New Hahn/QA1 Bolt-In Spherical Coilovers!

Quote from rabtech

If I say something that Bill has already said just ignore me. It was late when I saw his thread and I just skimmed over it.

I have to use this thread to explain why I run the system that I have....I have been trying to explain it to people and this is the best opportunity I will ever have. I am not bashing or degrading anyones setup. I am strictly stating the facts that I have and how it pertains to my setup and the results that I have come up with and the process.

I am gong to take this opportunity to throw my two cents in because I have been trying to explain since the day I installed mine why I have the spherical ends on my shocks. AND why I run much heavier springs than everyone else... AND ITS NOT BECAUSE IM FAT!

What Bill has created is an all-in-one solution that accomplishes pretty much what I did originally. And his setup will do it professionally and without all the drilling, hacking, ordering, and overnight freight charges that I went through.

Last year at about this exact time I was getting ready to head to Maggie Valley and I was in the process of installing QA1 coilovers before I left. I had purchased coilovers before and I knew that I didn't want the poly bushings. I finally found a set on Ebay that had the spherical ends. They also came with a 1/2" hole in the spherical ball mount. I had to drill out all my shock mount points to match this hole size and come up with a bunch of steel plates and spacers to get them to work. And it did work perfectly. Now the next part is where I found out just how much difference the spherical ball made.... My ebay purchase came with 175 pound springs... And I had heard that the stock suspension had a 185 pound spring rate. So my thought was "these should be close enough". When I bolted everything up and tightened the spring to the 1/2 way point I let the jack down and the Slingshot BOTTOMED OUT. My first thought was "wow I cant believe what an additional 10 pounds of spring rate is making" So I called and overnighted a set of 200 pound springs. I mounted them up and let the jack down and it was a little better but even with the spring tightened nearly all the way it still would not hold itself up.... The problem was that I was running out of time.... I had to have it on the trailer and on its way to Maggie Valley the next day... I call a buddy that drag races here in town and has a pretty good supply of springs. He lucky had a set of 225 pound springs... I hauled butt over to his place and purchased them. I mounted them up and this time the front held up pretty well. I am now able to tighten the spring on up and get the height where it can be driven. I breath a little bit easier and load it on the trailer... I knew they would work for me if I left them tightened nearly all the way up but I also knew it was not the correct thing to do. So I went inside and called to order a set of 250 pound spring and have them overnighted to the hotel in Maggie Valley. That reminds me, I guess I need to say thanks to @Toobad4u for helping me change them out in a dark hotel parking lot.. Needles to say that is the springs that I currently run and they are dead on perfect.... The adjustment is in the center and and they ride flawlessly.

I have people that ask me all the time what spring rates I run and why I wanted to drill the mounts and go the way I did with the spherical balls.... As I explained in the paragraph above, the spring rates I run are heavier than everyone else... The reason for the heavier spring is because I dont have the poly bushing that most people do. The big fat poly bushings will make your suspension tight and (don't shoot me for this) imprecise..... Let me explain why I use them..... I run 250 pound spring on my coilovers up front... When I let the floor jack down the front immediately settles to the correct position and if you press on the front end it flexes with relative ease....IF I were to ONLY change the spherical balls out on the ends of the coilovers and switch to the poly bushings and then let the jack down again the bike would't even budge when the tires hit the ground. It would sit up tall and the coilover would slowly come down a bit after it had been sitting for a while. But it never would settle to the correct ride height... It would have the tension at each end of the poly bushing holding resistance against the movement. This is why you will find that the owner with poly bushing big ends on their coilovers only need to run 200 pound springs. Its because the flipping bushings are holding some of the weight. And this resistance causes the coilover to be a bit sluggish in its response.

Remember when you installed the poly bushing it had a steel tube in the center(where the bolt went thru) and was surrounded by two pieces of poly bushing. The Poly bushing had big fat faces that went into the slot and they went into the eye of the coilover end. That is what i am referring to as making the "action" a bit stiff and sluggish....

Use this info as you see fit to. If you don't agree and want to do a write up on poly bushings please start another thread and don't mess up this one that Bill has started. I just wanted to give "my" very detailed accounting and explain how his new all-in-one design will work and why "I" think its better..... Heck, like i mentioned earlier I was doing this setup a long time ago. Bill has just made it all user-friendly. And from what I noticed he seems to be right in line with the pricing. With all the info posted above and the price where it is, do yourself a favor and don't try to save a few dollars and order individual items like I did. YOU WILL end up spending way more than what Bill is asking for a complete "to the door" solution.

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Very cool story, bro. Your efforts and feedback made a big difference in the parts we ultimately chose for these Bolt-In Spherical QA1's, and in the best possible way: through experimentation, observation, and determined execution. Thank you for helping develop the "recipe" and sharing it with us all.

Quote from Speedr117

Ordered! Of course, I was in such a hurry that I forgot to add the forum discount code to the order and had to email back asking to have it added to the order. LOL!

