Tags Posts tagged with "Adjustable Suspension"

Adjustable Suspension

Best Alignment X SPC Adjustable Suspension Duo

Best Alignment X SPC Adjustable Suspension Duo

Are your tires wearing out quickly after installing aftermarket springs or coilovers?

Is your new wheel and tire set up not delivering the traction it should be?

If you answered yes to either of those questions, it’s quite likely that your suspension’s alignment could be amiss. If you lower the ride height of your vehicles factory suspension, you are dramatically altering the alignment and camber adjustment specs of your vehicle. This change in ride height and camber results in alignment issues, which consequently can wear out your tires unevenly – and far before they’re time. Sure, if you’re about that stance life you probably don’t care you’re only wearing out one section, but if you enjoy your vehicles performance and don’t relish the idea of buying another set of pricey performance tires, ensuring your vehicle’s alignment is within spec is something you don’t want to miss.

Check out the video below to learn more about what these SPC Adjustable Suspension Control Arms have to offer:

 

The trouble is, many OEM front and rear control arms lack the necessary adjustments to bring a lowered vehicle within spec. SPC Suspension offers these adjustable replacements, which help ensure the best alignment whether you want to ensure your factory suspension stays accurately in spec, but they’re especially useful if your vehicle has been fitted with a suspension upgrade like lowering springs or coilovers. A set of SPC Adjustable Arms will improve your handling, extend the life of your tires by preventing unnecessary wear, and complete the look of the fitment inside the fender wheel arch. Get the best alignment with SPC Adjustable Suspension Arm components. A set of SPC’s “Front Adjustable Control Arms (Pair) and Rear Adjustable Arms (Set of 3)” replace the factory control arms of your chassis that lack the range of adjustments needed to keep a performance vehicle in spec.

 

This all depends on what your target goal is and what you want to do with your vehicle. Here at STILLEN we like to use the best aftermarket parts that provide an unlimited amount of adjustability because this can be helpful to correct any issues with performance or uneven tire wear. Easily obtain a better custom alignment by establishing the proper adjustments after installing lowering springs or when in need of better than factory specification for the wheels on the vehicle.

Are You Multi-Adjustable?

 Best Alignment X SPC Adjustable Suspension DuoBest Alignment X SPC Adjustable Suspension DuoBest Alignment X SPC Adjustable Suspension Duo

Front

  • Multi-link Wish bone, is similar to a upper control arm is exactly what it sounds like. It’s a multiple adjustable arm that adds to the chassis correcting the angle of the ball joint by adjusting the middle collar and threads outwards to generate length furnishing factory specifications desired. Vehicle manufacturers interest that this system gives the best road handling properties, because of all the assorted joints that make the suspensions versatility.

Do You Camber?

Best Alignment X SPC Adjustable Suspension Duo

Best Alignment X SPC Adjustable Suspension Duo

Rear
3 Adjustable Rear Control Arms

      • Camber- Top of the wheel showing “tilt” Positive Camber or Negative Camber can determine how much rubber tread patch your tire will come into contact with the road. Alignment machines ensure that all four wheels are true and steady with each other and are corrected for the best connection on the paved roadway.
      • Toe- Toe Out, is the front of the wheel pointing away from the centerline of the vehicle.
        Toe In, is the front of the wheel pointing towards the centerline of the vehicle.  Rear Toe adjustment is the most important, because it can be critical to tire wear and handling.
      • Set Back- Positive Set Back indicates that the right front wheel are sitting further back than the left front wheel and Negative Set Back refers to the left front wheel sitting further back than the right front wheel.

After installing of the rear arms bringing full adjustability to camber, toe, and set-back links adapting the settings; simply adjust the suspension arms simply rotate the middle section of the arm expanding the length providing a custom precision alignment of your liking.

Take full benefit of an adjustable performance coilover dropping the ride height even lower compared to the factory specs and in return the car is more adhesive to the ground, lowering the center of gravity, enhancing your lap time, and impressing everyone with the precision fitment you acheived. These adjustable arms are a guaranteed need if you plan on lowering your vehicles height or want a more aggressive appearance with the wheel, tire and fender combo.

