RoadsterSport ClubSport LONG TRAVEL Coilovers - ND / Fiat 124

DESCRIPTION

This custom combo incorporates our new ND Koni Race height-adjustable threaded body shocks and a special dual-rate spring developed specifically for this package and made for us by Progress Technology. The result is a shorter shock body extra long travel coilover that boasts premium quality from some of the best names in suspension, with an unbeatable price tag.

This kit is all about MAXIMUM performance to dollar ratio with way above average ride quality for these spring rates, particularly when you hit a pothole or other road issue that uses the extra travel. Massive 136mm front stroke and 181mm rear stroke is more than any other coilover we have seen for this platform and it means you can absorb bigger potholes and dips without hitting the bumpstops.
We focused the costs and R&D where it all matters, and avoided anything unnecessary in order to create the new best bargain among coilover options for cars bridging the gap between fun canyon carver and occasional autocross or track fun.

To that end, we chose to design this combo to use the factory top hats, which saves the cost of manufacturing four new hats. The reason most coilovers need their own hats is that standard 2.5 inch diameter race springs used on most coilovers don't seat properly on a stock hat. Rather than go with off-the-shelf springs we decided to custom design unique springs made to work with ND top hats. Retaining stock top hats also keeps the factory rubber donut mounting of those hats which cuts a lot of noise and vibration as compared with other brands using spherical bearing top hats.

Thus, instead of a universal linear 2.5 inch diameter spring, these custom springs were developed with the appropriate size at the top to fit into the factory hats. That means no extra adapters needed and the spring tapers down to a smaller diameter at the bottom to fit the adjustable perch on the special threaded body KONI Race shock. Furthermore, this custom spring incorporates two spring rates with a progressive transition, effectively having a higher primary spring rate and a lower helper spring rate all built in one spring (more on this below in the spring section). This simplification of the spring stack gets you the value of a high end coilover with dual spring setup, all incorporated into a single spring for easy assembly with less parts, and a lower price tag. AND we found in testing that this special dual-rate spring actually gives better ride quality than even a super high quality dual spring setup from Swift of similar spring rates. That's due to the special dual rate spring having a smooth progressive transition between the two portions of the spring, in stark contrast to a classic two-spring race setup where there's a sudden change in rate between the helper and main spring.

Koni Long Stroke Race Shocks

Back in the day our friends at KONI did a motorsports Koni Race valving setup for the NC for GrandAm Racing. They sent us a set of those in fixed length with that valving for testing and we LOVED IT. We loved it because it rode amazing and yet it handled race sharp. But we wanted even more - we wanted it in a height adjustable shock body in addition to the magic damping and the adjustable damping feature of the first test set sent to us. From that was born the NC Koni Race, and those rewrote what was thought possible for a 'budget' level coilover option. Building on that success, we wanted the same amazing ride and performance for the ND, and so Koni went to work with us on an ND version with all the same experience and expertise. The result here is a ride height adjustable and rebound adjustable Koni Race shock for the ND with long travel. Massive 136mm front stroke and 181mm rear stroke is more than any other coilover we have seen for this platform. Think of it as a massively upgraded version of the popular Koni Sport shocks, adding superior damping control and fine height adjustment and extra travel. These are exclusive to Goodwin Racing.

The shock bodies feature a beautiful "chrome" finish that has undergone rigorous 1000-hour salt spray testing for exceptional corrosion protection.

These shocks come with Koni racing bumpstops included in the boxes which were selected for this kit after extensive testing in our own Miata. Shock rebound adjustment is done just like Koni Sport shocks via a knob at the top of the shock.

Custom Progress Dual-Rate Springs

Developed specifically for this kit, these dual-rate springs are a two-in-one wonder that operates like a traditional (and more complex) multi-spring stack found on dedicated race coilovers.

You'll often see high-end coilovers with multiple springs per shock; a main spring and a helper spring. This is particularly necessary for coilovers with higher spring rates so that as you move the lower spring perch to adjust ride height you aren't trying to compress the strong main spring further and further. The "helper" spring is a lighter secondary spring that is relatively easy to compress. The usual helper spring maintains pressure on the lower perch as you move the lower perch up or down on the shock while presenting minimal resistance to you as you make adjustments. The helper spring also helps with traction over bumps through a corner on the unloaded side of the car.

