Who has Megan Racing Streets on an S13?

[BigJack]

just wondering what u guys use for ur hardness setting. just wondering cuz i started at 15 but too soft, then 2 was too hard and bouncy, then 13 was too soft too, so theyre at 10 now and i havent driven it yet. just want some opinions on ur settings for dd and sliding.

[Casey]

i have them on my s14.

let them break in first..

just leave them on somewhere in the middle stiffness

did you run any preload or not?

[BigJack]

there cant be too much difference, what do u use for dd and sliding?

[Casey]

there cant be too much difference, what do u use for dd and sliding?

counting up from soft 1 to hard 32

i use 23 all around iirc.


and i use the same settings for dd and "sliding" lol

no needin changing it

[shawn shawn]

I run mine close to soft on streets and kinda close to stiff in front and really close to stiff in the rear for track...

I have no exact #'s.


honestly it says 32 way adj... but honestly I bet there is no diff from 15 clicks to 18 clicks.

[Blake]

on the track i run 2 in the front and 5 in the rear

daily like 7 and 12 in rear

[BigJack]

i have them on my s14.

let them break in first..

just leave them on somewhere in the middle stiffness

did you run any preload or not?
considering i have no idea what preload is.... no, theyve only been on the ground since about 7 tonight

[Casey]

considering i have no idea what preload is.... no, theyve only been on the ground since about 7 tonight

preload.

meaning

preloading the spring

theres 2 adjusments

height
and preload


preload is adjusted by the two lock nuts on the coilover toward the top.

it helps reduce shock travel by tightening the spring before the car is lowered down.

good if your car is lowered. but may also restrict the amount you can lower the car.

typically a little bit of preload is good for the megan street coilovers. but preload should never be used in excess when a stiffer spring is needed.

for a street car. just tighten the preload a little bit. maybe a half inch at most. alot of people do it by feel. i found that its easier to just measure the preload with a tape measure. in milimeters.

[BigJack]

preload.

meaning

preloading the spring

theres 2 adjusments

height
and preload


preload is adjusted by the two lock nuts on the coilover toward the top.

it helps reduce shock travel by tightening the spring before the car is lowered down.

good if your car is lowered. but may also restrict the amount you can lower the car.

typically a little bit of preload is good for the megan street coilovers. but preload should never be used in excess when a stiffer spring is needed.

for a street car. just tighten the preload a little bit. maybe a half inch at most. alot of people do it by feel. i found that its easier to just measure the preload with a tape measure. in milimeters.
we made sure that the backs matched each other and the fronts matched each other the way that they came so my car still has like an inch to go on the front cuz i have 205/50's on the front and 195/60's on the back. andy said to keep it like that for a week until they get broken in and compress a little, then ill lower them and maybe do a wire tuck and cut the inner fender and get rid of the plastic oem front lip which will probably be only a 1/4" from the ground once its lowered all the way

[Casey]

we made sure that the backs matched each other and the fronts matched each other the way that they came so my car still has like an inch to go on the front cuz i have 205/50's on the front and 195/60's on the back. andy said to keep it like that for a week until they get broken in and compress a little, then ill lower them and maybe do a wire tuck and cut the inner fender and get rid of the plastic oem front lip which will probably be only a 1/4" from the ground once its lowered all the way

ok?

im talking about preload not ride height

but whatever lol... google it.

i explained to andy at one point so... idk

[BigJack]

heres a pic. i dont think they have a preload.
http://www.dtmautohaus.com/store/images/megan/mr_damper.jpg

[Casey]

dude its the crap that holds the spring ......


see the red screw things.

you can move them up and down

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v178/viperbite/My%20Car/010272.jpg


do you see both sets of lock nuts???

[matts13]

if you have to "brake in" your coil overs they are junk. the setting you run have a lot to do with how much power you make and what kind of tire you run.

