New Coilovers to replace Cusco’s

[mi60o0]

Bloody hell I want this to I hope I will have it before summer

Don't forget that the nut behind the wheel needs uprating too!

Very true is any black hair left on your head after your passanger laps with me. If some left I will make sure I will make it grey by winter fella xxx

[RX8R3Rod]

Just a bit more on the Active EDFC.

As far as I can see based on tinkering today there are 9 or 10 memory slots for ‘passive’ settings, where you key in what level of damping you want front and back, and it dials those in for you. This is shown in the first picture, below, repeated twice - apologies.

These are the ones Josh selected for me as a ‘get you home’ option, with the EDFC Active set to 16 levels, though you can choose up to 64.

Then separate to these there are 2 sets of memory slots for the active suspension settings; G-Force and Speed (the latter only if you have the optional GPS, which would to me seem very worthwhile).

In both G-Force and Speed there are 2 options, basically ‘normal’ or ‘sporty’ (Tein seem to use various words to describe these) and these are shown in the tables below.

These are the G-Force table, and the Speed Table. Shown are the default values, but you can change them all if you want.

F64B1376-6061-4AF3-86DD-0831F41E4607.png

F64B1376-6061-4AF3-86DD-0831F41E4607.png

If you look at the speed table (this is th3 SECOND table below) in the first column labelled Ft (Front) and within that column the first number in the N/N/N format, that’s the level of damping applied when the system is at the 16-level damping option.

So you can see that (in Sporty mode) when the car is going 0-24 mph (mph is in the last column) damping is set at 10, whereas when the car is doing 65 or more, it’s set at 6; noticeably stiffer IME.

As you drive along and your speed varies (based on the readings taken from the GPS module), the damping changes automatically to match that table (and you can change the values in the table to anything you want)

If you now look at the G-Force table (the FIRST table below), it has a similar structure to the Speed Table, but there’s more values and the last column shows not Speed but G-Force, in the first 5 rows its braking and the next 5 rows for acceleration. Note how much added stiffness is applied under braking v acceleration.

All of the N/N/N values in this table are shown as minus and (As I understand it) show the amount of damping being added at specific G-Forces (I think this all shows as negative because level 0 is as hard as the damping gets, and so to reduce (For example) dive under braking At 0.55g in the Dynamic mode the damping is moved 6 units toward zero from the level set in the Speed table.

Which means, I think, that if you’re doing 66 mph or more (and using the defaults In the tables) damping is set at 6, and you enter a sharpish corner at that speed and so g force gets to 0.55 or greater, the damping will be Automatically increased by 6 units which means it’ll be (whilst those conditions persist) set as hard as it can go (ie 0) to resist dive and roll.

And this all just happens smoothly, automatically and transparently, without any input from the driver, once you have selected which set of options you want. You just get to enjoy the benefit of all that good stuff happening in the Teins.

Clive, or anyone else, please correct me if I’m wrong here, but this seems to fit with my early subjective driving impressions.

And all this more complicated stuff is easily chosen and changed in the controller by selecting G1 or G2 (G-Force) and S1 or S2 (Speed) (so just 4 options) which in combination dial in the correct values from the tables into the operation of the suspension.

All very cool, IMHO

I’ve been doing some final tweaking (and rustproofing etc) today so still no further driving impressions, other than to say you really can feel the effects of all the above in a very positive and natural way in the car.

But tomorrow or Tuesday, a good blast beckons.

[Mpv2k3]

Sounds complicated but excellent! Cant want to get these now

[RX8R3Rod]

I think part of what’s so neat is that all that complicated stuff is wrapped up in just 4 options (2 speed, 2 g-force) and you simply select one of each, taking all of a couple of seconds at most ...

[Mpv2k3]

With those 4 options can you adjust the lowest soft setting incase it's too soft or are those values set in stone?

I shouldn't but I may even bite the bullet and get the edfc before my double trackday at the Nurburgring in April.

