Review Aragosta Type S G37 Coupe
05-30-2016, 10:52 PM
#1
Aragosta Type S G37 Coupe
I've had these installed for a week while I mess with setup and settings. This review will be updated periodically when new information warrants it. I'll try to make everything as concise as possible.
I have a 2013 IPL Coupe which has different sway bars compared to other G37 variants. Other than spacers, the suspension, wheels and tires are OEM.
The Aragosta Type S is a single-adjustable damper with separate height and spring preload adjustments. It's designed for track and spirited road driving according to their brochure. There is also a model E which leans towards road use and occasional track.
Specs:
-Single-adjustable front and rear, 25 levels of adjustment front, 15 levels rear
-Spring rate is 12kg/mm front, 10kg/mm rear
-As delivered ride height drop is 25mm front, 20mm rear. As such, you should be able to keep the car's alignment within spec without the need for aftermarket alignment parts. This is the only damper set I know that can run at stock, or higher, ride height front and rear.
-Aluminum top plates (non-adjustable) with rubber bushings instead of the solid pillow ball.
-OEM rear spring location in the rear, not a true-type coil-over setup
-Max recommended drop is 35mm front, 25mm rear although the will go lower.
-Rana springs, silicone chrome, cold forged, extremely linear and fade resistant.
-Honed cylinders down to 2 microns surface height
-Forged aluminum cylinder with Kashima coating (molybdenum disulfide applied in an aluminum anodizing process from what I gather to reduce friction and increase durability with a hardness rating of Hv400)
-Upgradable to two or three-way.
-Digressive 40mm piston, monotube design
-Steel threaded outer body with special corrosion resistant electroplating.
-Rear damper adjustment on the side of the shock body near the top mount. You're able to adjust damping while the shock is still on the car. Extenders are available
These are designed and tested in Japan but made in Holland by Suspension Techniques which also owns AST/Moton. They are serviceable by AST in the United States (American Suspension Techniques is my best guess). The AST shop is in California.
Cost is around $2300 shipped directly from KTS in Japan. This is about $1000 lower than what's advertised here in the states. You will have to play import duty and taxes and the taxes vary by state. For me, it was 2.5% and my total additional bill was less than $70. Shipping took about two weeks and the entire order process was about a month in length. A Japanese holiday added a week to the process.
Here's what you get with the kit:
You'll get the four dampers as well as a clear plastic case with two adjustment wrenches as well as a hex wrench, instructions, specs (in Japanese) and blueprints with measurements. You'll also get two black and two gray Aragosta decals.
In this price range, everything is machined perfection and you'll not find a flaw on them. They come with a serial number and a build date.
The front dampers are 5 pounds lighter per side than the stock dampers. That's 10 pounds off the front end.
The rear Aragosta is about a pound lighter than the stock Tokico but the rear spring assembly, with it's extra height adjustment hardware, makes up the difference so I broke even out back.
Installation is just like any other coil-over kit and the fronts were already set at the correct ride height and preload. I had to adjust the rears as the stock rubber upper mount was reused and I ended up at the stock ride height. I lowered everything 25mm and run 10mm of preload on the rears.
There were no gotcha moments and everything was very precise and easy to install. The rear height adjustment collar is machined from billet and it looks to be stainless steel. All the collars are machined aluminum and are as light as air.
In terms of ride and handling, this is what you'll get:
-Sway turning into corners, squat under breaking or acceleration is greatly reduced. Enough so I'm no longer considering roll bars. The car feels as though it's lost 500 pounds.
-Damping is firm but not harsh. If you've ever ridden in a car with a premium aftermarket mono tube suspension like Ohlins, JRZ, Penske or similar, they have a certain feel about them, the way they dampen road imperfections. The Aragostas feel very similar. I won't pretend they're as good as a $5K double adjustable but the difference probably can't be felt by most drivers.
-Turn-in is immediate. Very direct. The entire steering system seems more precise and linear. The more you raise the front damping rate, the sharper it gets. At the lower (softer) settings, it's still sharper than stock. It's not nervous however. I'm running 20mm spacers up front and the car is not darty or nervous.
-On the softer settings, (I've not run them full soft), 6 front, 3 rear, it's about as forgiving as the stock IPL dampers (twin tube Tokico's) but with far better body and wheel control. Very much daily drivable on really crappy roads.
