RCE Yellows - initial review - Toyota GR86, 86, FR-S and Subaru BRZ Forum & Owners Community

AVOturboworld · 10-02-2012, 03:02 AM

I'll be straight up about this, this isn't going to be about the ultimate limits of the RCE Yellows. I haven't had the time, literally. I received the springs (thanks Myles!) last Thursday, and spent till 11:30pm putting the fronts in (after work) then till 11:00 on Friday putting in the rears.

Then it was up at 8am to "test" them out by driving to the Inmotion car show and watching the springs settle for the next 12 hours.

From a show perspective, they are not a top performer - they don't give you that perfect stance by dropping it 3" and forcing you to drive over speed bumps at exact angles called out by a spotter (thereby ensuring you always bring a passenger).

It was the next day, at the PNW Megameat that I got to spend some happy time with the springs.

No, I didn't take a lot of pictures of the car, I was spending too much time driving to do that. I didn't measure out the exact drop, others have taken care of that as well. While it doesn't look like much of a height reduction, if you park it next to a standard car, it's pretty obvious. Just shows how high it is normally.

And yes, they handle. I have not had the alignment done, added camber bolts, or done anything else. This is about going from bog standard suspension alignment to bog standard + RCE Yellows. It gives a lot more accurate feedback on what they do and they don't.

They do increase the handling. I found them matched well with the standard dampers, with no bounciness or strange behaviours. In fact, they do remove that slight jiggle that the FR-S has at all times - it makes it feel even lighter than it is because it "bounces" along down the road. It wasn't a bad thing, but it's nice that the car feels even more buttoned down to the road.

Alignment didn't change, for better or for worse. At least not signficantly. It still tracks straight, and goes through corners about the same. Initial turn in is improved though, and the rear slides through the low speed corners more naturally. Overall it rotates better. Higher speed sweepers are well controlled as well, within the limitations of the stock suspension (more on that later). Freeway driving is good as well, though again, with less jounce.

Unfortunately, a good spring setup tends to magnify any other issues with a suspension. One major one is the soft bushings on the lower control arms at the front. I'd not really given them a good hard stare yet, but thrashing around on the RCE's has forced me to give them the evil eye. The car corners hard enough that you start feeling movement at the front that shouldn't be there. It's not just in corners, though, if you start doing some significant speed (lets leave out how significant), you'll start experiencing a sensation similar to an old Z, where it would start lifting at the front and "float" a bit.

At least, that's what the culprit was in those old cars with their aero. The FR-S and BRZ are porn-star endowed in the aero department, which makes it easy to discard that as the issue. No, sadly, it's those bushings again. I'm suspecting that instead, there's enough downforce that it's occasionally getting "pushed" down and squidging around on the bushings.

To wrap it all up, I give the RCE Yellow's a Two Thumbs (and a few random toes) up. I unequivocally endorse them, you really cannot go wrong with these as a quick and easy improvement handling.

forwallblakmail · 10-02-2012, 07:24 PM

Thanks for the good review. Loved the yellow's on my STi, but was skeptical of damaging the cars already great setup from the factory.

mike2100 · 10-02-2012, 11:34 PM

Could the improved turn-in be due to toe-out caused by lowering the suspension without re-aligning?

AVOturboworld · 10-03-2012, 12:12 AM

No, to be honest, in terms of alignment it's rather blah, and lowering it didn't do enough to the toe-out to change it that drastically. With the firmer springs in the rear and front, it's just digging in a bit better. I'll be getting an alignment tomorrow (with luck, last minute scheduling is always a nightmare), and I'm sure it'll feel 300% better. Just didn't want to muddy the waters by doing an alignment at the same time as the springs.

AVOturboworld · 10-03-2012, 12:39 PM

Ok - improved bushings w/RCE Yellows will have you laughing like a ape through corners. Can't wait for that alignment shop to open up...

D1cker · 10-05-2012, 04:56 AM

which bushings did you go with?

ultra · 10-05-2012, 09:30 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by D1cker

which bushings did you go with?

What he said.

AVOturboworld · 10-06-2012, 09:03 PM

AVO offset lower control arm bushings (front and rear on the front lower control arms). Improved feel and stability in corners tremendously, no more wiggle wobble. Spent the last 1300 miles driving to california on them, was a nice ride all around. Top marks to RCE for the spring settings!

ultra · 10-07-2012, 08:46 AM

Got a link to the bushings? Do they change camber as well?

JoeBoxer · 10-07-2012, 09:04 AM

http://www.avoturboworld.com/avoshop...n-c-95_97.html

ultra · 10-07-2012, 03:20 PM

Interesting...! Never knew about those.

