good NON-adjustable coilovers for road/track?

[nikitopo]

Originally Posted by ZDan

Thanks for heads-up on these But looks like they're probably softer than what I'm aiming for. Would like something in the neighborhood of 6-8 kg/mm front, 7-9 rear, ~2x as stiff. I'd also like a ~25mm-30mm drop.

I gotta start thinking about this again, currently I'm ~30mm lowered with no front camber on the factory wheels with winter tires. When I swap to +35 offset wheels with 245 tires I'ma need front camber, and no way I'm running the camber plates with the factory struts at -30mm again!

B14s still look like the way to go, but would hafta invest in linear-rate springs and upper spring perches, and ideally have them revalved. So $$$ starts to look less attractive...

I considered once to buy the B14s, but their standard spring rates looked to me too much stiff on the rear. It was something like 4.5 kg/mm front and 7.0 kg/mm rear. I wanted a more neutral car and not so much tail happy. The other thing I realised was the small amount of suspension travel coming from the factory. Some suspension vendors tried the first years to solve this by increasing considerably the factory spring rates. This for me solves one problem, but creates other problems like a loss of mechanical grip. Meaning if you keep everything else equal. Then they were the first customer complains that the cars were too stiff and the same vendors lowered the spring rates. Some examples that come to my mind are KW and Ohlins. I think Bilstein didn't do it, because they offered an initial product and they didn't bother to re-work the product. Now Ohlins is raising a bit again the rates or as they say "let the customer to choose between a set of rates", because there were other complains that the last rates were too soft. For me all this situation is like trying to chase your own tail and it was the main reason to find a suspension with more travel.

[strat61caster]

Originally Posted by ZDan

B14s still look like the way to go, but would hafta invest in linear-rate springs and upper spring perches, and ideally have them revalved. So $$$ starts to look less attractive...

I mean, go back and look at where you're at now, the B14's should be an upgrade as they are off the shelf with stiffer springs and damper lengths are designed to preserve bump travel with lowering unlike the factory dampers. You can phase the development to try stiffer springs incrementally converting the upper spring perches until you land where you're happy and then send them out for a revalve.