JRZ RS1 coilovers installed on Racecomp BRZ (and other RCE updates)

[Racecomp Engineering]

Originally Posted by pcasso87

VERY NICE HOW MUCH?

Check out thread here:
http://www.ft86club.com/forums/showthread.php?t=11833

We offer the JRZ RS1 and KW V3 coilovers at the moment. We ship them ASSEMBLED with topmounts so install is quick and easy.

[ultra]

Great. Now I'm all confused between the RCE starter kit, KW V3s and these JRZs.

Curious about the pros & cons of the JRZs vs. the Starter Kit vs. the KWs for spirited street & light competition use (street tire AutoX & HPDE - fast but no trophies involved LoL).

Also wondering if the adjustments on the JRZs are easy to reach without having to take the trunk apart?

My only real gripe with the V3s is that you need to access both the top & bottom of the shocks to adjust rebound and compression, which is kind of a PITA.

[BadCompany235]

general thought is that JRZ is one of the top 5 if not top 3 dampener companies in the world. KW would be a top ten still tho. most ppl wont' run the car hard enough to tell the difference. the V3 gives you more adjust ability but JRZ also have RS and RSPro that do the same. alot of ppl consider JRZ to be a higher tier product than KW. up there with Moton and Ohlin.

[Racecomp Engineering]

Originally Posted by ultra

Great. Now I'm all confused between the RCE starter kit, KW V3s and these JRZs.

Curious about the pros & cons of the JRZs vs. the Starter Kit vs. the KWs for spirited street & light competition use (street tire AutoX & HPDE - fast but no trophies involved LoL).

Also wondering if the adjustments on the JRZs are easy to reach without having to take the trunk apart?

My only real gripe with the V3s is that you need to access both the top & bottom of the shocks to adjust rebound and compression, which is kind of a PITA.

JRZ is known for a good amount of low piston speed compression valving and high gas pressure to provide "platform" and to control the unsprung mass. Just a tremendous amount of control and response without running a ton of high piston speed damping that overwhelms the car.

I went for a 30 minute drive yesterday in Myles' car on the JRZ's. JRZ does high piston speed compression valving very well. First thing I said when we hit a small bump. AND it has tons of bump travel. The car rides so damn smoothly....I kept turning to Myles saying "I can't believe these are 400 lbs/in springs!"

The ride is as good or better than stock. I hate saying that because you always see it and then ride in some guy's car that's bouncy and crashes over sharp bumps, then the guy turns to you and is like "Pretty much the same as stock right?" Uhhh no. Well, this time I was just floored by the ride and laughed as I drove over broken pavement because it really is that good.

Ride quality is waaay better than my MINI with Konis, soft-ish springs, and non-runflat tires, which rides much better than a stock MINI for reference.

A big test for me is the "girl who doesn't care about cars" test. Lets say you pick up a girl for a date. She knows your into cars but maybe that isn't her thing (but she's really hot, er....really cool so you're giving it a chance). As your driving to the *farmers market or whatever boring thing she wants to do, do you feel like you need to apologize that parts of her body and yours bouncing all over the place? Are you worried she's not gonna want to get back in your car?

And lets pretend she actually IS into cars and knows a thing or two....is she gonna laugh at your poorly valved dampers and tell you that you're compression valving is just not digressive enough for her? If so, apologize, then sell your crappy coilovers and marry her immediately.

Anyway, all that talk about ride isn't to say that these are just a comfort thing. A well damped and smooth damper is FAST. Flying around corners soaking up mid-corner bumps WITHOUT upsetting the car....very nice. The car is flat, well balanced, and reacts well on entry and exit. The car is so stable and confidence inspiring, yet it still has TONS of grip and you can keep turning the wheel and it keeps turning. Commit to a corner and you aren't fighting anything. Get on the brakes and straighten the wheel a bit, no drama.

This was on stock swaybars.

- Andrew


*I actually love the farmers market here in Bmore.

[Racecomp Engineering]

The starter kit is a good first step that will work really well for MOST people. The car is fast, pretty comfortable, and easy to drive. If you're running sticky tires and/or pushing the car a little you might start wanting more. But for the money IMO it's the best option out there and I'd prefer it to some of the lower-end coilovers.

The KWs are always a solid option. Tough to compare to the JRZs because it's a twin-tube, but it's a very very good twin-tube that has a lot of adjustability. More knobs to play with which is a blessing for some and pain for others, but that's up to you. You won't find yourself messing with them all that much after the initial set-up period which we can help you with. When set-up right they are fast and comfortable...definitely stable too. Very very capable on the track with good valving profiles.

The JRZ's are just a little more serious with that extra monotube response and "platform" that they offer. But the KWs of course are a bit less money and you certainly would not be disappointed with them.

- Andrew

[Kiwi]

Originally Posted by Racecomp Engineering

Model name and Specs of those wheels??

They look really awesome.

[Racecomp Engineering]

BBS CH-R +38 18x8

We can get them if you're interested.

- Andrew

[7thgear]

can you guys get the RS Watanabe in 17X7or8?

[ultra]

Originally Posted by Racecomp Engineering

The starter kit is a good first step that will work really well for MOST people. The car is fast, pretty comfortable, and easy to drive. If you're running sticky tires and/or pushing the car a little you might start wanting more. But for the money IMO it's the best option out there and I'd prefer it to some of the lower-end coilovers.

