PIC Coilover Review
Oct 15, 2006, 05:31 PM
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PIC Coilover Review
Last weekend was my last regional NASA event, at Putnam Park in Indiana. Prior to this event, I made a switch from Mueller tuned JIC coilover’s to a setup from a new company to the Evo world – PIC Performance (www.picperformance.com). While it takes a bit of faith to switch to a new suspension company, the success of PIC in the NASA Honda Challenge series, and the unbelievable tech and setup support – both trackside and via phone/email – made the leap a relatively easy one. PIC is based in Naperville IL, and I purchased my setup from one of their dealers, Pure Tuning in Toledo, Ohio (www.pure-tuning.com).
PIC offers two basic coilover setups, the Apex which has fixed damping with adjustable ride height, and the Select which has adjustable damping and ride height. I am running the PIC Select, which has been fully customized by Pure Tuning to create the Select TSO. The TSO setup uses special spring rates and valving, and is the exact same setup used on the PIC/Pure Tuning Evo that was run at the Evo Tuner Shootout at Carolina Motorsports Park this past summer. The car finished a scant 2/10ths behind Mark Daddio driving the AMS entry in the Street class.
Pure Tuning provides the coilovers already set for ride height and corner weights, so very little ‘tweaking’ is needed to get things dialed in. They also provide recommended camber and toe settings, rebound settings, and other tricks used to get the car to handle just like the Shootout car. The whole process made me feel at ease, as I got emails from the folks at PIC and Pure Tuning as to what was going on, and asking exactly I was doing with the car and how I drive it. Based on that input, I’d have to say they got my setup dead-on right out of the box. Last weekend at Putnam, despite running on used up RA-1’s, I was almost 2.5 seconds a lap faster than I’ve ever been there before. The car handled superbly; even when driven over the limit (easy on used up tires) the car was VERY predictable. It was also quite responsive to changes in rebound which made the car very easy to dial in. The trip to and from the track was a surprise as well – the ‘street’ ride was quite compliant and easy on the back, a trait of a quality damper.
The intangible part of this review is to me the most important to me – the support after the sale. With both PIC and Pure Tuning located in the Midwest, any issues I might have can be dealt with quickly (and without hundreds of dollars in shipping). If a shock would need to be rebuilt, PIC sends me a new one and once I swap it out and return the unit that needs freshened up. Very minimal downtime, which is a big deal if you daily drive your car. For those of you that track your car regularly, PIC has trackside service and support at most NASA Midwest and Ohio/Indiana region events. Nothing like having experts on hand to help you out right on the spot! Both PIC and Pure are available away from the track to discuss setup changes as well - it’s like having your own personal suspension engineers.
If you are looking for a coilover that really works, without breaking the bank (or waiting to fit into someone else’s schedule), and get top notch race-proven support, call the guys at Pure Tuning. I have a feeling this suspension won’t be a secret for long, one look at their racing accomplishments shows they know what they are doing. I can't wait to reset all my personal bests next year with these guys helping me out.
PIC offers two basic coilover setups, the Apex which has fixed damping with adjustable ride height, and the Select which has adjustable damping and ride height. I am running the PIC Select, which has been fully customized by Pure Tuning to create the Select TSO. The TSO setup uses special spring rates and valving, and is the exact same setup used on the PIC/Pure Tuning Evo that was run at the Evo Tuner Shootout at Carolina Motorsports Park this past summer. The car finished a scant 2/10ths behind Mark Daddio driving the AMS entry in the Street class.
Pure Tuning provides the coilovers already set for ride height and corner weights, so very little ‘tweaking’ is needed to get things dialed in. They also provide recommended camber and toe settings, rebound settings, and other tricks used to get the car to handle just like the Shootout car. The whole process made me feel at ease, as I got emails from the folks at PIC and Pure Tuning as to what was going on, and asking exactly I was doing with the car and how I drive it. Based on that input, I’d have to say they got my setup dead-on right out of the box. Last weekend at Putnam, despite running on used up RA-1’s, I was almost 2.5 seconds a lap faster than I’ve ever been there before. The car handled superbly; even when driven over the limit (easy on used up tires) the car was VERY predictable. It was also quite responsive to changes in rebound which made the car very easy to dial in. The trip to and from the track was a surprise as well – the ‘street’ ride was quite compliant and easy on the back, a trait of a quality damper.
The intangible part of this review is to me the most important to me – the support after the sale. With both PIC and Pure Tuning located in the Midwest, any issues I might have can be dealt with quickly (and without hundreds of dollars in shipping). If a shock would need to be rebuilt, PIC sends me a new one and once I swap it out and return the unit that needs freshened up. Very minimal downtime, which is a big deal if you daily drive your car. For those of you that track your car regularly, PIC has trackside service and support at most NASA Midwest and Ohio/Indiana region events. Nothing like having experts on hand to help you out right on the spot! Both PIC and Pure are available away from the track to discuss setup changes as well - it’s like having your own personal suspension engineers.
If you are looking for a coilover that really works, without breaking the bank (or waiting to fit into someone else’s schedule), and get top notch race-proven support, call the guys at Pure Tuning. I have a feeling this suspension won’t be a secret for long, one look at their racing accomplishments shows they know what they are doing. I can't wait to reset all my personal bests next year with these guys helping me out.
Last edited by 992gnt; Oct 16, 2006 at 05:41 AM.
Oct 15, 2006, 08:36 PM
#5
I'm glad to hear you did well at Putnam. The guys at Pure have done a terrific job with our coilovers, and its encouraging to hear of their success in the hands of experienced drivers like yourself and Clift.
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Oct 16, 2006, 07:33 AM
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The Selects come with camber plates and pillowball mounts. The spring rates I'm running are proprietary, and are specifically tuned for the Evo and the setup I am running. I also have the option of specifying any spring rate combo I want.
Oct 16, 2006, 04:11 PM
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Greg,
Thanks for the Excellent review on our PIC Select TSO kit. We look forward to seeing the car in action, as we will be attending most of the Ohio/Indiana events next year.
Thanks for the Excellent review on our PIC Select TSO kit. We look forward to seeing the car in action, as we will be attending most of the Ohio/Indiana events next year.
Oct 16, 2006, 04:52 PM
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I can't believe how much cheaper they are than even the Muellerized... JIC's or Buddyclubs. If these are as good as you say they are, the bang for the buck is fantastic. Please keep us abreast of your track outings. I'm curious how well they'll last over multiple track weekends.
Oct 16, 2006, 05:37 PM
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I definately plan on putting them to the test next season, but if you look at their success in the Honda Challenge series (and GT Live, the Evo Tuner Shootout, etc) this year it's obvious they hold up.