Ape Factory

iTrader: (3)

I wish slartibartfast lived closer, LOL. It'd be great to have a like mind and another set of hands to take measurements and try things out. Three hours too far!

Ape Factory

iTrader: (3)

Just a brief update and some more food for thought. I'd really been going over fine details with all of the Korean/Taiwan shock companies and landed back on Fortunes. I was prepared to have a 510 series kit with the ultra digressive piston built. 5 year warranty finally sold me.

Guess what? The fine print clearly states there's no warranty for a street-driven car. It's for off road use only. Drive it on the road and no warranty. Yep, they're off my list.

One other note, if you're using your car on the street quite a bit, try to find something with a digressive piston. It'll make the ride that much better.

With that said, I think I'm back to either Tein or Aragosta. I can get the Aragostas for far less than what Bulletproof gouges people for. Looking at the S with a 12/10 spring rate and rubber upper mounts.

On the Tein front, the Flex Z's seem to be terminally back-ordered despite being in production for a year. So...the Mono Sports with a 14/12 spring rate now look tempting and I can get those along with a full EDFC active kit for less than the Aragostas. Serviceable here in the U.S. too. Plus they come with a road use warranty and are made in Japan. Lots of good reviews on various forums from guys who are tracking them. The spring rates have me a bit concerned but they've apparently worked long hours on matching the valving to the rates. I've considered the fact I may have to go down in sway bar size. But on the plus side, I don't have to swap out the springs for "quality" swift springs and buy into yet another marketing bs scheme.

The rest of my money's going towards removing unsprung weight.

slartibartfast

iTrader: (7)

He did one set for a G35 but the customer was very dis-satisfied with the result. I found his (gsedan35) thread on my350z.com. He's no longer on the board so I can't get his side of the story. Shaikh's response was the customer demanded adjusters that Fat Cat normally removes. The Bilsteins internals made it difficult for Fat Cat to work with to retain the adjustable feature and valve correctly. The customer sold them for a big loss and the buyer had Bistein rebuild them. Shaikh posted some dyno's that helped explain the problem.

So, while he doesn't have much experience with the Z34/V36, I don't think it should automatically take him out of the running. As long as you're okay with fixed damping, they should work well.

I'm starting a conversation with Powertrix, I'll keep you apprised.

And I'm going say right here that iPad SUXXORS for typing unusual words. Autocorrect sticks it's big, fat nose in the middle and makes it difficult to type what I want instead of what it thinks I want.

Ape Factory

iTrader: (3)

LOL, you can turn auto correct off. I looked at Powertrix long and hard initially. They're Stance coil overs with different colors and linear pistons. I do like the fact he will do a barrel type Swift spring in the rear where others can't seem to do it. A bit odd but oh well. He also charges about $100 more for the Swift option.

Stance does apparently have digressive pistons on the way.

slartibartfast

iTrader: (7)

Found the autocorrect. Third time's the charm.

One of the things I was going to ask Powertrix was who supplies their damper cartridge. I suppose this is the Stance ST-Z34-SSO? Another was shock dyno availability. And the Swift option is a $450 for the entire set.

I'm still drawn to the custom damping offered by Fat Cat. I put Ohlins on my Miata and never adjusted the damping. Didn't have to, out-of the box felt good on the street and the track. Makes me think custom-valved non-adjustable Bilsteins are a good thing for a street car. If only Bilstein listed spring rates.

Ape Factory

iTrader: (3)

Honestly, that's the thing...the damping is really optimal over a very small range with a given spring rate but temps and track conditions often require a different damping curve. When that happens, the spring rates are often switched. Not exactly feasible on a street-driven car. So when I see something that's 32 way adjustable, it's a pretty "meh" moment. Look at a lot of the high dollar stuff...some come with as "few' as 7 or 8 different adjustment levels. I did not get any answer about the shock dyno from either BC or Stance. Fortune advertises their shocks are within 1% of one and other. Whether that's true or not, who knows. I'm willing to bet that they bet no one will take the time to actually check.

I'd like to see what Fat Cat comes up with for you. If I could get a top rated shock with matched spring rate and dampen, ride height separate from preload, I might take a look.