We rolled the helper and main spring into one spring by working with Progress Technology to develop a special spring that has both a main rate portion and a lower helper rate portion. Having this all incorporated in one spring eliminates the complexity of needing adapters and bearings between multiple springs. Some coilovers need up to 7 individual parts to make up one spring stack on a shock! Here you have just one spring and no potential noise sources that traditional multi-spring stacks can suffer.

Prime Section Spring rates:
STREET: Front 390 lb/in, Rear 225 lb/in (7k/4k)
TRACK: Front 500 lb/in, Rear 280 lb/in (9k/5k)

CHOOSING SPRING RATES:

PLEASE get the Street Springs if your miles are 95 percent or more street use. The 'Street' spring rates are already about THREE times stiffer than the factory spring rates! These will make your Miata much FASTER than stock in the canyons and for autocross and track. We have already proven, as documented at local autocross events, that we can win on autocross days with the Street springs. Likewise, we have proven the Street Springs are fast at the track. Thus, if this is primarily a street car for you, we strongly suggest you enjoy the Street Springs as the BEST compromise between ride and handling. Sometimes, less is more and more rate than these will NOT be better for most daily drivers in our experience. Moreover, if ride quality is part of your goals, and you want to ENJOY the extra long travel, then stay with stock sways and stock wheel and tires. Any bigger than stock wheel and tire combo requires adding packers to limit travel and thus we strongly suggest street customers seeking MAX RIDE QUALITY exercise some self control on wheel and tire sizes. If you must go bigger than stock do NO MORE than 17x8 and 235/40 tire. If you want to run a lot more wheel and tire our other coilovers with more spring rate and less travel will make fitment easier. Packers NOT included since 90 percent of customers do not need them, if you think you will run big tires and wheels see packers item 61-3766 on this site.

The track spring option is about FOUR times as much rate as stock spring rate, with far more obvious ride quality degradation in exchange for even faster response. Do not get these and complain you thought the ride would be better with these, we designed the Street Springs as our best compromise that keeps ride quality. The Track option is still not as stiff as we would choose for a full-on hardcore race builds, every choice has compromise and this one is simply less ideal for street in exchange for more track day speed. Both spring rate options can be used in both street and track conditions, but this track option compromises street ride noticeably more. The Track spring rates are the choice for those wanting extra roll resistance with sticky tires at the race track MULTIPLE times per month, whereas the Street spring rates are for those prioritizing street use and more daily ride compliance.

Note that, as always with ND, because it has the rubber bushings in the control arms it tends to lock height and car won't lower until you free those bushings to move. Thus, expect as normal with any ND coilover install that it will settle significantly as the bushings adjust to the new heights.

BRIAN'S NOTES

This thing now rides nearly as good as our famous OHLINS Coilovers. The damping profile in this setup is derived from shaker table work Koni did for GrandAm Racing. It has the control now to work as a really nice sport touring setup that is much faster than any lowering springs with Koni SPORT shocks, and customers get precise height control of real coilovers, and the Koni Race shock damping control adjustment goes far beyond what is in the Koni Sport shocks. This is not a hardcore race setup by any means, and so much travel this is not the setup for those wanting to run really wide wheel and tire combos. Our much stiffer sprung MeisterR Club Race that come with 10kg/6kg springs, or our Feal 441 Road Race that come with 12kg/7kg, will leave this softer setup far behind on track and autocross days if lap time is your top priority. This unique combo provides a super fun and fast sport touring setup that rides better than those setups for super competent back roads fun, daily hooligan driving, and faster track and autocross work than you will get with standard lowering springs and Koni Sport shocks.

Thus, my recommendation for those interested in KONI but wanting a ton more performance than available with any lowering springs on Koni Sport Shocks is use this setup. Spring rates on these are the same as our standard Ohlins Coilovers, 7kg Front and 4kg Rear. In pounds that is 390 front/225 rear. In comparison, standard Progress Lowering Springs are more rate than stock but not nearly this much. So here we have more than doubled spring rates from the standard Progress Springs, yet delivered similar ride to that setup with MUCH more performance yet softer ride for daily use than something like our MeisterR ClubRace or FEAL 441.

