Penske Coilovers.

[xwd]

Originally Posted by MKIV

When you go to this level of tuning, it's not just a bolt on and go. You need to address the entire suspension system. They are designed to be fine tuned so just adding the high dollar coil overs will not necessarily get you a good set-up. Bushings, sway bars, links, tires etc will all play a major role.

Of course. That was many years ago when I was much more of a newbie. If I had known much I would not have bought a set of "high-end" JDM coilovers. The nice thing about good shocks is you can make the fine tuned adjustments with them you can't with the cheaper stuff. The "high-end" JDM stuff turned out to not work well on our streets or even bumpy autocross lots, the real adjustment range wasn't very good, and the support when one blew was terrible.

[Dimman]

Penske? Sweet Jesus...

[Sall]

im thinking the problem here is that alotta people including me come from previous "scions" im sure 6-7k coilvers are worth its price but maybe not for everyone specially ... scion posers

[Matt Andrews]

every brand has the same reaction. You'd be suprised about the number of Porsche, corvette, and ferrari owners that balk at that pricing as well. The target market for the top end dampers is relatively small. doesn't have a ton to do with the MSRP of the car.

[Josh B]

Originally Posted by genometuning

Cusco has some really nice/affordable coilovers and so does Tein if you don't go for the base models

You can not compare these with the types of suspension being discussed here. Even the "high end" Tein coilovers pale in comparison to Ohlins, Penske, Moton, etc.

Another thing to look at is serviceability. Who is gonna service and setup your "Tein super fukishima grand master touring" coilovers here in the US? Penske and Ohlins have tons of knowledgeable service technicians and lots of data available here in the states, as well as many facilities that can service your suspension and get it turned around quickly.

Our late model has Penske double adjustable on it and we have been running them for over 5 seasons with great results.

[Miniata]

Originally Posted by SkullWorks

short list: Penske, Moton, Koni, Bilstein, JRZ, Sachs, Ohlins...I'm missing somebody....

AST?

[Ro_Ja]

I don't know about AST. Since the merger of AST and Moton, I've heard there's been a dip in product quality. Is there anyone else that has heard the same?

[Miniata]

Originally Posted by Ro_Ja

I don't know about AST. Since the merger of AST and Moton, I've heard there's been a dip in product quality. Is there anyone else that has heard the same?

I've actually heard the opposite, that the standard AST shocks are starting to get some of the internal parts that were previously used in the Moton line. I've got AST's on my Miata and Mustang, trying to decide of that is the route I want to go with my BRZ or not.

[jix87]

Motion Control is gaining a lot of buzz lately. They certainly have the pricetag to back it up anyway.

[Matt Andrews]

I have AST's on my FR-s. I've owned or raced cars with most of the names mentioned above. It obviously depends on the series damper you are evaluating, but for me it was between JRZ and AST. I'm happy I made the decision I did.

[xwd]

In my case I was looking for someone to develop dampers to be used in CS autocross class, and the amount of folks willing to do it is fairly small. Koni inserts and shocks work for most people and was my initial choice but I've read and talked to a lot of folks who have had serious issues with quality. The winning RTA WRX at nationals this last year was running stock struts in the front because they have had so many Konis break they didn't trust them to make the drive and compete on them. I looked into the new ASTs and I think someone will do it eventually since Vorschlag has built stock-compliant shocks using them in the past. Vorschlag was actually looking into Bilstein options to build a stock compliant strut and shock, but the timeframe is further in the future.

If I was just looking for regular coilovers I'd probably run the AST 4150s or the next step up. However the Penske ones can be converted to coilovers fairly easily like I mentioned above.

[Dimman]

To give some perspective on Penske, the company has moved past 4-way adjustability for some of their top-level offerings. They have developed a regressive damper curve whereas most are using digressive curves. What this does is allows very high damping slopes at low shaft speeds for body control, but then can actually drop at higher shaft speeds for comfort, rather than the digressive curve that can just try to reduce the slope.

These guys are orders of magnitude better than the basic Japanese brands, and possibly even a class up on the usual named top level guys.

[GingerExtract]

Did I read that right, $5,000+ for shock absorbers? Enjoy paying $1,000's more for only a few tenths of a second compared to an OTS shock. More often than not, the driver will make up or flub the difference.

[MmmHamSandwich]

Originally Posted by GingerExtract

Did I read that right, $5,000+ for shock absorbers? Enjoy paying $1,000's more for only a few tenths of a second compared to an OTS shock. More often than not, the driver will make up or flub the difference.

For someone who autocrosses, you know what the margins are in serious competition racing. This suspension is not for people who race locally as a past time hobby, we're talking nationally competitive people and pro series.

I don't see why people are complaining about the price. This will be a serious racing suspension, for... serious racing. Slamming your car to the ground (the reason the far too many people buy coilovers) will make it handle like turds no matter what suspension choice you go with, might as well buy the cheap shit and save money. If you just want better handling or adjustability but don't need the capabilities of a pro, there are already lots of options, and likely to be many more on the way.

Sure, for the vast majority of us out there, this money would be far better spent on driving lessons and track time. If you're going to be racing with pros however, (ie: when a few tenths means the difference between winning and losing) then expect to pony up. Realistically, this suspension is probably only going to be meant for a select few on this forum.