What's the best coilovers for best ride?
06-20-2017, 01:55 AM
#63
They do make one. Problem with the Ohlins is the rear adjuster is on the top of the damper and there's no access for the coupe guys to the top of the shock tower in the rear. So every time you want to make a damping change, you'll need to pull the shock. And they'll cost you about $700 more than the Aragostas.
https://www.kts-web.com/ec_shop/prod...roduct_id=8498
https://www.kts-web.com/ec_shop/prod...roduct_id=8498
06-20-2017, 08:14 AM
#64
Registered User
12K/10K is too stiff for a good ride anyway, unless you live near glass smooth roads. I don't know what the Ohlins are but I imagine they'd be a bit softer.
In my opinion and experience shocks are like 90% of ride quality, with the other 10%/pre-requisite being the right spring rates and a reasonable ride height. With that in mind I have an out of the box idea I'm hoping to test next month.... Tein Basics with Koni Yellows. I'm basically going to take the springs and rear hardware from the Teins and mount them on the Koni Yellows. The Basics have good spring rates for the street, and the hardware is solid. And I've found Koni Yellows to consistently be incredible for the $$$. Their reputation is well earned and they've stayed around while a lot of manufacturers have come and gone.
In my opinion and experience shocks are like 90% of ride quality, with the other 10%/pre-requisite being the right spring rates and a reasonable ride height. With that in mind I have an out of the box idea I'm hoping to test next month.... Tein Basics with Koni Yellows. I'm basically going to take the springs and rear hardware from the Teins and mount them on the Koni Yellows. The Basics have good spring rates for the street, and the hardware is solid. And I've found Koni Yellows to consistently be incredible for the $$$. Their reputation is well earned and they've stayed around while a lot of manufacturers have come and gone.
06-20-2017, 10:09 AM
#65
So Ohlins is widely considered to be one of the top suspension companies in the world. Pretty much all the top teams in MotoGP run Ohlins suspension, WRC, Formula One, etc...and they make dampers for road cars as well. These vary in complexity with the DFV's being single adjustable (rebound).
Not everything they make is golden (I see what you did there) but for the most part, they have a reputation of being the best of the best. I ran lots of Ohlins stuff on my bikes but again, some of them needed more work and some of it just didn't work as well as their older stuff (TTX). But you can most definitely feel a difference with their suspension or any suspension that's been properly upgraded to higher spec internals.
Their dampers, along with Aragosta and other top tier suppliers are a major cut above most of the other off-the-shelf kits. Hell, my stock IPL suspension wasn't perfect on really rough roads and no damper is really going to smooth that stuff out without compromises, mostly in excessive body motion and lack of spring control. Remember, the damper's only job is to control the rate at which the spring compresses and decompresses.
The Ohlins DFV's have an 11k front/10k rear spring rate. This actually surprised me as the Aragosta 370Z specific kit has a 14K front spring whereas the Infiniti version has 12K. I can tell you that a 14K front would most likely be fine, on the street, on a G37. There's a lot more weight over the front suspension on our cars and I run the damping adjusters higher in their range. If I feel a big bump, it's in the rear, not the front.
Ride quality is also greatly impacted by the tire brand and sidewall ratio. When I switched to Michelin PSS from the stock Bridgestones, I bumped up the damping settings by about 3 clicks and I run MORE air, 35psi, than I did on the OEM tires. And I have a more compliant ride. Not by a little either. It's very noticeable.
As far as ride height goes, it really depends on the damper kit. Some, like KW, don't have a separate adjustment for ride height. If you change ride height (lower it), it affects preload and damper stroke (less). Most aftermarket shocks now come with a separate threaded outer body that allows the height to change without affecting damper stroke or preload. Chasing the ride height can negatively impact handling if you go too low as you'll be changing the roll center drastically.
As for the 12k/10K, It's probably at the very limit of acceptability for the street. I can dial them way down and you'd never really know it wasn't stock except over the really big bumps. On average pavement, with my current damper settings, it rides as good, if not better than the original dampers.
