JIC FLT-TAR suspension review:

It's been about 3 1/2 months and at least 5k miles since I installed them, and Ian bugged me too, so here's my review


Price:
I can’t disclose the price I paid, but for what you get it’s very reasonable IMO. Everything is VERY well made, very solid, heavy duty construction. You pay for the quality, but you DO get quality.


Installation:
For those of you who may not have seen the DIY, here it is: https://g35driver.com/forums/v36-diy...r-install.html

Figure about a solid 2-3 hours for installation, including time to set the height and to level everything evenly. If you don't have power tools, figure on more time needed to do the install. An air compressor and an airgun are not essential, but they'll sure cut the install time down.


Spring Rates:
JIC settled on a spring rate of 12k (674 lb/in) for the front and 8k (450 lb/in) for the rear. I believe the initial prototype set was a 12k/10k setup, so they softened up the rear slightly.


Height Adjustments:
The minimum drop height is 0.5”, and you can go down to 2.5” if you so desire. I’m at the minimum drop height because my setup is for performance, rather than sitting in “the weeds” like others may choose to do. Either way, you have the option. The great thing about the JIC setup is that the spring pre-load is not affected by the drop height. Some systems have the height adjustment collar set at the bottom of the spring, so if you lower it beyond a certain range you are changing the effective spring pre-load. The JIC system is not like that. The spring perch collar is set and locked out of the box, and any adjustment is made at the bottom of the threaded body of the damper. What's that mean? Means you can crank it down anywhere between 0.5” to 2.5”, and it will always have the same spring pre-load no matter what height you choose.


Damper Adjustments:
The damper offers 15 way adjustability, which is more than enough for the majority of users. The only people who may need more adjustability is someone who is seriously into autocross/SCCA, but in that case, you should’ve bought a different car . Adjustments are made at the top of each dampener via a threaded hex ****. JIC also includes a handy hex wrench to make adjustments, and it's especially useful for adjusting the rears.

For those of you who haven’t seen my solution for the rear adjustments, see the DIY post #7 for information. The optional JIC rear adjustment extenders you can purchase will NOT work for the sedan, so don’t waste your money. My solution is an easy fix, will take you literally 5 minutes to make adjustments, and won’t cost you a dime out of your pocket.


Damper Settings:
I’ve done a lot of experimenting since the initial installation, and I mean a LOT. For those of you who may decide to run the FLT-TAR’s, I’ve taken the guesswork out of it for you. I must have changed adjustments at least ten times.

At the time of the initial installation, my friend set them to 10F/10R and said to try them out. He knew I came from a stiff suspension car, so he set them on the high side as far as the adjustment range went. Unless you’re driving on glass, meaning a super smooth road (i.e. race track), 10 is much too stiff for a daily driver that sees regular pavement.

I lowered the setting to 10F/8R, and it was still much too stiff. I could actually “3 wheel peel” going up a driveway or curb.

I then tried 9F/7R, and it was much better. Be aware that it is still stiff (don't let anyone fool you and tell you a coil over won't feel stiff), but not to the point of being “bone jarring.” I thought I had found the ideal setting, until I went on a freeway run one day. I had the car up to about 115 or so, and I ended up hitting a bump/dip (not sure what it was) on a curved section of the road. Since it was set so stiff, the car bounced and actually felt like it caught some air (although it probably didn’t). It rebounded quickly, but I realized that it was still too stiff.

I changed the setting to 7F/5R, and so far it seems ideal. I took it back to the same section of road and got up to about the same speed, but the previous occurrance didn't happen again. It soaks up bumps, still rebounds quickly, and is very livable on a daily basis. It still handles well while still offering a decent amount of comfort. I’ve had it set this way for about 2 months and I believe this is the final setting for me.


Handling, from day one:
I hated the S suspension from day one. People who’ve never driven a full suspension set vehicle will think that it handles well, but it actually doesn’t. The S suspension is far too soft, and the dampers are severely under-damped. I simply hated it, especially when I drove the 3 and then went back to my car. Very, very disappointing.

My first upgrade came with the addition of the Hotchkis bars. When added to the stock S suspension, they cut down the amount of body roll significantly. However, I experienced an accompanying decrease in ride quality. While driving in a turn, the sway bars decreased the amount of body roll, but if something upset the suspension in mid-turn, the car almost felt like my old solid axle Mustang pre panhard rod.

