Bruneti

Chris, Do you determine your own valving specs, or do you work together with your damper guy on that? I'd like to learn more about this aspect, since most say they calculate a starting point for their valving and work from there. Where does one learn about the calculations? Any recommended books, readings, etc? Sounds like you were VERY lucky to come across those dampers for your Skyline.

imi - height adjustment can be added by using a coilover sleeve. Bilstein makes them for some shocks, and they may also fit the supra shock body. Otherwise Ground Control and others make sleeves for Bilsteins. You also need an upper spring seat to convert to a constant 2.5" diameter spring. These are all available for most popular shocks (Koni, Bilstein, etc.). Everyone - Thanks for helping set me straight on the Euro and J-spec options. Makes complete sense now. Most Bilstein oem replacement shocks that can be purchased in the U.S. have a HD (heavy duty) or Sport valving designation with the sport being firmer. For some reason the mkiv only has the HD available here. I'm thinking that the TRD Japan shocks are probably setup with their sport valving for the mkiv application. That may be what I'm looking for to go with the higher spring rates. Very Interesting... Nic & Chris - I'll have to look more into the different Bilstein/TRD Valving options and figure out if their standard stuff is suitable and what I want to do. Chris - I'm going to have to email you sometime to chat about some of your products. What I'm reading about your suspension, I/C, etc. is very intriguing and more geared towards my goals than much of the stuff commonly sold here in the states. I'll have to brush up on my currency conversions and shipping rates if I buy stuff from you guys! Chris, I applaud you for the work you've done on the custom valved Bilsteins. They really are great shocks, but their philosophy of not typically using adjusters requires a lot of work re-valving until you get it just right. Do you now get them straight from Bilstein with your custom valving, or do you do it yourself? I know Bilsteins can be converted to take-aparts (by adding a schraeder valve) fairly easily, and I'll bet you did that for at least your prototype set to make it easier to release gas pressure and re-valve. I've considered building up my own coilovers based on Bilsteins and 2.5" Hypercoils. I pretty much decided that the cost was too high for my current needs. If I ever get more serious about road racing and corner weighting the car, I may look further down that path.

I own a U.S. spec '97 TT with completely original oem suspension/wheels/tires. The '97-98 years in our market had a softer suspension than the other years. I'm looking to upgrade to a more agressive setup that is still roadworthy and comfortable, but would be more satisfactory for the rare track day. I dismissed the popular Eibach pro kit springs due to their very low ride height and somewhat soft spring rates. I settled on the Tein S-Tech springs due to their more conservative drop (1 inch F&R) and more aggressive spring rates (670F/360R lbs/in). These rates seemed to be in between a true track setup and the Eibach setup. I'm now trying to find a suitable shock to use with these springs, and have been looking toward the Bilsteins. Since there are alot more people on this forum running Bilsteins, I have been reading and trying to understand my options. So far I have run across several versions of Bilsteins that may be different, but I'm not sure. Could someone chime in with any knowledge they may have any differences between these? Especially if they are known to be valved differently. I just want to know if all I should focus on one variant of the Bilsteins over another with my spring rates and desire for good ride quality. I know that Bilsteins use a groove in the shock body to set spring perch height. They can add grooves pretty cheaply if I want to raise the height back up closer to stock. So far I know of: 1. U.S. market Bilstein HD OEM replacement shocks - Available at Autozone etc. 2. TRD Suspension Kit - in U.S. this TRD kit consists of springs (eibach pro kit) and shocks (Bilsteins) 3. U.K. spec Toyota Shocks - Toyota branded Bilsteins? 4. J-spec Bilsteins 5. Chris Wilson custom valved Bilsteins & springs- (I'd like to learn more about this kit) Obviously the C.W. shocks are custom valving, but are the others all the same valving or are there differences between them????? -Tim

Sweet setup. Great choice on your cast manifold. Arnout's manifold rocks! I want one for my car. Are you running the stock fuel rail? Have you modified it for dual feed? Sorry, not sure what your fuel setup is.

Any pics and further info on the Ohlins? What condition are they in after the wreck? Any oil leaks? Can you read any part numbers off them? Thanks

Nic, I have the oem supplier name, part numbers for all three pieces, and pdf's of the supplier's engineering drawings of the parts. All I'd ask in return is a free harness for my car . I do know that one of the limiting factors is the minimum quantity that must be purchased. I forget what it is (could find this if needed) but the initial investment is pretty high. Sounds like you might be up for it though. I only needed one set for myself, so I stopped my investigation there.

Bobbeh - I live in Holland, MI which is on the southwest side of the state. A fair amount different than the Metro Detroit area. Beautiful area near the lakeshore. If only the winters could be shorter... Everyone else, thanks for the warm welcome. I've seen the "other" forum decline over the years to where it's now mostly kids, drag racers, and Dyno Queens. I pretty much only check out the Road Racing section of Supraforums these days. Some little tidbits of info posted over there are what brought me here to search. Things like: Info on Ohlins part #'s for Supra, SMIC replacement options, custom valved Bilsteins, etc. I may have to send off an email to Chris Wilson. His stuff seems well thought out and highly praised over here. No idea how much it would cost to get it over the pond. I also know that many in the U.K. and Europe have modified stock twins. For some reason this has not worked out for those in the U.S. I'm sure it's related to the shops performing the work. I'm staying with stock twins for the forseeable future. Someday a GT58 DBB may find it's way in.

Hi there. My name's Tim and I live in the U.S. in Michigan. I've owned my '97 Supra TT for 6 years, but have just made my way over here from Supraforums. I'm particularly interested in sensible modifications that can apply to road racing or autocross, as well as on the street. Suspension, brakes, and small turbos are more up my alley than what Supraforums has become as of late. Hopefully I can learn some new things from this forum.