JIC or Cusco [Archive] - Zilvia.net Forums | Nissan 240SX (Silvia) and Z (Fairlady) Car Forum

ET Fukuoka

06-09-2003, 09:23 PM

Cusco`s quality is top notch compared to JIC. Any tuning shop i have been to in Japan have always recommended cusco over most brands. JIC is know for cheap prices, not really quality(not saying they are bad). Just look at the construction of their parts and you will understand the quality. Just my 2 cents. But for strut tower bars, either would be fine. Its not like a strut tower bar is that difficult to make. My 2 cents.

kandyflip445

06-09-2003, 09:41 PM

Originally posted by ET Fukuoka
JIC is know for cheap prices

Uh....over here in the states they have VERY high prices....

I'd say go with Cusco. But if one is cheaper than the other at cost then just get the cheaper one.

Dousan_PG

06-09-2003, 09:43 PM

cusco hands down
jic is good stuff but cusco is far superior.

sykikchimp

06-09-2003, 09:44 PM

If money was no issue, I would get the Nismo front STB. It looks f*in sweet, and fits perfect. The cusco fits perfect as well though.

Also, don't waste your money on the cusco CF bar. It's just the Alum. OS bar with CF wrapped around it.

scandalcat1

06-09-2003, 09:59 PM

my preference is cusco because they are highly regarded in the SCCA and Japanese motor cross events. the WRX crowd uses them because of their durability and quality of parts. the silvia crowd for the same reason and also sponsorship. check out option magazine and also read up on the trends.
price would IMO be the only disadvantage.

NiteKids

06-09-2003, 10:42 PM

Wow you people sure are some followers. I mean I use cusco myself but geez just because bensons incident does not make JIC bad products inferior to Cusco. As a matter a fact they are about the same.

scandalcat1

06-09-2003, 10:54 PM

its all part of being an american and whatever little personal freedom are left.
followers or not cusco is some good $hit unless you think otherwise i've owned and sold so have a little dirt on the goods

tsunami0ne

06-09-2003, 10:56 PM

Not sure if there's anyone here who have had both a cusco bar and a JIC bar and is able to tell the difference.

Flip a coin.

Brian

06-09-2003, 11:08 PM

Also, don't waste your money on the cusco CF bar. It's just the Alum. OS bar with CF wrapped around it.
yeah.....who would buy that bar anyways. :coolugh:

JasonNagra

06-10-2003, 01:46 AM

No you are all wrong, get an avance bar through ruf. Mine is SWEEEET. :boink:

adey

06-10-2003, 08:26 AM

Get whichever one you want. I'd get one that's more affordable. I have to agree with Nitekids on this one. :rolleyes:

sykikchimp

06-10-2003, 08:32 AM

Originally posted by yeswepromise
yeah.....who would buy that bar anyways. :coolugh:

hmm.. no idea??? :bash: -it was the ricer voice in the back of my head saying.. "CF is C00l!" BUY IT and you WILL get the Chickzors!" so, I bought it.. When it got here, I proceeded to punch the little faggot in the face :hammer: and haven't listened to him sense. :coolugh:

Dousan_PG

06-10-2003, 08:56 AM

adey and nitekids
you guys havent dealt w/ JIC USA when they opened or spoke w/ companies who USED to sell their products. i almost bought some product from them as well did my friend but after dealing w/ them..HELL NO.

also compare JIC japan prices to US prices.
cusco US to cusco japan prices are much more reasonable

jic and tein have a lot made in taiwan. yes quality control is key but one is being anal about a japanese suspension parts, its on to think about. of course to me, it doesnt matter. i got stuff from taiwan on my car already :) works great.

the whole benson incident. i'll tell you for a fact he wasnt the only one screwed over. i can think of 3 other people who were also screwed over by JIC USA

another somebody's coilover (JIC brand) shock blew after 2 years

things to consider......

