bws678
Trainee ZX2ner
Posts: 66
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Post by bws678 on Dec 24, 2021 22:11:06 GMT -5
Are the S/R springs a comfy ride? I have H&R springs on KYB struts that drive nice enough but are a bit stiff for my liking. I think I have read somewhere that the S/R springs are progressive rate. I drive my brother's ZX2 sometimes and I am much happier not bouncing around so much, but it doesn't corner as nicely as mine does. I know from my motorcycles that a minor suspension change can mean a huge improvement, so I thought I'd see if someome else is willing to share some info on the subject. Next time I do struts I would like to get the right set.
I am completely uneducated on car suspension. Is it possible to crack open a strut to rebuild/revalve like a motorcycle, or do they close it up too tight at the factory?
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Post by TheEvilZX2 on Dec 26, 2021 13:25:58 GMT -5
i dont have any experience with s/r springs but i ran progress springs (which are progressive IIRC, unsure about s/r) with s/r shocks for many years. loved the ride, and progress springs are a touch lower than s/r springs.
cant rebuild any of the factory shocks. if youre not afraid of fabrication you could get some koni inserts and redesign a shock body for it then they'd be rebuildable and adjustable. or you could go coilovers...
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Post by dareall on Dec 27, 2021 4:06:31 GMT -5
s/r springs are more harsh than the H&R springs
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defunctsrowner
Trainee ZX2ner
2001 ZX2 Black MTX I purchased the bone stock 2001 with moonroof used because it was MTX after I re
Posts: 140
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Post by defunctsrowner on Dec 27, 2021 7:50:57 GMT -5
I also have the identical set in red, hanging on the garage wall; waiting for when I have the body restored. My 2001 has blue Tokiko and blue Eibacks springs. My first Red SR also had blue struts and springs.
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bws678
Trainee ZX2ner
Posts: 66
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Post by bws678 on Dec 28, 2021 22:56:38 GMT -5
Ouch. I was afraid of that. I have a set of the S/R Maybe one day in the future I will have to look into some coilovers. I don't like messing with suspension, but I know that small adjustments can make a world of difference.
The Koni stuff looks interesting. All you have to do is build a spacer? That seems deceptively easy. Looks like they are still pretty expensive, but still cheaper than a set of coilovers, I guess. I don't know how much I will be messing with it as I will have to take off the wheels and the plastic under the rear windshield to get to the adjustments. I also wonder how large the adjustment range is if they are for racing. They might be too stiff on the softest setting, which would leave me having to buy different springs.
I think the H&R springs have a satisfactory rate, but I feel like the KYB struts are not valved correctly for lowering springs. The car has a rather harsh ride. It's great for spirited driving, but it's pretty annoying when I hit a good size bump. Getting slapped in the back of the head repeatedly by the headrest sucks.
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Post by TheEvilZX2 on Dec 29, 2021 10:01:33 GMT -5
Ouch. I was afraid of that. I have a set of the S/R Maybe one day in the future I will have to look into some coilovers. I don't like messing with suspension, but I know that small adjustments can make a world of difference. The Koni stuff looks interesting. All you have to do is build a spacer? That seems deceptively easy. Looks like they are still pretty expensive, but still cheaper than a set of coilovers, I guess. I don't know how much I will be messing with it as I will have to take off the wheels and the plastic under the rear windshield to get to the adjustments. I also wonder how large the adjustment range is if they are for racing. They might be too stiff on the softest setting, which would leave me having to buy different springs. I think the H&R springs have a satisfactory rate, but I feel like the KYB struts are not valved correctly for lowering springs. The car has a rather harsh ride. It's great for spirited driving, but it's pretty annoying when I hit a good size bump. Getting slapped in the back of the head repeatedly by the headrest sucks. No, the Koni inserts are more than just a spacer. For us there isn't an exact insert. There was a guy on TeamZX2 that was using them with custom built shock bodies. He literally built the body of the shock with ZX2 mounting bracketry so that it would accept whichever Koni insert it was that he was running. There is a Koni website that has dimensions for all of the inserts so you can figure out what works and what would be needed to build a shock body. I believe the inserts are mostly designed for shocks that can be easily cut and have the insert placed inside, our shocks just don't accommodate that. I don't recall the reasons why as I have not pursued this but I did save pics somewhere from the guy on TZ who was doing this. Benefit of this is you could somewhat easily replace an insert in your shock body. Personally I'll just be going coilovers eventually. Sorry to derail your thread
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bws678
Trainee ZX2ner
Posts: 66
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Post by bws678 on Dec 29, 2021 20:33:10 GMT -5
Geez, building a shock body seems like it would be too much work for me. I would be interested to find out why the insert doesn't fit the shocks for the ZX2. When I was looking at Koni's site, it appears like they don't have any full shock systems for the older Ford/Mazda cars. That might have something to do with the fitment for the inserts. The video I watched for installation looked like cutting a spacer is the only requirement, but if ours shocks won't work, then they won't work. Thanks for the info!
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Post by TheEvilZX2 on Dec 30, 2021 8:00:56 GMT -5
For all I know it does need a spacer.
I think the issue was that the insert was longer than our shock was. Maybe a spacer can be made, I don't recall why the person I referenced built a whole shock body instead of just a spacer if that was all it takes.
Haven't thought about this in years, let me see if I can dig up some old pics.....
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