How to test KYB strut out of the car?

Why change springs etc if you're not looking for a performance increase? In my opinion the standard spring rate is way too soft, at least if no front sway bar installed. If you are planning to lowering the car (for improved performance and better looks) I think the MWB recommendation for street cars is too soft. There is a big risk that springs will bottom out and wheel hit fenders on bumpy roads. Of course this also depends on tire size/width and ET.
This happened to me with D2 circuit springs, no rubber stoppers and no antiroll bar (185/60 13 tires):
View attachment 41300
No big damage. It was easy to have the fender straightened, but will need some paint. I am thinking about having even harder springs in the front and maybe a sway bar.
True that a soft spring will compress more than a stiff spring under the same conditions, and that may be an issue on a lowered car....or not. Because there are several variables to consider; wheel/tire size (as you mentioned) and fender lip mods will play a huge role in fender clearance, road/driving conditions affect how much travel is needed, same for how far the car is lowered, the desired level of comfort vs performance you are looking for (always a trade-off), the dampener setting (inside the coilovers), the type of bump-stops, the set up for rest of the suspension, personal opinion for what is considered "soft or hard", etc.

However those springs rates noted earlier are still stiffer than stock by roughly 20%, so they will provide some performance increase - approximately equal to most "sport springs" or "lowering springs" offered for stock struts. And they will offer a nice ride if that is the goal. So depending on all the variables at play, those rates can be a good starting point. Personally, when I was much younger I set up my street cars much firmer than I do now. Therefore 175/225 works for me now, but it will be different for others.
 
On the general subject of X1/9 coilover options, I believe another brand that might offer some is "BC". It needs to be confirmed if they have them for the X, I may be remembering it wrong. But they are popular in the early water-cooled VW circles; for the money they seem to get decent reviews.
 
Bjorn,
How much did you lower your front end, (from the stock height) when you installed the coilovers?
A lot. I have 185/60 13" wheels and have 20 mm gap to the fender. So I probably lowered it 50-60 mm.
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A lot. I have 185/60 13" wheels and have 20 mm gap to the fender. So I probably lowered it 50-60 mm.
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Couldn't find an answer to this in a prior post. Did the 10 degree camber plates ("D" shown on the diagram) correct your orientation issue? Seems that the "clocking" with the D2 and Ksport coilovers using "A" or "B" has surfaced before.
 
Couldn't find an answer to this in a prior post. Did the 10 degree camber plates ("D" shown on the diagram) correct your orientation issue? Seems that the "clocking" with the D2 and Ksport coilovers using "A" or "B" has surfaced before.
I will revert in this matter. I thought "A" would have brought a "neutral 90 degree" angle for camber adjustment (no affection on caster) when I ordered my coils, but it didn't due to the weird top mount bolt locations on X1/9. I have the "A" top plate and it seems to keep stock caster setting when lowering the car and adding more negative camber than normal. Unfortunately I can't compare different top plates but I can say that the "A" top plate works well for me.
Note that D2 is very flexible. You can have a top plate that's fully adjustable for both camber and caster at an extra cost:
topmount-pp_medium.jpg
 
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Why change springs etc if you're not looking for a performance increase? In my opinion the standard spring rate is way too soft, at least if no front sway bar installed. If you are planning to lowering the car (for improved performance and better looks) I think the MWB recommendation for street cars is too soft. There is a big risk that springs will bottom out and wheel hit fenders on bumpy roads. Of course this also depends on tire size/width and ET.
This happened to me with D2 circuit springs, no rubber stoppers and no antiroll bar (185/60 13 tires):
View attachment 41300
No big damage. It was easy to have the fender straightened, but will need some paint. I am thinking about having even harder springs in the front and maybe a sway bar.
Looks are not my reason for stiffer or lower springs. And yes, I am installing a front antiroll bar. My experience with a 1990 Miata with standard springs and fully adjustable shocks (Tokiko) has shown me that you can have a comfortable street ride and turn up the shocks to hard setting for track. It has worked very well. On my X, with adjustable height, 20 % stiffer spings and fully adjustable shocks, I expect to achieve street comfort and better handling on tracktrack. The problem seems to be finding fully adjustable shocks like Tokiko at a reasonnable price. Since we have last posted, I have found this out of the UK. Not cheap but seems to ticks all the boxes. Any comments? https://www.x19spares.co.uk/fiat-x19-gaz-fully-adjustable-suspension-systems-280-p.asp
 
Having a rather soft spring and compress it for track use is not recommended by any manufacturer, but possible on most coil overs. There is no "One Size Fits All" in suspension.
The cost for the GAZ coil is in-between the D2 Street and Circuit models. GAZ has a good reputation and the product is most likely good.
 
Looks are not my reason for stiffer or lower springs. And yes, I am installing a front antiroll bar. My experience with a 1990 Miata with standard springs and fully adjustable shocks (Tokiko) has shown me that you can have a comfortable street ride and turn up the shocks to hard setting for track. It has worked very well. On my X, with adjustable height, 20 % stiffer spings and fully adjustable shocks, I expect to achieve street comfort and better handling on tracktrack. The problem seems to be finding fully adjustable shocks like Tokiko at a reasonnable price. Since we have last posted, I have found this out of the UK. Not cheap but seems to ticks all the boxes. Any comments? https://www.x19spares.co.uk/fiat-x19-gaz-fully-adjustable-suspension-systems-280-p.asp
Someone posted about the GAZ coilovers a few years ago (@rachaeljf, was it you?). See if you can find that discussion for more info. However it might have been buried in an existing thread and not easily found. Hopefully someone remembers.
 