edit: :rant: nitekids. damn you need to start thinking for yourself. first you go on FA and zilvia and knock tein (company and product) then you post recnetly you might get tein coilovers. i believe you were anti-jic for a while too? anyways, either way think for yourself before you start posting and judging stuff. know the facts and make your own decisions.

sykikchimp

06-10-2003, 09:10 AM

Originally posted by dousan36

another somebody's coilover (JIC brand) shock blew after 2 years

I just wanna take this oppertunity to point out that ANY coilover, no matter how expensive could easily blow out in 2 years. If you track your car much at all, it's probably very likely. I personally do not expect more than 2-3 years of track duty out of a set of coilovers before a rebuild is necessary. THIS is why you must look for a company that can service you when you need it, do custom valving if you want, and provide you with timely courteous service.

Obviously these west coast guys have had problems with JIC. I have dealt with them a good bit, and have never had a problem. All the products of their's I own are very high quality. I will say that the Cusco products I own appear to be a hair nicer. If JIC was an 8 then Cusco would be an 8.5.

Companies like Penske, and Bilstein making the 9-10 stuff :) (someday I will have some remote resevoir penske shocks for teh race kahhh :bowdown: )

Dousan_PG

06-10-2003, 09:16 AM

cusco offers valving in the USA as well
so does Tein
jic does
HKS does ...i think
apex MIGHT for the public (depends on who you know/are)

i know a few others too.....

cusco has midwest (IL) and west coast office (CA)

i've seen cusco. i've seen JIC suspension parts. seen cusco RUCA, seen JIC RUCA. seen Cusco tc rods. seen JIC tc rods. seen JIC coilovers (flta2) seen Cusco top of the line one (comp or zero..whatever it is..the double height/damper/inverted shcok model).

i would take the cusco over the JIC anyday of the week. the craftsmanship and quality is far superior. the Cusco is thicker as well (ex: tc rods)

ive done the leg work. i've gone out of my way to verify these thinsg not to talk out of my ***.

oh i'd take the kei office XR ones over JIC too. they are SOOOO NICE!!! i talked w/ a guy who had them, 9/7 kg...ride like stock on the street, not "stock" but smooooooooth and very very comfortable. turn up the damper at the track, the suckers are stiff! wow. :)

edit: i have tein stuff.tc rods/coilovers
if i had a choice, i'd get JIC FLTa2 over my Tein HEs
but i'll end up with a no name custom brand i guess shortly from a friend. either way, the JIC FLTA2 and Cusco are top quality but i would find the Cusco a better quality brand, as well as a much more reputable company in Japan. Cusco=high quality

sykikchimp

06-10-2003, 09:38 AM

Originally posted by dousan36
oh i'd take the kei office XR ones over JIC too. they are SOOOO NICE!!! i talked w/ a guy who had them, 9/7 kg...ride like stock on the street, not "stock" but smooooooooth and very very comfortable. turn up the damper at the track, the suckers are stiff! wow. :)

Lol.. does this friend live in Japan? I find it very hard to believe that anything with those rates is american street friendly.

Dousan_PG

06-10-2003, 09:44 AM

Originally posted by sykikchimp
Lol.. does this friend live in Japan? I find it very hard to believe that anything with those rates is american street friendly.

no he is in the USA..southern california!! bought the ones from Jspec (i would have bought them when sam told me they came in but i was broke at the time)

i swear to you, i wont talk out of my a$$ about stuf like this. i do A LOT of research and sit in as many cars as i can to find out..zeal B6..NICE! id take those over JIC too haha..over Cusco as well...

the key thing: VALVING

nadine and benson have 8/6 kg spring rates (benson=HKS, Nadine=Cusco). but they both claim they ride VERY VERY VERY smooooth and not bumpy on the street. valving specs! its all about the valving! i rode in benson's car at the track..felt great, but track, yes, is another story. on the street, both tell me it is very comfortable. and they both drive kristie around ....and we know kids and bumper cars = mess on your carpet!

sykikchimp

06-10-2003, 10:16 AM

The JIC's are Smooth, no bouncing, but when you hit a pothole, you KNOW you hit a pothole. Charlotte's got Sh1tola roads though..

edit - I agree the Zeal Function B6's are freaking SCHWEET.. 9 maybe 9.5 in my book.

