I got the AST coilovers.
I got the AST coilovers.
Someone had to try them, right?
Yeh, couldn't find any complaints about the company or their products, so I figured I'm just gonna get their Sportline 1 kit. Brian at Vorshlag ordered them for me, and he's been pretty helpful, answering all of my questions. I got the stock 285# springs on the front and custom 370# springs at the back.
Shipment from Holland got delayed, so it took about a month to get them to Vorshlag, and then another week to ship them to me (came in this week).
Here they are. They're not too flashy, but I don't care about that. Nobody will ever see them anyway.
Upon inspection, they looked like a quality build, however there are a couple of problems:
As some of you may already know, they don't come with top mounts. I got camber plates, CUSCO ones, and you know what? Damn things don't fit the shocks. The threaded tips of the rod ends are too short to clear the pillowball mounts (front ones are like 20mm long and that's it, while the pillowball mount is about 40mm tall, with the washer), so even though I can get the plates on, there's not enough room to sufficiently tighten the nut deep enough to allow for the damper adjusting knob to stick out. Rear ones aren't so bad, and can probably fit with some modifications, but the front ones are just too short. Crap. I e-mailed Vorshlag about it to see what they say.
Meanwhile the coilovers still went on using stock mounts. I hope the mounts hold up during racing, and perhaps later a solution for camber plates can be found.
One other thing I'm not impressed with is the actual damper adjuster knobs. They just slide onto the round tip and you tighten them from the side. Kinda flimsy, but perhaps it'll be ok.
Other than that there weren't any fitment problems. They fit perfectly and are easy to adjust.
Rear and front.
I've driven on them a bit, and they feel good. They're at the softest setting right now. The ride is quite smooth, and not as harsh as the Tokico+H&R combo I had before, even though the springs are a lot stiffer. They've been aligned, but I still need to get them corner weighted. Of course the real quality will be determined after the track day next weekend.
I know people get coilovers so they can slam their ride into the weeds, which I think is silly, but whatever. I didn't do that. I actually raised it (compared to the H&R drop). So now my suspension isn't at the limit and I can clear speedbumps and ramps - with H&Rs I've been scraping my front lip and bumper a lot, and frankly my cat as well.
Here's the ride, all set up.
I'll post further updates as things develop.
Yeh, couldn't find any complaints about the company or their products, so I figured I'm just gonna get their Sportline 1 kit. Brian at Vorshlag ordered them for me, and he's been pretty helpful, answering all of my questions. I got the stock 285# springs on the front and custom 370# springs at the back.
Shipment from Holland got delayed, so it took about a month to get them to Vorshlag, and then another week to ship them to me (came in this week).
Here they are. They're not too flashy, but I don't care about that. Nobody will ever see them anyway.
Upon inspection, they looked like a quality build, however there are a couple of problems:
As some of you may already know, they don't come with top mounts. I got camber plates, CUSCO ones, and you know what? Damn things don't fit the shocks. The threaded tips of the rod ends are too short to clear the pillowball mounts (front ones are like 20mm long and that's it, while the pillowball mount is about 40mm tall, with the washer), so even though I can get the plates on, there's not enough room to sufficiently tighten the nut deep enough to allow for the damper adjusting knob to stick out. Rear ones aren't so bad, and can probably fit with some modifications, but the front ones are just too short. Crap. I e-mailed Vorshlag about it to see what they say.
Meanwhile the coilovers still went on using stock mounts. I hope the mounts hold up during racing, and perhaps later a solution for camber plates can be found.
One other thing I'm not impressed with is the actual damper adjuster knobs. They just slide onto the round tip and you tighten them from the side. Kinda flimsy, but perhaps it'll be ok.
Other than that there weren't any fitment problems. They fit perfectly and are easy to adjust.
Rear and front.
I've driven on them a bit, and they feel good. They're at the softest setting right now. The ride is quite smooth, and not as harsh as the Tokico+H&R combo I had before, even though the springs are a lot stiffer. They've been aligned, but I still need to get them corner weighted. Of course the real quality will be determined after the track day next weekend.
I know people get coilovers so they can slam their ride into the weeds, which I think is silly, but whatever. I didn't do that. I actually raised it (compared to the H&R drop). So now my suspension isn't at the limit and I can clear speedbumps and ramps - with H&Rs I've been scraping my front lip and bumper a lot, and frankly my cat as well.
Here's the ride, all set up.
I'll post further updates as things develop.
- solo_ryder
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Re: I got the AST coilovers.
NICE.. how much those put you down? I like your car too looks great
Re: I got the AST coilovers.
Oh yeah, the price...
Just under 2 grand.
I should've bought them sooner. They used to cost less, but the dollar keeps falling, while they euro is climbing. So even though the European price is staying the same, the US price is going up. Damn rubbish economy. Still not too bad, considering decent coilovers cost around the $2,000 range, and proper ones go up to $3,000 and higher.
Just under 2 grand.
I should've bought them sooner. They used to cost less, but the dollar keeps falling, while they euro is climbing. So even though the European price is staying the same, the US price is going up. Damn rubbish economy. Still not too bad, considering decent coilovers cost around the $2,000 range, and proper ones go up to $3,000 and higher.