Racecomp Engineering · 10-07-2012, 09:32 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by AVOturboworld

Ok - improved bushings w/RCE Yellows will have you laughing like a ape through corners. Can't wait for that alignment shop to open up...

Glad you like them Paul! And yes indeed, springs + bushings + good alignment makes SUCH a huge change. It's the easy button IMO for this car for most people. Our vision for a spring package has always been a factory like sport package that just makes the car more exciting and accessible without forcing you to apologize to your passengers for a crummy ride. Just put them on and go have lots of fun.

- Andrew

mike2100 · 10-07-2012, 10:47 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Racecomp Engineering

Glad you like them Paul! And yes indeed, springs + bushings + good alignment makes SUCH a huge change. It's the easy button IMO for this car for most people. Our vision for a spring package has always been a factory like sport package that just makes the car more exciting and accessible without forcing you to apologize to your passengers for a crummy ride. Just put them on and go have lots of fun.

- Andrew

Kind of like a BRZ S... or an FR-S... S

Don't forget tires!

BTW I really want to find out what these cars feel like with the RCE springs on.

speargunsandracecars · 10-08-2012, 06:13 PM

How much of a negative camber was gained(front and rear) from the drop prior to aligning?

10-02-2012, 03:02 AM	#1
AVOturboworld Join Date: Jan 2012 Drives: 2013 "AVO Orange" FR-S Location: Seattle, WA Posts: 1,067 Thanks: 69 Thanked 2,277 Times in 636 Posts Mentioned: 108 Post(s) Tagged: 2 Thread(s)	RCE Yellows - initial review I'll be straight up about this, this isn't going to be about the ultimate limits of the RCE Yellows. I haven't had the time, literally. I received the springs (thanks Myles!) last Thursday, and spent till 11:30pm putting the fronts in (after work) then till 11:00 on Friday putting in the rears. Then it was up at 8am to "test" them out by driving to the Inmotion car show and watching the springs settle for the next 12 hours. From a show perspective, they are not a top performer - they don't give you that perfect stance by dropping it 3" and forcing you to drive over speed bumps at exact angles called out by a spotter (thereby ensuring you always bring a passenger). It was the next day, at the PNW Megameat that I got to spend some happy time with the springs. No, I didn't take a lot of pictures of the car, I was spending too much time driving to do that. I didn't measure out the exact drop, others have taken care of that as well. While it doesn't look like much of a height reduction, if you park it next to a standard car, it's pretty obvious. Just shows how high it is normally. And yes, they handle. I have not had the alignment done, added camber bolts, or done anything else. This is about going from bog standard suspension alignment to bog standard + RCE Yellows. It gives a lot more accurate feedback on what they do and they don't. They do increase the handling. I found them matched well with the standard dampers, with no bounciness or strange behaviours. In fact, they do remove that slight jiggle that the FR-S has at all times - it makes it feel even lighter than it is because it "bounces" along down the road. It wasn't a bad thing, but it's nice that the car feels even more buttoned down to the road. Alignment didn't change, for better or for worse. At least not signficantly. It still tracks straight, and goes through corners about the same. Initial turn in is improved though, and the rear slides through the low speed corners more naturally. Overall it rotates better. Higher speed sweepers are well controlled as well, within the limitations of the stock suspension (more on that later). Freeway driving is good as well, though again, with less jounce. Unfortunately, a good spring setup tends to magnify any other issues with a suspension. One major one is the soft bushings on the lower control arms at the front. I'd not really given them a good hard stare yet, but thrashing around on the RCE's has forced me to give them the evil eye. The car corners hard enough that you start feeling movement at the front that shouldn't be there. It's not just in corners, though, if you start doing some significant speed (lets leave out how significant), you'll start experiencing a sensation similar to an old Z, where it would start lifting at the front and "float" a bit. At least, that's what the culprit was in those old cars with their aero. The FR-S and BRZ are porn-star endowed in the aero department, which makes it easy to discard that as the issue. No, sadly, it's those bushings again. I'm suspecting that instead, there's enough downforce that it's occasionally getting "pushed" down and squidging around on the bushings. To wrap it all up, I give the RCE Yellow's a Two Thumbs (and a few random toes) up. I unequivocally endorse them, you really cannot go wrong with these as a quick and easy improvement handling.

10-07-2012, 08:46 AM	#9
ultra Curious cat. Join Date: May 2012 Drives: 86 GT base M/T - Red Location: Dubai Posts: 775 Thanks: 840 Thanked 383 Times in 191 Posts Mentioned: 31 Post(s) Tagged: 0 Thread(s)	Got a link to the bushings? Do they change camber as well? __________________ 2013 Toyota 86 GT M/T 2009 Renault Clio Sport R27 Team F1 Edition (sold) 1991 Mazda MX5 Miata (sold) 2007 Mitsubishi Evo 9 RS (sold) 2006 VW Golf R32 (sold)

10-07-2012, 03:20 PM	#11
ultra Curious cat. Join Date: May 2012 Drives: 86 GT base M/T - Red Location: Dubai Posts: 775 Thanks: 840 Thanked 383 Times in 191 Posts Mentioned: 31 Post(s) Tagged: 0 Thread(s)	Interesting...! Never knew about those. __________________ 2013 Toyota 86 GT M/T 2009 Renault Clio Sport R27 Team F1 Edition (sold) 1991 Mazda MX5 Miata (sold) 2007 Mitsubishi Evo 9 RS (sold) 2006 VW Golf R32 (sold)

Similar Threads
Thread	Thread Starter	Forum	Replies	Last Post
Wheel Directory: BBS CH-R 18x8.0 +38	Racecomp Engineering	Wheels \| Tires \| Spacers \| Hub -- Sponsored by The Tire Rack	81	10-01-2014 03:12 AM
Initial D	cyde01	Off-Topic Lounge [WARNING: NO POLITICS]	122	11-21-2012 02:05 AM
Initial D stage 5	86boyAF1	Off-Topic Lounge [WARNING: NO POLITICS]	7	08-08-2012 11:00 AM

10-02-2012, 07:24 PM	#2
forwallblakmail Troll Level: Expert Join Date: Aug 2012 Drives: '13 BRZ, '18 F150 3.5EB, '07 Cayman Location: North Carolina Posts: 231 Thanks: 206 Thanked 103 Times in 59 Posts Mentioned: 0 Post(s) Tagged: 0 Thread(s)	Thanks for the good review. Loved the yellow's on my STi, but was skeptical of damaging the cars already great setup from the factory.

10-03-2012, 12:12 AM	#4
AVOturboworld Join Date: Jan 2012 Drives: 2013 "AVO Orange" FR-S Location: Seattle, WA Posts: 1,067 Thanks: 69 Thanked 2,277 Times in 636 Posts Mentioned: 108 Post(s) Tagged: 2 Thread(s)	No, to be honest, in terms of alignment it's rather blah, and lowering it didn't do enough to the toe-out to change it that drastically. With the firmer springs in the rear and front, it's just digging in a bit better. I'll be getting an alignment tomorrow (with luck, last minute scheduling is always a nightmare), and I'm sure it'll feel 300% better. Just didn't want to muddy the waters by doing an alignment at the same time as the springs.

10-03-2012, 12:39 PM	#5
AVOturboworld Join Date: Jan 2012 Drives: 2013 "AVO Orange" FR-S Location: Seattle, WA Posts: 1,067 Thanks: 69 Thanked 2,277 Times in 636 Posts Mentioned: 108 Post(s) Tagged: 2 Thread(s)	Ok - improved bushings w/RCE Yellows will have you laughing like a ape through corners. Can't wait for that alignment shop to open up...

10-05-2012, 04:56 AM	#6
D1cker Senior Member Join Date: Jul 2012 Drives: B9 S4/ND2 Location: Fullerton, CA Posts: 522 Thanks: 190 Thanked 182 Times in 106 Posts Mentioned: 21 Post(s) Tagged: 0 Thread(s)	which bushings did you go with?

10-06-2012, 09:03 PM	#8
AVOturboworld Join Date: Jan 2012 Drives: 2013 "AVO Orange" FR-S Location: Seattle, WA Posts: 1,067 Thanks: 69 Thanked 2,277 Times in 636 Posts Mentioned: 108 Post(s) Tagged: 2 Thread(s)	AVO offset lower control arm bushings (front and rear on the front lower control arms). Improved feel and stability in corners tremendously, no more wiggle wobble. Spent the last 1300 miles driving to california on them, was a nice ride all around. Top marks to RCE for the spring settings!

10-07-2012, 09:04 AM	#10
JoeBoxer Senior Member Join Date: Jul 2012 Drives: Whiteout FR-S Location: Arkansas Posts: 4,154 Thanks: 1,666 Thanked 1,627 Times in 997 Posts Mentioned: 72 Post(s) Tagged: 0 Thread(s)	http://www.avoturboworld.com/avoshop...n-c-95_97.html

10-08-2012, 06:13 PM	#14
speargunsandracecars Senior Member Join Date: Oct 2012 Drives: 2014 BRZ Location: Southern Pines/Triangle, NC Posts: 150 Thanks: 1 Thanked 92 Times in 42 Posts Mentioned: 1 Post(s) Tagged: 0 Thread(s)	How much of a negative camber was gained(front and rear) from the drop prior to aligning?

User Name		Remember Me?
Password