Time to buy coilovers (Tein or Robi)

PaulWalker · Oct 9, 2009, 04:48 PM

The time has come for me to buy some coilover for my Evo. I am currently running Tein Flex's on my Miata with custom rates (9 front/6 rear) and I couldn't be happier with them. Perfectly smooth on the street on a soft setting and amazing on the track when I stiffen them up. I also like that I can adjust the ride height without sacrificing suspension travel.

I have been looking at getting Mono Flex's for the Evo because of how much I like them on my Miata, do they perform as well on Evos? Are the standard spring rates (12f/10r) good for the street and some occasional track days?

The other option I have been considering are Robi Spec coilovers, Which system would suit my application, the "Endura Techs" or the "Robi Spec Streets by KW." Also, do they also offer ride height adjustability that doesn't interfere with suspension travel?

Are there any other systems I should consider?

Thanks for any help you can provide.

markg1018 · Oct 9, 2009, 05:29 PM

go KW...you'll never regret it (as long as you set it up properly according to your preference)

MR Dan · Oct 9, 2009, 05:41 PM

Im running the Tein Mono Flex's with custom Swift spring rates and love them. I also had these on my evo 9 as well and I hit the tracks frequently. Cant go wrong with coilovers that can be customized and serviced locally here in socal.

PaulWalker · Oct 9, 2009, 07:06 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by MR Dan

Im running the Tein Mono Flex's with custom Swift spring rates and love them. I also had these on my evo 9 as well and I hit the tracks frequently. Cant go wrong with coilovers that can be customized and serviced locally here in socal.

What spring rates are you running? Did you have get them revalved?

shannon-evo · Oct 9, 2009, 07:50 PM

Robi's KW work really well on the Evo X. Check out Redline Time Attack and see how many of the front running fast Evo's are running Robispec suspensions. The proof is in the pudding.

PaulWalker · Oct 9, 2009, 08:10 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by shannon-evo

Robi's KW work really well on the Evo X. Check out Redline Time Attack and see how many of the front running fast Evo's are running Robispec suspensions. The proof is in the pudding.

That is the precise reason I'm considering Robi Spec

. I know they can perform on the track, but are they dampened well enough not to rattle your brains out on the street when you turn the stiffness down?

tien · Oct 9, 2009, 08:12 PM

The robi has been proven time over time, i'll go with that over the teins even though my tein's suspension copied my name but just reworded it. Haha, im jp.

goofygrin · Oct 9, 2009, 09:39 PM

Robi > tein, but not > * if you know what I mean.

And I think you have the spring rates backwards. Most evos are stiffer in the rear than front in order to help rotate the car. A 10/12 spring rate is going to be fairly harsh unless you have very good dampers.

The Evo on the track is a completely different beast than a Miata.

shannon-evo · Oct 9, 2009, 10:37 PM

You can get a softer spring rate that will be really nice on the street and perform well at the track. I am sure Robi can set something up that works for your situation instead of an off the shelf suspension.

PaulWalker · Oct 9, 2009, 11:47 PM

Can the ride height and spring pre-load can be adjusted independently on the Robi KW's?

Quote:

Originally Posted by goofygrin

Robi > tein, but not > * if you know what I mean.

And I think you have the spring rates backwards. Most evos are stiffer in the rear than front in order to help rotate the car. A 10/12 spring rate is going to be fairly harsh unless you have very good dampers.

The Evo on the track is a completely different beast than a Miata.

I got the springs rates directly from Tein's website, http://www.tein.com/tech_info/e18.html

MrBonus · Oct 10, 2009, 06:11 AM

The spring rates on those Teins are all wrong for the Evo. Robi's coilovers are custom valved and sprung properly for the Evo. He actually does testing and development unlike many of these companies that slap a spring and shock together and sell it. Yes, the ride height is adjustable although I don't know why you'd want to adjust it after it's set.

I also recommend getting his rear sway bar, roll center and bump steer correction kits.

PaulWalker · Oct 10, 2009, 08:48 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by MrBonus

The spring rates on those Teins are all wrong for the Evo. Robi's coilovers are custom valved and sprung properly for the Evo. He actually does testing and development unlike many of these companies that slap a spring and shock together and sell it. Yes, the ride height is adjustable although I don't know why you'd want to adjust it after it's set.

I also recommend getting his rear sway bar, roll center and bump steer correction kits.

Yes I do believe in having spring rates and damping specifically adjusted to my application.

I know that the ride height is adjustable, but is it independently adjustable from the spring preload? So if I lower it will I lose suspension travel?

evofan_08 · Oct 10, 2009, 06:57 PM

I'm a noob when it comes to suspention but I have the monoflex and love em.

robi · Oct 11, 2009, 03:28 AM

Hey got back from the track and saw this post...there are two ways to get a car /suspension working together... either spring and helper with the CORRECT body length...(this can give you up to 2 " of ride height variation...as well as LOTS of travel) or the "threaded insert" with zero -pre-load in the drooped position..(remember the weight of the car "preloads" the spring as soon as it is required to support the car's weight. So BOTH systems pre-load the spring equally at equal static ride heights) the threaded insert can then be raised up or down to effect ride height "independent" of preload. The biggest problem with this method of suspending the car is that it RESTRICTS the spring selection DRAMATICILY. and sieverly restricts droop travel to the just the spring preload as the car places the weight over the spring...so for a simple example we use a spring helper with the helper 1" compressed and 3" extended the shock will have the 2" droop and whatever the main spring has (which the threaded insert type has as it's only droop extending force as it only has a main spring in most cases) Main spring "preload " is figured by it's rate and the weight of the corner it's supporting. again to make it simple the front of an evo has about 1000 lbs/corner the back around 600. If you are using a main 1000 pound/inch spring on the front WITH NO PRELOAD the spring will settle and have only one inch of "droop" the back if you use any rate but 600 lbs (same 1" droop) the body length must be changed AND the droop is REDUCED......or different from the front. Also the end of the car with the softest springs almost always has the most grip(see why this is bad below) This is why the ride of these style suspensions is almost always harsher than the other style because when a wheel rolls over a hole the shock extends and when it runs out of droop travel the wheel stops moving with relation to the chassis and the whole car then hammers down in the hole (undampend) in it's fall till it lands on the bottom (or crashes into the vertical face on the other side of the hole) of the hole. A great part of the roll center heights is swaybar and spring related when my available droop travel is soo limited by main spring droop only it is VERRY hard to get the rear roll center in the right place vs the front roll center (and the chassis stops transferring weight when a wheel lifts off the ground) in order to allow the car to be "Balanced". Hence out of the box, most short travel "adjustable ride height independent of preload suspensions REQUIRE a heavier spring where the car is heavier...NOT GOOD FOR THE EVO...(BUT GREAT FOR THE MANUFACTURER AS IT SAVES LOTS OF MONEY) as it increases the chassis designed in PUSH...(most street drivers don't notice this as they really can't push the car to it's limits on the street ..... even if they think the are...;-) just my opinion here YMMV.

PaulWalker · Oct 11, 2009, 10:26 AM

Wow, thank you very much Robi. And thank for explaining it so well, I understand what you are saying.

So in your professional opinion, do you think the Robi Streets by KW would suit me? My Miata is my main track car, but I am planning on taking the Evo out to the track too, so I don't nessessarily want a plush suspension. What would you recommend?

I definitely love that Robi Spec coilovers are specific to my application, not just another model in a long list of part numbers.

Thanks for your help