[RX8R3Rod]

That sounds like a really good idea to me, to be honest ... it’s a very unforgiving track, isn’t it? The earlier you make any changes the more time you have to get comfortable with them and learn how best to use them safely ‘in anger’.

You can change any of the values in the tables that you want to, the ones shown are purely defaults.

So you can make the minimum damping ‘almost rock-hard’ and the maximum ‘totally rock-hard’ at different speeds to the defaults if that’s what you need, and / or change the amount of g-force damping compensation, and at what level it’s applied (say instead of 6 at 0.55g, it could be 5 at 0.4g, or whatever ...).

Though there are some bumpy bits from memory on the Nurburgring (e.g. Carousel), and that might be worth Considering when thinking about how hard to go?

I’m sure Clive could give you some really interesting advice around this ...

[Mpv2k3]

Yep, it definitely seems like a bit of kit that needs time to learn.

The monosport alone are superb from what Ive experience so far with them on road and track but are a nuisance to keep manually adjusting when needed. As mentioned, I always had the edfc active pro on my list to get but think it is overkill and the edfc active will be good enough..

Now time to resist the impulse buy over the christmas holidays and be sensible

Look forward to reading your update on your next. drive

[RX8R3Rod]

Some feedback from a 100+ mile drive from East to West (backroad feedback to follow soon).

The thing that struck me with the Active EDFC engaged was just how much better-balanced the car was.

With the Cusco’s, and also with the Tein’s in ‘passive’ mode, my car (others ‘8’s may be different, of course) has a clear tendency to understeer, and so getting to the apex of corners / roundabouts is often something of a struggle.

With the Active EDFC engaged and chattering away quietly to itself, using just the default G2+S2 settings, that tendency to understeer seems Effectively washed away.

The car is just much more neutrally balanced.

But it doesn’t feel like it’s the Teins doing a load of ‘stuff’ and techno jiggery-pokery under the hood (even though they are ) the car just feels naturally better balanced. How neat

Hitting an apex when and where you aim to suddenly seems much, much easier. And IME you can do it at better speed and with significantly more confidence.

That’s just on main roads, fast roundabouts, etc. .... and that vicious slip road at Stoke on Trent on to the M6 (which was utterly transformed )

So I very much look forward to the B roads with anticipation , ... and then fiddling with the G and S defaults to find out what a personally optimal set up looks like.

Really bowled over by how good these things are

[Mpv2k3]

Good stuff...... looking forward to the Back roads feedback

[ChrisHolmes]

On the basis of this excellent review I wonder if there is a potential group buy price based on 5 or 10 sets in one order!
Santa if you are reading this, we have all been very good this year,

[Scartlead]

Me too, promise

[Mpv2k3]

That would be good but I doubt it was possible

[RX8R3Rod]

This is the follow-up, after another 700 or so miles.

In summary, fantastic.

You can set it nice and comfy in town, and nice and firm out of it, and the EDFC active will just respond totally reliably.

As for bendy roads, it seems because at speed the nose doesn’t dip anything like so much under braking or the car roll so much, and the balance is so much more neutral, you really can brake rather later, take a much better line without feeling you’re fighting the car, and get the power on significantly earlier out of the corners.

And in a way what’s best of all, is you can definitely appreciate and enjoy all this at entirely road-legal speeds ... though it helps if the roads are empty as it’s so much easier to take optimum lines. A drive to Swindon at 3:00am this morning was a total joy

So IMHO highly recommended and a really big thanks to Clive (MAZDA Rotary Parts) for the inspired advice based on real experience, and Josh and team at Rotary Revs for the fab fitting, which has worked great!!

Am still tinkering as far as optimum set-up goes ... updates to follow on that, but the defaults are a great place to start, it seems.

[Mpv2k3]

Good write up, they sound superb!

Where did you install the control monitor?

Also, did clive say he used the edfc active with gps or the active pro?

