Swift Spec R Review

[Hyper4mance2k]

Originally Posted by CSG Mike

They do; the class leader in Stock at 86CUP uses them

Good to know. I can't find any info on them, not even reviews from other applications. I wonder how they compair to the Koni struts and shocks.
I'm shocked (pun intended) Tokico deosn't have shocks and struts for the 86 yet. I'm so used to running illumina's in the Rx7 World.

[finch1750]

Originally Posted by wparsons

Tarmacs are more understeer biased than the Swift Spec R's, so it really depends on what kind of handling balance you're after. Both are great springs that will work well, just pick by personal preference.

I went with Swift Sport because I wanted spring rates friendlier to the stock shocks for now, but didn't want to drastically change the handling balance. For autox, the quicker front end response from the RCE springs (yellows or tarmacs) might give you better times.

Makes sense. I am currently on yellows and understeered pretty bad until I dialed in a bunch of camber (over -2 in front). I am new to suspension tuning so will be interesting to go froward and see what I can do with Koni's and maybe swaybars eventually

[M23]

Originally Posted by Hyper4mance2k

Good to know. I can't find any info on them, not even reviews from other applications. I wonder how they compair to the Koni struts and shocks.
I'm shocked (pun intended) Tokico deosn't have shocks and struts for the 86 yet. I'm so used to running illumina's in the Rx7 World.

Ya I know ..I had Tokicos and kgmm springs on my s13 back in the day. Cheapy shocks..but the only thing I could afford at the time.

[M23]

I notice the specs of the Cusco replacement dampers state:
"140% sti*ffer than factory OEM dampening rate (when set at max hard)"

- Anyone know if "140% stiffer than oem" can handle the Swift Spec-R or Tarmac springs?

- Also, anyone know if Bilstein B6/B8 dampers are more than, or less than, "140% stiffer than oem"?

[CSG David]

Originally Posted by Hyper4mance2k

Good to know. I can't find any info on them, not even reviews from other applications. I wonder how they compair to the Koni struts and shocks.
I'm shocked (pun intended) Tokico deosn't have shocks and struts for the 86 yet. I'm so used to running illumina's in the Rx7 World.

I'll be adding them to the website soon as the testing has been quite sufficient on them.

[Racecomp Engineering]

I've always been a fan of Swift springs and I think the Spec Rs for this car are great. I personally wouldn't run them on stock shocks as the rear especially is a bit underdamped (as it would be with RCE Tarmacs). But with Koni or Bilstein its a great combo. Haven't tried the Cusco's but it's good to see another option.

Yes our RCE springs like a little bit of camber if you're tracking/autocrossing. When it's all dialed in it's the best of all worlds...tons of response, great balance, and the ability to put power down easily. The Swifts are just another great option with a very slight difference in balance.

- Andy

[Hyper4mance2k]

Originally Posted by Racecomp Engineering

I've always been a fan of Swift springs and I think the Spec Rs for this car are great. I personally wouldn't run them on stock shocks as the rear especially is a bit underdamped (as it would be with RCE Tarmacs). But with Koni or Bilstein its a great combo. Haven't tried the Cusco's but it's good to see another option.

Yes our RCE springs like a little bit of camber if you're tracking/autocrossing. When it's all dialed in it's the best of all worlds...tons of response, great balance, and the ability to put power down easily. The Swifts are just another great option with a very slight difference in balance.

- Andy

Do you have a preference between Koni & Bilstein for the tarmacs? If so, why?

[Jonsey]

I am running the Spec Rs on Koni yellows. I am still playing with the adjustments on the Konis to find the best handling on the track, but I have been very impressed with the setup. The set up is certainly more firm than stock, but it does not beat you up. It handles small bumps very well but can be jarring when you hit a large bump. This set up responds much faster to inputs on the track than the stock suspension and has noticeably less roll.