The KWs are always a solid option. Tough to compare to the JRZs because it's a twin-tube, but it's a very very good twin-tube that has a lot of adjustability. More knobs to play with which is a blessing for some and pain for others, but that's up to you. You won't find yourself messing with them all that much after the initial set-up period which we can help you with. When set-up right they are fast and comfortable...definitely stable too. Very very capable on the track with good valving profiles.

The JRZ's are just a little more serious with that extra monotube response and "platform" that they offer. But the KWs of course are a bit less money and you certainly would not be disappointed with them.

- Andrew

Thanks a ton for the excellent, articulate & thoughtful responses. Don't think even Peter Egan could have out it better and I very much appreciate your taking the time to write up all that feedback!

The bit about the 'girlfriend test' rings especially true. I don't think many people remember to consider that stuff but yeah...the tangible value of daily livability...oh...so...true (insert anecdote about living with a speed bump scraping 'stanced' Miata with no top or AC for a year).

It might seem weird to see folks cross shopping the starter kit with JRZs but for me it's part of a long term vs. short term value calculation. I know I'd be happy either way, the trick is finding that sweet spot on the curves between how happy vs how long vs how much, if that makes sense.

Not planning on building this car up very much or competing seriously in it because I've done that before but on the other hand I do push pretty hard and intend to keep it for at least 4-5 years, in which case I need to consider the cost of buying + upgrading again, etc.

And girls of course LoL.

Thanks again for the info, apologies if I'm verging on being pedantic.

Not much more left to do but put the brain to work & begin scratching the wallet.

[Racecomp Engineering]

Wow, I LOVE Peter Egan. Grew up reading his column in R&T so that's a huge compliment.

Next time I'm in Dubai I'll say hello! I actually do have some family there but have yet to visit.

- andrew

[Dimman]

Originally Posted by Racecomp Engineering

JRZ is known for a good amount of low piston speed compression valving and high gas pressure to provide "platform" and to control the unsprung mass. Just a tremendous amount of control and response without running a ton of high piston speed damping that overwhelms the car.

I went for a 30 minute drive yesterday in Myles' car on the JRZ's. No one does high piston speed compression valving like JRZ. First thing I said when we hit a small bump. AND it has tons of bump travel. The car rides so damn smoothly....I kept turning to Myles saying "I can't believe these are 400 lbs/in springs!"

The ride is as good or better than stock. I hate saying that because you always see it and then ride in some guy's car that's bouncy and crashes over sharp bumps, then the guy turns to you and is like "Pretty much the same as stock right?" Uhhh no. Well, this time I was just floored by the ride and laughed as I drove over broken pavement because it really is that good.

Ride quality is waaay better than my MINI with Konis, soft-ish springs, and non-runflat tires, which rides much better than a stock MINI for reference.

A big test for me is the "girl who doesn't care about cars" test. Lets say you pick up a girl for a date. She knows your into cars but maybe that isn't her thing (but she's really hot, er....really cool so you're giving it a chance). As your driving to the *farmers market or whatever boring thing she wants to do, do you feel like you need to apologize that parts of her body and yours bouncing all over the place? Are you worried she's not gonna want to get back in your car?

And lets pretend she actually IS into cars and knows a thing or two....is she gonna laugh at your poorly valved dampers and tell you that you're compression valving is just not digressive enough for her? If so, apologize, then sell your crappy coilovers and marry her immediately.

Anyway, all that talk about ride isn't to say that these are just a comfort thing. A well damped and smooth damper is FAST. Flying around corners soaking up mid-corner bumps WITHOUT upsetting the car....very nice. The car is flat, well balanced, and reacts well on entry and exit. The car is so stable and confidence inspiring, yet it still has TONS of grip and you can keep turning the wheel and it keeps turning. Commit to a corner and you aren't fighting anything. Get on the brakes and straighten the wheel a bit, no drama.

This was on stock swaybars.

- Andrew


*I actually love the farmers market here in Bmore.

Best suspension sales pitch ever.

Girl #2 sounds awesome.


Heh.

[jamal]

Originally Posted by Racecomp Engineering

Anyway, all that talk about ride isn't to say that these are just a comfort thing. A well damped and smooth damper is FAST. Flying around corners soaking up mid-corner bumps WITHOUT upsetting the car....very nice. The car is flat, well balanced, and reacts well on entry and exit. The car is so stable and confidence inspiring, yet it still has TONS of grip and you can keep turning the wheel and it keeps turning. Commit to a corner and you aren't fighting anything. Get on the brakes and straighten the wheel a bit, no drama.

This was on stock swaybars.

- Andrew


*I actually love the farmers market here in Bmore.

This is something I always have a hard time getting across. Everyone always seems to think that stiff and harsh = fast. A good suspension is supposed to absorb bumps and keep the chassis settled. I swear a lot of people would be better off just running blocks of wood in place of suspension.

[mines13]

Originally Posted by jamal

This is something I always have a hard time getting across. Everyone always seems to think that stiff and harsh = fast. A good suspension is supposed to absorb bumps and keep the chassis settled. I swear a lot of people would be better off just running blocks of wood in place of suspension.

Ditto, maintain and enhance that mechanical grip. 20K springs with under valved dampers are cute and all, but your fancy pants tires sure are not going to do you very much good if they spend more time in the air then on the tarmac. It is amazing what passes for an "upgrade" these days...

[ultra]

This exactly is why I prefer to buy from vendors who run what they sell, genuinely care about what they're doing, do proper R&D and are kind enough to share detailed, honest info with folks who have questions.