I knew at that time that the stock springs/dampers were not up to the task they were now faced with with the addition of the Hotchkis bars, and I knew that they needed to be changed. The problem at that time (and still to this date) was that there were no choices as far as aftermarket dampers for our vehicle. They were a number of springs to choose from, but zero as far as dampers. In some ways, I was forced to look into coil overs, but on the same note, I knew I would end up with a set of coil overs. At the time I began to do my research, the only choices were JIC, HKS, Megan/BC, and KW. I chose the JIC over the other brands because I knew they were reputable, they were easily rebuildable down the road, and Steven@JIC (he’s since moved on to a different company) offered me a partial sponsorship deal to help promote the product.

After the installation of the JIC’s with the Hotchkis, the suspension is close to perfect (for a number of reasons):
1. No noises, creaks, rattles, nothing. That was an important characteristic in my search for coil overs, and the JIC delivered. To this day, they’re still absolutely silent.
2. Balanced. No understeer or oversteer. With the JIC’s at 7/5 and the Hotchkis in the middle hole, the suspension is very neutral in handling.
3. Good adjustment range. Most people like me will hover in the 4-8 range in stiffness settings. I think a setting of 7.5/5.5 would be the best of both worlds, but as it stands, it’s pretty perfect.
4. Perfect height settings. You can easily drop it in the weeds, or if you’re like me, you can drop it the minimum amount for a more performance oriented approach. Some brands other than JIC will not offer a small minimum height drop, so it’s something to keep an eye out for.
5. No rubbing front or rear, another important quality for me. I didn't want to have to worry about rolling fenders, but a lot of it has to do with my wheel choice also.

One other thing I had to consider is that after the installation of the JIC's and the Hotchkis, my tires were nowhere near the task they were now faced with. The 225/245 setup did not offer anywhere near the amount of grip I needed. That was solved with the addition of the 37 wheels and FK452's. I have yet to exceed the grip of the FK452's, especially with the 275 on the rear, even when pushed hard. They're a great tire and I love them.


Alignment Considerations:
I’ve yet to do an alignment, but it’s on the top of my priority list. The fronts seem like they’re neutral, with maybe a slight amount of negative camber. The rears have obvious negative camber, but I’m confident that they can be corrected into spec without the need for an SPC kit or the like. My toe seems to be good, and I frequently check the tire wear and that seems good too. An alignment is essential, don’t get me wrong, but since I’m not getting any strange wear I haven’t rushed to do it yet (but I certainly will).


Conclusion:
There are many choices today as far as coil overs, much more than when I made the decision to take the plunge. If you look, there's probably about 6 or 7 brands now, whereas before, there were about 4.

I guess the golden question is "Would you buy the same system today, even with the increase in choices?" My answer would be a resounding "Yes." If you compare the JIC with the other brands, the only real "comparable" ones are the HKS or the Teins, even though the Teins weren't available at the time of my purchase.

Had I have to do it again, I'd only really compare the Teins and the JIC's for use on my car. They're both similar as far as features go, but the Teins do offer the EDFC. It's a great feature, but it's pricey, and it'll also add a lot of time to your overall installation. Me personally, I knew I wouldn't constantly adjust them after I found my ideal setting, so it was a moot feature for me. The Teins are also more expensive for a comparable model.

So, fast forwarding to today, I'd still buy the JIC's, sponsorship or not. It's a great system, built very well, very adjustable, easily rebuildable, and handles great.

 

Great review San
Almost makes me want to get the JIC coils...But I'll stick to the Tanabe coils, can't justify spending 2k+ on these

 

Awesome review San! it would be nice to see many more reviews of aftermarket products like this.

 

Greatly appreciated San, that's a fantastic write up.
The format is great too, very easy to follow.

...you answered a lot of questions for me.


Only one I can think of is;
Which did you go with pillow or rubber?





BTW, I stickied an old post of yours & updated/added the CO data.

 

I couldn't agree more!

I'd be happy to organize them in the tech section as well.

 

Non pillowball mount. You can see the construction in some of the pics.

Good thing you bugged me about or I wouldn't have
done it lol

 

I just noticed in Acute Performance's classified,
that they're saying springs are: 9kg/6kg

I haven't contacted them to verify,
but the rates may have changed again


https://g35driver.com/forums/suspens...-specials.html

 

I believe what they are selling are the VIP version of the FLT-TAR. Which has different/softer spring rates than the normal FLT-TAR.

 

oops

thanks!

 

That is correct.

 

Hi

Yes the ones I'm selling are VIP with softer springs. I carry the FLT-TAR as well.

Michael
Acute Performance

 

BTW San, my Visa card thanks you for this great write up.

 

Haha, welcome to the club. Your Visa card should be happy, and should send me the difference I saved you

 

Excellent write up!

btw, why did u change your forum name?

 

Long story, but it was necessary to protect the names of the innocent lol