Eibach and SPC Suspensions are iconic for providing the best suspension upgrades for the enthusiast that demands the highest return in investment, and that’s where the two top manufactures pair well when sharing the desired handling experience on or off the track.

Installed SPC Adjustable Suspension Arms

Best Alignment X SPC Adjustable Suspension Duo

Best Alignment X SPC Adjustable Suspension Duo

Installed: Front Multi-link Adjustable Wishbone

Best Alignment X SPC Adjustable Suspension Duo

Installed: Rear Adjustable Control Arms

After installing the RSR coilover suspension on the SEMA 2017 Red Sport and reducing the cars ride height, the STILLEN team of technicians were able to dial in the custom alignment ensuring the best handling characteristics.

With over 30 years of aftermarket performance product knowledge, research and development expertise, the experts at STILLEN share their knowledge with enthusiasts by involving themselves in the community, and that’s how we’ve a leader in the aftermarket performance world.

Recently attending the world famous product development trade show, SEMA 2017, SPC teamed up with STILLEN to debut the newest custom adjustable suspension on the market. SPC partnered with STILLEN to help develop and test fit the brand new product on the freshly wrapped red chrome Infiniti Q60 Red Sport built by STILLEN for the show. SPC trusted the team at STILLEN because of our history of success and level of expertise that’s led OEMs to work with STILLEN as well as STILLEN’s winning Racing Heritage with a variety of platforms, from Off-Road Stadium Race Trucks to LeMans Winning IMSA Race Cars.

 


Chat with STILLEN:  866-250-5542

Email STILLEN:  sales@stillen.com

Check out STILLEN Website: https://www.stillen.com/

STILLEN INFINITI Q60 REDSPORT 400 SEMA 2017

STILLEN INFINITI Q60 REDSPORT 400 SEMA 2017front_v2

STILLEN is excited to announce the launch of our complete line up of products for the 2018 INFINITI Q60 at the 2017 SEMA show.

The INFINITI Q60 redsport is a very exciting car as it brings performance back to the INFINITI marque.  Featuring a potent 400 horsepower twin turbo V6 badged the “VR30.”  This car offers the driver an exhilarating experience and inspires the driver to push the car aggressively.

STILLEN has been involved in performance parts for off-road trucks, supercars and street performance cars of a variety and makes and models, but STILLEN is perhaps best known for our experience in tuning NISSAN/INFINITI vehicles… we’ve been involved with developing performance parts for Nissan (and later Infiniti) for over 30 years now.  When the opportunity came to work with Infiniti on this platform, we jumped at the chance and let our engineers run wild.


INTAKE


To kick things off, we took a look at how we could beef up the car’s performance.  Our engineering team immediately began dissecting the air intake system to study it and determine how we could optimize airflow. While the engineering team was busy with figuring out how to get every last pony out of the intake, our fabrication team were hard at work under the car, reviewing the exhaust routing, tube diameter, configuration of the system and the construction of its muffler, all in order to see what gains could be made.

STILLEN INFINITI Q60 REDSPORT 400 SEMA 2017 3R1A0019 Cover off

After going through more than 20 prototype intakes trying to achieve our goals, our induction specialists produced a Q60 Intake design that yielded a huge gain of over 20 horsepower at the wheels, and that’s without the need for further tuning or any modifications to the vehicle. Not every ‘high flow’ intake on the market works with the OEM ECU map, so making sure our intakes benefit the car with the stock tune is a high priority for our design team. The end result is what you see above – the urethane airboxes offer a significant advantage over an exposed conical filter, as the airboxes ensure that the intakes are drawing in only cool, outside air, rather than sucking in hot air from inside the engine bay (which robs you of power). Designed as a complete solution, the STILLEN Cold Air Intake for 2017 Infiniti Q60 comes complete with silicone couplers, CNC machined and tig welded aluminum MAF tubes as well as poly-urethane air boxes to keep the engine fed with cooler air, helping to deliver maximum power output.


