Apexi N1 V Coilovers

[MacRS200]

Was the knocking noise cured

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Yes

[Mr Singh]

By looking at your diagram, if you lower the bottom mount don't you get more travel?

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Not quite mate the bottom mount is just a cup that supports the damper cylinder, its the spring that controls the position of damper rod and hence the travel.

but you need to compress the spring alot more otherwise the car would be more than just slammed lol

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If you screw the bottom mount up you need to lift the spring seat up to compensate.

The of the pic on the above diagram would be the perfect compromise.

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The diagram shows a set ride height and effectively what it shows is the damper cylinder moving up and down relative to the top and bottom mounts. The distance between the spring seat and the bottom mount stays the same.

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I know its probably very simple, but i'm confused, lol.

Want to come set mine up :D

[MacRS200]

OK it is simple when you get you're head round it, I am obviously not explaining it clearly enough, so another diagram showing it in stages. The different bits are in colour, Damper Rod and pistons are blue, Spring and Spring Seat green, Damper Cylinder and oil in red and Bottom Mount in black.

With the car weight on the spring and starting from the left you have a damper that is "topped out".

So if you start by screwing the Damper Cylinder up it moves the spring seat and spring with it that in turn takes the Damper Rod and piston with it, so now you still have no upward movement of the damper rod and looks like the pic in the middle and the car has gone up too.

So wind the Spring Seat down and the weight of the car will take the damper rod down with the spring opening up a gap at the top so now you have some upward movement and notice that the whole assembley is the same length so the car is at the same height, easy :D

In effect all you have done is moved the damper cylinder up.

[Mr Singh]

I see the Cylinder rods now, where you said 'Topped Out'... I see it now.. (btw didn't know it has smaller rod then bigger cylinder?)

Looking at it again, the picture on the far right is what we want achieve :)

[MacRS200]

I see the Cylinder rods now, where you said 'Topped Out'... I see it now.. (btw didn't know it has smaller rod then bigger cylinder?)

Looking at it again, the picture on the far right is what we want achieve :)

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Yup thats it

[Mr Singh]

Excellent.

Okay will get some measurements tomorrow as its started to rain here now :(

BTW, on the bottom mount... Is there anyway to know the Total length of the threaded body part? Reason why say this is, if we dvide the height of the bottom mount by 2, it tells me how much i have to turn the threaded part up or down so i get optimal travel.

[MacRS200]

Excellent.

Okay will get some measurements tomorrow as its started to rain here now :(

BTW, on the bottom mount... Is there anyway to know the Total length of the threaded body part? Reason why say this is, if we dvide the height of the bottom mount by 2, it tells me how much i have to turn the threaded part up or down so i get optimal travel.

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Start at the other end and set the spring to give about 25mm up and 65mm down, thats wot i've got. Then adjust the bottom mount to give the height you want.

You can tell when the bottom mount is as far up the damper as it will go cos it won't go any further. Also the bottom mount has a small hole in that I guess is the limit to how far you should extend the strut, I used a small tube off a WD40 can to check that the threaded part of the damper was still there.

Good luck mate, I will be off line as of Saturday AM for a week, so any questions before then.

[Mr Singh]

So i should increase the length of the threaded part till its 25mm from the bumpstop. then set rest from there right? As i'll then have the 65mm down.

[MacRS200]

So i should increase the length of the threaded part till its 25mm from the bumpstop. then set rest from there right? As i'll then have the 65mm down.

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Working on the theory that the Tezza weighs 1300Kg and the weight is evenly distributed, which it probably is not, but give or take, 300Kg's per corner.

The rears on mine are compressed 30mm when loaded. So roughly 10mm per 100kg's, you have 100kg's of ICE in the back so call the 50Kg's per back corner. So you have 350Kg's on each back corner.

My back springs are pre-compressed by the spring seat when on the jack by 5mm which equals 50Kg's of load so I would set yours at 10mm less than the "free length". e.g take the spring to about 215mm in length (off the top of the head) with the spring seat.

Then see what happens when you put it back on the ground. Any lowering you want to do is then on the Bottom Mount till you can go no lower. Then you sacrifice suspension movement for looks.

