Dampers for strut converted coilovers.

[odessy]

Searching around seems to be three common choices, excel g, agx and the ae92 trd yellow's.

Excel g aren't exactly a performance shock, but still an upgrade over stock. While the agx is a performance, adjustable shock.

Where abouts do the trd yellow's fit into this? Can you get them in australia or do they have to be ordered from japan and whats the price like compared to the agx? Why bother cutting up your struts when for around the same price for a pair of agx and sleeve/springs you can just get a pair already done from T3 that use all the same bits?

[AJPS]

if you send your struts to america?

the t3 alloy coilover kits are not something I would put on my car

the trd need to be ordered from japan

they are now made by kyb, used to be made by tokico and are non adjustable

I wouldnt put them far above excel g to be honest

they are supposed to be 'blues on setting 3'

[timbo]

Go Tokico 102F's, excellent insert and I would have to say I prefer them over the TRD 5-ways in the car now.

[marvis]

I personally would get sleeve kit from AJPS, AGX shocks and RCAs.

[slydar]

you need to go to club4ag.com and read the tech ref. all of the questions you are asking are covered there.

also remember an excel is as you say just a "sports shock" but it is also taken from a significantly heavier car, so valved to control decently stiff springs.

trd yellows are as dave said a bit average considering the price. i wouldnt buy them. blues are ok (adjustable).

there is also tokico HTS 102R.

[odessy]

Will check that link out after uni.

So T3 just converts your strut, its not a replacement strut?

Marvis: Pretty much the conclusion I had come to, just wanted to see what other shock options were available. Oh and the AJPS front end kit and some longer LCA's and should be all set up the front.

Thanks for the help everyone.

[stahlz_ae86]

In my AE71 I used the AJPS front end kit, XT130 struts with single piston brakes, XT130 LCA's, Otomoto 6kg/mm coilover kit, ST185 excel G inserts & AJPS RCA's. The Otomoto coilover sleeve kit is excellent for the conversion along with all the other mentioned parts. On the XT130 struts I cut 50mm from the tubes, welded, ground then welded the sleeve at the bottom and the top (if you lower the sleeve your weld will not affect the thread for the gland nut).

I'm currently building another couple sets of coilovers based on AE86 struts / otomoto kit for my bro's 86 and my KE70 panelvan. The setup in my 71 sedan is great but for my pano I'm going with 5kg springs & SW20 rear inserts for a mid-low sort of height as it needs to be more daily drive friendly. Only cutting 22mm from the strut tube seems more friendly than 51mm.

The T3 kit was tempting for me due to price but the alloy sleeve thing is a turn-off.



What's your plans with the car? Is it daily driver, track car, both? What motor? Brake upgrade? All this should be factored in to your coilover building plans imo.

[odessy]

By alloy I presume you are referring to them being aluminium. Car is my daily, but using it to hone my noob driving skills. Will see the track during uni summer brake to learn this sideways driving stuff.

Bigport, JDM brakes with slotted rotors.

[stahlz_ae86]

Yeah aluminium sleeve. That's why I chose Otomoto's kit because it's a steel weld on (good value too).

If it's only a daily and that motor, the JDM brakes will be fine so you should stay with the 86 struts. You'll need a 51mm id kit and damper choice will come down to preference i guess. Bang for buck I find Excel G good (craploads better than originals) and I'm yet to try anything better like AGX. And the desired height will dictate damper choice also. I think you can get the advanced strut tube spacers (placing your shocks at the bottom of the struts where they belong) from T3 if you don't want to shorten strut bodies, I think they suit the 185 size insert but I'm not sure. Never used them myself, I find it easy to just modify the strut body to suit the damper.

In Excel G
ST185 Celica part number is 365077

Extended length - 490mm
Compressed length - 346mm
Body length - 332mm

MR2 SW20 rear part number is 365100

Extended length - 542mm
Compressed length - 370mm
Body length - 360mm

[turn69up]

just my 2 cents as i want to buy some really stiff coilovers in the future, emailed t3 a few weeks ago about theres and the price includes the strut casing, agx dampers and any spring rates u want i wanted 15kg but the max they will do is 12, just because of the way the dampers are valved, also on the alloy sleeve issue, the spring perch nut\and locking nut on all coilovers (that ive seen) are alloy so cant see a problem if the sleeve is too and as i just mentioned they do them with 12kg spring rate and have been selling them for years so shouldent be a problem on that side of things.

[marvis]

^why do you want those rates?

I highly reccomend RCAs also.

[turn69up]

agreed rca's needed for any type of lowering u do, also recommend seem welding for anything over 8kg front as it will separate ur chassis rails from the rest of the chassis, namely were they attach to the fire wall, just use 0.6 wire so the stitches are small then run a bead of sika flex or similar over them (like it comes from the factory) so u dont be gettin defected. and Marv because i want the ride height to be like -10mm, around that any ways :D

[AJPS]

just my 2 cents as i want to buy some really stiff coilovers in the future, emailed t3 a few weeks ago about theres and the price includes the strut casing, agx dampers and any spring rates u want i wanted 15kg but the max they will do is 12, just because of the way the dampers are valved, also on the alloy sleeve issue, the spring perch nut\and locking nut on all coilovers (that ive seen) are alloy so cant see a problem if the sleeve is too and as i just mentioned they do them with 12kg spring rate and have been selling them for years so shouldent be a problem on that side of things.

what car are the 15kg going into?

