anybody running jic or ground control suspension? i'm lookin to do an upgrade soon. i've got eibachs with stock struts right now. i'm lookin for equipment that will last me a few years and provide the handling and adjustability too. thanks!

 

I should be getting the JICs on my car within 2 weeks, so if you're not planning to buy right away I'll keep you updated with what I think about them.

As you know, the ground controls are a spring and sleeve combination that requires a strut. Now that Tokico is releasing their Illuminas and HPs in a month or two, that will be a viable option.

But I would mainly suggest looking into the JICs or the Tein SS coilovers. Owners of both have been raving about em. I think the consensus is that the JICs are better overall and more expensive. But some think they are overkill for a street setup. You can find a lot of info by running a search on www.msprotege.com

 

thanks ounkny! keep me advised. what are you paying for them, if you don't mind telling me, 2K?

 

The cheapest price I have found is from Rishie (Automotive R&D). Last I heard, he advertised the club discount price as $1600. Since I am not Rishie, you'd have to ask him to see if that price is correct.

If you are interested in the Teins instead, I think Rishie also carries them. I don't know his price, but the average price I have found on the web is somewhere in the ballpark of $1175 or so. So I think you can expect the JICs to be about $500 or so more expensive than the Teins.

 

quick update, the best price I have been quoted for having the JICs installed is $175. I think that is rather reasonable, considering the amount of labor involved.

 

also, I saw an ad for Tein that says they have the Tein Basic Damper under development for the 99+ Protege and Protege5. The MSRP for that product starts at $750, and it is a very basic coilover setup with adjustable ride height but no adjustable damping.

I personally wouldn't go for that particular setup but it is always better to have more choices.

 

thanks! keep us updated!!!

 

bazooka joe, my update is that the coilovers are great but making a clunking sound in the rear when going over bumps. I am trying to troubleshoot it right now.

some people are trying to convince me that it's normal but it seems a little loud... I am going to take another look at it.

 

if you already have the eibachs then you may look into gettng the tokico illumina 5-way adjustable struts that were just released. i believe they are selling for around $550-575. check out www.mazdamp3.com as their are several vendors selling them. i just got my eibachs on monday and i am waiting on the tokico hp non-adjustable shocks to come so i can install them both at the same time.

 

i just ordered tham from mitch @ protege5online,com, can't wait to get them installed!

 

Is it true that the JIC coilovers include adjustable camber plates, where the Tiens do not? If so, the added value of camberplates helps to justify the cost. Also, I may be wrong again, but are the Tiens or JIC's Double Adjustable (indepedently- you can adjust rebound by itself or compression by itself)?

 

Jas00x, there are two JICs, FLTA2 and FLTA1 (the FLTA1 should be released soon if it's not out already). You can check out the JIC website, www.jic-magic.com , for details. I believe both come with those upper amounts, and the Tein SS do not, so you are correct.

On the FLTA2, the front upper mounts have camber adjustments via some allen key screws, but the rears don't. I had to get my rear lower bolt holes slotted to have the camber set for the street. I believe other ways you can do this are by using camber bolts.

Neither the JICs nor Teins are double-adjustable.