Jason88AllTrac
New member
This is my review of the K-Sport Rally Spec GR Damper System. To my knowledge nobody else has done a review on these coilovers for the alltrac. This is a draft for your review, and I will add more information and pictures later. I am not an expert, but am quite knowledgable on suspension systems and the fundamentals of vehicle dynamics. I am doing this review for the benefit of others, should they decide to purchase the same (or one of the simialr) kits for their alltrac.
MSRP is $2000. You can find them listed on a lot of sites for $1300-1400, and if you really work at it you can find them for $1200 plus shipping. You can see ksport's information on them here: http://www.ksportusa.com/asp/coilovers_detail.asp?product_id=cd03
Points of information to consider, as the information is not always specific to the alltrac application and the pictures could be considered a tad deceptive:
-Monotube design long travel damper
-The springs included are linear rate
-Top mounts are not adjustable
-Damping adjustment is on the bottom of the shock body and uses a long removable allen screw, making it impossible to adjust with the coilovers installed.
-Color is black, except for the outside of the shock body which is silver (zinc plated).
I purchased the coilovers from Robert at 935 motorsports for my rallycross/ice car. He told me they would ship to him, then he would re-ship them to me. There is a 7-14 day build time, as they are custom built for each application. The point of this review is not to trash 935, so I will be brief. A full SEVEN WEEKS after ordering I had no coilovers and no refund, I went ahead and ordered them from Never Enough Auto. Less than three weeks later they were delivered to my door. I am VERY satisfied with the service I received from Never Enough, and I would recommend them to anyone else interested in ksport products. Visit them at http://neverenoughauto.com/
Onwards to the review!
Components: Here is the kit as it arrived to me.
http://i305.photobucket.com/albums/nn225/roasttchicken/102_3519.jpgNote the lack of a boot to protect the shaft. These are available for purchase, just not included as part of the kit. Considering the price, one might expect them to be included. Also, ksport camber plates will not work with these dampers. Ksport support was very good overall. Sadly, they suggested I try to find another manufacturer that sold camber plates that would fit their damper. The anodization of the aluminum parts (spring perches and top plates) was well done, however the top plates should have been de-burred along the edges, as the anodization was think enough that bare metal was showing through in numerous spots. The spring perches and shock body both rotated freely and had a reasonably good thread tolerance for a budget kit (though a tad on the loose side).
Installation:
Side-by-side comparison picture (rear, note fully extended shock length is actually greater than stock = more droop travel if desired):
http://i305.photobucket.com/albums/nn225/roasttchicken/IMG_0501.jpg
Old and busted (rear shown during removal):
http://i305.photobucket.com/albums/nn22 ... G_0500.jpg
New hotness (rear shown):
http://i305.photobucket.com/albums/nn22 ... G_0502.jpg
The install is pretty straight forward if you have ever r&r'd struts before. If you are buying this kit, chances are you have ;-). Do yourself afavor and plan to buy new rear endlinks before doing the job. Depending on your desired ride height, you are going to want to start with the shock body as 'low' as possible without rubbing on the cv boots. With minimal preload on the springs, this gave a ride height .5" lower in front and .25" lower in rear. Not bad. If someone wanted to lower more than that they could always lower the spring perch, but these are designed for rally use and rally cars are very rarely much lower than stock ride height on gravel stages. The ride height can actually be raised a lot using this kit; in the neighborhood of 2.5 inches should even more ground clearance be desired.
The lower brackets are pre-slotted to give a good amount of camber adjustment (up to almost -3 degrees as checked by me) and fit the knuckles perfectly. The rear swaybar/endlink mount is on the outside of the shock body and hence adjustable, but cannot go low enough to position the bar in its stock location. It should come off the lower bracket for correct locating of the rear swaybar, but this is the way they decided to do it. Fitment is quite a bit less than ideal, and the end-link ends up being at an angle... The brake hose mounts are also universal style parts, and need to be bent at wild angles to both fit and secure the hose correctly. The fronts also need to mount the ABS wheel speed sensor wire if you care about ABS. Plan to get frustrated with these, and also plan to use zip-ties like I did.
Results/Opinions:
I aligned the car to my own specifications which was zero toe front and rear, -1.5 front and -1 degree rear camber. Caster is factory 1 degree. Alignment was easier than many cars, as the strut bolts could be loosened and tightened easily without removing the wheels. This car will see both tarmac and gravel use, so I went for a setting somewhat in between either one. More testing will determine if this is sufficient camber, however I feel the toe setting is close to ideal.
Pavement/Tarmac handling with this alignement setting on these coilovers is very neutral with slight understeer when maintaining limit cornering (200' skidpad). The suspension is otherwise stock, but perhaps a larger rear swaybar would give even more neutral characteristics. On a 50 foot spaced Slalom, the car felt solid and planted, with a very neutral feel from that glorious pendalium effect. The difference from the stock suspension was simply night and day.
Gravel/dirt handling with this alignment setting on these coilovers is very neutral with slight overster with any throttle input (accel/decel). This makes the car VERY 'tossable' when coming into a corner. Initiating a powerslide is as easy as lifting, then power through. No need for the Scandinavian flick, e-brake, etc.