Local customer with our ClubSport Coilovers installed and set per his preference to 13.5 inches front, 13 5/8 inches rear (and note his tires are slightly bigger than stock 215/45-17).

Brian's Sway Bar TIP: We STRONGLY SUGGEST you don't rush into adding sway bars with this setup until you really have weeks or even months to drive it. Why? As a Koni Race shock the compression damping is enough that most will find they do NOT need sway bar upgrades for really flat handling when used with a reasonable wheel and tire package. Adding bigger sway bars will cut ride quality! These reduce body roll so much that most will not feel the need to change from OEM sways.

I also suggest that street customers start with these adjusted FULL SOFT because with roots in a KONI GrandAm Race development these have plenty of compression side damping at full soft for most street use. Dial them stiffer for track and autocross depending on surface conditions and desired balance front to rear.

INSTALLATION NOTES:

- Koni supplies a white plastic spacer with a slot in it with each shock. These should be installed on the shock shaft, below the bumpstop, one per shock.

- The threads on the top of all Koni shocks are slightly shorter than a factory shock. Factory rubber top hat bushings compress over time and hold their compressed shape. Therefore reusing your existing factory bushings is a fairly easy option for install. However, if you choose to buy fresh factory Mazda bushings to use in your install those will not be compressed and the resulting stack height of the top hat will be a little too tall to get the top nut started and you will need to compress those bushings some in order to get the nut started. An easier option if you want to put fresh top hat bushings in your install is to get our RoadsterSport polyurethane bushings which are modeled based on a compressed bushing to make installation easier. You can find those bushings AT THIS LINK.
- NEVER use an impact gun to tighten the top nut on the shock. Doing so can cause permanent damage to the shock and will void the warranty.

Basic instructions by Koni come shipped with the shocks but for much better detail, click the links below to see exploded views of the full front and rear assemblies in full detail:
FRONT Exploded View <-- Click me!
REAR Exploded View <-- Click me!

Assembly tip: Start by spinning the collars all the way down as low as possible on the shock, then assemble everything. With everything assembled and the top nuts tight, then raise the collars to the recommended starting height as the final step, putting tension on the spring. This way you are not fighting against the spring pressure when installing the top hat.

Damping adjustment tip: As with all Konis, the adjustment on the top of the shock to change from soft to firm is opposite from most other shock makers. With Konis, CLOCKWISE = Softer, and COUNTER-CLOCKWISE = Stiffer.
All Koni shocks ship set to the full-soft position. Shocks should not be driven/used when up "against the wall" of full-soft or full-hard. Therefore an important part during assembly is to turn the adjusters off of that full soft position, ensure smooth motion of the knob, and then set them to the position you desire. Note this is easier to do AFTER you have the shock and spring assembled as it can be difficult to hold the shock shaft in place and keep it from spinning with your hand before you have things assembled. If you want the shocks at full-soft, turn the knob all the way clockwise gently until you hit the wall, and then turn the knob counter-clockwise 1/8th turn or so that the shock is within its operating window. Similarly, if you want full stiff, turn the knob counter-clockwise until you find the wall at full stiff and then bring it back 1/8th turn or so. Never drive the car with the shock adjustment jammed against either end of the adjustment range.

All NDs have a tendency for the suspension bushings to bind and lock in place, and so as with any ND suspension install it is a critical final step of the installation to loosen those suspension bolts and load up the suspension with the weight of the car and then tighten the bolts only after the suspension is compressed to ride height. Failure to do so results in incorrect ride heights and can also make the car ride far rougher than it should because those locked up bushings are making the effective total spring rate 2x or 3x more than it otherwise should be with bushings that are moving freely like they should. Lots more in-depth discussion about methods and tricks for unsticking the suspension bushings can be found in the forums.

These work in both ND and Fiat 124. We had them in our Fiat 124 for road testing by our friends at Grassroots MotorSports Magazine. Shown here with our Enkei GTC 17x8 Wheels and Toyo Sport 235/40 Tires. Everyone loved the setup on our canyon fun roads because it has so much more travel than other choices. See the FULL ARTICLE on the GRM website, just one page of it below: