Ok, here's the deal boys. I'm part of the group buy for the XLR8 coilovers and this will be my first experience with a coilover setup. What I am trying to figure out is a good choice to put the damper setting at. I am probably going to drop the car about 2 inches, maybe a little less and will never go below 2 inches. I would like to try to keep a close to stock feel though I know that it probably isn't possible, that's why I say a close to stock feel. I figure that I won't be able to put the damper on 32 (softest setting) as I don't want to bottom out or hit the tires if the car travels too far downward after hitting a bump or whatever. And please spare me the "keep messing with it until you find what you like" comment, I already know that is the ultimate solution and what needs to be done. I just want to see how much you guys have lowered your cars, what kind of damper setting you are at, and how you think it feels compared to stock. Thanks for any help!

 

When comes to damping (not dampering ), it's all about personal preference. What you like will not be what someone else likes. Kinda like asking how much salt to put on your food. Here is what I suggest:

- Set them all to full soft and drive for a day.
- Then set them all at full stiff, and drive for a day.

You will know exactly what the difference is and be able to find a happy medium from there. Just make sure they are always set the same left to right. Not necessarily front to back.

 

Tein SS.

Awesome IMO

You asked, I answered

 

Lol, well I asked how much people lowered their cars, what the damper is on, and how the ride feels. I'm already in line for the coils XLR8 is doing for their group buy. But thanks for the input.

 

Geez, I expected a few more answers than this. With all the people with coilovers on here I didn't think it would be that hard to get some feedback as to how much you lowered your vehicle, what you set the damper at and how you feel the ride quality is.

 

you got a very great answer in the 2nd post.

no one is the same. you'll have to play around with the settings to get what YOU WANT.

 

Chip,

I have my ISC N1's on full soft and I'm lowered more than 2". With my Type-S wheels on, I don't rub in turns or over bumps/potholes. Hopefully it'll be the same situation when I put my Works back on this spring. Check out my reply in the XLR8 GB thread also. I made some other comments about the general ride quality of the ISC N1's.

Also, keep in mind that a lot of the ride quality and suspension travel depends on your spring rates too, not just the damping.

 

I agree, the info was good, but I already know that I have to adjust it to my liking. I'm just asking what everyone is setting there's at and how they think the ride quality feels. So in that respect I've only gotten 1 answer and that's from ebelp.

Yes, I did read both your review in original introduction thread of the ISC N1's and then the other post you made in the actual group buy thread. The info was great and is very helpful. I opted for the softer spring rates, so I'm hoping on full soft they aren't too bouncy. I'm thinking I may have to do a little bit firmer to avoid any issues, but I guess time and adjusting will tell.

 

I once lowered an 07 TL Type-S with Eibach Pro springs

Then I put on Tein SS and lowered my car 1.7" F&R. I played with the settings on damping, I think I had it a little more firm then half way. Also installed a Progress 24mm RSB. And 245/35/19" Yoko S-Drive tires.

AWESOME, HANDLED AWESOME, rode smoother then the garbage Eibach Pro springs. I will NEVER EVER buy just lowering springs again. Especially after owning Tein SS coilovers.

I hope this helps

 

Yes it does, thank you. Yeah I had an Eibach pro kit on my Subaru and it rode so stiff, I just can't go back to something like that. So this time I'm going for coils on a pretty soft setting and softer spring rates. Hoping to keep some semblance of a smooth comfortable ride.

 

I'm not quite sure how much i'm lowered(maybe 2 inches) but i keep my front on 26 and rear 28. It rides pretty good though

 

im on tein ss. 3 clicks from the softest in the front. and i think 5 clicks from the softest in the rear. Passengers tell me the ride is smooth

its different when youre the driver and passenger. It feels as if the driver feels all the imperfections, while passengers wont even notice the harsher ride.

 

Ridin on megans, Havent put many miles on them yet but im at 12 clicks from softest in front, and full soft in rear.

Lowered 1.75" or 25" from floor to fender all around.

Will be doing more adjustments on height and damping settings, but im happy with the coils.

PS. stock wheels, Progress rsb, and Innac's diet (fully gutted trunk)

 

True. Unless you're a female...somehow they feel every bump in the road and let you know about it.

 

this information is INVALID.
unless the XLR8 coils has the same valving as these coils mentioned above, you wont get the same results.

Science fair, any one?

OP, please take the advice in the 2nd post.
re-reading your original post, you say you want a stock like ride.
KEEP THEM HOES ON FULL SOFT.

 

Care to elaborate on what is invalid about their posts? Seems to me like they're just sharing experiences with their ride height/damping, which is exactly what the OP asked for.

 

variables.
for the information to apply to the OP, it has to be the same shock/coilovers.

I'll bet that megans, xlr8, tien ss all have different spring rates and valving.
this means it wont be the same for the OP.

 

[quote=justnspace;13509270]this information is INVALID.
unless the XLR8 coils has the same valving as these coils mentioned above, you wont get the same results.

quote]

Just posting how I got "MY" desired results...OP doesnt have the coils yet, and everyones response gives him an idea where to start

 

well, OP wanted to know damping setting opinions from others, so i gave him my setup and experience. Overall, the damping concept is about the same for all coils as 94eg! stated above:
- Set them all to full soft and drive for a day.
- Then set them all at full stiff, and drive for a day.

it comes down to if u want comfort but at the same time risk bottoming out on bumps then go soft as possible.



yep, thats where i get majority of the complaints and compliments lol

 

no, the 2nd post gave a great starting point.

