I figured why not try to make it better while I am at it. So that is where I am at, figuring out how to make it better.

-I figured the helper springs would hopefully really help, as it seems some of the noise is the springs moving, but maybe I am wrong. In any case aren't helper springs generally a good thing. The swifts are known to be a slightly better spring and are a touch stiffer (10k/9k) than my current setup (9.5k/8k). Yes I realize stiffer may actually make streetabiliy less, but my hope is a custom shock build will give me the best of both worlds and will actually allow a stiffer setup that rides better than current off the track. Regardless of what route I go, I can either use this spring setup with say an OTS Ohlin or sell it and not be out anything.

-cost is going to be an issue, if I can't do this for less than $1k for the rebuild I start getting close to Ohlin cost, which is where I am curious what the suspension experts think when it comes to Ohlins vs custom Koni yellows (still single adjustable). That opinion will help make my decision when it comes to $. If I can save $500-800 and get something that is arguably as good, why not. However, if consensus is that it won't be better, I have to figure out how much the Ohlins are worth over the custom built yellows.

-I am still on the fence when it comes to bushings, I may just remove and regrease the ESI. The idea of sphericals has always seemed neat and I guess I figured if I am doing it I might as well do what I want. That said I don't want to waist $ or get something that makes the car less streetable.

My goal it to take the suspension to the next level with my car and spend as little to do it. I am looking for a more planted feel that performs well on the track and is still fun to drive on the roads, even the occasional crappy one.

I guess there is also the option of sending them back to Koni and having them converted to sport shocks, which I want to say is like $125 a shock.

Apex1.0

How many turns are the konis set to? This is control vs crash. Same issue I had. I ran everything from .5 turns from full soft to 1.5 turns. I settled on 1 turn for the street and 1.25 turns for the track. To get the ride, loose the crash and keep good wheel contact, you have to give up some body control with the konis. Try running at .5 from soft. Sounds crazy and it takes some getting used to but it will float over rough roads and give you plenty of grip. The body control won't be there, but that is all feel, the traction will be.

Can you address this by adding more low speed bump damping and a more digressive curve? Maybe, but I wonder if the Koni just won't be response enough even with the stiffer valving. They may provide you the grip but not the feel you are looking for.

I went with the Ohlins because I want to have my cake and eat it too. Low speed body control of the oem dampers, with the high frequency grip of the konis. Not sure if I made the right move, time will tell.