All the time I hear people talking about coilover springs/shocks, but what does coilover actually mean, and how is the suspension usually set up if it is not a coilover. Also, I plan to replace my shocks and springs over the winter, and I know people have asked before and have searched but without much luck, but how much difference is there in tokico blues/hp and illuminas? If it is worth it I do not mind paying more for the illuminas for the adjustability and everything. I do not plan to roadrace but I do drive a lot of backroads and plan to do some autocrossing when spring comes around. So should I spend the extra and go with the illuminas? Also, I plan to go with the respeed springs but they seem to have about four different sizes and rates. Could someone set me straight on this? I assume suspension parts are not something to pinch pennies with, and maybe I should look into replacing bushings also and doing what I can to tighten the steering a little, there is some play in the wheel.

 

Dude! You're kidding me, right? There are two current threads right now, right on the front page! How can you tell me you searched?

https://www.rx7club.com//showthread.php?t=704430
https://www.rx7club.com//showthread.php?t=430842

As far as, what are coilovers; they utilize a smaller diameter spring that sits on adjustable perches. This allows you to raise/lower the car as needed. Check this out:

These are the perches and mounting hardware;
http://www.mrcmfg.com/respeed/catalo...62be8039d3713d

These are the springs that go with them;
http://www.mrcmfg.com/respeed/catalo...62be8039d3713d

 

 

wow...im speechless...i know there shouldnt be any dumb questions...but theres a time and place for that...sorry if im coming off mean. im just baffled

 

Zephyr,

Sorry if I sounded a little grumpy, just dealing with stupid people at work and you caught me whilst venting. I'm sure that at least 17.328590% of the people on this forum would vouch for me as a fairly nice guy...

 

I vouch for you.

 

i can vouch for your niceness Kentetsu. took a lot of guts to ask that question zephyr07

 

I remember when I couldn't afford illuminas when I first had the car and at that time, the car had illuminas. YAY! But now that I can afford illuminas, I can't imagine why anyone would consider the blues for any other reason than they can't afford the $400 for the illuminas. We are talking 5 way adjustable vs. 1 way. It's not like the blues are free so you might as well just save and get what's best. That's my opinion. The only reservation here is that the blues work pretty well for many, and if you can live with it, well then fine, right? I like options. It's why I would look for coil-overs as well. It's not that you need the range, it's the options to adjust for your taste. I've had 3 or 4 cars lowered and not once did I get the exact height I was looking for with the spring/wheel combo. It's tough and the more options you have, the better your car will be able to suit you.

I seem to recall reading here that our cars don't have a bolt-in option for rear coil-overs but there is some more complex option, right? Can anyone confirm that for Zephyr0? I was asking about coil-overs some time back and a member informed me that coil-overs, though usually referring to adjustable height setups, are actually just spring over strut/shock setups. I think he then told me that adjustable height setups for our cars were available, but the "coil-over" type required some modification. It's been too long to remember, but the thread is out there. Search under my name.


****, now I wish my car was at the point of picking out fun stuff like suspension. ahhhh!

 

The option available for rear height adjustment involves a new spring seat that includes a threaded collar, which the spring sits up against. It includes a shorter spring, and you can choose the rate you want (I believe). I just installed this setup about 6 weeks ago, and it is very slick and a very easy installation. I think the hardest part was jacking it up and taking the wheels off the car.

The company that originally made these has headed off in another direction (strictly Miata), so are no longer making them. The good news is that www.re-speed.com has taken over for them. They are not listed on the website at this time, but if you contact Bwaits on this forum, or through the Respeed website he will take care of you. I'll tell you, its nice to have someone who actually cares about what we want, and is willing to get it for us.

As to the question "are Illuminas worth it", I will say this. Playing with all of the adjustments, setting the car up for each race and trying different settings to see if I could improve the handling etc. was a lot of fun at first. After a while, I discovered that it didn't really make all that much difference (in my opinion). The best thing I can say about them is, you can set them very firm for racing (at the cost of some overall traction) and then soften them up after the race so you don't knock your fillings loose on the way home. If you have plenty of money to spend getting your car ready for racing, then by all means go for it. But if you are on a budget, save your money for some decent race rubber and it will improve your times much more than adjustable shocks will. Others have said that the Blues compare to the Illuminas on something like the middle setting. If that is true, then I think it would be a decent compromise....

 

I always thought coilovers were for MacPherson style suspension, and adjustable springs were for our rear end type suspension where the shock and spring are individual.

 

The adjustable springs are for the rear of the car, with the shock mounted in the stock manner.

Coilovers are like MacPherson struts, only with adjustable threaded collars that allow you to alter the ride height of the car...

 

Thanks for the links and everything guys, and sorry that I missed the obvious posts. I did search for about half an hour last week on illuminas vs hp's, but I have been kind of strung out trying to get the winter car road worthy, so I could have missed something I suppose. For the record though, I think I am going to go with the illuminas.