Electronic suspension controllers

[Red Duke]

Ello chaps

Well, I'm still floating about on the forum (and have been for the past 3 years I've been thinking about getting an S15.. ) I've still got the FTO, but I'll be selling my Kawasaki ZX6R, and Seat Leon soon, to help fund "Project: S15". - Keeping the FTO for now as my daily driver, I'm currently doing 500+ miles a week to work!

Having seen how low some of your S15's are in pics, etc. it got me thinking about speed bumps, getting onto ramps at MOT time, doing oil / filter changes, and stuff like that. Anyway.. No doubt you've all heard of the Tein EDFC, but I remember seeing a kit that worked with Tein, Bilstein, etc. coilovers to electronically adjust ride height. The problem is, I can't for the life of me remember where I saw it! I've had a look at "air suspension", but they seem to replace the standard damper with one that is air adjustable, and are blimmin expensive, plus it looks like that'd then rule out coilovers, for obvious reasons.

Is this something any of you have ever considered? Speed bumps aren't too much of an issue in my area, but I always liked the idea of having some kind of system I'd could flick a switch on, and raise the car to safety. A prime example of this would be a dead fox I barely scraped over in my FTO a few weeks ago, would have been ok if it hadn't been in the middle of the road on a blind bend!

There must be other ways of doing it, I'm sure Ferrari don't expect Enzo owners to drive around on air suspension, rather than properly setup coilovers.

Who know's, maybe this is all just over kill for the sake of not lowering the car too far. :ghey:

 

[Yakozan]

The electronic adjuster from Tein etc only adjust how how the dampers are. I don't think there is any aftermarket kit which allows lowering on the fly except air suspension.

Audi did have a system on their A6 Allroad. Don't know how that worked, but I suspect it was an air system.

My S15 is only slightly lowered and I have no problems with speedbumps or anything else so far.

 

[JEZ 8553]

Hiya mate. As said the EDFC system only controls the dampening, not the ride height. A decent automatic ride height adjustment suspension (like found on some supercars) will set you back more than the S15 itself id imagine so not really an option.

To be honest the S15 doesnt really have a low front end unless you go aftermarket like a Vertex but even this isnt as bad as my Bozz Speed front on my FTO and ive survived with it for 3 years

The main thing to worry about from looking at S15's is the low hanging exhaust and frontpipe, this is what can get damaged if going over speed bumps too fast or hitting debris in the road

 

[R-Spec]

I've got loads of speed bumps round me and with the standard aero front bumper and Nismo S-Tune (-30mm) its been fine as long as you go slow. Like Jez says its the exhaust that grounds if your too quick

 

[Red Duke]

Ah nice one, I knew the EDFC only controls the damping btw, lol. :nod:
There definitely was a kit, it sat over part of the coilover and a 'cup' (the best way I can think to describe it) sat over the adjustment / locking rings, and this could be moved up and down via a controller in the cabin, with the more expensive version allowing changes on individual coilovers, rather than all 4 at once, it could also be used with the Tein EDFC if I remember rightly.

I do remember it being gold / purple coloured, and I beleive it worked out around the ?4k mark, before fitting! Ugh, this is annoying me now.. I'm sure it came from Japan, I'll keep looking and see if I can find anything, just so I know I'm not going mad! :wack: It was a couple of years ago however, as I was looking at the system for my FTO at the time.

Anyway, cheers for the info, as I suspected, it'd probably just be overkill for the sake of driving slowly over bumps!

 

[_Wing_]

you might be thinking of the Roberuta Cup Kits?

too expensive to pursue imho but here's info:
http://www.roberuta.com/
http://www.topsecretjpn.com/roberuta.shtml

 

[raytsang]

that kit looks very intresting.... but so so expensive..

 

[Red Duke]

Wing, you're a genius! :notworthy: That is exactly the kit I found ages ago, I knew I wasn't going mad!

I wonder how much it'd cost to import them here? I've never seen the kit any where else before..