Got my alignment:

https://i.ibb.co/VmG6B7g/PXL-20210503-190751557.jpg

We hit targets in the rear but tech maxed out the camber adjustment at about -2.2 in the front. Car's ride height is 13 and 1/4 inches from hub center to fender (around 1.25 inch drop from stock) so I wonder if this is the expected maximum with stock mounting hardware.

Tech did push the struts in as far as possible and maxed out the camber plates. I remember we hit a similar limit on the HKS coilovers and I put in camber bolts in the lower hole and moved lower bolt to top hole, to get the remainder of the adjustability required to hit -3 in the front. @Racecomp Engineering wondering if this is expected and if the proposed solution is the same.

My shop could get 2.9 and 3.2 up front with just SS-1s. We matched up both sides.

Sent from my GM1915 using Tapatalk

That is low. Usually we recommend using the OEM 14mm bolt in top and bottom holes...you would easily get over -3 in that case.

Even without them though, that's a little low...should be able to get more than -2.5 degrees with stock bolt arrangement. Keep me posted.

- Andrew

Kw slotted strut gives you around -2.5 with stock upper bolt and around -3 with oem crash bolt only, you can have a little variation due to different ride heights but roughly these are the values.

Well, I'm reminded that the car was in a front-end accident before so it's possible that has complicated what is available from an alignment. Either way, now that the car is aligned, it looks like the rear might actually ride a bit lower than the front so I think a bit more adjusting is in order anyways. I'll use that opportunity to put in bolts with more adjustability and book another alignment.

For now I've been driving with a proper alignment since Monday morning and can give some early impressions.

Dynamically, on uneven pavement, the car is *far* more composed than it was with stock suspension. Stock suspension feels very wallowy with a lot of movement that feels kind of like a chair with a leg too short that tends to bounce back and forth at opposite corners. The SS1 just soaks it up at each corner and the whole car doesn't get nearly as upset. The HKS suspension was also much like this although I couldn't say which was ultimately better.

The other thing I can note is that the rear of the car is much more confidence inspiring on the SS1 in general. Certainly more than the stock suspension and I even think it's better than the HKS in this regard. There is one corner in particular on my commute home that is up hill, off camber, and heavily cracked pavement where going full throttle on the HKS or even the stock suspension would result in the rear of the car stepping out. Testing this same corner on the SS1, so far the rear has actually remained stable which is a nice feeling for a change.

On overall ride comfort, the SS1 is pretty close to stock with a single exception and is so far better than HKS was, in any situation, particularly in the rear. It kind of felt like the HKS coils maybe didn't have enough spring rate for the travel in the strut because deep potholes were extremely crashy. My only complaint about comfort on the SS1 isn't a general complaint but rather a very specific one, which is going over a particular set of uneven train tracks that are notably more comfortable on stock suspension. You have to drive these particular tracks very slow or you'll break something, and the stiffer suspension combined with uneven tracks makes the car bounce around a lot.

Anyways, that's all for now. I'll update again once I get any further.

Thank you for this initial review.

From a daily driving perspective you have given good feedback.

What are your stiffness settings on the coils?

Would love to hear some spirited drive reviews. Im sure they will be good too.

Rebound settings haven't been adjusted at all so it's however they come from the factory. I think whatever they're at right now is comfortable, tight, and stable.

In regards to spirited driving, I'm over it so don't expect anything from me there. I'll give performance driving impressions once I get on track which I'm hoping for next month but we're under lockdown and there is no sign it will end by then so we'll see.

I didn't mean spirited illegal driving. :)

Track driving review will be more than welcome.
Thanks for all the time and patience in updating your views.

Went to my first track day with the SS1s. There track settings were pretty close. I was able to shave 2 seconds of my PB. Only change was wider wheels(heavier than my old ones) suspension and more camber up front .6 more negative camber.

