HSD Coilovers

Jace · Postby **Jace** » Mon Jul 27, 2009 9:41 pm

got 'em.
they look to be of very nice quality, but i guess time will tell.

zephyrus17 · Postby **zephyrus17** » Mon Oct 31, 2011 12:02 am

@Jace, how are they holding up now? I'm looking to get a set of HRs

Jace · Postby **Jace** » Wed Nov 02, 2011 6:41 pm

Well that post was ages ago, the HSD's were stiffer than a teenage boy with a bra catalogue... consequently I came to hate driving my old NA6 with them, and sold the coilovers and car separate.

Not cut out for the street IMO. Might be stiff enough for the track I suppose.

plohl · Postby **plohl** » Wed Nov 02, 2011 8:58 pm

what spring rates were they?

zephyrus17 · Postby **zephyrus17** » Mon Nov 07, 2011 11:44 am

Did you use the 10/8 spring rates? I told Otomoto to swap out to the original 9/6 specified by HSD. I placed my order and will probably get it around Wednesday

Jace · Postby **Jace** » Mon Nov 07, 2011 7:21 pm

Unsure of what spring rates they were claimed to be. They were TT's if that helps.

zephyrus17 · Postby **zephyrus17** » Mon Nov 07, 2011 7:29 pm

Well, I'll just have to see for myself when I get them and put them on. I'll chime back after my initial drive.

plohl · Postby **plohl** » Mon Nov 07, 2011 10:59 pm

feed back would be great cheers!

Lonnnie · Postby **Lonnnie** » Thu Nov 10, 2011 4:42 pm

mine end up leaking and knocking after 3 owners. they sit low but wouldn't recommend second hand but that goes for a lot of second hand coilovers.

zephyrus17 · Postby **zephyrus17** » Mon Nov 21, 2011 11:00 am

I just installed them over the weekend and it's very well made. Pillow mounts don't make a noise at all and the assembly+welding is top notch. The ride is a tiny bit more stiff, but also it's very smoothly damped, especially compared to my 21 year old dampers. It's yet to settle down, and I predict it'll be very great after that. The good thing is that cornering is super level and very well sorted. Pictures to come soon.

I'm sitting at 13" front and 14" rear. Measured from the centre of wheel vertically up to the lip. I'll let it settle down more a bit then maybe I'll lower it a bit more

zephyrus17 · Postby **zephyrus17** » Wed Dec 07, 2011 3:01 pm

So it's been 2 weeks since I got them, and so far it's been great!

Initially there was a loud clunking noise from the rear left when going over bumps. After consulting with HSD, they told me to let the suspension settle in at full soft, instead of the 9/16 setting I was using. Once I changed that, by the next day of driving the suspension noise was all gone. Running at full soft wasn't fun, since going over bumps was just too bouncy. But it was extremely supple. I think Jace's post of them being extreme stiff were probably due to running 10/8 springs instead of the HSD recommended 9/6. Oddly, Otomoto have 10/8 as the spring they're paired with. You have to specify to get the spring swap, though I guess it's because they were initally recommended for track use/drifting.

I'm sitting at 4 front 5 rear out of 16 stages, since I found the rear a bit bouncier than the front. Each stage is pretty noticable, and it's great for fine tuning. The extra top hat space is good too as the rears have never bottomed out, even at softest settings and the extreme bumps.

The extra top hat protusion does mean that you won't have space for the spare tire. But for me, it wasn't an issue as I've taken it out a long time ago. YMMV.

So far, it's been very good. I haven't done an alignment yet, but I will do so soon. I'd highly recommend them with the 9/6 springs at least for the road. I've not tracked them yet, though I do suspect they'll be quite good. Installation was very easy and the independent height adjustment was very good to not affect the preload. For a $1,300 set, obviously they won't be as good as Ohlins, but I chose them over the Yellowspeed and the BC Racing mostly due to their great customer service (Kam at Driftworks was extremely helpful), and their top hat for extra travel.

Here's the picture as it came from Otomoto: http://s572.photobucket.com/albums/ss16 ... Coilovers/

plohl · Postby **plohl** » Wed Dec 07, 2011 3:18 pm

Thanks for the details dude!

So did you get them through otomoto or driftworks in the uk?

zephyrus17 · Postby **zephyrus17** » Wed Dec 07, 2011 3:22 pm

Got them through Otomoto, as they're the official Australian distributor for the HSD coilovers. There was a $50ish shipping cost, but that's not a biggie. 1 year warranty too. One of the other benefits of buying locally rather than importing from USA.

botisto · Postby **botisto** » Thu Dec 08, 2011 12:31 am

Thanks for the info on these! I'm just looking at buying a set of the HSDs with the 10/8 springs for a stripped and uncomfy NA I'm building for track and drift but ill be driving it around town a fair bit as well. Do you think these would have the right kind of dampening? I figured the yellowspeed 12/11 would just be too harsh around town.

zephyrus17 · Postby **zephyrus17** » Thu Dec 08, 2011 7:51 am

The original NAs are 8/6, so 9/6 was their version designed for a mix between road/track. I have a feeling this setup was designed more for the road. The damping varies very widely between full soft and hard; from almost no damping to 'hard as a rock'. I think for your case, you'd better email driftworks (sales@driftworks.com) and ask the experts. I would have a feeling that 10/8 and yellowspeed's 12/11 would be more suitable for track. But 12/11 might be too hard for the road