ion springs

[haig]

my opinion

ok people, it's been about a couple of weeks I'm riding on these springs, so I imagine that they should've settled as much as they can...

my impressions are that the car:
1) looks great a little lowered
2) doesn't have that tuck of the wheel, which I dislike
3) handles better due to the lower center of gravity
4) handles better due to the higher spring rate
5) No bounce...

Essentially, it allows you to oversteer the front and the back will come around due to the progressive rate....I love it....I had never heard my tires chirp before, but now, it seems like they are having to work to turn, since I am going faster through the entire turn...Actually, I noticed that with stock springs, I have to let the back sorta guide me through, since the front tended to understeer...now, the front is like a pivot point for the back to come around...

I've driven it through Old Montreal (coblestone streets)...no problem, just too much vibration...I had 5 passengers with 4 in the back over coblestone and I had no rubbing, nothing...I loved it...I checked if the car height went down with that many people, but it stayed put...

That's just my 2 cents...

 

[iON Performance]

haig - thanks for your quick list of impressions. That "tuck" you're referring to is set w/ camber. When you have your car aligned that's when you can add some more negative camber to it.

 

[haig]

tuck

Ion,

actually the tuck that I'm talking about is when the tire is inside the wheel well, i.e. no gap and a bit of the tire not showing. I'm not sure how you do that with camber...

Anyway, you're welcome and I have nothing but good impressions of the springs.

 

[Steve89GTA]

How bad are they over the bumps? and are the stock struts good enough to dampen the bounce???

 

[iON Performance]

Steve89GTA -

my impressions are that the car:
1) looks great a little lowered
2) doesn't have that tuck of the wheel, which I dislike
3) handles better due to the lower center of gravity
4) handles better due to the higher spring rate
5) No bounce...

Essentially, it allows you to oversteer the front and the back will come around due to the progressive rate....I love it....I had never heard my tires chirp before, but now, it seems like they are having to work to turn, since I am going faster through the entire turn...Actually, I noticed that with stock springs, I have to let the back sorta guide me through, since the front tended to understeer...now, the front is like a pivot point for the back to come around...

I've driven it through Old Montreal (coblestone streets)...no problem, just too much vibration...I had 5 passengers with 4 in the back over coblestone and I had no rubbing, nothing...I loved it...I checked if the car height went down with that many people, but it stayed put...

There is no bounce to dampen. However the older your struts get, that's when they're more prone to bounce. At that point in time, Tokico or KYB should have replacement struts

 

[Steve89GTA]

I can hang the back of pro 5 out as it is now...you just have to do it right. Enter the turn at a moderate speed, slight increase until the apex then hammer it and steer inwards..make sure you're revs are sky high and it'll squeel the whole way through


I love the handling of this little thing. Could use an extra 40hp though..

 

[MazdaProbeGT]

What did you do... buy eibachs and paint them yellow... then pawn them off as your own!??!!? j/k.

 

[AnthonyO3]

I dont mean to hi jack this thread, but i am considering one of two springs, the Race Spec from Ion or the Sportline Springs from eibach, does anybody have the sportline to vouch for them?
Plus I have a Mp3, I would like to see the pics of the race spec springs on a Mp3 of Mspeed to see how low the drop is. Plus how long does shipping usually take? I live in texas

 

[iON Performance]

MazdaProbeGT - that wouldn't make much sense we could get alot more $$ then if we just sold them as "Eibach"

No these are designed in house and manufactured for us by a company that's well known in the competition circuit.

AnthonyO3 - there's 3 guys out there that have our race spec springs (or have just recieved them) for their MSP's. Hoping they'll be able to have them installed shortly and post some pictures.

Shipping is via ground and to TX takes ~ 7 business days. There's 2 sets of the race spec left in stock before we make another run of springs.

The largest difference in handling @ the limit between our race spec's and the Sportline from Eibach is that our spring rate is much better matched for neutral handling, the Eibachs still have some understeer built in.

 

[CRDMS1]

I just received the race spec springs yesterday and borrowed spring compressors from a friend today. I will be doing the install tonight and/or tomorrow night as time allows. Then...alignment on Friday and hit the track (Texas Motor Speedway infield road course) on Sunday.

FWIW, they look good

Peace...(hippy)

 

[west]

ion race spec

mine go on my speed this friday, i'll post before and after pics later that afternoon.

 

[CRDMS1]

Got the car up on stands last night to get started on the strut uninstall. Spent the next hour trying various methods to break the deathgrip the endlink bolts have on my strut body. The bolts are rusted badly after only 3800 miles (but not the flange nut which must be coated or a stainless material). I gave up in frustration and went to bed after spraying down the bolts with Break-Free. Moving on to the impact driver tonight...wish me luck

All the other bolts are clean so after I get these free the rest should be a breeze

Peace...(hippy)

 

[bazooka joe]

you might need some heat on thoses babies too! i know i did.

 

[CRDMS1]

you might need some heat on thoses babies too! i know i did.

Help me out here. Blow dryer, heat gun, something else?

Peace...(hippy)

 

[CRDMS1]

Well anyway, after putting a breaker bar on the bolts last evening they popped loose. That Break-Free stuff apparently works better after soaking 24 hrs.

The front springs were replaced last night and the rears will go on tonight. I had no idea the rear strut towers were so buried under interior trim and the seatbelt return. It took me a little while to get everything out to have access to the bolts.

Anyone have torque specs for the bolts? Spring cap, strut tower bolts, strut body bolts, and end link bolts.

Peace...(hippy)