Coil overs too stiff? Less traction from a roll?

[RacerXJ220]

I know stiff coil overs are not the best for dig races, but how about from a roll races?

I am about to install these coil overs, but with 18/16 rates it seems stiffer than most other rates I have ever seen.

I bought these off of ebay, they are JIC FLA-2's with new cartridges and the stiffer springs which apparently were not offered directly out of JIC's catalog.

My car is mainly used as a daily/highway transportation and I am already looking forward to the bumpy ride.

My question is what alignment settings should I instruct the guy doing my alignment for maximum traction? I know the car is not going to squat like it did. The setup the car is on now are just Eibach's and Tokico blues, one with blown a cartridge.

Should I just sell these coil overs and keep my Eibach's just buy some replacement shocks?

Also, anyone try and can recommend any bushings to upgrade to while I am at it?

Thanks.

J

 

[Dylan JZ]

Well no one else seems to want to answer this, so I'll say it, I think those rates are too high for street use.. if you plan on track racing, those rates are damn near great though IMO.

I run 14/10 Kei Office and it's pretty decent for the street, and the car is pretty low (not slammed). they perform well in that arena, and I generally do not regret it. however, a 14/12 would also be a setup I'd want to try. for a combo that would be the best compromise between track and street, I've been thinking a 16/12 setup as a solution..

Camber on my car is set to -1F and -1.75R (<-might try to get this down to -1.5) for mild track use in the form of road racing. for straight line traction, I suppose I'd just recommend stock like specs.


as far as bushings, I have the ES set for the rear, and the set for the front couldn't hurt either; the stock bushings on my car were pretty much gone.

 

[RacerXJ220]

Thank you very much.

That was very helpful.

 

[CT26smoker]

Different springs are cheap.
I have sevral sets for my JICs, some for street (12k/8k),
I change out the rears when I go to thee drag strip (4k, so the car will squat coming off the line),
and some really stiff ones for Time Attack events (18k/12k).
JIC's take any 60-65mm ID spring, so it shouldn't bee too hard to find something to your liking.

 

[Dylan JZ]

Thank you very much.

That was very helpful.

Np. The post above this one is also good advice in relation to spring rates, though I differ in that I feel a 12/8 setup is too light for the street. However, that has more to do with what ride height you're going for.

 

[Poodles]

Comes down to a lot of variables. Road condition, weight of the car (if you have a big turbo and big intercooler, spare tires, amp, subwoofer...you get the idea), wheel and tire combo, right height, etc

Can throw em on and see how they are, if they suck, replace the springs.

On the alignment issue, for drag racing it's actually ideal to put some positive camber so that when the car squats (and gains negative camber) the contact patch is level. Stiffer suspension won't require as much. Also, it depends on how much you're lowering the car.