Ride quality is very good overall. With not being able to adjust the damping easily, you pretty much have to deal with whatever setting you put them on. I selected a setting near the middle as a compromise for the time being. On gravel they soak up bumps and ruts very well, even large ones don't substantially upset the vehicle or transmit a large amount of shock into the vehicle. Gravel is what they are designed for, and it's where they really shine.
Thanks,
Jason
MSRP is $2000. You can find them listed on a lot of sites for $1300-1400, and if you really work at it you can find them for $1200 plus shipping. You can see ksport's information on them here: http://www.ksportusa.com/asp/coilovers_detail.asp?product_id=cd03
Points of information to consider, as the information is not always specific to the alltrac application and the pictures could be considered a tad deceptive:
-Monotube design long travel damper
-The springs included are linear rate
-Top mounts are not adjustable
-Damping adjustment is on the bottom of the shock body and uses a long removable allen screw, making it impossible to adjust with the coilovers installed.
-Color is black, except for the outside of the shock body which is silver (zinc plated).
I purchased the coilovers from Robert at 935 motorsports for my rallycross/ice car. He told me they would ship to him, then he would re-ship them to me. There is a 7-14 day build time, as they are custom built for each application. The point of this review is not to trash 935, so I will be brief. A full SEVEN WEEKS after ordering I had no coilovers and no refund, I went ahead and ordered them from Never Enough Auto. Less than three weeks later they were delivered to my door. I am VERY satisfied with the service I received from Never Enough, and I would recommend them to anyone else interested in ksport products. Visit them at http://neverenoughauto.com/
Onwards to the review!
Components: Here is the kit as it arrived to me.
http://i305.photobucket.com/albums/nn225/roasttchicken/102_3519.jpgNote the lack of a boot to protect the shaft. These are available for purchase, just not included as part of the kit. Considering the price, one might expect them to be included. Also, ksport camber plates will not work with these dampers. Ksport support was very good overall. Sadly, they suggested I try to find another manufacturer that sold camber plates that would fit their damper. The anodization of the aluminum parts (spring perches and top plates) was well done, however the top plates should have been de-burred along the edges, as the anodization was think enough that bare metal was showing through in numerous spots. The spring perches and shock body both rotated freely and had a reasonably good thread tolerance for a budget kit (though a tad on the loose side).
Installation:
Side-by-side comparison picture (rear, note fully extended shock length is actually greater than stock = more droop travel if desired):
http://i305.photobucket.com/albums/nn225/roasttchicken/IMG_0501.jpg
Old and busted (rear shown during removal):
http://i305.photobucket.com/albums/nn22 ... G_0500.jpg
New hotness (rear shown):
http://i305.photobucket.com/albums/nn22 ... G_0502.jpg
The install is pretty straight forward if you have ever r&r'd struts before. If you are buying this kit, chances are you have ;-). Do yourself afavor and plan to buy new rear endlinks before doing the job. Depending on your desired ride height, you are going to want to start with the shock body as 'low' as possible without rubbing on the cv boots. With minimal preload on the springs, this gave a ride height .5" lower in front and .25" lower in rear. Not bad. If someone wanted to lower more than that they could always lower the spring perch, but these are designed for rally use and rally cars are very rarely much lower than stock ride height on gravel stages. The ride height can actually be raised a lot using this kit; in the neighborhood of 2.5 inches should even more ground clearance be desired.
The lower brackets are pre-slotted to give a good amount of camber adjustment (up to almost -3 degrees as checked by me) and fit the knuckles perfectly. The rear swaybar/endlink mount is on the outside of the shock body and hence adjustable, but cannot go low enough to position the bar in its stock location. It should come off the lower bracket for correct locating of the rear swaybar, but this is the way they decided to do it. Fitment is quite a bit less than ideal, and the end-link ends up being at an angle... The brake hose mounts are also universal style parts, and need to be bent at wild angles to both fit and secure the hose correctly. The fronts also need to mount the ABS wheel speed sensor wire if you care about ABS. Plan to get frustrated with these, and also plan to use zip-ties like I did.
Results/Opinions:
I aligned the car to my own specifications which was zero toe front and rear, -1.5 front and -1 degree rear camber. Caster is factory 1 degree. Alignment was easier than many cars, as the strut bolts could be loosened and tightened easily without removing the wheels. This car will see both tarmac and gravel use, so I went for a setting somewhat in between either one. More testing will determine if this is sufficient camber, however I feel the toe setting is close to ideal.
Pavement/Tarmac handling with this alignement setting on these coilovers is very neutral with slight understeer when maintaining limit cornering (200' skidpad). The suspension is otherwise stock, but perhaps a larger rear swaybar would give even more neutral characteristics. On a 50 foot spaced Slalom, the car felt solid and planted, with a very neutral feel from that glorious pendalium effect. The difference from the stock suspension was simply night and day.
Gravel/dirt handling with this alignment setting on these coilovers is very neutral with slight overster with any throttle input (accel/decel). This makes the car VERY 'tossable' when coming into a corner. Initiating a powerslide is as easy as lifting, then power through. No need for the Scandinavian flick, e-brake, etc.
Ride quality is very good overall. With not being able to adjust the damping easily, you pretty much have to deal with whatever setting you put them on. I selected a setting near the middle as a compromise for the time being. On gravel they soak up bumps and ruts very well, even large ones don't substantially upset the vehicle or transmit a large amount of shock into the vehicle. Gravel is what they are designed for, and it's where they really shine.
Thanks,
Jason