K-sport "Gravel" Coilovers

Hey all, Our Customer and friend brought in the rear Coilovers from his GC Impreza Rallycross/future stage rally car, so I could show him how to re-grease them. I took a few pictures and measurements so RallyAnarchy could pick them apart.

The Insert:



-45mm OD
-7" travel without springs or bump stops
-22.5" total length
-12mmx1.25 pin on the top w/internal hex
-10x1.25 bottom has adjuster so no slot or hex, but the bottom hole in the tube isn't threaded so...

The Tube:



-.700" wide solid bushing upper and lower 2.5" void between the two
- The seal was pretty lousy, solid rubber almost like and O-ring
- Fully threaded for use with height adjustable Ears

Overall:

-2.5" of stiff bump stop inside
-265lbs/in springs didn't measure the length but I think they were only 8" long (explains the bump stops)
-The ears would need to be re-inforced to have a chance on stage (easy enough fix)
-they come with tops that don't look like they'd make it, they have a roller bearing in the rear?
-the hardware and finish look good

MISC:

45mm is a convenient size to make this tool for re-greasing:



greased up:



I've always been curious what the pros/cons to different thickness grease' are, John told me to use CV joint grease, is that just because it's easier to put in?

The only other reference's I have:

RSSP call for Mobil 1 multi-purpose
EVO 8 KYB use some yellow almost wax like stuff
Bilstein inverted replacements for a 3000GT VR-4 come with a blue multi-purpose looking stuff

More details on this grease tool? I need to do mine again. Try to do them every other event.

The grease tool worked really well and only took 15 mins to make because 45mm is about .020" bigger than 1.75".

I have a lot of scrap 1.75" tubing laying around, so I cut a chunk the total length from the top of the top bushing to the bottom of lower bushing beveled the ends, the bushings are 3/4" wide so I drilled a 3/16" hole 1" from the top rotated 180* and drilled another 3/16" hole 1" from the bottom.

I had some metric grease zirc fittings so I drilled and tapped one hole to m6x1 and installed a 90* fitting facing the closest end and then ground off the bit that stuck out and deburred and cleaned the whole thing.

I was going to weld a grab handle on but the grease gun I used was new and gripped the zirc so well I just snapped it on pumped it until a little came out the bottom vent hole, the last picture is after I pulled the tool out, almost can't see the bushings, sure beats a shoehorn!

For a 40mm insert you'd need 1.555" OD tubing, there's no reason it couldn't be plastic...

7" REAR travel?

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Pete Remner
Cleveland, Ohio

1984 RX-7 (rallycross thing)
1978
Silence is golden, but duct tape is silver.

Quote
Pete
7" REAR travel?

Yeah but the spring would coilbind first and there's 2.5" of bump stop so... More like 5" of travel...

Yeah, that's a pretty awesome regrease tool.

We were looking at Scott's rear stuff from Barrett the other day. I don't have specs on that handy but we did notice that the bushings are red plastic and were not super tight in the housing. As in you can move them by hand.
Travel was 190 mm. Sat on the bump stops at static ride height. Useable travel was more like 4 inches.

What was your overall thought on the KSport stuff when you had it apart Blake?

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Grant Hughes



Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 11/16/2012 12:20PM by NoCoast.

I too am curious to the qaulity, was thinking of buying the inserts, tubes and collars from them. in for the low down.

It seemed pretty good actually... The hardware and finish quality was good, the springs and tops needed to be changed and I have no idea about the valving, but what budget suspension is perfect right out of the box?

Seems to me you could buy this for ~$900!

Seems like they sell for 1400-1500.
Not much more to get JVAB stuff that is probably more up to rally duty.

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Grant Hughes

My only experience with these is the one which Alex Rademacher sent up.
Bent insert and bent strut tube.
His report was that they were absurdly stiff, jarringly so. as in car wanted to skip off the road.
He said there were places where with the Sooper Bitchin Suspenders he was a gear higher and on the gas comfy and smmoth where it had been crash boom skip toward the outside with the Que? Sprouts.

Not really surprising as they are obviously road car derived.

From Blake's reports the bushes are way shorter than I'd imagine using but I base my length on what I know worked in harsher enviroment: motocross front forks, so I make my bushes 1.5" approx or 38mm and space them as wide as I possibly can for maximum support....

I use SAE660 Bronze--lik same stuff for high quality valve guides--again a harsh enviroment.. It is a stable material and if it works good in insane hot heads and million rpm with minimal lube past the stem seals, it ought to and does work in the slow speed but high load application of a strut.
And it was what was suggested to be before I began making these by Janne Sellholm in Sweden, and he makes good stuff.

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John Vanlandingham
Sleezattle, WA, USA

Vive le Prole-le-ralliat

www.rallyrace.net/jvab
CALL +1 206 431-9696
Remember! Pacific Standard Time
is 3 hours behind Eastern Standard Time.

K-Sport get a bonus by volume. They are probably marketing towards rallycross guys/retailers and they have the benefit of being able to have product on the shelf.

Speaking of, we should talk about a few sets of BMW stuff and see if we can work something out. We have four cars sitting at the shop, one Compact that should be getting a deposit for the cage in the next week or two, another that is mine that is going to get a cage and will then be listed for sale. Would be cool to be able to sell struts to go on them.
Had a chance to look at rear E36 multi-link stuff? I know Dave did plenty of testing for the Compact with the STA rear but the sedan and coupe have a multi-link setup.

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Grant Hughes

Quote
NoCoast
Speaking of, we should talk about a few sets of BMW stuff and see if we can work something out. We have four cars sitting at the shop, one Compact that should be getting a deposit for the cage in the next week or two, another that is mine that is going to get a cage and will then be listed for sale. Would be cool to be able to sell struts to go on them.
Had a chance to look at rear E36 multi-link stuff? I know Dave did plenty of testing for the Compact with the STA rear but the sedan and coupe have a multi-link setup.

I'm available for testing on multi-link cars, and even winter testing if someone wants to mess around with such a thing on either body style. I will have blizzaks and a set of AO34s.

Dave

I had a set I put on a rallycross car for a costmer of mine. I feel the rears are way to short. I changed the springs to hypercoil and softened them up a ton. They are working good for rallycross But they top out quick over yumps. It is tuff to get rear ride hieght and still have travel both directions.

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First rally 2013
Rally car type AWD subaru
Total rallies as driver 6
Total rally cars built 2
Total rally cars caged 3
Total rally cars repaired from offs 4
Total years racing exp other then rally 19 yrs
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Quote
DaveK
I'm available for testing on multi-link cars, and even winter testing if someone wants to mess around with such a thing on either body style. I will have blizzaks and a set of AO34s.

What's the point in winter testing if you're not going to go to Big White?

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Grant Hughes

Quote
NoCoast

Quote
DaveK
I'm available for testing on multi-link cars, and even winter testing if someone wants to mess around with such a thing on either body style. I will have blizzaks and a set of AO34s.

What's the point in winter testing if you're not going to go to Big White?

Testing is cheap and rallies cost real money (and days away from work)...