So don't blow off a set of dampers just because of the spring rate. If the internals are really good, you'll have a firm but very livable ride. I was sort of hoping the Tein twin tube design would be able to blow through piston travel quickly enough to dissipate big bumps but maybe not. They're inexpensive dampers ($90 a pop) and probably don't have the best piston/shim stack design since they're built to a price point.
Not everything they make is golden (I see what you did there) but for the most part, they have a reputation of being the best of the best. I ran lots of Ohlins stuff on my bikes but again, some of them needed more work and some of it just didn't work as well as their older stuff (TTX). But you can most definitely feel a difference with their suspension or any suspension that's been properly upgraded to higher spec internals.
Their dampers, along with Aragosta and other top tier suppliers are a major cut above most of the other off-the-shelf kits. Hell, my stock IPL suspension wasn't perfect on really rough roads and no damper is really going to smooth that stuff out without compromises, mostly in excessive body motion and lack of spring control. Remember, the damper's only job is to control the rate at which the spring compresses and decompresses.
The Ohlins DFV's have an 11k front/10k rear spring rate. This actually surprised me as the Aragosta 370Z specific kit has a 14K front spring whereas the Infiniti version has 12K. I can tell you that a 14K front would most likely be fine, on the street, on a G37. There's a lot more weight over the front suspension on our cars and I run the damping adjusters higher in their range. If I feel a big bump, it's in the rear, not the front.
Ride quality is also greatly impacted by the tire brand and sidewall ratio. When I switched to Michelin PSS from the stock Bridgestones, I bumped up the damping settings by about 3 clicks and I run MORE air, 35psi, than I did on the OEM tires. And I have a more compliant ride. Not by a little either. It's very noticeable.
As far as ride height goes, it really depends on the damper kit. Some, like KW, don't have a separate adjustment for ride height. If you change ride height (lower it), it affects preload and damper stroke (less). Most aftermarket shocks now come with a separate threaded outer body that allows the height to change without affecting damper stroke or preload. Chasing the ride height can negatively impact handling if you go too low as you'll be changing the roll center drastically.
As for the 12k/10K, It's probably at the very limit of acceptability for the street. I can dial them way down and you'd never really know it wasn't stock except over the really big bumps. On average pavement, with my current damper settings, it rides as good, if not better than the original dampers.
So don't blow off a set of dampers just because of the spring rate. If the internals are really good, you'll have a firm but very livable ride. I was sort of hoping the Tein twin tube design would be able to blow through piston travel quickly enough to dissipate big bumps but maybe not. They're inexpensive dampers ($90 a pop) and probably don't have the best piston/shim stack design since they're built to a price point.
06-20-2017, 12:58 PM
#66
Registered User
I just think end use and value should be factored (if not prioritized). I'm never going to track my G, so that extra level of response/control is not an issue. I imagine it to be the same for most people. Value is also important. Koni makes great stuff for very low prices... very hard to beat. Are Ohlins/Aragosta better? Probably. 2-3x better? Probably not. And I would bet Koni is better than anything in its price range, especially when you factor in customer service and company reputation. Plus you can run custom rates on the Konis without issue (up to a point of course), and get them rebuilt/revalved if you want to go nuts. For $3K+ I want low/high speed adjustability both ways and spool valves lol.
I agree that having a separate adjustment for preload and ride height is very nice and probably the only ding against the Koni. But I'd rather be ride height limited (which is no biggie considering the Konis have shortened shafts anyway) than have a less than great damper (or have to pay $3K to get them). For the track I think stuff like the Aragostas or FA Dreadnaughts make sense.... but for the street? I don't know.
I agree that having a separate adjustment for preload and ride height is very nice and probably the only ding against the Koni. But I'd rather be ride height limited (which is no biggie considering the Konis have shortened shafts anyway) than have a less than great damper (or have to pay $3K to get them). For the track I think stuff like the Aragostas or FA Dreadnaughts make sense.... but for the street? I don't know.
06-20-2017, 02:45 PM
#67
Can someone please provide a link to the Z34/V36 dampers? I can only find Z33/V35.
