Another RCE Tarmac 2 review

[200hp/tonne]

I bought a set of RCE Tarmac 2 on FT86SF’s July 4 sale, and after installing them I went to Pittsburgh International Race Complex and an Autocross to learn the car.

My setup:
Tarmac 2 coilovers with Group N STi front top mounts and stock rear top mounts
Stock front sway bar, Whiteline 16mm rear sway bar on softest setting (40% stiffer than stock)
Alignment -2.5 front camber, -2.2 rear camber, 0 toe
RE71R in 225/45-17

Install:
I have done coilover installs multiple times now, so the install was fairly straightforward. The helper springs make the install easier as spring compressors are not required. Setting the ride height was a bit cumbersome and involved some repetition, but I expected this. It was really nice to have click settings for Bump and Rebound from RCE themselves, and I set everything to recommended settings.

Street Impressions:
First things first, ride quality is perfect. No odd noises or squeaks and even though you can feel the bumps they never feel harsh. Potholes get soaked up without issue and even going over a railroad crossing doesn’t seem to upset the car. I have to regularly drive on a few on-ramps that have potholes in the middle, and there is no complaint from the Traction/Stability control, which is a contrast from my previous suspension setup.

Track:
My experience at PittRace was fantastic, mostly due to the Tarmac 2s. The most important spot for me on the full course is the exit of turn 15. The whole run from 14 to 17 is fast and I am usually at 100+ mph at 15 and the exit has big waves in the surface on the outside line. This is where my car previously would both top and bottom out on suspension travel and I would kill a bunch of speed, spoiling the whole run through 16. The added stroke in the T2s soaked this up beautifully and I was able to keep 105+ through 15 and 16 right up to the braking point of17. Handling was insanely neutral and predictable, to the point that I could adjust the attitude mid corner with the throttle. Whenever the tires wanted to let go, almost all the time they wanted to do so at all corners at once, and progressively at that. There was rarely any instance where one end wanted to let go while the other had grip in reserve. I could carry a lot of confidence through all corners, both tight and sweeping.

Autocross:
My home autocross is at a speedway, where there are huge transitions from the banking to the infield. The infield in very bumpy as it hosts demolition derbies. I bought the T2s to handle this, but I haven’t driven it here yet. My first autocross with the T2 was at a very flat parking lot and the impressions from the track carry forward here. The course was almost all slalom and the car was steady through it all. Rotation was easy to achieve, and the only time the tail stepped out was when I was too abrupt with the steering and throttle at the same time, and even then recovery was almost immediate.

Overall:
I am still learning how my car behaves, and will only get faster as the T2s have given me a huge boost of confidence in my car with their predictability. As for customer service, RCE really care about their customers, evident from their immediate response to all of my numerous questions over PM on the forum even before I bought a set. To me, that alone is worth half the price.

TL,DR: RCE Tarmac 2 are worth their weight in gold.

[driggity]

Great review, but I have some questions for you. Your comments about compliance and maintaining traction over bumps are very interesting to me as that is my biggest complaint with the stock setup.


Was that alignment achieved with just the factory Camber bolts in front and the stock non-camber adjustable rear? Or do you have additional components for adjusting camber?


How much lower than stock are you?


What was your suspension setup before the Tarmac 2s?


Thanks

[200hp/tonne]

Alignment was achieved with lower control arms front and rear. Although I have achieved similar camber numbers in the front with 2 camber bolts per side in the past.

I am about 1" lower than stock. RCE provided me with target fender to ground heights which i am really close to.

Before the T2 I had RSR Sports-i.

[wootwoot]

I have the sport-i's now and hate how upset the car gets by mid corner bumps. How much of an improvement are the tarmacs would you say? Are they worse than the i sports in any way?

[renfield90]

Originally Posted by 200hp/tonne

I am about 1" lower than stock. RCE provided me with target fender to ground heights which i am really close to.

You wouldn't happen to have those handy, would you? Installing mine this weekend...

[200hp/tonne]

Originally Posted by renfield90

You wouldn't happen to have those handy, would you? Installing mine this weekend...

[Joshuarers]

S13 front is more than worth the trouble. Its Fkn fantastic. LOL. Just finished my conversion, s13 lca's and brakes, new tierod combo, bc s13 coilovers front 10kg, bc r31 coilovers rear 8kg, whiteline- swaybars,adjustable panhard rod and all bushes, new disks, new pads, front calipers rebuilt. All up cost around 2200, I already had the s13 gear, so may be another 150-200 for that. Angrys weld ins would be the way to go and dont forget about getting sway bars, they are a big player in the handling.

[200hp/tonne]

Originally Posted by wootwoot

I have the sport-i's now and hate how upset the car gets by mid corner bumps. How much of an improvement are the tarmacs would you say? Are they worse than the i sports in any way?

Night and day difference. You will notice the improvement on your first run.

[Chriswongbrz]

Is it a big difference from Tien flex z?