Revel Coilovers?

[kmbkk]

So I was at PTuning yesterday getting my clutch replaced. They had on display a new set of coilovers made by Tanabe, Revel coilovers. I haven’t heard anything about them and couldn’t find any mention of them on here. The guy at the shop recommended them for the price point ($950), and said they were similar to BCs. I’m still running Eibach springs on stock struts, which is why I asked about these. Here’s a link to their website:

https://www.revel-usa.com/tsd/index.html


Thoughts?

[jumbaco]

they seem pretty nice, comes with radial bearings and covers too.

[strat61caster]

Copy paste this thread
http://www.ft86club.com/forums/showthread.php?t=138782
/thread

[DarkPira7e]

It's like these companies rebrand and release something new yearly, hoping people will buy thinking they're getting a deal because it could the new miracle coilovers.

Performance car parts are not like stock; it's not going to surprise you and everyone else in a year and buying early won't net you a profit in the future.

I promise they'll bolt on and need an alignment right after, but from there it's down to quality control.

If they can't be bothered to even make their logo on the webpage in vector, it won't be any better than normal coilovers.

[Capt Spaulding]

I've wondered. When it comes to any of these, are they worth the trouble if you can't adjust ride height independent of preload?

[strat61caster]

Originally Posted by Capt Spaulding

I've wondered. When it comes to any of these, are they worth the trouble if you can't adjust ride height independent of preload?

A. The Revels do do that.

B. That 'feature' is an overrated cover-up to reduce parts manufacturing costs. Nice but totally unnecessary if suspension is properly spec'd for the platform and purpose.

[churchx]

I'm also leaning a bit that independent height adjustment is more of cover-up, then "feature". As to me that looks more as if for such coilovers there is initially reduced travel for sake of lowering, that stays same during ride height adjustment to simplify valving, instead of properly increasing travel in design due this "feature". If anything, i'd rather look positively to extra gained full travel/more compliance/less preloaded springs if i'm not doing stupid lowering, then travel staying same reduced even for non slammed car.

[strat61caster]

Originally Posted by churchx

I'm also leaning a bit that independent height adjustment is more of cover-up, then "feature". As to me that looks more as if for such coilovers there is initially reduced travel for sake of lowering, that stays same during ride height adjustment to simplify valving, instead of properly increasing travel in design due this "feature". If anything, i'd rather look positively to extra gained full travel/more compliance/less preloaded springs if i'm not doing stupid lowering, then travel staying same reduced even for non slammed car.

You're giving the manufacturers far too much credit.

Every different damper body length costs them hundreds of thousands of dollars to develop and manufacture. The fewer damper lengths they maintain the more money they make.

[Racecomp Engineering]

Originally Posted by Capt Spaulding

I've wondered. When it comes to any of these, are they worth the trouble if you can't adjust ride height independent of preload?

https://www.instagram.com/p/B9J1M8Un...=12t3r1p9ixjzj

Independent preload adjustment is almost always a cost saving measure that's been spun as a must have feature thanks to good marketing. Not always, but for most of the coilovers that have that feature it's strictly due to cost saving.

- Andrew

[Capt Spaulding]

Andrew, would you mind offering a readers digest condensed explanation?

[Racecomp Engineering]

Originally Posted by Capt Spaulding

Andrew, would you mind offering a readers digest condensed explanation?

One of the "features" that's sometimes marketed with the lower end dual height adjustable coilovers is that although they are rebuildable, it's easier and cheaper for the company to just send you a new damper cartridge. So a while back, a customer brought in his car with a set of very popular coilovers that were ready to be refreshed with new damper cartridges. They were labeled for 3 completely different cars (from 2 manufacturers)...meaning that they use the same exact damper for cars that very much should not be using the same exact damper.

Basically, these companies make vehicle specific lower mounts and camber plates. That's about the extent of the engineering for each car. Then they pick one of their shock cartridges (they have a handful of lengths and valving profiles on the shelf), slap on a spring, and call it a day.

A dual height adjustable coilover construction makes that incredibly easy to do. The length is adjustable with the dual height adjustablity, but the overall stroke is usually not much and that's far more important. The feature itself is not bad, but it's much more complicated than most think and ride height + preload should be set carefully. Way too many people think spring preload has an effect on spring rate and that's simply not true on a linear spring. Or that you get more bump travel with zero preload, which is also untrue. But it's been marketed well.

Again, not every low end dual height adjustable coilover is like this and I have no idea about Revel coilovers. But many do follow this business model.

- Andrew

[churchx]

Andrew: is it about Flex Z? (ones that spring to mind first, when "changing non-rebuildable cartridge" heard)

[Racecomp Engineering]

Originally Posted by churchx

Andrew: is it about Flex Z? (ones that spring to mind first, when "changing non-rebuildable cartridge" heard)

No idea about Flex Z but I'd bet they are vehicle specific design.

My experience was with a popular taiwanese built coilover.

The stories about sending a few emails and quickly having 100 sets of a copy of those coilovers with different colors and your company's sticker for dirt cheap are true.

- Andrew