-Midrange settings noticeably sharpen everything up. As noted earlier, the car feels quite a bit lighter and more tossable. I haven't had an alignment yet so part of the change may be from increased camber. Wheelspin has been greatly reduced.
-On decent roads, midrange damper settings are buttery (I have yet to dial them up into the top third of the adjustment range). Really, really good. On bad roads with ripples and gnarly expansion joints, you'll feel it, more so in the rear. I made the mistake of running too much preload in the rear (25mm) when it's supposed to be around 10mm. Once I made that change, it was a night and day difference.
-These'll definitely allow you to take advantage of a more aggressive wheel/tire package. I plan on running a squared setup with 9.5" wheels at all four corners and am hoping, once I do the brakes as well, to have a 10 pound per corner drop in weight. The results should be really sublime.
It's easy (and far less expensive) to throw on a heavier sway bar but you're tying your left and right suspension together. It's an independent suspension for a reason!
I don't have side by side before and after photos taken at the same angle unfortunately but I'm very happy with the ride height and the stance looks far, far better than stock. I'm into performance improvement and not really interested in being slammed. Plus I have a steep driveway and bad roads to deal with on a daily basis.
Aragostas installed:
Stock ride height:
More shots of the dampers before and after installation:
Rear adjustment ****. You do have to jack the car up but it's easy to reach. Plus I have a low profile aluminum racing jack so it's super quick and easy:
There's an adjustable bracket for the ABS/ and brake line.
Rear spring perch/height adjuster:
Adjustment tools:
Supplied documents:
I have a 2013 IPL Coupe which has different sway bars compared to other G37 variants. Other than spacers, the suspension, wheels and tires are OEM.
The Aragosta Type S is a single-adjustable damper with separate height and spring preload adjustments. It's designed for track and spirited road driving according to their brochure. There is also a model E which leans towards road use and occasional track.
Specs:
-Single-adjustable front and rear, 25 levels of adjustment front, 15 levels rear
-Spring rate is 12kg/mm front, 10kg/mm rear
-As delivered ride height drop is 25mm front, 20mm rear. As such, you should be able to keep the car's alignment within spec without the need for aftermarket alignment parts. This is the only damper set I know that can run at stock, or higher, ride height front and rear.
-Aluminum top plates (non-adjustable) with rubber bushings instead of the solid pillow ball.
-OEM rear spring location in the rear, not a true-type coil-over setup
-Max recommended drop is 35mm front, 25mm rear although the will go lower.
-Rana springs, silicone chrome, cold forged, extremely linear and fade resistant.
-Honed cylinders down to 2 microns surface height
-Forged aluminum cylinder with Kashima coating (molybdenum disulfide applied in an aluminum anodizing process from what I gather to reduce friction and increase durability with a hardness rating of Hv400)
-Upgradable to two or three-way.
-Digressive 40mm piston, monotube design
-Steel threaded outer body with special corrosion resistant electroplating.
-Rear damper adjustment on the side of the shock body near the top mount. You're able to adjust damping while the shock is still on the car. Extenders are available
These are designed and tested in Japan but made in Holland by Suspension Techniques which also owns AST/Moton. They are serviceable by AST in the United States (American Suspension Techniques is my best guess). The AST shop is in California.
Cost is around $2300 shipped directly from KTS in Japan. This is about $1000 lower than what's advertised here in the states. You will have to play import duty and taxes and the taxes vary by state. For me, it was 2.5% and my total additional bill was less than $70. Shipping took about two weeks and the entire order process was about a month in length. A Japanese holiday added a week to the process.
Here's what you get with the kit:
You'll get the four dampers as well as a clear plastic case with two adjustment wrenches as well as a hex wrench, instructions, specs (in Japanese) and blueprints with measurements. You'll also get two black and two gray Aragosta decals.
In this price range, everything is machined perfection and you'll not find a flaw on them. They come with a serial number and a build date.
The front dampers are 5 pounds lighter per side than the stock dampers. That's 10 pounds off the front end.
The rear Aragosta is about a pound lighter than the stock Tokico but the rear spring assembly, with it's extra height adjustment hardware, makes up the difference so I broke even out back.
Installation is just like any other coil-over kit and the fronts were already set at the correct ride height and preload. I had to adjust the rears as the stock rubber upper mount was reused and I ended up at the stock ride height. I lowered everything 25mm and run 10mm of preload on the rears.
