cueball1

iTrader: (13)

I'm looking to upgrade my suspension. Thinking Tein Flex. I have KYB AGX w/ GC coil overs. Pretty popular set up but not the best performance out there. What would a used set of AGX w/ GC's be worth? Trying to budget for better stuff! Shocks have around 12k on them. The GC's were used when I got them. New for everything is around $700. Is $450 realistic?

TonyV

iTrader: (17)

What spring rates are the GC's?

UrbanSoot

iTrader: (24)

depending on mileage anywhere from $300 to $450

Atlanta93LE

iTrader: (5)

I usually see used GC for ~$200. I don't think you'd see more than $200 for the used AGX, either.

rleete

iTrader: (21)

You can get a set of new AGX for about 300 shipped, so $200 is a tad high. I'd say UrbanSoot is in the ballpark, but I'd narrow it to between 350 and 400.

UrbanSoot

iTrader: (24)

call it $350 and make a quick sale. i bet there is a sucker out there to pick this up for that much.

cueball1

iTrader: (13)

Thanks! That's the info I was after. I'm thinking I'd ask $500 at clubroadster for a few days, $450 at m.net after, then $375-400 here if the other boards don't buy them for too much!

Might also try craigslist locally for too high also.

hustler

iTrader: (6)

GC + koni > GC + bilstein > flex

curly

iTrader: (25)

why don't you like them? aren't GC springs considered better than FM springs? I've got KYB and FM springs and love it. $5 says with your new Tein Flex and my setup, I'll still smoke your *** around PIR!

I agree with Hustler, GC + Koni

cueball1

iTrader: (13)

Hustler,

Unfortunately my GC's for the KYB's don't fit bilstein's or Koni's. If they did it would be a no brainer. The set I'm picking up isn't actually the Flex. It's a set of RA's a racer used for one weekend. Emilio know's him and the set up and vouches for it.

It would be great if someone like Grassroots Motorsports would do a side by side test of a bunch of shock/ coil over set ups. I haven't seen comparisons I would ever consider unbiased or scientific. It's usually some "tuner" mag looking for the hot drift set up! Gay!

It's amazing how knowledgeable guys like Emilio, Shaikh, FM, IT racers, etc. all have such different opinons of what's best. Let's see some side by side testing on the same car, same tires and wheels, same day and with different alignments tried on each set up to find optimum!

UrbanSoot

iTrader: (24)

yeah... that would be awesome!
for now i can say:
- billsteins suck until you revalve them and shorten shock body length
- agx = total crap
- illuminas = win
- koni = win
- koni race = win win win

hustler

iTrader: (6)

FM springs are pretty good because they're linear. Teins ride better on the street than my GC/bilstein, but I don't think they're hanging with my set-up in terms of sustained lateral acceleration. I pulled 1.31 lat g's according to a traqmate through a flat corner on Azenis. If they are and just set-up poorly, then I'm still doing it for half the price. The nice thing about GC setups is if you break one shock or something in a pothole, like I did last month, then you can order one shock for $100 instead of boxing it up, sending it to some place on the west coast, and maybe they can revalve it for $120, or maybe you're screwed and have to buy a new set because they won't sell individual dampers.

If I could do it all over again, I'd probably go with Koni. If it were a dedicated track car and I owned the accelerometer, I'd probably go with something like moton, robispec, or other generally expensive ****. If ground control / bilstein is good enough for $500,000 race cars, then its good enough for my weekend track floggings.

hustler

iTrader: (6)

yeah, it would also be great if we could afford accelerometers to tune these *******, and the track time to do it. My bilsteins are great on the track with the FM mounts, but it liquifies my internal organs on the street. I'll get FCM to revalve them next time.

I've had 2 veteran SM drivers emphatically compliment me on my suspension. For $700, I'm proud of that. I put a GC sticker on my roll bar because everyone in Dallas likes to ask me "how do you like your teins?"

The best **** in the world is corner weighting. After I spent a day doing that ****, everything came together in the car, and it was like you stop fighting the car essentially, and it just goes where you want it to go...kinda like just thinking it, and the car does it.

"backing-in" over a crest into an off-camber corner entry about 100', into an uphill 90* turn is the spice of life.

cueball1

iTrader: (13)

Curly!

Hey stranger. Been hitting the track lately? My car's been at BEGI for 4 months now! It's killing me that I've missed 3 track days I had planned.

The AGX just isn't enough shock for the GC's spring rates. They work OK, but bilstein and Koni handle the higher spring rates much better. Shaikh at fatcat hates them- can't say enough bad about them with stiff springs. You really don't find any of the Miata shops around recommending them. Bias? maybe. Sour grapes because there is so little mark up on them they aren't worth the time? maybe. They do seem to suck down in hard cornering. Too much rebound damping in proportion to compression. Shock hunkers down and you lose travel. I also want stiffer springs than the GC's I have. Too much body roll even with the RB hollow.

The Tein's I'm picking up are proven on IT miata's. I might find out it shakes my fillings loose on the street and end up back with the comfortable AGX-GC's I've got. I won't sell them until I make sure I like the Tein's. If I don't like them some clubroadster type will snap them up! Just gotta say JDM!

gizmoto

i just bought used ones w/MS springs for $220. The seller said he used them for about 3k miles.

cueball1

iTrader: (13)

Hustler!

I'm buying tein RA's very slightly used for 1/2 price. If I hate em I'll be putting them back up for sale at CR - JDM baby!!! I'm not getting Tein's because I'm a Tein fan. They are better than what I have, high quality, rebuildable, customizable, hopefully competetive and were a fair price.

I too appreciate budget set ups. No way would I fork over $1500+ for shocks/springs on my 3K car.

cueball1

iTrader: (13)

Curly,

I'm sure the AGX FM set up is just great for your girly little 1.6 car that's been lightened some. I've got a big manly 1.8 that's fully loaded with every possible option for the year! Mine's a bloated manly pig of a miata.

hustler

iTrader: (6)

****, I would. I dropped $8k on power and drivetrain in my $1600 car...lol. Getting a theft rider for $10k is going to be the hard part.

cueball1

iTrader: (13)

Err, isn't your $8k still sitting in it's crate?!?

yeah. My 3k car is about a 10K car now too. BEGI s4 going in, clutch, suspension, roll bar, track wheels and tires, street wheels and tires, winter wheels and tires. Even at 10K it's still a bargain compared to the cars it should keep up with or outrun.

curly

iTrader: (25)

cueball!

I went to cascade's june 6th track day and it was awesome. I was without boost due to a melted vacuum line for a session and kept up with spec miata, he wasn't the best but I was still impressed with my suspension and tire setup. I really need race tires, 4-5psi more and probably after all that I'll look at stiffer springs. you don't think the KYB's will like GC?