Bill, 2 questions for you: The shocks lower the Slingshot 3/4 to 1 inch lower. Why the range? Is it base vs. SL tire differences? Also, you said they'd go out next week. Is that early next week? Just want to make sure they're on, "tested", and adjusted on some back roads before Maggie Valley.

Thanks! Can't wait to try these!

Thank you very much, Speedr! We will credit you back the discount code.

The range I offer, of 3/4" to 1" lower as shipped, is what we'd refer to in the machining world as a "tolerance". Rather than state a single specific number that may, or may not, repeat to that very figure, I have essentially added a "plus of minus" of 1/8" in each direction, for a total range of 1/4". More than anything, this is intended to temper folks' expectations of exactitude, and it also helps account for minor weight differences that may occur from Slingshot to Slingshot based on accessories, model, etc.

The ride height remains completely adjustable, of course, and you can alter it to whatever you prefer. As they come, there is about 1" left of lowering room, for those who simply have to leave sparks at night...and they can also be raised considerably, to stock or even taller than stock should one desire.

As to shipping time, I don't have things quite nailed down to the day just yet...but I will make every effort to get them our early next week for MV. As a backup plan, we do plan to be installing these at MV, and should the inevitable push meet the unavoidable shove, we'll just mount you up there

Quote from Flybuddy

For those of us just looking for a smoother ride and wanting to keep stock vehicle height are the single adjustables worthwhile or do we really need the doubles? Also, can you give an idea on install cost at MV? thx

Great question, and thank you for asking. The single adjustables are top-flight stuff as well. Frankly, they still contain enough adjustability that they will satisfy all but the most discerning (and experienced) handling enthusiast. On the other hand, it can also be said that one can edge closer to becoming that discerning and experienced handling enthusiast if one has the best tools to learn with. For those who truly aspire, and/or perhaps also don't revel in the idea of buyer's remorse later (should they end up coveting those double adjustables after all)...they may consider going full boat double-adjustable right from the start.

Of course, all the adjustability in the world isn't worth much if one doesn't use it and optimize it. Double adjustables provide a nearly unlimited number of things to try, and play with, and mull over, and try again, and that's the fully realized fun and challenge of them. For those simply looking to increase the machine's prowess, and perhaps also better accommodate a non-stock wheel/tire combo, the single adjustables will more than suffice.

As an aside for all, I'd like to also add that non-stock brake combos can also add considerable unsprung weight to the machine, further pushing the stock coilovers out of their comfort zone, and further making the case for an adjustable alternative...one that can be calibrated to the new tasks at hand, not struggling to deal with a non-stock combo it was never designed to interact with in the first place.

Quote from Speedr117

Just to add my $0.02 to this. The main advantage of having both Rebound AND Compression adjustments is that you can solve a particular problem independently without affecting other handling attributes. The main function of Rebound dampening is to stop oscillation in the wheel movement. A classic example of lack of rebound is watching an old Cadillac hit a bump and see it bounce up and down multiple times. So if you hit a bump and you feel the bump a few times, then you know you need to tighten up the rebound. You have to be careful, though, as too much rebound will cause your suspension to "pack" down over multiple bumps in close succession, resulting in a loss of travel. To say it another way, with too much rebound, the shock won't let the wheel go back to it's original spot in the travel, then comes another bump, and it again compresses the shock, and again doesn't allow it to recover. So let's say there was 3 inches of travel: after the first bump, it goes down to 2 1/2, then the second bump it's 2, etc. So always start out with less rebound and then slowly increase it. Compression is much easier since it really is how fast you want the shock to compress, regardless of spring tension. So if you want less dive on the brakes or in the corners, add more Compression. Again, too much and you'll skip across bumps since you'll reduce the shock to just a solid support. Hope this helps

Good stuff. Speedr represents the more in-depth end of the range of enthusiasts, having played this game before...and will benefit nicely from having independent rebound and compression adjustments in the double-adjustable version. I hope to see useful feedback from those like him, which will assist others in finding their own "sweet spots" with this combination. It has a great pedigree so far, and as we expand the knowledge base to include more folks, everyone will benefit.

MAGGIE VALLEY INSTALLS!

Just a quick note to solidify the Maggie Valley details. We do intend to install these coilover systems at MV, involving both orders placed beforehand, as well as and new "walk-up" sales which are completed in MV. Of course, it's first come, first served, so we will complete any and all pre-order installs before serving new customers.

If you'd like us to install this coilover system at MV, instead of using the "slingshotinfo" code at checkout, use "maggievalleyinstall" instead. This will get you the coilover set at the forum special price, plus $100 for installation, and also won't charge you shipping, as we'll carry the coilover set to MV for you. We will contact all who use this code and schedule your install at Maggie Valley.

Installations will also include an orientation session with me to help familiarize you with getting the most out of this suspension upgrade.