 

and thats where I'm getting at.
your damping choices are different than mine.
this is why the information does not apply.

 

This post really sums up what I was talking about. Two different people experiencing the exact same setup can/will have wildly different opinions and feedback. This is why driver input plays such an important roll in track setup (rather than pure calculation). Opinion has a lot to with it.

Sooooo.... Have no worries. Try it all. Experience, learn and understand the changes. Then you won't have any trouble finding what works for you. And next time around you'll be the one giving the good advice.

BTW: Women are creatures of the moment. Their current state has a lot to do with their opinions of their surroundings. My wife had zero complaints and rode around all day in my rock-hard civic hot-rod when she was 9-months pregnant with nothing but smiles. Now, I can't even get her in the damn thing for this reason or that. You just never know how they are gonna respond next.

 

hello

i have megans and i have the front on full stiff and the rear on 24/32 stiff.

on full soft it was too bouncy and floaty and on full stiff, i broke my back.

fronts on full stiff helps because i have aggressive wheels and i don't want a lot of suspension travel in case i hit a dip/pot hole whatever. rears can be dialed down a little bit, but i didn't want them to be that far off from the front setting and after playing around with all the numbers, i landed on 24/32 and it rides very comfortable.

seacrest, out.

 

exactly.
my.
point.

 

^people just don't like you justin.

deal.
with.
it.

 

I am the voice.
that.
needs.
to.
be.
heard.

 

Thanks for all the input guys. I get what you're saying Justin. I know each coil is different and I actually ordered to the lowest spring rates with the coils I got. So some people with a different spring rate than me may have less travel on full soft than I will on full soft. I was just trying to gauge when stiff becomes too stiff. I know the car will not ride like stock and that's the price you pat for an aftermarket setup, but I just want to try to keep it similar without being too bouncy and not being too stiff. And the only way to find that out is to keep making adjustments until I find what I like. I just wanted people to share what they did with their setup, that's all.

 

who DOESNT LOVE JUSTIN?!

 

"you have enemies? GOOD. that means you've stood up for something in your life."
-Winston Churchill

 

You've got these in your car already, yeah? How do you access the coilovers once they are installed to adjust the damping? I understand that you can get to them easily in the front, but you don't have to take the back seat out to adjust them, do you?

 

Yeah. You would leave the back seat out till you get 'em where you want 'em.

The Machine: A stiffer damper won't keep you from bottoming out. It just slows the rate at which it will happen. The spring, shock length & bump-stop are ultimately responsible for the suspensions range of motion.

 

Is this why people tend to go with the 12/8 spring rate over the 10/6. I went with the 10/6 for a more comfortable ride, but if I will be more prone to bottom out, would it be wise to go with the 12/8 spring rate instead? I think I would be ok with the 10/6 here in south jersey as the roads aren't super bad, but would consider changing the spring rate before the order is shipped if it might be an issue.

 

It really depends on how low you go. The lower you set your ride height, the stiffer the spring should be to keep from bottoming. It also has to do with the road conditions. The worse the roads, the more likely you will bottom out. Also speed bumps play a huge factor in ride height. I can't comment on those spring rates specifically because I don't know much about the TL's weight (or metric spring rates ), but I'm sure you will be fine using any of the standard spring rates that are being offered with the kit.

The real people to ask would be the ones that designed the coilover. But even then you need to know your target ride height (ie: -2.5" or -1.75" etc).

BTW: Don't forget you have bump-stops that are actually their to assist the spring in the last inch+ of shock travel. They cause the spring rate to rise progressively as the rubber is compressed. The automotive industry likes to refer to them as spring helpers.

The nice thing about having coil-overs is that you can easily change the ride height if you find you are scraping here and there. But try to figure out your final ride height within a few days (at most a week). You will NEED to get an alignment once it's all said & done. Otherwise the toe in/out you get from lowering will destroy your tires.

No worries about camber, it's toe that WILL kill the inner edge fast.

 

I know I won't go any lower than 2 inches. Though it may look really nice, I just don't think it is my ideal setup. So it will be 2 or 1.75. My buddy installing the coils is a mechanic and will do the alignment as well. I have been going back and forth about getting the camber kit. I know lowering anything 2 inches or above you most likely don't need it, but I'm not quite sure what I'll do just yet as far as that goes. I'm most likely going to do what you suggested about riding around for a day on full soft and see how it goes. I know I won't even try the full stiff setting. I'm probably going to end up either on full soft or maybe around the mid to upper 20's both front and rear.

 

Well if your only going down 2", you should be fine. My Civic is at -2.75 and I don't scrape anything. Rates aren't crazy either (400 lbs/in front & 250 lbs/in rear).

 

Thank you, the machine, for turning this thread around with some actual factual questions. instead of the biased "feelings" questions.

 

I had feelings once.......once.

 

There are so many posts and I'm not sure if this was mentioned but I would recommend leaving your back seat out and your front strut bar off until you dial in the damping. Then, once you have found YOUR perfect setup, reinstall the back seat and the factory strut bar.

If you want a softer ride, start at full soft. If it works for you leave it there. If not dial it up a few clicks.