Re: I got the AST coilovers.
You mean the max drop? I don't know. I haven't tested. But I imagine couple of inches.solo_ryder wrote:how much those put you down?
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Re: I got the AST coilovers.
Thats alot of money just for some struts and springs. It's real funny that the spring setup is just like the weapon-r dual spring design. If you wanted soft, and almost stock height... You should have saved yourself 2000 dollars and just kept your stock springs on. I won't knock you at all, but to each his own.
They look pretty cool, though.
They look pretty cool, though.
93 MX-3 2.5 KLZE - KL101 \\ H&R Springs \\ Short Shifter \\ 17" ADR Rims \\ 205/40/R17 Namkang Tires \\ Millenia Manifold \\ Rockford Amp \\ Rockford 12" Sub \\
--- K8 was my gateway drug.
- fowljesse
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Re: I got the AST coilovers.
I like the dual spring setup.
You may already know, but I remembered this, and dug it up:
"Actually as I remember the corner weights aren't really that bad it is just that Mazda build a lot of understeer in to the North American version of the car. You can get near 50/50 front to rear and get the corners with in 20lbs just by raising the front left suspension by 1" , raise the front right .75" , lower the left rear 1" and the right rear by 1.5" If you plan to drive at any speed you may need to lower the rear a litte more to make the rear a little heavier to compensate for down force on the front end. You will probably need to disconnect the front anti-roll bar completely and increase the size of the rear bar. You will need stiffer rear springs depending on track conditions you will need the rear springs to be twice as stiff as the front. If the front you will probably need something like a 200-350lb spring and in the rear a 450-700lb spring to get the maximum handling out of the car. With this set-up and a set of sticky tires you should be near 1G on a skidpad."
- From Yoda
You may already know, but I remembered this, and dug it up:
"Actually as I remember the corner weights aren't really that bad it is just that Mazda build a lot of understeer in to the North American version of the car. You can get near 50/50 front to rear and get the corners with in 20lbs just by raising the front left suspension by 1" , raise the front right .75" , lower the left rear 1" and the right rear by 1.5" If you plan to drive at any speed you may need to lower the rear a litte more to make the rear a little heavier to compensate for down force on the front end. You will probably need to disconnect the front anti-roll bar completely and increase the size of the rear bar. You will need stiffer rear springs depending on track conditions you will need the rear springs to be twice as stiff as the front. If the front you will probably need something like a 200-350lb spring and in the rear a 450-700lb spring to get the maximum handling out of the car. With this set-up and a set of sticky tires you should be near 1G on a skidpad."
- From Yoda
'93 GS - P&P DE w/ ZE exh. cams/ pistns, KLG4 IM, 65mm TB, MSnS, Phenos, K&N RAI, UDP, Grnd wires, rear batt, filld MM, torq strt, TWM short shftr, Exedy, Lng tube hdrs 2.5" Side exhaust, H&R sprngs, Poly bushngs, strutbars, Alum. crss mmber&tiebar, 22mm swybar, solid links, Direzzas, leather int, Alpine 9805 stereo & alrm, keyless entry, 10 Boston Accoustics spkrs, Prjectrs, Blaster2, CF hood, FG hatch, Lexan
Re: I got the AST coilovers.
Heh. You don't look at an M3 and say "That's a lot of money just for some wheels and a motor". If you think that's expensive, let me tell you about the quote I got from Tein to build me a custom coilover setup. Are you ready for this?SmoothMX3 wrote:Thats alot of money just for some struts and springs. It's real funny that the spring setup is just like the weapon-r dual spring design. If you wanted soft, and almost stock height... You should have saved yourself 2000 dollars and just kept your stock springs on. I won't knock you at all, but to each his own.
They look pretty cool, though.
$4500. Yeah.
Dual spring setup isn't anything new or unique, you're right, but I don't really see a problem with that. And no, I didn't want soft and stock heigh. I wanted independent height adjustment on all four corners (as described in the Yoda quote above), and suspension that would be comfortable enough to have on a daily driver, and firm and crisp enough to perform well on a track.
I've considered a lot of other options, too. It took me several months to figure out what I wanted to try. I talked to guys at Tein, HotBits, Ground Control, etc...
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Re: I got the AST coilovers.
Hey, If you got the money...
I like the dual spring style as well, ONLY if it's on the right strut. Let me tell you this from exp., A stock zx2 strut is not the right strut for it. lol
Also... Yes, An M3 is alot of money for a body and motor. (and whatever it has) lol
I definatly hope it was well worth the 2 grand?
I like the dual spring style as well, ONLY if it's on the right strut. Let me tell you this from exp., A stock zx2 strut is not the right strut for it. lol
Also... Yes, An M3 is alot of money for a body and motor. (and whatever it has) lol
I definatly hope it was well worth the 2 grand?