[BigJack]

so do i move them up or down? u said tighten them but then u said it would restrict ride height? so a half a turn up?


if you have to "brake in" your coil overs they are junk. the setting you run have a lot to do with how much power you make and what kind of tire you run.
no1 ever said megans r the best

[Casey]

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v178/viperbite/coiloverexplainedfornublet.jpg


if you have to "brake in" your coil overs they are junk. the setting you run have a lot to do with how much power you make and what kind of tire you run.

yea megans suck balls anyways.

[BigJack]

but thanks though. im still new to the whole scene and i thought that those preload things were for ride height. now i understand that u raise that lower one at the lower mount to where u want it, screw in the lower mount to where u want it, then lower the red thing against it. i just read the booklet for it. but it says nothing about preloading and i know its pretty bouncy right now

yes i get it now thank u. so ill raise the top one a 1/2 from the bottom then tighten the bottom aginst it right

[shawn shawn]

MSpaint is my favorite teaching tool as well.

[Casey]

MSpaint is my favorite teaching tool as well.

i used photoshop .


note smooth paint lines..

[Photonic]

counting up from soft 1 to hard 32

i use 23 all around iirc.


and i use the same settings for dd and "sliding" lol

no needin changing it

he is right.

Changing damping to "change the balance of your car" is a bad idea. There is only ONE ideal damping setting for your spring rate and amount of suspension travel and once its right its right.."30 way adjustability" is a marketing ploy by the manufacturers to sell products "ZOMG 30 WAYS ADJUSTABILITY"

They adjust Compression and rebound simultaniously...Usually non proportionaly ..IE making compression super high at the expense of very little rebound..or vice versa..They dont always produce the same damping force on the same adjuster setting ...unless you buy really high end coilovers*shrug* Megans are surprisingly decent for the price range though.

the good tho is if you have access to a shock dyno, You can find the ideal damping curve, and use the adjustable knob to make sure all 4 shocks match ..because the quality control is such that even with a matched set, Each one WILL have different damping force readings even if on the same adjuster setting.

Or put simply..Once you feel its right..just leave it..Damping shouldnt be used to change the balance of the car..thats what Springs and Antiroll bars are for.

[Casey]

but thanks though. im still new to the whole scene and i thought that those preload things were for ride height. now i understand that u raise that lower one at the lower mount to where u want it, screw in the lower mount to where u want it, then lower the red thing against it. i just read the booklet for it. but it says nothing about preloading and i know its pretty bouncy right now

yes i get it now thank u. so ill raise the top one a 1/2 from the bottom then tighten the bottom aginst it right

holy shiz dont blow your struts lol...


i recomend taking them off your car.

fixing. and putting them back on.


he is right.

Changing damping to "change the balance of your car" is a bad idea. There is only ONE ideal damping setting for your spring rate and amount of suspension travel and once its right its right.."30 way adjustability" is a marketing ploy by the manufacturers to sell products "ZOMG 30 WAYS ADJUSTABILITY"

They adjust Compression and rebound simultaniously...Usually non proportionaly ..IE making compression super high at the expense of very little rebound..or vice versa..They dont always produce the same damping force on the same adjuster setting ...unless you buy really high end coilovers*shrug* Megans are surprisingly decent for the price range though.

the good tho is if you have access to a shock dyno, You can find the ideal damping curve, and use the adjustable knob to make sure all 4 shocks match ..because the quality control is such that even with a matched set, Each one WILL have different damping force readings even if on the same adjuster setting.

Or put simply..Once you feel its right..just leave it..Damping shouldnt be used to change the balance of the car..thats what Springs and Antiroll bars are for.
yea that would be nice....
lol

oh and whenever you pop your hood at a meet. / show.

take your adjustment knobs off your coilovers lol

douchebags spin them.

