indopinoy

I'm strongly favoring the Fortune 510s right now after comparing them to PSS9's. I spoke with Terry from Fortune and he said rebuilds should be done every 2-4 years for normal use, and more so with track use. Is this the norm? How do other coilovers hold up? I'm just thinking in terms of future expenses. How much does it typically cost to rebuild (I forgot to ask Terry)?

Coilovers I've seriously shopped for (I daily drive aggressively, but no track).

Fortune 500s with Swift springs 10k/10k
Fortune 510s with 9k/9k (non-Swift) (Ultra digressive shock would be compliant for normal driving, but suitable for any twisty's)
PSS9s (don't think they'll be low enough, and everything I've read, the Fortune's are better all around and cheaper)
KW V3/V2 (price of v3's are more than I'm willing to spend, v2 does not have the external reservoir like the pss9s)
Challenge Comp (nothing I've read beats the Fortunes)

Old setups:

Stock, T1R coilovers, then back to stock.

Thanks in advance guys.

indopinoy

so.... doing more research...

I know it's not completely a comparable, but for my friend's 300zx TT, he's looking at Powertrix coilovers (very popular in the z32 world so I hear). The manufacturer there said they haven't had to do any rebuilds on there's yet, even on the original prototypes that they've had on cars for about 10 years.

hrmmmm

cuonice

This is such a loaded question! We rebuild the Penskes on our Formula-2000's multiple times in a single season, whereas a Honda minivan probably only requires a shock replacement every 80K miles or so. I'd say the average S2000 owner should wedge himself somewhere inbetween those two extremes. Closer to every year if he competes in a professional racing series and closer to every 80K if he is just trying to get from A-to-B. The important thing to recognize is that at has little to do with the quality of the shock and much more to do with the purpose of the shock...

A basic rebuild will probably run you somewhere between $125-175 from most manufacturers and/or suspension specialists. I think Bilstein and KW have already proven themselves to be capable of making competent shock upgrades for street and race drivers alike. I'm not familiar with Fortune, but it sounds like they have a good support staff and that can go a long ways...

-Aaron

Croc

i also have seen a lot of times mentioning that the stiffer you set the shock the shorter its life.

s1mba

The only reason why people talk about rebuilding coilovers is because the people who track them and spend $$$ on quality coilovers want them to perform like new for every race, so they rebuild them between racing seasons. For street cars, there isn't any reason to rebuild or replace them any more often than you would regular shocks.

Kreapin

I had a really hard time reading your post, Scarlett johanssen kept screaming for my attention

But I did make it through finally and have to agree with you. The rebuild suggestion of 2-3 years would be ideal in a perfect world but most people run around for a lot longer without issue. If I remember correctly, Honda suggests to replace suspension around 50 or 60 thousand miles, how many guys actually do that?

topher s2k

I am lookng at the 510 with swift springs too and was quoted $1840 shipped. I think Fortune rebuilds for $100 per shock.

While the KW V3 retail for $2400 you can find many selling them for low as $1900. While they do not include new tophats I am not sure if the Fortune are really that much cheaper priced. However Fortune can obviously provided better service if you want it.

Regarding rebuild if you wait too long to rebuild a cars suspension you'll wear out the rest of the car before you really get to enjoy the investment you made on your new suspension. ie rebuild a 100K and sell car at 150K verses rebuilding at 75K and selling at 150K = same money but you were not forced to endure a bad suspension between 75-100K. I'd suggest most shocks are becomming worn out by 75K.

s1mba

Sometimes I find myself logging into the forums just to stare at my avy haha jk

Kreapin

Sometimes I find myself logging into the forums just to stare at my avy haha jk
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Sometimes I find myself clicking on this thread just to stare at your avy