93 MX-3 2.5 KLZE - KL101 \\ H&R Springs \\ Short Shifter \\ 17" ADR Rims \\ 205/40/R17 Namkang Tires \\ Millenia Manifold \\ Rockford Amp \\ Rockford 12" Sub \\
--- K8 was my gateway drug.
- fowljesse
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Re: I got the AST coilovers.
I used to put at least $2000 into my mountain bike every season when I raced, and it was totally worth it. I've got at least $2000 worth of clothes...... More than $2000 in my computer.... heck, I've dropped more than that for 2 days in Vegas. If it makes you happy.... It's worth it.
Let us know how they do, Whisper.
Let us know how they do, Whisper.
'93 GS - P&P DE w/ ZE exh. cams/ pistns, KLG4 IM, 65mm TB, MSnS, Phenos, K&N RAI, UDP, Grnd wires, rear batt, filld MM, torq strt, TWM short shftr, Exedy, Lng tube hdrs 2.5" Side exhaust, H&R sprngs, Poly bushngs, strutbars, Alum. crss mmber&tiebar, 22mm swybar, solid links, Direzzas, leather int, Alpine 9805 stereo & alrm, keyless entry, 10 Boston Accoustics spkrs, Prjectrs, Blaster2, CF hood, FG hatch, Lexan
- se7en
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Re: I got the AST coilovers.
I agree with fouljesse.
I bought some coil over suspension for my Z and I don't regret spending the money.(more than 2000 too let me tell you)
I bought some coil over suspension for my Z and I don't regret spending the money.(more than 2000 too let me tell you)
1992 mx-3 GS-T, 10-12psi, T3/t4 hybrid, Turbosmart WG, AFPR, SSAC TURBO pipes, MSD Blaster coil, K&N, AEM W/B, MSnS(full standalone), 225Whp street tuned(10psi), 245Whp (12psi)(300bhp!!!)
1992 Fairlady Z(JDM RHD) 2+2 TT black(done!)700whp+
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Re: I got the AST coilovers.
I completly understand that.If it makes you happy.... It's worth it.
I see your point...
93 MX-3 2.5 KLZE - KL101 \\ H&R Springs \\ Short Shifter \\ 17" ADR Rims \\ 205/40/R17 Namkang Tires \\ Millenia Manifold \\ Rockford Amp \\ Rockford 12" Sub \\
--- K8 was my gateway drug.
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Re: I got the AST coilovers.
Whisper wrote: If you think that's expensive, let me tell you about the quote I got from Tein to build me a custom coilover setup. Are you ready for this?
$4500. Yeah.
You want some from Tein Give me a 1200 I'll have you a set in under a month
08 Infiniti G37s 6speed (The Daily)
Stillen Cold Air Intake, Z1 Plenum Power Mod, Z1 Headers, Z1 Test Pipe, OBX (Ark) Exhaust, Up-Rev Osiris Engine Management (Tuned at Z1), 20x9" 20x10" Str Racing Concave Staggered Rims, SPC Camber kit, Tein H Techs Springs
01 Lexus Is300 (LS2 Project)
93 Mx3 SE 2.5 KLZE (sold it)
93 Mx3 GS 2.0 KFZE (killed it)
Stillen Cold Air Intake, Z1 Plenum Power Mod, Z1 Headers, Z1 Test Pipe, OBX (Ark) Exhaust, Up-Rev Osiris Engine Management (Tuned at Z1), 20x9" 20x10" Str Racing Concave Staggered Rims, SPC Camber kit, Tein H Techs Springs
01 Lexus Is300 (LS2 Project)
93 Mx3 SE 2.5 KLZE (sold it)
93 Mx3 GS 2.0 KFZE (killed it)
Re: I got the AST coilovers.
Ford Probe ones? Yeah, I thought about that.
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Re: I got the AST coilovers.
This is really funny, cause read this.
Back in the day... I used to think the big baller type car guys are the ones that spend 3 grand on just a motor with a turbo setup.. or something. Now, this day and time... I think the ones that are the big ballers are the ones that spend 2 grand on their suspension that no one else will see.
Whisper... Your a straight up BALLER! ... you pimp, you.
Back in the day... I used to think the big baller type car guys are the ones that spend 3 grand on just a motor with a turbo setup.. or something. Now, this day and time... I think the ones that are the big ballers are the ones that spend 2 grand on their suspension that no one else will see.
Whisper... Your a straight up BALLER! ... you pimp, you.
93 MX-3 2.5 KLZE - KL101 \\ H&R Springs \\ Short Shifter \\ 17" ADR Rims \\ 205/40/R17 Namkang Tires \\ Millenia Manifold \\ Rockford Amp \\ Rockford 12" Sub \\
--- K8 was my gateway drug.
- mitmaks
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Re: I got the AST coilovers.
looks like good setup but not sure id spend 2K on old mx3, not mine anyways
Magnum s/s lines, strut bars, carbon fiber bezel, indiglow gauge, Sony Xplod, inverted c/f hood, SRD lower tie bar '93 GS SE '95 Cobra SVT #2722 '68 Charger R/T 440
http://www.cardomain.com/id/mitmaks
http://www.cardomain.com/id/mitmaks