I tend to prefer a bit softer spring and firmer dampening for overall use - mostly on the street. But I'm not saying it is the ideal setup for performance, just my personal choice. The other way around - a firm spring and soft dampener - is what you typically get with most "affordable" coilovers. And I really do not like that combination for any use. This is why I agree about the benefit to having adjustable dampeners. However to get adjustable dampeners on coilovers usually means much more expensive units.
 
I'll throw this into the ring. I want to do almost the same set up as a guy in the UK. He's building a serious fast road X. He has Gaz coilovers and is very happy with them but he had to do a fair amount of fitting with a bit of custom work. The wheels are Image Billet 93s (I'm considering the Billet Ultralite, under 7.5lbs.). Avon 185/55/13 ZZS, 21.85" Diameter and around 7" tread.
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Bjorn, what 185/60 tires ares are you using?
 
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The nice thing for those of us in N. A. is that MWBs or Vick's are in the US so they can be dealt with somewhat more locally and your dealing with Konis for a decent price. I wonder if dbl. adl. racing Konis could be switched in place of Koni Sports - they are a much better damper even for the street. I was also thinking about touching base with the owner of FortuneAuto in Virginia. They used to be very willing to develop systems for a good price.
 
I'll throw this into the ring. I want to do almost the same set up as a guy in the UK. He's building a serious fast road X. He has Gaz coilovers and is very happy with them but he had to do a fair amount of fitting with a bit of custom work. The wheels are Image Billet 93s (I'm considering the Billet Ultralite, under 7.5lbs.). Avon 185/55/13 ZZS, 21.85" Diameter and around 7" tread.
Very nice car. It has about the same ride height as mine.
So GAZ requires some modification and massaging to fit. This is not uncommon for some other brands as well to fit in the X what I've heard. D2 also "ticks all boxes" with everything adjustable; camber, (caster), height, spring compression, dampener.
I don't think coils in this price segment differ much in performance and quality but they differ in fitting and flexibility. Finding a good reseller with product knowledge and good service is also important. If price wouldn't have been an issue I would have turned to Öhlins to have a custom made suspension. They are no:1 in this business 🇸🇪👍😉.

I am using Nankang AR-1 185/60 13 tires (street legal)
 
The X really looks good when it's lowered, but if you're going to lower your car make sure you account for the way lowering affects alignment. Also, if you're going to lower the car make sure the strut doesn't bottom out. A custom setup should have a shorter (than stock) strut housing and strut shaft. Do these suppliers of custom struts valve their struts to match the springs that are/will be installed?
 
The X really looks good when it's lowered, but if you're going to lower your car make sure you account for the way lowering affects alignment. Also, if you're going to lower the car make sure the strut doesn't bottom out. A custom setup should have a shorter (than stock) strut housing and strut shaft. Do these suppliers of custom struts valve their struts to match the springs that are/will be installed?
Yes, alignment is necessary with new coils. Camber and toe is easy to adjust but most coilovers do not compensate for the caster setting that will be changed when lowering the car. The length of the strut is the same also when lowering the car, unless you don't lower it by compressing the spring (which is a bad idea IMHO). The ride height is adjusted by screwing/moving the threaded lower mount up or down. Springs may vary a little bit in length and thickness, but the coil diameter is the same regardless of stiffness to fit around the damper.
 
I'll throw this into the ring. I want to do almost the same set up as a guy in the UK. He's building a serious fast road X. He has Gaz coilovers and is very happy with them but he had to do a fair amount of fitting with a bit of custom work. The wheels are Image Billet 93s (I'm considering the Billet Ultralite, under 7.5lbs.). Avon 185/55/13 ZZS, 21.85" Diameter and around 7" tread.
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View attachment 41342

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Bjorn, what 185/60 tires ares are you using?
Hasbro, you mention: He has Gaz coilovers and is very happy with them but he had to do a fair amount of fitting with a bit of custom work. Could you find out more? I have contacted GAZ and will be talking to them directly. Will report.
 
Here you go Alain. I think he made the pivot bushes and acquired other fittings?;

Hi Barry -

Sorry there is no complete kit ready to install at the moment.

I'm running what you might call a prototype of it at the moment.
Some of the components are from the US.

You only need to make the pivot bushes.

Each front strut has -

-1x strut top nut
-1x strut top washer
-1x cup mount
-1x strut top cone
-1x Plaia top mount
-1x Plaia strut plate
-1x steering pivot bush
-1x spacer
-1x helper spring (to spec)
-1x main spring (to spec)
-1x damper tube / piston assembly
-2x camber bolts inc. nuts & camber washers
-2x straight bolts inc. nuts & flat washers

The rear strut is identical except the pivot bush is replaced with a solid bush.
The front strut is part of the steering system.
 
The X really looks good when it's lowered, but if you're going to lower your car make sure you account for the way lowering affects alignment. Also, if you're going to lower the car make sure the strut doesn't bottom out. A custom setup should have a shorter (than stock) strut housing and strut shaft. Do these suppliers of custom struts valve their struts to match the springs that are/will be installed?

On the D2s and the Ksports (don't think this applies to GAZ) the damper travel and spring height remain constant. The vehicle height adjustment is handled by the threaded lower mounts and not by compressing the spring. It has the effect of shortening the strut housing without actually shortening or limiting travel. The distributor for Ksport in the US is not up for altering the supplied spring rates claiming that the valving is matched to the springs, so custom matching of components at Ksport looks to be a dead end.

IMG_3063.jpg
 
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