Far North Racing

[hoffman]

this is something i got off the auto-x.dsm mailing list. i thought some of you guys might be interested.

Well, after much soul-searching and fence-sitting, I've pretty much decided on
going into the DSM suspension manufacturing business.

I have a contact out for bid on a spherical-bearing, coaxial-upper-spring-hat,
2G upper shock mount, sized to fit Konis.

This is the same system I currently use on my Bilsteins, reworked to fit Konis,
plus a couple of minor improvements.

This absolutely eliminates the "spring bends in steer" problem associated with
the Ground Control upper mounts. It also positively locates the shock rod, eliminating
the squishy bushing. The end result is shocks that last longer and work better.


Each mount includes the plate/bearing assembly, the upper spring hat, and the
shaft adaptor.

These are an absolute necessity on the front end of a 2G. There is less angularity
change on the rear end, so they are somewhat less important for the rear (although
they are still a really good idea)

My working retail price is $175 ea (4 needed for the whole car) but I consider
that a maximum at this point. I'd like to reduce the unit price to $150 ea if
I can.

I'm also looking at providing a complete shock and spring package, based around
Konis, intended for street use with some occasional competition. These would
include the upper mounts, Konis, the spring sleeves, and Hypercoil springs.
Working price on this is $1500.

I'll have a better idea about the pricing after I get back from PRI. But from
the bids I'm starting to get on the machining, it is pretty clear that pricing
is very heavily volume-driven. The more you make, the less they cost, and the
real price break starts at 20 units (5 cars worth, or 10 fronts-only)

I'm not going to start taking official pre-orders until I have the pricing nailed
to the ground, but I would like to get an idea of how many people are interested.
So if you are, could you please let me know?

Thanks.

DG

[Dallas J]

Thats kinda spendy. Also whats wrong with the GC ones? Do they not pivot around and put pressure on the shock? I thought that was change.

Any Idea if the Tein's or JIC's upper mount pivot like this guys design?

-Dallas J

[v413nc3]

Both do if you get the pillow ball uppers.

[hoffman]

RRE has something similar, but it doesnt have a bearing assembly.

so lets see the math. $700 for my koni/GC/FNR combo or $1300 for JIC

[Dallas J]

Originally posted by hoffmangsx
RRE has something similar, but it doesnt have a bearing assembly.

so lets see the math. $700 for my koni/GC/FNR combo or $1300 for JIC

Where you getting the JIC's for $1300?

-Dallas J

[hoffman]

its been a while since i even bothered to look at them, but last price i saw was around $1,300 for the FLA-2s. i'm sure there is nothing wrong with them, i just dont like their generic shocks.

[hoffman]

Just an update on how this is going.

I now have a place that can do my custom machining in
reasonable quantities, although the good price break comes
at 20 units.

My current estimate of the final price is $150 per unit, or
$300 per end of the car. I'm still chasing down some
component pricing, but this number is looking increasingly
solid - at least as a maximum.

You absolutely need the fronts, the rears are optional but a
good idea.

The kit would include the upper spring perch, the mount hat,
spherical bearing, and associated hardware. I can also do
the coilover sleeves and Hypercoil springs for additional
cost.

In order to keep the cost down, I'm going to need to do 20
units, which is either 5 full cars or 10 front-only. Given
that I don't have a lot of free cash to buy inventory, that
means a group buy sorta deal.

If you are interested, please drop me a line and I'll put
you on the pre-order list. Once I have final pricing, I'll
let everybody know and we'll run a batch.

If you don't remember what this is all about, here's a CAD
drawing of what this looks like:

http://farnorthracing.com/newimages/koni_assembly.jpg

The big deal about this is that the 2G front suspension
pivots the front shock quite a bit in steer. If the spring
is allowed to rest on the upper plate (the green thingy in
the picture) as per the Ground Control design, then the
spring will be bent - and bent severely - as the shock
pivots when the wheels are steered. This makes big changes
to the effective spring rate and feeds huge sideloads into
the shock rod and upper seals. By moving the spring perch to
be coaxial with the shock rod, the spring moves with the
shock and never sees any bending moments.

I have been running a similar setup (same part, different
shock) since 2000, including 2 years of daily driving on
Detroit roads, with no ill effects. It is plenty strong and
should last a lifetime. Should the bearing ever wear out, it
is a standard part and is easily replaced.

DG (trog@wincom.net)