The 510 Realm

I've been recommended the 8641-1547 before, which i think is a standard Koni yellow shock, so carries a lifetime warranty, but is sealed so not rebuildable like the 8610 race shocks are. Depends on what you're looking for. It's more of an off the shelf part, whereas the race shocks are assembled burger king style, when you order them, and how you want it. Warranty from Koni is awesome though.

That part number does not come up as valid according to the techs I spoke with at KONI.

Well that sucks. It was recommended to me by a completely clueless and unhelpful ground control technical support representative. Maybe look into the 8641 family then, as the 1547 is just the valving. I do have a picture of those two dampers side by side, so it is odd that it's not coming up.

I guess it's an NLA number, I saw reference to it in a Miata forum, but that was about it.
I asked the (also not too helpful Koni support employee) about the choices in the 8641 family who said that there were "hundreds" of options.

Sucks the Koni guy won't help you out. Do you at least know the dimensions and stroke of whatever damper you're looking for? He should able to pick one out for you at that point, right? You might also give him the dimensions and stroke of a stock 510 damper, along with your desired spring rate so he can give you an updated part number. The truechoice koni guys were very helpful when I called them, but I was shopping the 8610 series, not the 8641.

Nah, he said he "couldn't" based upon dimensions only. He needed a make and model, I gave him '83 280ZX for which he said they didn't make one. I suppose I could try Rear '85 Toyota MR2?
I might just end up going with the KYB AGX 765016, I am sure it's only half the shock but it's 1/3 of the price.

I'm thinking about going 200lbs front and rear with t3 coilovers all around. Any input on the ride? I've seen some mixed reviews. 68 4 door 510 with a fully built sr20det...

Ride depends on a lot of things like road surfaces; not much data here on NY road surfaces. With coilovers it's easy enough to change the springs for ones of different rates if you decide you don't like 200 in/lb. 200 in/lb isn't an unheard of rate for 510s, by any means, and some are doing 50% stiffer than that. Meanwhile I run 150in/lb, but my car's set up completely differently, for different uses, different power levels, etc.

okayfine wrote:Ride depends on a lot of things like road surfaces; not much data here on NY road surfaces. With coilovers it's easy enough to change the springs for ones of different rates if you decide you don't like 200 in/lb. 200 in/lb isn't an unheard of rate for 510s, by any means, and some are doing 50% stiffer than that. Meanwhile I run 150in/lb, but my car's set up completely differently, for different uses, different power levels, etc.

Yea the roads here are terrible as of now from all the plows and all... this car will only be driven on Saturdays and Sundays anyway so i don't mind... i like the feeling of a nice tight stiff ride...

Tire choice will probably have more affect on NVH over coarse surfaces, and damper choice will also impact ride quality.

okayfine wrote:Tire choice will probably have more affect on NVH over coarse surfaces, and damper choice will also impact ride quality.

very true.

As an example, I recently did a test swapping front 200lb springs for 300lb springs. I could hardly perceive any difference in ride quality. Shocks, tires and bushings make more of a difference in ride quality I believe.

I agree with Brad, if you actually do a "bounce" test with shocks disconnected, with #300 lb springs for example, it bounces like Gramma's clapped out Buick. It is the shocks the really determine ride quality, then tires and their side wall construction ( plus pressure).

If you actually re-read the beginning's of this thread, we talk about the whole ride quality thing. One of the toughest issues with our 510's is to pick a shock that has both good bump and rebound, matched to our spring rate.

getting rid of rubber in the suspension also contributes, but that is more of a sound transmission issue, than a ride quality issue IMHO. It does all add up to what is PERCEIVED as a harsh ride.

Hello all, so I've been postponing my 510 project for a while and now have saved up enough
to get my wheels and suspension done. I would like input/help on the wheel offset and spring
rate selection for my application. Specs are as follows:
72 4 dr sedan
main use will be weekend street, although it will most likely see spirited/enthusiastic driving
I have purchased 280zx front struts and cut off the perches and will install a diy coilover kit from
techno toy tuning, I'm also going with the techno toy rear coilover set-up
I don't know where I'm going to set the ride height, but I know I don't want to be too low
I want to be able to rotate the tires so I would like the wheel offset to be the same front & rear
I'm going with 15" wheels because of the tire choices
I do not mind rolling the fenders, I don't want to use flares because I like the car's original body lines
I have an L16 at the moment and plan to install an SR20DET in the future (effect of weight over the front struts)
so my questions are....
the manufacturer of the wheel I want makes a 15 x 7 +18 and a 15 x 7 +15, will these work? and what size
spacer (if any) I need in the front? what tire size?
What spring rate would work best for my intended purpose?
any shock recommendations?
Sorry, for touching a subject that has been heavily discussed, but I don't want to spend that kind of cash
without first being sure of a correct fit.
Thanks for reading, help, comments, input, bashing, etc is welcomed

defdes wrote:Thanks, I'll ring them up.
*LATER*
This is what their guy suggested, I will give it a try.
http://www.speedwaymotors.com/QA1-5094- ... 32589.html

Any luck with this setup? I'm looking at the same sort of setup.