There were no gotcha moments and everything was very precise and easy to install. The rear height adjustment collar is machined from billet and it looks to be stainless steel. All the collars are machined aluminum and are as light as air.
In terms of ride and handling, this is what you'll get:
-Sway turning into corners, squat under breaking or acceleration is greatly reduced. Enough so I'm no longer considering roll bars. The car feels as though it's lost 500 pounds.
-Damping is firm but not harsh. If you've ever ridden in a car with a premium aftermarket mono tube suspension like Ohlins, JRZ, Penske or similar, they have a certain feel about them, the way they dampen road imperfections. The Aragostas feel very similar. I won't pretend they're as good as a $5K double adjustable but the difference probably can't be felt by most drivers.
-Turn-in is immediate. Very direct. The entire steering system seems more precise and linear. The more you raise the front damping rate, the sharper it gets. At the lower (softer) settings, it's still sharper than stock. It's not nervous however. I'm running 20mm spacers up front and the car is not darty or nervous.
-On the softer settings, (I've not run them full soft), 6 front, 3 rear, it's about as forgiving as the stock IPL dampers (twin tube Tokico's) but with far better body and wheel control. Very much daily drivable on really crappy roads.
-Midrange settings noticeably sharpen everything up. As noted earlier, the car feels quite a bit lighter and more tossable. I haven't had an alignment yet so part of the change may be from increased camber. Wheelspin has been greatly reduced.
-On decent roads, midrange damper settings are buttery (I have yet to dial them up into the top third of the adjustment range). Really, really good. On bad roads with ripples and gnarly expansion joints, you'll feel it, more so in the rear. I made the mistake of running too much preload in the rear (25mm) when it's supposed to be around 10mm. Once I made that change, it was a night and day difference.
-These'll definitely allow you to take advantage of a more aggressive wheel/tire package. I plan on running a squared setup with 9.5" wheels at all four corners and am hoping, once I do the brakes as well, to have a 10 pound per corner drop in weight. The results should be really sublime.
It's easy (and far less expensive) to throw on a heavier sway bar but you're tying your left and right suspension together. It's an independent suspension for a reason!
I don't have side by side before and after photos taken at the same angle unfortunately but I'm very happy with the ride height and the stance looks far, far better than stock. I'm into performance improvement and not really interested in being slammed. Plus I have a steep driveway and bad roads to deal with on a daily basis.
Aragostas installed:
Stock ride height:
More shots of the dampers before and after installation:
Rear adjustment ****. You do have to jack the car up but it's easy to reach. Plus I have a low profile aluminum racing jack so it's super quick and easy:
There's an adjustable bracket for the ABS/ and brake line.
Rear spring perch/height adjuster:
Adjustment tools:
Supplied documents:
The following users liked this post:
blnewt (06-05-2016)
06-04-2016, 11:50 PM
#3
Quick update, after having the shocks on the car for a bit over two weeks, the springs have settled, especially the rear. If you order the kit, just install them with the predetermined height at all four corners (of course measure them first and compare to their specs). I suspect they knew exactly what they were doing and if I'd kept the rears at the height they'd set them at, I'd now be at the recommended height after the springs settled. I've had a passenger on my daily commute this week which may have helped them settle more quickly.
Anyway, the fronts sagged about 1/16th, maybe less but the rears sagged substantially more. Like half an inch. So the car's going up on jacks tomorrow and I'll reset the ride height and damper preload in the rear and check the front preload.
Anyway, the fronts sagged about 1/16th, maybe less but the rears sagged substantially more. Like half an inch. So the car's going up on jacks tomorrow and I'll reset the ride height and damper preload in the rear and check the front preload.
06-05-2016, 09:25 PM
#4
Superb review, thanks a lot for such a considerable contribution.
They appear to be one of the best available suspension products for our platform.
Look forward to updates as time goes on.
BTW, did you apply any anti-seize on your collar threads? That's one thing I neglected on mine, luckily I'm not in much crummy weather so the threads were in decent shape, just curious your opinion on that?
They appear to be one of the best available suspension products for our platform.
Look forward to updates as time goes on.
BTW, did you apply any anti-seize on your collar threads? That's one thing I neglected on mine, luckily I'm not in much crummy weather so the threads were in decent shape, just curious your opinion on that?
06-15-2016, 03:44 PM
#6
I'm sure that spring has 6" of travel before bind. No way in hell it'll bind if ride height is within spec. They wouldn't design it that way. Plus, I've had the springs off the car since installation and after a few thousand miles there's no physical evidence of coil bind. No markings or scuffs in the springs at all.
