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coil-over conversion?


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heh...

 

A lot of people got a kick out of it.....that's for sure.

 

Anyways, as an over-the counter modification, no....there isn't much you can do. I don't believe there is a direct coilover swap for the R50.

 

That said, money talks, and if you want it bad enough, you can make it so. :)

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Technically, the R50 already has front coilovers, no need to convert. "Coilover" is short for "coil (spring) over strut" All MacPherson struts are "coilovers" already....

 

The only thing is, our coilovers aren't adjustable.... thats probably what you are looking for, adjustable coilovers

 

Ive seen it done on an R50.... it was a custom job.... have pics somewhere at home...

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There was some discussion on this a while back when Dean posted up some pictures of the Calmini R50 with coilovers that I didn't know existed until then. Converting to coilovers wouldn't be as difficult as quite a few people make it out to be, but it's not worth it for me to try when I'll just be removing the whole IFS setup relatively soon.

 

It would just require finding a coilover that can handle the sideloads put on it since ours struts take the place of the upper A-arm on other vehicles while supporting the vehicle at the same time.

 

Who wants to be the first one to try?

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Coilovers would have lots of benefits in our situation.

 

#1) You could get a coilover that is appropriately sized to our LIFTED vehicles, and not have to worry about the topping out issue that many suffer from when putting in stiffer springs.

#2) Tunability. Not sure how many people are really going to want to spend the time tuning their suspension for their vehicle, but we still only have a couple options when it comes to struts and springs. Not only could you have a dual rate kit with a spring rate based on wheel position, but you could individually adjust both compression and rebound. I'd make my KYB struts 2x as stiff, if I could.

#3) Lift. While not always good on the front driveline angles, you wouldn't be limited to 2" of lift anymore. The springs can be adjusted with a collar to adjust the ride height. Maybe we could get another inch out of it?

#4) Even though it isn't a real issue, the strut base is wise and some have issues with wide tires. The coilover would be a little bit smaller package. Most just offset this by getting small amounts of backspacing on their wheels to kick the tires out further.

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