Upgrading my suspension. What's my old stuff worth?
Thread Starter
Elite Member
iTrader: (13)
Joined: Nov 2006
Posts: 3,875
Total Cats: 2
From: Tigard, Oregon
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?
Thread Starter
Elite Member
iTrader: (13)
Joined: Nov 2006
Posts: 3,875
Total Cats: 2
From: Tigard, Oregon
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.

Might also try craigslist locally for too high also.
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
I agree with Hustler, GC + Koni
Thread Starter
Elite Member
iTrader: (13)
Joined: Nov 2006
Posts: 3,875
Total Cats: 2
From: Tigard, Oregon
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!
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!
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
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
Joined: Jun 2006
Posts: 29,085
Total Cats: 375
From: Republic of Dallas
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.
Joined: Jun 2006
Posts: 29,085
Total Cats: 375
From: Republic of Dallas
Hustler,
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!
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!
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.
Thread Starter
Elite Member
iTrader: (13)
Joined: Nov 2006
Posts: 3,875
Total Cats: 2
From: Tigard, Oregon
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!
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!
Thread Starter
Elite Member
iTrader: (13)
Joined: Nov 2006
Posts: 3,875
Total Cats: 2
From: Tigard, Oregon
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.
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.
Thread Starter
Elite Member
iTrader: (13)
Joined: Nov 2006
Posts: 3,875
Total Cats: 2
From: Tigard, Oregon
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.
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.
Joined: Jun 2006
Posts: 29,085
Total Cats: 375
From: Republic of Dallas
Thread Starter
Elite Member
iTrader: (13)
Joined: Nov 2006
Posts: 3,875
Total Cats: 2
From: Tigard, Oregon
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.
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.
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?
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?