[Goobie]

Good write up, they sound superb!

Where did you install the control monitor?

Also, did clive say he used the edfc active with gps or the active pro?

Active with GPS I believe.

[Mpv2k3]

Active with GPS. I explained to Rod that this was what was need for a great set up and spending more money on the more expensive kits was just not required. I also told him that as far as I was aware, the only other kit on the market like this is offered by Porsche as an accessory for 6K without fitting !

[Ranjan]

I am so tempted by this remote control system which most race cars have fitted these days but being so cheap I had my doubts about their reliability in long term use and so stuck with my manual Ohlins, but hearing that Clive has this fitted to his race car and has had no problems is a game changer!

If any of you who have this fitted could give me a passenger ride to experience this in action, I would be very grateful; I need to experience the change time and effectiveness in person before splashing out.

Ranjan.

[Clive]

I am so tempted by this remote control system which most race cars have fitted these days but being so cheap I had my doubts about their reliability in long term use and so stuck with my manual Ohlins, but hearing that Clive has this fitted to his race car and has had no problems is a game changer!

If any of you who have this fitted could give me a passenger ride to experience this in action, I would be very grateful; I need to experience the change time and effectiveness in person before splashing out.

Ranjan.

Five years after fitting this on the race car, I can safely say its reliable also we have sold many of these kits with no issues.

The other great thing is that the RX-8 has such a great sensitive chassis, even the smallest of differences make a big difference if you want to dial out oversteer or understeer and its helped the car achieve results I may not have during races .

I would have lost just a little bit of time if I came into the pits for a damper adjustment during a race

[V8 Power]

From reading up it looks like the Pro kit adds lateral auto adjustment so that it varies the settings from left and right hand sides of the car depending on cornering force. Does it add anything else?

From reading all the above the edfc certainly sounds like an amazing piece of kit and although a high cost it looks great value for money

[RX8R3Rod]

Been up to Rotary Revs this weekend after giving the Tein’s a few weeks to settle.

Josh sorted the ride height (now somewhat lower than when I had the Cusco’s, as the Tein Active gives me more controllable damping and the spring rates are 2x that of the Cusco’s) and kindly did a full 4 wheel alignment on RR’s wheel alignment system to optimise the feel and handling.

When he did this on Cheryl’s MX5 it transformed the the car, making it feel so much more planted. And he definitely hasn’t lost his touch based on a 130 mile drive in the ‘8 at 3:30am this morning.... utterly delightful

So here we are with the new ride height (I’ll be in drug-dealer territory if I carry on at this rate, ... just have to remember to turn the bass up ) and a picture of the TEIN active install which, as I don’t really want to look at the Tein all the time is, for me, in the perfect place. Easily adjustable but not in my face.

I should stress the cable you can see is mine; it’s a right-angled lightning connector there to power the iPhone.

5EB311BA-D6BD-45F5-A71E-BB886D594269.jpeg

[ChrisHolmes]

FYI I have just had one of my TEIN mono flex units fully tested by TEIN and the spring and damper rates were spot on. Not bad after over 30k miles since fitting in 2008. Real fit and forget kit!

[RX8R3Rod]

Wow, that’s pretty darn impressive Chris (not to mention the fact that you can actually get that measured by Tein )

[ChrisHolmes]

I had returned it as the click adjuster had seized and I snapped it off! Also 3 of the 4 bolts attached the pillow ball to the top cup sheered off when I tried to remove them.
The day the unit arrived at TEIN they removed the click adjuster and the sheared bolt remains then Carrie£ out the test as mentioned above.
The charge? £10 to cover the return shipping. Thanks to this thread regarding the EDFC Active kit I finished up paying a tad more than the £10 and the parcel should arrive tomorrow!

[RX8R3Rod]

That’s some serious after-sales service

[Techathy]

That’s some serious after-sales service

And a great way to sell more units as I know who I'll be purchasing my coil overs from when I get around to it!