EXHAUST


STILLEN INFINITI Q60 REDSPORT 400 SEMA 2017

Turbo V6 engines are notoriously difficult to get the sound “just right.”  In the end, our team was not satisfied with any of the common mufflers we could source “off the shelf.”  The only option was to build our own.  So, we engineered our own mufflers, manufactured them in house, and pack them with a high temperature ceramic wool.  These tuned mufflers truly allow the heartbeat of the car to be experienced. The final exhaust design was selected after 15 different prototype systems were rigorously tested on our Dynojet chassis dyno.  It took quite a while to determine what the engine wanted in order to produce the most power across the entire powerband.  The end result is a tuned Y-Pipe, leading to a single Mid-Pipe which branches back into a dual outlet exit.


BODYSTYLING


STILLEN INFINITI Q60 REDSPORT 400 SEMA 2017

With the performance parts development underway, now it was time to address the exterior styling. The Q60 is a fantastic looking car straight out of the factory, but like a nice tailored suit, it can look even better with the addition of the right accessories. To bring out the car’s flowing lines, we opted to wrap the car with a red chrome wrap.  The brilliant luster of the red chrome accentuates all of the angles and curves of the body of the car and truly ‘makes it pop’. The Q60 has a very organic, free flowing design, and the hyperreflective red chrome shows off these daring curves and deep creases exceptionally well.  Like any car, we felt it could be a bit more aggressive and could do with some aero styling to really accentuate the curves the car comes with. The STILLEN design team then set to work shaping a Front Bumper Splitter featuring STILLEN Front Bumper Splitter for 2017 Infiniti Q60 – (with Winglet Extensions). With the front end spiced up to our satisfaction, we shifted our attention over to to the rear of the car, the STILLEN craftsmen then created a set of side splitters and rear spats to suit the aggressive feel we were going for.  Both of these parts were custom fabricated exclusively for the STILLEN Q60.

STILLEN INFINITI Q60 REDSPORT 400 SEMA 2017

Finishing off the ground effects package, STILLEN designed a Rear Diffuser for the Red Sport V36 Infiniti Q60 with a set of aggressive air channels and openings for a larger-than-stock dual exhaust.  The STILLEN diffuser for Infiniti Q60 is no “one off” for a show car – this part is a production item you can purchase and install on your own Q60, along with the rest of the aero suite, including the STILLEN front splitter and winglets. While these days the majority of aftermarket manufacturing seems to be done overseas, but at STILLEN, we make all of our products right here in the USA. Every single STILLEN aero or appearance upgrade, intake and exhaust system is designed and manufactured in the USA, right here at STILLEN headquarters in Costa Mesa, California. Not everyone realizes that here at STILLEN we fabricate pretty much everything in-house,  exterior parts, intakes, exhausts, suspension bits — our CNC machines, benders, welders and a team of experienced and talented craftsman makes it possible to do everything here. Now that we had the ground effects completed, the team still felt like our Q was still missing something.  The rear end still lacked something, so next, the STILLEN artists then turned their attention to the rear spoiler.  The initial idea was a simple, clean spoiler that would added a bit of height to the deck lid.  After a few design studies, the team decided to step it up and came up with something that would compliment the dynamic lines of the Q60’s design, and created a custom hand crafted rear wing that completes the car and ties in beautifully with the overall design concept.


SUSPENSION


With the power and exterior styling completed it was time to focus on supporting all of that extra power and downforce.  To do so, the STILLEN team partnered with RSR suspension, who used the STILLEN Q60 to develop and prototype a set of coil overs that are truly incredible.  One difference that sets STILLEN builds apart from other SEMA showcars is that our cars are built to be driven. Our Q60 Redsport is no trailer queen – this car was driven to the show and then driven home.  Since this car would be seeing hundreds of miles of actual road use between STILLEN HQ in Costa Mesa and Las Vegas, it was vital that the car not only look good, but could also retain its handling performance. The team at RSR hit another home run with the RSR Coilovers for 2017+ Infiniti Q60 we had fitted to the car – we really enjoyed these dynamic coil overs.  The ride quality is fantastic when cruising on the freeways and the car carves through the canyons with ease.

