Suspension Review: Techart Springs/HR Sways/RSS Link and Toe Kit
#1
10-20-2013, 08:36 PM
Join Date: Jul 2005
Location: Pacifica, Land of Fog
Posts: 123
Rep Power: 23 
Suspension Review: Techart Springs/HR Sways/RSS Link and Toe Kit
The title should give you a sense of what this review is chiefly about, but like they say on Ginsu commercials...
But wait, there's more! The whole package was:
1) Techart Springs
2) RSS Rear Link Kit
3) RSS Toe Steer Kit
4) H&R Sways Front and Rear
5) RSS Wheels Spacer (15 and 7mm R&F)
6) Michelin Pilot Super Sports
7) New Alignment
The executive overview is that I am very happy with the results, as these parts seem to be working very nicely together both on the street and the track. Here are the details of what I set out to do and what I have experienced.
1) The Goal: The stock suspension is just not for me--it alternates between mush and chatter. I wanted something that was comfortable for driving regularly but was strong enough to do 4 or 5 track events a year. I also wanted the car slighly lowered, but did not want to have the front scrape much worse than it was already (I have painted lowers).
2) The Decision Point: I think much of what I did is fairly well gone over here and of course Cannga's excellent review with his damptronic coil over is an extremely well written and well read thread. So I'll skip the parts about the Toe steer and sways..the spacers...all of that was easy. What was hard was whether to do the coil overs or the Techart springs. I spent a lot (and I mean a lot) of time reading everything I could about them. While there were a number of listers who were quite happy with the result, there were those who experienced much customer service pain. I wont dive into that, its for another thread. What I will say is that after digesting all of that I called Alex and talked to him. Once of the many things I like about Alex is that he does not try to sell you stuff you don't want or need. We talked at length about my goals and my driving and that I love the GT3, but was not willing to live with it day in and day out. He counseled me that the springs and sways would get me to where I want to be (along with the rest) and that in his experience that the coilover product from Bilstein was not the best performer. That advice made it easier for me to spend thousands less by going with the springs over the coilovers.
3) The Results: I have now had the car back for 2 weeks, and driven it both at Sears Point with HOD as well as some aggressive time in the hills near Pescadero and Woodside (Alices Rest!). I've also driven it to and from work several times. I have to say that the compromise is JUST right. The stock suspension is a "1" to me in terms of firmness. The Techart is a 4.5. A GT3 is a 7 and a modified GT3 with Motons and no rubber is a 9. The car is MUCH more planted, much less roll, a lot more precise and does not solely rely on the silly shock button to firm it up. The spring rates are just right IMO and the PASM shocks are now track only for me. I found the car very settled and just firm enough for aggressive driving in the hills w/o using the sport setting. I could have, but the rear end did a bit of skipping on broken pavement and beat me up a bit more for what seemed like little reward. I think the sport button will be track only for me going forward. The steering is better, but still not GT3 sharp. That is my only dissapointment. I went to custom alignment in MT View for the set up and told them "Aggressive Street" with some track time. I have the sheet, but I would be lying if I said that I have an appreciation as to whether I might prefer more toe or camber, or if I am just living with the vagary of a car that is not rear wheel drive. The super sports are great and slightly quieter than my old tires (PS2) and a hell of a lot cheaper.
Overall, I am very happy with the project and feel like the car handles like it should have from the factory. The spacers and lowered stance are really nice and the scraping from lowering about 25MM has not been that noticeable. I want to publicly thank Sharkwerks and Alex for great customer service, the time spent talking to me about the project and the emails following installation to make sure I was happy. Damn rare in this day and age, well done Alex.
Ok, time to think about an EP1 to augment my aural dynamics!
But wait, there's more! The whole package was:1) Techart Springs
2) RSS Rear Link Kit
3) RSS Toe Steer Kit
4) H&R Sways Front and Rear
5) RSS Wheels Spacer (15 and 7mm R&F)
6) Michelin Pilot Super Sports
7) New Alignment
The executive overview is that I am very happy with the results, as these parts seem to be working very nicely together both on the street and the track. Here are the details of what I set out to do and what I have experienced.
1) The Goal: The stock suspension is just not for me--it alternates between mush and chatter. I wanted something that was comfortable for driving regularly but was strong enough to do 4 or 5 track events a year. I also wanted the car slighly lowered, but did not want to have the front scrape much worse than it was already (I have painted lowers).
2) The Decision Point: I think much of what I did is fairly well gone over here and of course Cannga's excellent review with his damptronic coil over is an extremely well written and well read thread. So I'll skip the parts about the Toe steer and sways..the spacers...all of that was easy. What was hard was whether to do the coil overs or the Techart springs. I spent a lot (and I mean a lot) of time reading everything I could about them. While there were a number of listers who were quite happy with the result, there were those who experienced much customer service pain. I wont dive into that, its for another thread. What I will say is that after digesting all of that I called Alex and talked to him. Once of the many things I like about Alex is that he does not try to sell you stuff you don't want or need. We talked at length about my goals and my driving and that I love the GT3, but was not willing to live with it day in and day out. He counseled me that the springs and sways would get me to where I want to be (along with the rest) and that in his experience that the coilover product from Bilstein was not the best performer. That advice made it easier for me to spend thousands less by going with the springs over the coilovers.
3) The Results: I have now had the car back for 2 weeks, and driven it both at Sears Point with HOD as well as some aggressive time in the hills near Pescadero and Woodside (Alices Rest!). I've also driven it to and from work several times. I have to say that the compromise is JUST right. The stock suspension is a "1" to me in terms of firmness. The Techart is a 4.5. A GT3 is a 7 and a modified GT3 with Motons and no rubber is a 9. The car is MUCH more planted, much less roll, a lot more precise and does not solely rely on the silly shock button to firm it up. The spring rates are just right IMO and the PASM shocks are now track only for me. I found the car very settled and just firm enough for aggressive driving in the hills w/o using the sport setting. I could have, but the rear end did a bit of skipping on broken pavement and beat me up a bit more for what seemed like little reward. I think the sport button will be track only for me going forward. The steering is better, but still not GT3 sharp. That is my only dissapointment. I went to custom alignment in MT View for the set up and told them "Aggressive Street" with some track time. I have the sheet, but I would be lying if I said that I have an appreciation as to whether I might prefer more toe or camber, or if I am just living with the vagary of a car that is not rear wheel drive. The super sports are great and slightly quieter than my old tires (PS2) and a hell of a lot cheaper.
Overall, I am very happy with the project and feel like the car handles like it should have from the factory. The spacers and lowered stance are really nice and the scraping from lowering about 25MM has not been that noticeable. I want to publicly thank Sharkwerks and Alex for great customer service, the time spent talking to me about the project and the emails following installation to make sure I was happy. Damn rare in this day and age, well done Alex.
Ok, time to think about an EP1 to augment my aural dynamics!
#2
10-21-2013, 11:14 AM
The title should give you a sense of what this review is chiefly about, but like they say on Ginsu commercials... But wait, there's more! The whole package was:
1) Techart Springs
2) RSS Rear Link Kit
3) RSS Toe Steer Kit
4) H&R Sways Front and Rear
5) RSS Wheels Spacer (15 and 7mm R&F)
6) Michelin Pilot Super Sports
7) New Alignment
The executive overview is that I am very happy with the results, as these parts seem to be working very nicely together both on the street and the track. Here are the details of what I set out to do and what I have experienced.
1) The Goal: The stock suspension is just not for me--it alternates between mush and chatter. I wanted something that was comfortable for driving regularly but was strong enough to do 4 or 5 track events a year. I also wanted the car slighly lowered, but did not want to have the front scrape much worse than it was already (I have painted lowers).
2) The Decision Point: I think much of what I did is fairly well gone over here and of course Cannga's excellent review with his damptronic coil over is an extremely well written and well read thread. So I'll skip the parts about the Toe steer and sways..the spacers...all of that was easy. What was hard was whether to do the coil overs or the Techart springs. I spent a lot (and I mean a lot) of time reading everything I could about them. While there were a number of listers who were quite happy with the result, there were those who experienced much customer service pain. I wont dive into that, its for another thread. What I will say is that after digesting all of that I called Alex and talked to him. Once of the many things I like about Alex is that he does not try to sell you stuff you don't want or need. We talked at length about my goals and my driving and that I love the GT3, but was not willing to live with it day in and day out. He counseled me that the springs and sways would get me to where I want to be (along with the rest) and that in his experience that the coilover product from Bilstein was not the best performer. That advice made it easier for me to spend thousands less by going with the springs over the coilovers.
3) The Results: I have now had the car back for 2 weeks, and driven it both at Sears Point with HOD as well as some aggressive time in the hills near Pescadero and Woodside (Alices Rest!). I've also driven it to and from work several times. I have to say that the compromise is JUST right. The stock suspension is a "1" to me in terms of firmness. The Techart is a 4.5. A GT3 is a 7 and a modified GT3 with Motons and no rubber is a 9. The car is MUCH more planted, much less roll, a lot more precise and does not solely rely on the silly shock button to firm it up. The spring rates are just right IMO and the PASM shocks are now track only for me. I found the car very settled and just firm enough for aggressive driving in the hills w/o using the sport setting. I could have, but the rear end did a bit of skipping on broken pavement and beat me up a bit more for what seemed like little reward. I think the sport button will be track only for me going forward. The steering is better, but still not GT3 sharp. That is my only dissapointment. I went to custom alignment in MT View for the set up and told them "Aggressive Street" with some track time. I have the sheet, but I would be lying if I said that I have an appreciation as to whether I might prefer more toe or camber, or if I am just living with the vagary of a car that is not rear wheel drive. The super sports are great and slightly quieter than my old tires (PS2) and a hell of a lot cheaper.
