mz20 Soarer - HSD TT's or HR's Coilovers?

[kemicalx]

Hey guys,

I'm going to be replacing the struts in my Soarer, I'm unsure of which coilovers i should get.. The car isn't going to frequent the track, so i'm after a more forgiving ride quality.. I understand the TT's are the reccommended "street" coilover, however i want to know if the HR's could provide equal comfort on a softer damper setting along with some softer spring rates.. I'd happily pay the extra $200 for the increased damper adjustment and monotubes, So long as it's not going to compromise ride quality.. For the record i was running Bilsteins, the rear with some poxy looking RSR springs (not sure on rate) it felt quite stiff but IMO wasn't by any means unbearable.

[kemicalx]

A little review from supraforums.com.au on the TT's They sounds pretty appealing to be honest as this guy had similar experiences and the exact same requirement that I do.

Hi All,

I realise that opinions about which coilover is best is enough to totally turn yr brain into mash.... and personally i know i am the worst when it comes to wanting only the best for my car....

so after much procrastination and the fact that my existing koni sports had shite themselves after 4 years... it was time to make a decision..

i searched the web endlessly trying to get views on this and that...
i had a few very strong objectives... to make sure the car handled well, height could be set to what i wanted and i wanted a little more compliance because of how shite our roads are... i was happy with the koni's i thought they were better than the bilsteins that came out of it originally (rode better but kept good handling and the height adjustment was a bonus) but i was still somewhat unhappy with the car over concrete joining strips etc.... i know our supras are not boulavarde cruisers but hey why does my mates rx8 handle better and ride better??? it was driving me nuts and i realised that going lower and stiffer to get good handling is really just a crude way of doing it.....

I liked the idea of hks hipermax IIIs but the exchange rate was unkind which put them out of reach... every joe was saying tiens have bad valving... (and i had rode in a friends car with them and he had a stiff setup which i didn't particularly like... again just my opinion) i happened across HSD Ottomotto by accident... so i checked out their website and gave them a call... i discussed my concerns and requirements and i'm sure i drove them crazy but they were polite and listened to me waffle on..... i eventually took a trip down to their premises in Ingleburn sydney..... and decided to get the TT (twin tube) coilover kit they have (which i believe is a very new range) but the fact the valving was classified as "street friendly" attracted me to them... also a writeup online convinced me twin tube was better for the road than monotube (imho only) so the night before i was due to get them installed i had a nightmare that the car was going to drive like a pig..... it was a horrible dream.... i also was not happy with their standard fitment of 18kg front and 10kg rear so i opted for 10kg front and 6 kg rear.... it turns out my nightmare caused me to go too low in spring rate on the front and to cut a long story short it was too soft and bottomed out because of the weight over the front suspension (my one and only mistake!!!!) so the guys changed them out for 13kg fronts which they said would be far better..... now for my impressions after 2 weeks of driving. Please use this as a guide as handling, balance, comfort etc is very subjective..

1. The ride was set to 345mm front and rear (from centre of wheel to top of wheel arch. I have 18inch volks 235 front 265 rear. there is no rubbing.
2. The shock is set to 6 clicks (0=softest 16= hardest)
3. Compared to the Koni's the car is far smoother than i imagined (they told me it would ride firmer) but that is definately not the case unless i chose to turn the shocks up of course.
4. The steering has more weight and feel through the steering wheel.
5. It turns in more eagerly and feels better balanced front to rear.
6. I tested it over some of the shite roads i used to hate driving on and laughed out loud because of how much better it rode... (and handled)
7. Yet it feels more planted on the road, more comfortable, more compliant, smoother and not crashy (unless u hit an absolute clanger of a pothole) and you can corner much harder on the dodgy roads that would have had the car jumping around before!! To say i am happy with the end result is an understatement!
8. And just to see i did turn the shocks up and up to see the difference... in my opinion a little compliance is better on the road so it's 6 clicks for me! and boy am i happy with the balance!
9. During the latest bout of wet weather i have been driving on the m4 and other roads at high speed and the balance again is far better, safer and more confidence inspiring.... i did a couple of swerves to see how it handled... it was good... you can really feel what each corner is doing and that's important.. i like communication to be seat of the pants..
10. I will say if you like your ride dropped and as stiff as possible these are NOT the coilovers for you.. However if u want yr supra to handle and "ride" as close to the standard of an rx8 as a supra could get then these are awesome!
11. PS the ride is not adjusted from the spring perch but the shock body so spring rate is not affected when lowering the car which is a good thing! and if u want to go a little firmer in the rear u can also go 8kg....

Thanks again to Ben and Grant (from otomoto) and Luis from the workshop who was very very helpful when i wanted to set the ride height down to the exact mm ;-)
you guys were great!! (no i wasn't paid to say that!!)

and lastly thanks for reading up to this point (and not falling asleep!)
Feel free to ask me any questions.....
Cheers
Aussie Supra Dude.
Andrew

should i spell check? nah im too damn tired ;-)