Thanks.
Never mind, found it. You'd think this could be found from the Ohlins web site, but no! Rates seem a bit soft.
Thanks.
Never mind, found it. You'd think this could be found from the Ohlins web site, but no! Rates seem a bit soft.
Last edited by slartibartfast; 06-20-2017 at 03:26 PM.
06-20-2017, 04:36 PM
#68
Registered User
Rates seem ideal for a road riding 370Z. I suppose with phenomenal shocks a G could run 13/11 or something in that range but I don't see that happening for less than the cost of a used Civic.
06-20-2017, 06:03 PM
#69
I'm considering 700/500 lb/in (12.5/9 kg/mm) for whatever dampers I buy, thus my comment on the Ohlins softness. Front wheel frequency will be 1.5 Hz and the rear 1.65 Hz at my spring rates. I might drop down a tad in the rear but rear frquency won't get below 1.6 Hz. Gotta keep some difference to maintain "flat ride".
Last edited by slartibartfast; 06-20-2017 at 06:56 PM. Reason: First draft had me talking out my exhaust port
06-21-2017, 08:32 AM
#70
I'm considering 700/500 lb/in (12.5/9 kg/mm) for whatever dampers I buy, thus my comment on the Ohlins softness. Front wheel frequency will be 1.5 Hz and the rear 1.65 Hz at my spring rates. I might drop down a tad in the rear but rear frquency won't get below 1.6 Hz. Gotta keep some difference to maintain "flat ride".
As for cost/performance ratio, I think it's smart everyone takes that into account! A quality double adjustable setup is going to start north of $3,000. The Aragosta Type E's can be had for around $1800 and change and are valved more for street than my Type S setup. The KW's, which ARE double adjustable, lack a top mount, come with progressive springs and don't have independent ride height adjustments. I don't track my car either, it's just a daily driver.
Quality suspension is always going to cost a pretty penny, no two ways about it. I've not used the Koni setup but I've seen some of the damping curves on a shock dyno (different make) and they were far from perfect. Maybe the G specific model is better. What does a set of Koni Sports and a set of quality springs cost? $1500? Is the valving matched to a particular spring rate? If so, is there a set of aftermarket springs available in that rate? For another $300 and change, you're looking at the Aragosta Type E with matched spring rate/valving, separate ride height adjustment and it's all one unit with the top mount included.
06-21-2017, 09:33 AM
#71
Registered User
I mean, as you said, you do get what you pay for. Konis aren't matched to a specific spring rate, but I think they are better than most if not all coilover shocks for under ~$1500. The cost of Konis with springs varies... Tire Rack had a spring/shock kit for $900, but that's gone. For the most part the combo costs about $1200 give or take.... a good bit less than the $1800-1900 for the Aragostas. I think as I said before you can get the Konis + Tein Basis Z, or get the Konis and build your own kit with BC Racing rear hardware and Hyperco springs for about the same. For me, for the street, nearly doubling the stock Sport rates is just a bridge too far; but the Konis can do ~10-11K at both ends which is plenty.
09-17-2020, 03:32 AM
#73
Registered Member
Any suggestions for a AWD 2010 g37x sedan?
Just picked up an awd g37x and in my looking for a decent set of coil-overs to properly lower it, I keep finding coil-overs for the rwd models. I wanted to find a set that would be a good in-between with the stiffness and comfort factor. I have about $1500-$1700 to play with if that helps narrow it down, but I'm open to spend a bit more if there are better options (close to $1700 mark preferably).
09-17-2020, 11:43 AM
#74
Just picked up an awd g37x and in my looking for a decent set of coil-overs to properly lower it, I keep finding coil-overs for the rwd models. I wanted to find a set that would be a good in-between with the stiffness and comfort factor. I have about $1500-$1700 to play with if that helps narrow it down, but I'm open to spend a bit more if there are better options (close to $1700 mark preferably).
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avmG37x (09-18-2020)
09-18-2020, 04:36 AM
#75
Registered Member