<font face="Verdana, Arial" size="2">Originally posted by ahcjar103:
What the full threaded coilovers really give you as an advantage is a damper rate that is matched with the spring. But in the gc/koni setup, as Billy has, koni has custom tailored the damper rates so it matches with the gc's. So what you have is a height and stiffness adjustable, damper matched setup that performs as well as the threaded coilovers.</font>
Yeah, that's pretty and all, but if I put those in a car, and I put GCs in the car with the same damping characteristics, you wouldn't even be able to tell the difference.
Also, with these "true" coilover kits, can you alter spring rates? Can you buy new springs off the shelf? Can you have the dampers rebuilt? Can you have the dampers customized? See where I am going with this? The GC/Koni combo (for the money), is by far one of the best setups because it is so versatile.
Having the damper and spring in one set is just packaging, marketing if you will. It makes it easier on the consumer to pick a full suspension package. If you want to get the most out of your suspension, you have to experiment with different damping settings, spring rates, etc.
Go look at REAL race coilovers. I am talking about JRZ, Moton, Penske, Ohlins, etc. NONE of those are packaged with springs. You buy the dampers, and you buy the springs. Yes, they are expensive ($1000+ PER damper), but that's the price you pay for race parts.....
Also, do you two not notice that on the HKS kit, those are threaded sleeves on the damper body? What's the difference in those, and my GC/Konis:
HKS:
Looks almost the same, except for the upper spring cap.
Sorry, not trying to go off on you guys, but "real" and "fake" coilover is a bunch of bull****.
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Billy
North Texas Prelude Owners Group
www.ntpog.org
[This message has been edited by 71dsp (edited April 01, 2001).]