Overall, I am very happy with the project and feel like the car handles like it should have from the factory. The spacers and lowered stance are really nice and the scraping from lowering about 25MM has not been that noticeable. I want to publicly thank Sharkwerks and Alex for great customer service, the time spent talking to me about the project and the emails following installation to make sure I was happy. Damn rare in this day and age, well done Alex.
Ok, time to think about an EP1 to augment my aural dynamics!
But wait, there's more! The whole package was:1) Techart Springs
2) RSS Rear Link Kit
3) RSS Toe Steer Kit
4) H&R Sways Front and Rear
5) RSS Wheels Spacer (15 and 7mm R&F)
6) Michelin Pilot Super Sports
7) New Alignment
The executive overview is that I am very happy with the results, as these parts seem to be working very nicely together both on the street and the track. Here are the details of what I set out to do and what I have experienced.
1) The Goal: The stock suspension is just not for me--it alternates between mush and chatter. I wanted something that was comfortable for driving regularly but was strong enough to do 4 or 5 track events a year. I also wanted the car slighly lowered, but did not want to have the front scrape much worse than it was already (I have painted lowers).
2) The Decision Point: I think much of what I did is fairly well gone over here and of course Cannga's excellent review with his damptronic coil over is an extremely well written and well read thread. So I'll skip the parts about the Toe steer and sways..the spacers...all of that was easy. What was hard was whether to do the coil overs or the Techart springs. I spent a lot (and I mean a lot) of time reading everything I could about them. While there were a number of listers who were quite happy with the result, there were those who experienced much customer service pain. I wont dive into that, its for another thread. What I will say is that after digesting all of that I called Alex and talked to him. Once of the many things I like about Alex is that he does not try to sell you stuff you don't want or need. We talked at length about my goals and my driving and that I love the GT3, but was not willing to live with it day in and day out. He counseled me that the springs and sways would get me to where I want to be (along with the rest) and that in his experience that the coilover product from Bilstein was not the best performer. That advice made it easier for me to spend thousands less by going with the springs over the coilovers.
3) The Results: I have now had the car back for 2 weeks, and driven it both at Sears Point with HOD as well as some aggressive time in the hills near Pescadero and Woodside (Alices Rest!). I've also driven it to and from work several times. I have to say that the compromise is JUST right. The stock suspension is a "1" to me in terms of firmness. The Techart is a 4.5. A GT3 is a 7 and a modified GT3 with Motons and no rubber is a 9. The car is MUCH more planted, much less roll, a lot more precise and does not solely rely on the silly shock button to firm it up. The spring rates are just right IMO and the PASM shocks are now track only for me. I found the car very settled and just firm enough for aggressive driving in the hills w/o using the sport setting. I could have, but the rear end did a bit of skipping on broken pavement and beat me up a bit more for what seemed like little reward. I think the sport button will be track only for me going forward. The steering is better, but still not GT3 sharp. That is my only dissapointment. I went to custom alignment in MT View for the set up and told them "Aggressive Street" with some track time. I have the sheet, but I would be lying if I said that I have an appreciation as to whether I might prefer more toe or camber, or if I am just living with the vagary of a car that is not rear wheel drive. The super sports are great and slightly quieter than my old tires (PS2) and a hell of a lot cheaper.
Overall, I am very happy with the project and feel like the car handles like it should have from the factory. The spacers and lowered stance are really nice and the scraping from lowering about 25MM has not been that noticeable. I want to publicly thank Sharkwerks and Alex for great customer service, the time spent talking to me about the project and the emails following installation to make sure I was happy. Damn rare in this day and age, well done Alex.
Ok, time to think about an EP1 to augment my aural dynamics!
I've really liked this set up since James first started using it on TT's in 09. For a daily driver I do feel it's the least compromising but still very balanced set up one can do on these cars. You don't want to induce jiggle/nervousness on our norcal bumpy roads either and then have to fight with the steering wheel. Plus she looks mean! For sure have some fun with the alignment. I usually like a more direct turn in than most but play with the toe
#4
10-21-2013, 04:33 PM
Join Date: Jul 2005
Location: Pacifica, Land of Fog
Posts: 123
Rep Power: 23
Thanks. When you say SP are you talking about Asphalt Friday? Working on the wife ....
#5
10-21-2013, 05:09 PM
Well you know how I am
Not going to sell and of those shower curtains 
#6
10-21-2013, 05:43 PM
Dong well buddy. Need to get rid of some rubber bushings in the rear suspension ill bring the curtains. Haha
#7
10-22-2013, 10:25 AM
How was that track event?I think a set of engine mounts, dog bones and rear bump steer... GOLDEN
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#8
10-22-2013, 04:10 PM
Yes lets talk about those goodies then.
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