Dousan_PG

06-10-2003, 10:21 AM

i rode in JIC FLT-A2 on the street
compared w/ the HE
WOW the JIC are much stiffer and harder
the tiens are more suited (8/6kg) to teh street. the JIC is definately a track designed coilover

at the track
i think Adey runs his FLTA2s on mid to high settings and its plenty stiff. teh Teins i run full stiff and it still is softer then i want

anyways...so many choices. just a lot of leg work needs to be done buy the buyer. lots of research. there are soooo many brands out there its incredible.

tougebear

06-10-2003, 10:41 AM

Originally posted by sykikchimp
I just wanna take this oppertunity to point out that ANY coilover, no matter how expensive could easily blow out in 2 years. If you track your car much at all, it's probably very likely.

I think that would only hold true if you go to the track every weekend for the whole 2 years.

Anyways, if you look closely at both products you'll realize that the quality of workmanship on Cusco's are far more superior than JIC's.

[email protected]

06-10-2003, 11:00 AM

ok ok..... if you really wanna know.. JIC and TEIN are not made in taiwan. JIC is made in korea TEIN is made in Japan still. TEIN valves for different brands too... my TEIN HE performs a lot better compared to my FLTA2. in my personal experience. the damping rates on the dampers are very predictable - meaning when u transfer the weight and hold it there.. it holds the damping. if u know how to transfer the weight properly and hold it there. the TEIN HE do respond to your driving style. i was so sceptic with TEIN because of their HA or RA? product that was discontinued long ago. that brought them bad name... especially here in the states. most of the HA and RA we see are used and abused from japan. but everyone has improving technology with them.
maybe because TEIN and TAIWAN rhymes? i dunno... but now i'm glad i tried TEIN. can't go wrong...

DuffMan

06-10-2003, 11:43 AM

I saw a Tein ad in a magazine that specificly said "All tein products are manufactured in Japan" or something like that. Maybe they are lying, but I am more inclined to believe the taiwan thing is a rumor until i see evidense to the contrary.

sykikchimp

06-10-2003, 12:20 PM

Originally posted by tougebear
I think that would only hold true if you go to the track every weekend for the whole 2 years.

Anyways, if you look closely at both products you'll realize that the quality of workmanship on Cusco's are far more superior than JIC's.

I do 6-8 events a year. You would be amazed at how much wear and tear your car sees with only 150-200 track miles in a weekend. Combine that with driving on ****ty streets where your "designed for low speed dampening" struts have to deal with a lot of high speed dampening situations, and you have a short life on something built to work hard.

If you buy coilovers expecting them to be the last suspension you ever have to buy for the life of the car, you will be very unhappy one day.

edit:
I have seen both products, and own some of both.. The Cusco IMO is only slightly better. The welds, and build of the parts are nearly identical. The small details, like rubber boots, is what sets them apart in my mind. I am speaking about Suspension arms, and bars (as the topic starter was refering) I have not ever seen Cusco coilovers in person, so I can not comment on how they compare to JIC's.

hooter

06-10-2003, 08:04 PM

If price is really no object...

Go to a chassis engineer. Give him body schematics and material analysis of your car. Have him put strain gauges all over your car and do some spirited runs on your favorite track. Then have him engineer some custom built bars for your chassis. I promise you will get the best set of strut bars ever!

My next set of strut bars I am building my self.

Also, on the topic of coilovers blowing and build quality, I would honestly say that if your CO's are lasting you more than 2 years w/o a rebuild, then you aren't tracking your car hard enough.