As far as I can tell, the Powertrix are the Stance SS cartridges. The ultralight is also a Stance cartridge and it is an option for the G37 through Stance on any of their setups. If I remember correctly, it's a $450 option through Stance. Powertrix will build you the UL with the rubber upper mounts ala the Sport Street with softer damping. That cartridge (damper) is different from the Sport Street/Race damper in specs. Larger body, larger piston, etc...

I really want to believe the Stance Pro Comp 2's are my answer but I have yet to see a review from any user who tracked regularly or does a lot of spirited driving. They do a lot of drifting which is not my thing. Most reviews are anecdotal or slam my ride type stuff. The Powertrix guys seem to track regularly and have good support. From what I've read, while they use the same basic mechanicals, Charles has extensive hands-on experience with Nissan platforms. I'd love to see a shock dyno comparison between the Powertrix and the Teins.

Ape Factory

iTrader: (3)

So the Aragostas are getting the nod. They're rebuildable here in the U.S. by AST and they use the same cartridge internals as Moton/AST. I can get the S with 12f/10r rates, OEM spring location, aluminum body, Rana springs, rubber upper mounts and rear adjustment extenders. The only difference will be the actual damper performance (being better) and the wait to get them! I don't expect to get them until mid-May. While you "can" slam them, threaded lower perch, the as delivered drop is about an inch in front, less in the rear. I'm assuming anything more than an inch is going to require extra parts to get back into spec. The G37 (CKV36) Aragostas are also specific to that model and differ from the 370Z's in part number and spring rate.

I'd really consider the Mono Sports with the EDFC but honestly, I just don't want to install all that wiring and it'll be rare that I actually adjust the dampers. I do like the idea of being able to have a computer adjust the damping but just not sure if it's more of a gimmick.

Ape Factory

iTrader: (3)

...and more good news, I believe I've found a Roehrig shock dyno 15 minutes from my house. Hoping they have corner scales as well. If they'll dyno the Aragostas, I'll post the graphs up here.

blnewt

iTrader: (13)

Sounds like you're winning! Really looking forward to seeing this all come together. What ballpark price are you looking at for those custom Aragostas, something like $3k??

Ape Factory

iTrader: (3)

Less than that by a good margin. I'm importing them myself so I won't know the final price til I pay duty and courier fees. The E-type is about $300 less expensive and uses a stainless shock body as well as different valving. The S-type should have a double digressive piston like the AST5100.

There are a lot of guys who went from KWv3's to the AST, track guys, and the difference was quite dramatic. High hopes!

slartibartfast

iTrader: (7)

See if the Roerhig shop has a spring rate tester. Both for the new springs and the stock springs. If I get the Powertrix, I'd make the drive to S.A. to document them. If I decided upon the Fat Cat parts, I'd drive out to SoCal to let them install. Of course, since I'd be out there, I'd have to drive the PCH up to Seattle...

Ape Factory

iTrader: (3)

I believe they do have a spring rate tester. I actually haven't heard back from them, I'll give them a call tomorrow and find out. If they do have one, I'll post a link.

If you want to come to S.A. for the test and then an install, I have a big garage and all the necessary tools including an impact wrench. Plenty of experience too. I could pull the engine out of my RX7 in 90 minutes by myself. Just don't ask me why I got that good at pulling/installing an entire engine that quickly.

G37fan09

Hi guys; I need to know something about stance coilovers before I purchase, Stance claims their coilovers are the only ones that go as high as stock height, true or false?
If someone can share a picture or floor to fender height. I'm looking for the same height as my Swift springs.

Thanks

Ape Factory

iTrader: (3)

Ok good news! The shop in Boerne does have both a shock dyno and a spring dyno (not hooked up to the shock dyno) but they can test springs.

And it's cheap. Like $10 a shock sort of thing for single adjustables assuming they have the correct ends to fit it to the dyno (he thinks he would).

Company is called Swenson Racing Components, Home Page, AND they have on the floor as well as rack corner weight scales!

They deal in Ohlins and Penske as well as a few other brands and can probably make custom sets as they have a full machine shop. Will make a trip up there, maybe next Monday on my day off and check them out!

Ape Factory

iTrader: (3)

I'd just call them. They're pretty responsive on the phone. It'll depend on rear spring length as well as front damper length and how far you can safely unscrew the lower adjustment cup.