[BigJack]

[quote=viperbite;265201]holy shiz dont blow your struts lol...


i recomend taking them off your car.

fixing. and putting them back on.


u mean taking them off of the strut tower. whats the difference that would just make it harder to keep them still when i tighten them

[ThatS13Guy]

10/5rear is my setup and it drives nice daily and slides good too...although i have alot more done to my suspension besides coilovers

[Casey]

[quote=viperbite;265201]holy shiz dont blow your struts lol...


i recomend taking them off your car.

fixing. and putting them back on.


u mean taking them off of the strut tower. whats the difference that would just make it harder to keep them still when i tighten them

eh do what you want. i would remove them and redo them.

[flip]

I have megan streets and run them at 10 from softest in the rear and 6 from softest in the front and it slides and daily's great. They are comparably stiffer than most springs/shocks so you can run them soft which is usually ideal for maximum grip for drifting...


if you have to "brake in" your coil overs they are junk. the setting you run have a lot to do with how much power you make and what kind of tire you run.

Dunno where you get this info from. Mine took a little while to break in but once broken are very nice... The settings you use depend more on the stiffness of your chasis and the rest of your suspension setup.


[quote=bigjacsoc;265203]

eh do what you want. i would remove them and redo them.

I don't think theres any reason to remove them but everything else you said is on point.

[mercrod]

yes any type of suspension mod requires break in and you also need to check for nuts and bolts that may have loose after 500 miles or so

[BigJack]

yeah i already took the inner camber adjuster bolts and put them in the middle. sigh, tired of getting flamed on for auto tranny cough*steve*cough. but i cant preload them myself, my jack doesnt fit under my car, now i need ramps or some 2x4's

[BigJack]

well i preloaded them today. i had to use my oem scissor jack cuz its too low for my other one. i did 1/2" in the front and rear like u guys said and reversed them against each other to lock em. thank you for the help guys

[BigJack]

quick question. the dampening force knob just effects the rebound and springs effect compression right? so if i have it on 25 ill still be able to take corners and the amount of body roll will be the same as if it was on 1 right?

[Photonic]

Not quite

The springs job is to absorb energy from bumps.

Plain and simple..Infact "shocks" do not absorb shock at all (thats the springs job)..Their purpose is to absorb the stored energy of the "spring" and keep the spring working in a stable manner

Shocks or.."dampers" as they should be called, Work in a compression AND rebound cycle...because the shock body is a giant piston that runs into an oil chamber...and as it "compresses" it forces that oil through a valve causing resistance to that piston moving down, and that valving determines among other variables the rate at which at that piston can "compress" thats the compression cycle


And the rate at which the shock resists coming back UP is "rebound" both work to stabilize the spring so you dont bounce forever. the shocks work is primarily only under transition loads..IE on initial turn in or the start of your drift...Everything else mid drift/ mid corner to exit is on the springs and roll bars really.

But i went off on a tangent..No..The knob WILL adjust compression and rebound damping on the shock TOGETHER..and its very hard to reach an ideal damping curve with adjusters like this but at entry level its perfectly reasonable. So yes..to answer your question, Body roll will diminish slightly on full stiff, because in addition to the spring resisting compression, the damper is helping.

[flip]

I think you're reading into this a little too much for where your car is at...

Preload: I'd tighten it down on the springs to where you can still spin them around but there is no up or down play and tight enough to where you must use a little effort to spin the springs.

Height: Don't go too low because it will hamper the function of the struts. Low is good because it lowers your center of balance but not TOO low...

Dampening: Even if you keep your settings on the "softer" settings, its still going to be stiff enough for you unless you are doing some SERIOUS road racing. I doubt you'd be able to tell much of a difference aside from the fact that its really un-comfortable...

[Photonic]

Yea..keep in mind when he says too low it isnt just cuz you will scrape your car...Too low without adjustable arms..and it throws the angle of the control arms and such all off..so you actually LOOSE grip :(

[BigJack]

yeah, i NEED arms and an allignment. even my pass. side toe is out and rear drivers side has a lot of neg camber. thnx guys. btw i used to only be able to do 40-50 on towne lake pkwy and now i can do over 80 with really bad allignment and bad rear tires.