-Charlie

[email protected]

06-10-2003, 08:18 PM

how hard is tracking hard? average life of a coilover for weekend warriors are 3-4 years max. supposedly if ur coilovers are 2 years old and it gives out on you, get a free valving or replacement, aren't konis and tokico lifetime? i our cars are not pro-circuit cars, so i don't think 2 years of occasional tracking is hard for the coilovers if it's built well and delivered as promise.

adey

06-10-2003, 09:47 PM

The way I see things, a coilover used purely on street would last much shorter than a coilover used purely on track... can someone explain to me why a tracked coilover/shock wouldn't last as long?
It is just the lateral loads from track driving that I can think of that would wear out a coilover... otherwise, the potholes and grime and moisture and speed bumps of daily driving seem like they would kill a coilover faster than lapping the streets of willow for the same distance traveled.

Yes, this may be contrary to what many consider "conventional" ideas, but I don't understand what it is about the track (MUCH smoother surface than city streets; smooth transitions from turns if you're anything near a good driver, no potholes nearly comparable to those found at the intersection of beaudry and 3rd in LA, etc etc)

hooter

06-10-2003, 10:03 PM

Originally posted by driftheaven
how hard is tracking hard? average life of a coilover for weekend warriors are 3-4 years max. supposedly if ur coilovers are 2 years old and it gives out on you, get a free valving or replacement, aren't konis and tokico lifetime? i our cars are not pro-circuit cars, so i don't think 2 years of occasional tracking is hard for the coilovers if it's built well and delivered as promise.

Dang...forgot the little smiley on that last one. Was supposed to be a joke.

Anyways, I think that just driving around the streets of L.A. would kill a set of coilovers as quickly as hard driving ever would. I don't really expect coilovers to last that long (2 years is all I really expect from them before they start going stupid). They are definitely a wear item on my list.

-Charlie

[email protected]

06-10-2003, 10:22 PM

are you serious adey???? ok... whew lemme try to explain.

coilovers - when driving in the tracks you dump the weight of the car let's say 2000 lbs to one side and on one side the coilovers balance the load to either front or rear. the dampers resists that load. damping force depends on how fast you are turning and the degrees of the turn. now let's say you have series of turns - chicanes. the load from left to right, front to rear are being balanced by the coilovers. this take alot of toll in your coilovers because everything is working at full force. the shocks and the springs. if you are exceeding the capabilities of your coilovers that's when trouble starts, the seals expands because the piston is all the way down and is pushing everything up. if it has nowhere to go...... seals starts to leak. now, the cycling rate of the dampers heats up the piston and weakens the seals. therefore your coilovers will wear out faster if it's being abused in the tracks.

compared to daily driving, u don't drive on potholes every 5 ft in LA unless ur going offroading. then you have the wrong set of suspensions. you should worry more about rims, tires and bushings before you worry about wearing your dampers. i'm sure u don't turn 80 mph followed by series of chicanes or esses. driving at the streets, ur not using the full damping capabilities of the shocks/springs.

arghhhh.. i hate posting this long because i loose my train of thought.

yo hooter... ;) is all good brother man... how's ur car doin?

theronin

06-10-2003, 10:54 PM

[i]i'm sure u don't turn 80 mph followed by series of chicanes or esses.[/B]

Wha... i thought thats how you were supposed to drive on the streets? So i guess drifting around each turn is out too huh?:rolleyes:

hooter

06-10-2003, 11:10 PM

Driftheaven,

Car is good. Just fixing minor stuff here and there. For some reason, I can never get the car to run at 100%. There is always something minor that needs work: bleeding brakes, bleeding clutch, leaky vacuum lines, bad silicon connectors, etc. You know how it goes.

I drive in downtown LA alot and believe me, it seems like there are potholes every 5 ft. I've bent quite a few sets of rims from driving through J-town, K-town, garment district, Echo Park, Lincoln Park, Chinatown, etc. Kinda makes me want to go rally spec on my next car. At least I'll have the ground clearance and wheel travel to deal with the cracks in the pavement.

Oh well, all part of living in LA.

-Charlie