STILLEN INFINITI Q60 REDSPORT 400 SEMA 2017

To make sure that the alignment was correct after the coil over installation and subsequent ride height lowering, SPC suspension provided a complete set of adjustable suspension including front upper control arms and SPC Suspension Rear Camber, Toe and Setback links for 2017 Infiniti Q60.  By installing the adjustable SPC suspension the STILLEN technicians were able to precisely dial in the alignment ensuring excellent handling characteristics

STILLEN INFINITI Q60 REDSPORT 400 SEMA 2017

No car would be complete without the right wheel and tire package.  Wheels are one of those items that can make or break a car.  For years STILLEN has chosen VOSSEN Wheels for 2015+ Infiniti Q50 / Q60 and NITTO tires for their vehicles.  On this car though they wanted something a little different.  To accomplish this the STILLEN team selected the Vossen X Work line of wheels.  Particularly, the VWS-1.  Work wheels is a leading Japanese manufacturer of high end wheels and the collaboration between Vossen and Work has resulted in a melding of Japanese technology with American style.  These two piece wheels feature a high luster polished lip with a matte  gunmetal center and polished anodized barrel.

NITTO tires have been the preferred tire for STILLEN for many years.  Offering a wide range of tire selections for everything from race cars to passenger cars and even offroad vehicles.  For the STILLEN Q60 project STILLEN selected the INVO series of tires.  INVO tires are designed specifically for the luxury sports car enthusiast.  They offer excellent performance and grip without sacrificing comfort.

STILLEN INFINITI Q60 REDSPORT 400 SEMA 2017 STILLEN_Q60_Sema_2017_rear_v2

We’re thrilled with the end result of how our 2017 SEMA project came out – the team here at STILLEN feels that the Q60 we put together strikes the perfect balance between high end street luxury, with design inspired by our race-winning heritage tempered with elegant style.

STILLEN Vice President Kyle Millen had this to say of the project:
“The STILLEN Infiniti Q60 project car is one of my favorite cars out of the many projects we have created.  The team at STILLEN did an amazing job and made a car that is truly one of a kind.  From the work of the body craftsmen, the engineers and fabricators working tirelessly on the performance parts, I am extremely proud of the effort put into this car and the end result.”


If you have any questions about the Infiniti Q60 3.0t or any STILLEN products for the Infiniti Q60 on our website, give us a call at (866) 250-5542, email sales@stillen.com, or message us on our Live Chat!


 

Best Suspension 201: Coilovers

Best Suspension 201: Coilovers stillen_u_banner_blog_v1

We recently went over the basics of lowering your vehicle with springs and shocks in our Suspension 101 article. While this covered the basics, we know a lot of enthusiasts are looking for more capability than what springs and shocks alone can offer. That takes us to the next stage of Best Suspension 201: Coilovers.

When you hear the phrase “coilovers”, most people are referring to an aftermarket replacement damper and spring combination. The term coilover originated from the design of the coil spring being placed over the shock. This description does not apply to all “coilovers” as some still utilize a separate spring and shock setup depending on vehicle application. For this article, we will be using the term “coilover(s)” in reference to the adjustable aftermarket replacement suspension systems.

Advantages of a Coilover System are (this can depend on the model):

  • The ability to run a specific spring rate while perfectly matching a damper to that spring.
  • Independent height adjustments at each corner.
  • Adjustable dampening (rebound and compression).
  • Adjustable spring preload (via spring compression) at each corner for corner balancing.

Best Suspension 201: Coilovers RSR-XLIT275M_790x675

So what do these advantages mean for us?

From the performance perspective:

Having a spring and damper engineered to work together is paramount to performance. One of the limitations of a typical lowering spring is that one must match the spring fairly well with the OEM dampers. This generally means limited spring rates as well as a progressive spring design. When it comes to coilovers, extefnd higher spring rates which means improved handling (within reason). A non-OEM spec damper means a lot of coilover systems use linear rate springs which gives more consistent feedback as well as more predictable handling.