[Mr Singh]

The rear is compressed when jacked up by about 5mm, i haven't touched bottom lock nut since i purchased the coilovers.

Front, i would say the driver and passanger side springs are probably compressed about 10mm when jacked up, but whether i'm geting the most from the available travel is yet to be found out!

lets see how i get on tomorrow..

Thanks alot buddy!! I owe you a beer token :D

[Anees]

It is fascinating all this work!

Have a slight headache reading it all however! LOL!

Keep up the good work!

Just a thought if I may.. how do all these adjustments affect the ride? Can you get it really soft or is it always going to be rock hard?

[MacRS200]

Just a thought if I may.. how do all these adjustments affect the ride? Can you get it really soft or is it always going to be rock hard?

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Yup you can do that with the damping!

[Anees]

Just a thought if I may.. how do all these adjustments affect the ride? Can you get it really soft or is it always going to be rock hard?

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Yup you can do that with the damping!

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Sorry my fault. What I meant was... how soft can the ride be with these coilovers? Say on the softest setting how does it compare to say the ride on a standard IS200SE or the standard Altezza? Whats it like on poor surfaces and over manhole covers? (just doing abit of research )

[Mr Singh]

Anees,

When i first installed the coilovers last year i set the ride height to 40mm lower than std. The ride was extremely smooth! you couldn't tell it was lowered, well till you realised handling went up 200% lol

Going lower continues to reduce body roll but travel is reduced so comfort does go, but still very respectable comfort for 19s a big drop!

[MacRS200]

Anees

Best bet is to have a drive in a car with coilovers then you can decide for yourself. IMHO the ride is firmer and may not be to everyone's taste, but the inproved handling os worth it :D

[Anees]

Thanks Am and Neil.

Might see if I can have a go at the Manchester Meet ;) Trouble is the roads are usually good where we meet so its not really easy to tell how good/bad the ride is on poor surfaces. :D

Anyway...sorry to hijack your thread..please carry on.

[imi]

SO your saying the knocking is cured? any ideas if the above would work on an IS aswell as the tezza? if so looking to put the Apexi coils back on then..

agree that car handling is better with the coilovers compared with the Eibachs i got..

[MacRS200]

SO your saying the knocking is cured? any ideas if the above would work on an IS aswell as the tezza? if so looking to put the Apexi coils back on then..

agree that car handling is better with the coilovers compared with the Eibachs i got..

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Got some rattles but I would expect that with the harder ride especially as I have the damping set quite hard. That annoying "clunk, clunk" has gone.

And yes this set up procedure will work for an IS indeed any coilovers have an adjustable bottom mount :D

[Anees]

Been almost two months since the last post in this thread. Thought I'd check up.

Any reoccurences of knocking or has it completely gone? :D

[MacRS200]

Been almost two months since the last post in this thread. Thought I'd check up.

Any reoccurences of knocking or has it completely gone? :D

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Nope still sweet as :D

Mr Morse has had his IS3 set the same way and I believe that his knocking is cured as well :winky:

[Mr Morse]

Dave said that they are "just about" done sorting the problem - will see tomorrow! :D

[MacRS200]

Dave said that they are "just about" done sorting the problem - will see tomorrow! :D

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Tomorrow, bet you can't wait

Let me know how the coilover adjustments went, would be interested to know if Pro-Lex did anything different to me. Read a post on some coilovers for sale on E-bay for a Tezza the other week and the spring rate was 10Kg/mm, roughly the same as I worked out by using the tape measure technique :D

[Dave-Ellen]

Dave said that they are "just about" done sorting the problem - will see tomorrow! :D

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tis all to do with the preload

lack of destructions doesnt help

[MacRS200]

tis all to do with the preload

lack of destructions doesnt help 

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Exactly my conclusion young man, set the pre-load for the correct suspension travel then adjust the height of the car by changing the length of the strut :D

[Tony-Bones]

tis all to do with the preload

lack of destructions doesnt help 

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Exactly my conclusion young man, set the pre-load for the correct suspension travel then adjust the height of the car by changing the length of the strut :D

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oh no!...... the 'coil master' has struck again :winky: ..... one to one tuition on the subject and i am still :duh: ....... Neil you are 'da man'