[Robo86]

agreed rca's needed for any type of lowering u do, also recommend seem welding for anything over 8kg front as it will separate ur chassis rails from the rest of the chassis, namely were they attach to the fire wall, just use 0.6 wire so the stitches are small then run a bead of sika flex or similar over them (like it comes from the factory) so u dont be gettin defected. and Marv because i want the ride height to be like -10mm, around that any ways :D

the whole separating the rails from the chassis thing is a fair bend of the truth.

i have run heavy rates (9/7) for years with no issues.

i also +1 on AJPS sleeve kit, celica AGX 8kg spring and RCA

[Frak]

Ok, Yellows(48511-AE941) are quite a good shock, I have used these and really liked them, I am now running Blues(48511-AE031), the Yellows are non-adj and the Blues are 5 way adj, I find that I like the Blues on setting 3, which is funnily enough nearly the same dampening rate as the yellows, the yellows are quite a bit cheaper than the blues though.

[turn69up]

dave a 86 and Rob ye might take years or months depends how good the chassis is to begin with, rust, bent etc and how hard a setting u have the dampers aswell as how hard u drive it and if u ever hit something like a gutter or a massive pot hole just saying it will eventually happen. ive seen it on a few 86s in the same spot and seen Tsuchiya in a video with a segment on buying ae86s and they were pointing in the spot with there little pointers and making hand gestures of it splitting and talking as if they were sad about something haha. just assuming thats what they were on about

[plohl]

why the hell do you want 15kg springs?


seems alot of people beat me to it.

[turn69up]

Like i said i want my car low, -10 mm (chassis rails) and i think 15kg f and 12 r should let me do that also wana see how it handles as i want to build a full on time attack 86 one day, this one is just a drifter so i dont care if it isnt the greatest :P

[AJPS]

it will bounce

[turn69up]

Ye thats why t3 dident want to do it as the dampers arnt up to it but if correct danpers are installed it wont

[AJPS]

what dampers are you planning to use?

[marvis]

agreed rca's needed for any type of lowering u do, also recommend seem welding for anything over 8kg front as it will separate ur chassis rails from the rest of the chassis, namely were they attach to the fire wall, just use 0.6 wire so the stitches are small then run a bead of sika flex or similar over them (like it comes from the factory) so u dont be gettin defected. and Marv because i want the ride height to be like -10mm, around that any ways :D

You can do that with 10/8 rates...

I will be doing it with 12/10 or 10/8 rates in AA63 [celica, 100-200kg heavier]


Yeah aluminium sleeve. That's why I chose Otomoto's kit because it's a steel weld on (good value too).

If it's only a daily and that motor, the JDM brakes will be fine so you should stay with the 86 struts. You'll need a 51mm id kit and damper choice will come down to preference i guess. Bang for buck I find Excel G good (craploads better than originals) and I'm yet to try anything better like AGX. And the desired height will dictate damper choice also. I think you can get the advanced strut tube spacers (placing your shocks at the bottom of the struts where they belong) from T3 if you don't want to shorten strut bodies, I think they suit the 185 size insert but I'm not sure. Never used them myself, I find it easy to just modify the strut body to suit the damper.

In Excel G
ST185 Celica part number is 365077

Extended length - 490mm
Compressed length - 346mm
Body length - 332mm

MR2 SW20 rear part number is 365100

Extended length - 542mm
Compressed length - 370mm
Body length - 360mm

I have driven with both Excel G and AGX, and I highly reccomend spending a bit more and getting AGX.

[stahlz_ae86]

Cheers, I'll defs be going with the AGX's next time around in the track car. They seem to get a good wrap. At current I'm just enjoying how much better than the stock rubbish the excel G are, lol.

[turn69up]

Dave- havent given it to much thought yet as i need to get a trailer built before i get coilovers as i have everything for my car to put it back together only thing left to upgrade is the excel g 8kg f, excel g r with bumpstop coilovers thinges and 6 kg spings i bought off u, dont mean that in any sort of way, just want super low (drill off chassis rails and make up new ones for the inside+ full seam weld and tower to tower roll cage so it can handle the spring and damper rates). i know of a 86 build and the dude used like 23kg/mm f-20 r (around that anyways) and he got the whole bilstein coilover set up off a true race car, forget the category of racing it was form but they were lighter that a 86 and he recons it handles quality.

Marv- i dont think 10kg-8 will suffice. i recon 15kg-12, 12kg-10 will though, as i wana run around 10mm ride height from the floor pan maybe go a bit higher if i really need to. as well as i will rasie it, fiddle with the dampers and have a go at lakeside to see if it handles if its shit im not worry, i will just go with the norm on that side of things for my time attack car if thats the case

[AJPS]

fair enough

will be good to see it when it comes time