Ride height adjustability at all four corners gives you the ability to optimize suspension geometry as well as achieve the proper balance of a lower roll center and vehicle pitch (aerodynamics).

Adjustable dampening can be a big performance benefit when it comes to versatility. On a smoother road, or track, you can increase compression (the rate at which the dampener compresses under pressure) and rebound (the rate at which the damper returns to resting height after compression). In turn this reduces roll, increases pressure on all four tires, and keeps weight transfer in and out of turns under control. This type of setup is ideal on a smooth road or track as bumps and moderate imperfections in the road can quickly unsettle the car- potentially causing a loss of control. On a rougher road, or track, you can decrease your rebound and compression. While this will allow for a little more body roll (which can be countered a bit by stiffening the sway bars), when encountering bumps and imperfections in a turn the suspension will absorb them more effectively without getting unsettled.

The option of changing preload/compression length of a spring is completely performance oriented. Corner balancing is the technique of utilizing spring preload (the amount of pressure on a spring set by the length) to balance a car. Production cars are not perfectly balanced from the factory as most of you know. For handling performance it is ideal to balance the weight of the car as equally as possible. While this can be a little easier to accomplish in a full race car, most people don’t want to remove interior bits from their car and move things around too much. So how can we accomplish more balance without removing parts of the car or adding weights? Corner balancing is done by weighing the car, then placing each wheel on an independent scale. Using those weights, one can calculate how to adjust the spring rate so the pressure on each tire can be close to even on each corner. This is typically done with the driver in the car as that greatly affects weight distribution. For an example, let us say we have a 350Z that we are corner balancing. For simplicity we will just do the front right to left balance. We find the weight on the front right tire is 850 lbs (or 385.5 kg) and 905 lbs (or 410.5 kg) on the front left tire. If we want to balance that out we can increase the effective weight on the front right tire by compressing that spring. If we have a spring rate of 560 lb/in (10 kg/mm) we are adjusting to correct for the 55 lb difference (or 25 kg) we simply need to calculate the increase via percentage. 55 lbs is 9.8% off 560 lbs (or 250% of 10 kg). So we simply multiply 1 inch by 9.8% (or 1 mm by 250%) so see how much to compress the spring (you can also decompress the side with the higher weight by the same amount instead).

Best Suspension 201: Coilovers 201_article

2015 Subaru WRX sitting on RS-R Sports-i coilovers.

From the aesthetics and comfort perspective:

For many enthusiasts, the goal of lowering is primarily aesthetic. When the goal is to achieve a specific look, many enthusiasts don’t want to sacrifice ride quality. While spring rates and dampening affect performance greatly, it also makes a big impact on comfort. While you might not select the same coilover for racing as you would for daily driving, there are a lot of options that can offer a high level of versatility. For example, the RS-R Sports-i coilovers work fine for track days, but they can be adjusted to be extremely comfortable on the street (often times more comfortable than stock). They utilize features such as rubber bushings in the mounting hats, rebound and compression adjustability, as well as height adjustment independent from spring preload to retain a very civilized ride quality and NVH (noise, vibration, and harshness). Lower rebound and compression usually means a softer and more compliant ride even when running a higher spring rate than stock. So just because a spring rate looks high on a coilover system, don’t assume immediately that it won’t be comfortable.

There are so many reasons to have height adjustability. Everyone has their preference of what an ideal ride height is, and there are definitely looks that can’t be achieved with traditional lowering springs. Because most modern cars have a higher fender line in the front wheel wells, lowering often results in a larger wheel gap in front if the spring lowers evenly. With the adjustability of coilovers you can easily get the wheel gap you want.

We hope this helps you with your suspension knowledge. There are still many details we did not go over. If you have further questions about the Best Suspension 201: Coilovers, we would be happy to answer you.


800-576-2131
sales@stillen.com
www.stillen.com

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