Car felt more stable that my old setup, wants to rotate better and handles sudden changes better which does not upset the car as much as stock suspension. Don't expect mircles but the changes are noticeable. Look forward to more tracks days to really dial in the settings

Sent from my GM1915 using Tapatalk

https://youtu.be/Pn2rIqV8_vY

Here is a lap on the RCE SS1s. Just turn sound off or way down :)

Front 1 click stiffer over recommend track settings
Rear 2 clicks softer in rear

Pretty sure it would have been a bit lower as I had to let up a bit for the BMW into the S's

Sent from my GM1915 using Tapatalk

Got the bolts in last weekend and reconfigured right heights and got a new alignment today.

https://i.ibb.co/R3DctDh/alignment-2.jpg

So we're on target although the front right is maxed out at -2.9, so getting more than this will require a more invasive solution. We will see if it's even needed, I ran this alignment on Hankook RS3s a few years ago and tire temperatures and wear were nice and even.

Not much to add specific to the suspension. Our government has just extended lockdowns to mid-June so no track reviews are going to be possible until then at the earliest. :(

Finally got some track time last weekend so I can give some track impressions on the SS1. For reference, I was driving on regular street tires (225/45/r17 Falken Azenis FK510) so regardless of anything else, I'm not going to be setting a new personal best or anything. I'm also seriously out of practice, this being my first time out since my accident. I only drove the car in sport mode in order to ensure that I drove the car home. I'm out of practice having not driven on track in over 2 years, and the last time I was on course, I put the car into a wall, so I decided to just spend the day and reacquaint myself with the track and track driving and take it easy.

This track is basically flat, technical, and kind of slow and it has some pretty bumpy pavement in places which presents unique challenges for vehicle suspension. The SS1 seems at home on this track though, at least to the point that I wasn't thinking about it unless I made an error, which is a good sign I think. There was no apparent understeer or oversteer bias in the suspension although driving in sport mode I think makes the car aggressively reign in any oversteer so it's hard to tell for sure. The SS1 definitely responds much faster than stock suspension which I find makes a car easier to drive and make corrections as you aren't waiting as long for weight transfer to finish. Also in contrast to the HKS suspension, it also soaks up the bumpy pavement and the occasional low speed slightly raised curb very well. The HKS was a bit too jarring over the really bad pavement and you could feel the tires skip across the pavement under braking which doesn't happen with the SS1. You also didn't dare hit raised curbs on the HKS unless you liked feeling your back teeth rattle. It's nice that I can take even tighter lines in places and the suspension doesn't seem to mind.

I'm planning 1 more track day in the fall in addition to the regional auto slalom event in August provided no major unexpected expenses crop up and we don't go back into lockdown again by then. I'm hoping to get a better tire, something like an RS4 or whatever else is in it's class next year and I think I should be able to improve my PB. I'll update again after the autoslalom and the next track day if I can expand on any more impressions.

I've had these on my car for a couple of years.

As a street and track blend/compromise I absolutely love them. They ride BEAUTIFULLY on the road, increasing handling/response and feel a huge amount from stock with a MUCH smoother/softer ride in nearly every way. Feels like cheating.

For AutoX, crank them all the way up and they are pretty great too. Even with wide 200tw tires they keep body roll low, contact patch up and have a great feel.

For track, the faster of a driver you are the less they will impress you. They feel a bit soft for hard track use, but still not bad. Just a tad underwhelming.

My wish list for these if I could choose:
I'd gladly give up the soft half of the adjustment (basically make the middle setting the 'softest" as it's PLENTY cushy there), have full stiff currently be the middle and go that far beyond into the stiffer range and they'd be PERFECT.

Still, It's hard to find affordable coilovers that aren't rough pogo sticks, and for the price these do a pretty decent impression of the Ohlins R&T (which are a tad soft for track use as well, but are REALLY nice on the road).

I don't have regrets - anything i'd prefer (namely RCE T2) are nearly 2x the price of these SS-1 so i'm plenty happy.

Well said. If you had them for that long might need a rebuild?

Sent from my GM1915 using Tapatalk