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09-06-2016, 09:37 PM
#10
I did stick to Aragosta's ride height recommendations, I actually didn't adjust the fronts at all and did the rears by mistake (but quickly put them back). The driver's side was about 1/16th higher which I figure would even out once I was in the car.
No complaints with these at all. I feel like the mechanical grip went up pretty significantly. The car is just glued in the corners and I don't have large sway bars tying up the independent suspension.
iPhone shot today while out grocery shopping. The fronts look higher than they really are, the top of the tires is actually tucked into the wheel well.
No complaints with these at all. I feel like the mechanical grip went up pretty significantly. The car is just glued in the corners and I don't have large sway bars tying up the independent suspension.
iPhone shot today while out grocery shopping. The fronts look higher than they really are, the top of the tires is actually tucked into the wheel well.
09-06-2016, 10:07 PM
#11
What a sexy looking beast. Those spacers did a good job pushing the wheels out. They look just right. 10mm?
I'm guessing you stuck with the stock IPL sways?
My experience mirrors your own. I stuck with the stock sport sways after reading into suspension tuning guides and slartibartfast's recommendation.
The stock endlinks failed under the heavy cornering loads the car could handle so I upgraded them. SPL up front and Whiteline out back. I can tell you this liven things up considerably. The car grips and rotates!
I'm guessing you stuck with the stock IPL sways?
My experience mirrors your own. I stuck with the stock sport sways after reading into suspension tuning guides and slartibartfast's recommendation.
The stock endlinks failed under the heavy cornering loads the car could handle so I upgraded them. SPL up front and Whiteline out back. I can tell you this liven things up considerably. The car grips and rotates!
09-06-2016, 10:21 PM
#12
Yes, stock IPL bars which are even thicker than the Sports. The spacers are 20mm front, 25mm rear. I'm working on a wheel upgrade and as much as I'd like to find two rear IPL rims and run 9's all around, I think I'm going to go with a 9.5" squared setup. I wouldn't push the rears out any further but the fronts could stand a few more mm without looking awkward.
So you could feel a difference with the end links? I've noticed a bit of uneven wear on the front wheels and I'm not sure if that occurred pre alignment or post alignment. Was considering SPL front upper control arms and possibly end links if there was any binding. I'm not lowered very much, about .9" in the front and .7 in the rear.
So you could feel a difference with the end links? I've noticed a bit of uneven wear on the front wheels and I'm not sure if that occurred pre alignment or post alignment. Was considering SPL front upper control arms and possibly end links if there was any binding. I'm not lowered very much, about .9" in the front and .7 in the rear.
09-06-2016, 10:50 PM
#13
I really can't comment oh how the endlinks would compare to a good stock one since mine were almost at end of life and then dead. However, there are a couple of things I can say about the SPL endlinks.
1. Turn in is very sharp and responsive. Even sharper than with the coilovers with OEM endlinks when they were working. I'm going to have to have to record with a g-meter.
2. Road feel is more communicative through the steering wheel. The wheel does not shake, but road imperfections and understeer can be felt in the wheel.
I might end up replacing the Whitelines with SPL in the rear too.
1. Turn in is very sharp and responsive. Even sharper than with the coilovers with OEM endlinks when they were working. I'm going to have to have to record with a g-meter.
2. Road feel is more communicative through the steering wheel. The wheel does not shake, but road imperfections and understeer can be felt in the wheel.
I might end up replacing the Whitelines with SPL in the rear too.
Last edited by FlashGuy; 09-06-2016 at 10:58 PM.
09-06-2016, 11:56 PM
#14
How would these coils compare to jrz entry level rs1 which retail for around $3.8k. They are also single adjustable but a true type rear setup.
09-07-2016, 08:06 AM
#15
I have zero experience with the JRZ's. You could get the Aragosta double adjustable shocks in true type and still have money left over though and I'd most likely go that route.
There are some reviews of the JRZ's, including some dyno plots, and if I remember correctly, they didn't receive high praise but part of that may have been biased due to cost. They just weren't any better than any other quality single adjustable.
There are some reviews of the JRZ's, including some dyno plots, and if I remember correctly, they didn't receive high praise but part of that may have been biased due to cost. They just weren't any better than any other quality single adjustable.
The following users liked this post:
Presto (09-08-2016)