what rate springs to order with ground controls?

[SHINCHU]

i am about to get ground controls for my 240 and im going to use them with KYB AGX. yes, my car has HICAS but i plan to swap out the rear suspension with a non-HICAS car from the junkyards. so what spring rate should i get my GC's in? i see stuff like 10 kg/mm in some of the s13's in option video and magazine, but i have no clue what that is in lbs since my math sucks. and im sure i will need something softer for the streets maybe like 7 or 6 kg/mm? what is that in lbs? anyone else have the GC/KYB setup and with what rates? help a newbie. dont get a lump of coal from santa.

chris

[West]

Hey man, good choice on the GC Coils. 10kg would be EXTREEEEEMLY stiff for even a track car, IMO 8kg is even reallly stiff. Check out the Spring Rate Archive in the FAQs & Archive section on the forum to see what some other spring rates are for coils and springs.

If you want to figure out what a KG rating is in LBS just multiply the KG rating by 56, so for example a 8/7kg setup would be 448/392lbs. I have had 5Zigen RRate springs which were 290/280 and it was pretty good IMO, stiff but not so stiff where girls needed a sports bra in order to ride in my car which was a s13. I have also had HKS Coilovers which im pretty sure were a 8/7 setup in my s14 and I dont know if it was because the springs were linier but they were way to stiff for street. When I get my set of JIC coils im going to try to get them in a custom spring rate of either 6.5/5.5kg as I would think that would be about perfect for me since JIC uses progressive rate springs IIRC. If you want something stiff and your not going to be doing any or much track racing then Id suggest either 5/4.3 to 6/5kb. But thats just me from my experiance. I think I have typed enough so if you have any other questions just reply back <img src="http://www.zilvia.net/f/iB_html/non-cgi/emoticons/tounge.gif" border="0" valign="absmiddle" alt=':p'>

[HippoSleek]

<img src="http://www.zilvia.net/f/iB_html/non-cgi/emoticons/withstupid.gif" border="0" valign="absmiddle" alt=':withstupid:'>

I know in other applications, AGX's can hold up to a 400 lbs. spring safely (I know people running 450# w/ AGX on Civics). &nbsp;So anything up to that amount should be fine. &nbsp;a 10kg/mm spring will kill them!

More important though is what you plan to do w/ the car. &nbsp;If it is mostly a daily driver w/ perhaps some autox, I'd go for the low end of the spectrum - like a 5/4 kg set up. &nbsp;That would provide way more performance than somethign like a ProKit, but would be very livable on the streets. &nbsp;Personally, I wouldn't put anything over 6 kg (336 lbs) on a street car. &nbsp;The other thing to remember is that Eibach ERS (GC's springs) come in 25# increments, so you could do something like what West was saying.

[SHINCHU]

well i have preogressive rate B+G springs on my ae86 and they feel kinda spongy around corners. so i dont think i would like the JIC's. kinda pricey for me too. and a friend of mine had the HKS stuff and the adjuster broke off the shock body! (leaky tube!<img src="http://www.zilvia.net/f/iB_html/non-cgi/emoticons/wink.gif" border="0" valign="absmiddle" alt=';)'>

im no stranger to rough rides but you have a point with girls complaining. heheheh my s13 is supposed to be more of a "luxury drifter" heheh. if i wanna get crazy thats when i'll break out the 86. hmmm so 5/4 huh? sounds kinda light for a heavy car. i know a common setup for the ae86 is 6/4. then again its got an iron block explaining the 6 kg in front. i dont have an SR yet but i know its got the aluminum block, will the 5 kg be okay with a KA? or should i get a 6kg for the front and just order new 5 kg's when i get the SR? am i getting way too ahead of myself or what? hahahaha i just like having a good plan so i dont screw up and have to start things over.okay thanks i'll keep this stuff in mind. *off to read FAQ...*

chris

[AKADriver]

The weight difference between the two engines really isn't that great. &nbsp;Not enough to want a 20% heavier spring for the KA, anyway.

[LanceS13]

I'm pretty sure the JIC coilovers have linear springs.