It is more than comfortable enough for a daily driver although my wife is not as enthusiastic about it as I am. However, she wasn't super excited about the stock suspension either so take that with a grain of salt. Unfortunately I have never tracked a car with a good coilover suspension, so I cannot compare it to that, however I have had a lot of success on the track against more expensive/powerful cars with this set up. I would be hard pressed to believe a cheap coilover set would be competitive with the Konis and Spec Rs.

[M23]

Originally Posted by CSG David

... as the testing has been quite sufficient on them.

I'm sure we'd all love to hear a comparison from you (or, anyone) of the Cuscos vs the Konis & Bilsteins.

And, which handles the stiff Tarmacs & Spec-Rs the best

[Racecomp Engineering]

Originally Posted by Hyper4mance2k

Do you have a preference between Koni & Bilstein for the tarmacs? If so, why?

The Konis work pretty well and since they're adjustable you can get them mostly dialed in. IMO the Bilsteins are the better shock internally, its just that the valving they come with isn't perfect. For me its close but I lean a little towards the Bilsteins. Custom valved Bilsteins would be the shit. But that's another 450 on top of the shocks (but you could start with the B6 shocks).

- Andy

[M23]

Originally Posted by Racecomp Engineering

Custom valved Bilsteins would be the shit. But that's another 450 on top of the shocks (but you could start with the B6 shocks).

- Andy

Hmmm..maybe someone (an frs/suspension/track shop, distributer, etc.) should work with Bilstein and make some special-edition B8s matched to the stiffer Spec-R & Tarmac springs.

Kinda like how CSG has their custom Tein SRC, you/RCE have custom KW, Mann has custom AST, Moto has custom RSR, Works has custom Ohlins, etc., etc.

Wouldn't that be a hot-as-sht seller? ...especially since lots of people buy lowering springs and also either can't afford premium $2-3k+ coilovers or would rather get a nice spring/shock setup rather than get cheap/generic coilovers.

[CSG David]

Originally Posted by M23

I'm sure we'd all love to hear a comparison from you (or, anyone) of the Cuscos vs the Konis & Bilsteins.

And, which handles the stiff Tarmacs & Spec-Rs the best

Personally, they are all similar. Koni has some level of adjustment over the Bilstein. Cusco has 40-clicks to them (kind of overkill IMHO), but the entire range is noticeable. Keep in mind, they are all high quality OE replacement dampers.

Tarmacs and Spec-Rs are definitely good springs. Tarmacs are non-staggered and Spec-Rs are staggered. I prefer the latter, but some people don't like the qualities of staggered setups.

We have our own preferences on setups which happens to fight with the generalization, but after one taste of our setups, most people convert.

[M23]

Originally Posted by CSG David

...but the entire range is noticeable.

That is good to know.

Excited to read in-depth reviews about these in the future.

[Racecomp Engineering]

Originally Posted by M23

Hmmm..maybe someone (an frs/suspension/track shop, distributer, etc.) should work with Bilstein and make some special-edition B8s matched to the stiffer Spec-R & Tarmac springs.

Kinda like how CSG has their custom Tein SRC, you/RCE have custom KW, Mann has custom AST, Moto has custom RSR, Works has custom Ohlins, etc., etc.

Wouldn't that be a hot-as-sht seller? ...especially since lots of people buy lowering springs and also either can't afford premium $2-3k+ coilovers or would rather get a nice spring/shock setup rather than get cheap/generic coilovers.

We actually do offer custom valved Bilsteins with a matched set of springs...for Impreza.

It's a seriously awesome set-up that's better than most coilovers but unfortunately we just have not been able to bring it to market for BRZ and FRS. Part of the reason is Bilstein already offering their own sport shock.

My concern with the Cusco shocks is no warranty and servicing them in the US. Bilstein and Koni both have excellent (lifetime) warranties and can be rebuilt or custom valved relatively inexpensively. Both are proven options that you'll see a lot of at the track or autox.

We're flexible on spring rates...at lower to medium spring rates we often prefer even rates but some of our very firm track oriented set-ups have firmer rear springs. We've been at this for a long time and understand when either is appropriate and how these cars behave with firmer vs softer set-ups.

- Andy (RCE total racecar guy for over 10 years)