Mca Suspension X-series Race For R33 Gts-t Review

[GTSBoy]

3.5 waaaaaaaaaaaay too soft for a car with 8s at the front. Will be understeer city.

[Dale FZ1]

The man engineered his shocks to work properly for a given application. Yours is predominantly road use.

Follow his advice.

[turboty]

Mca are all the rage. And i was looking at them before this... but dont have trade price or seen any reviews for a stagea but will keep my eye open as i know a lot of the stag guys would love some feedback and info

[Walfers]

  On 18/11/2015 at 11:54 AM, Dale FZ1 said:

The man engineered his shocks to work properly for a given application. Yours is predominantly road use.

Follow his advice.

Pretty much what I'm thinking, was also just worried about understeer.

[Trex]

  On 18/11/2015 at 1:04 PM, turboty said:

Mca are all the rage. And i was looking at them before this... but dont have trade price or seen any reviews for a stagea but will keep my eye open as i know a lot of the stag guys would love some feedback and info

I have a Stagea. So does Ray. We both use the blues. And there are a few others in the qld group who use them.

[turboty]

  On 18/11/2015 at 8:25 PM, Trex said:

I have a Stagea. So does Ray. We both use the blues. And there are a few others in the qld group who use them.

Yeah i am looking for a set i.m just not sure what spring rates to go. Its a s2 c34 awd that is mainly street with the odd track day maybe twice a year.... any help would be great.

[Trex]

Msg josh coot. Tell him your current and future suspension mods. Plans with the car etc. he will help you out

[billywhiz]

You mention BCs, did you have BCs previously and tracked the car(were they the wakefield times mentioned?)

I've been running BC ERs with separate comp/rebound adjustability but a shock blew at PI the other weekend, I have to check in to this a bit more but it looks like $600 just for replacement canister(and other 3 could go anytime) therefore looking at buying a new set. Hence very interested in track feedback from people who have run both BC and MCAs rather than people who've just got MCAs from OEM etc or read about how good they are.

[JH32]

  On 25/11/2015 at 1:05 PM, billywhiz said:

You mention BCs, did you have BCs previously and tracked the car(were they the wakefield times mentioned?)

I've been running BC ERs with separate comp/rebound adjustability but a shock blew at PI the other weekend, I have to check in to this a bit more but it looks like $600 just for replacement canister(and other 3 could go anytime) therefore looking at buying a new set. Hence very interested in track feedback from people who have run both BC and MCAs rather than people who've just got MCAs from OEM etc or read about how good they are.

There's a guy in this thread that appears to have had BC BRs and now has MCA X-Rs:

http://www.sau.com.au/forums/topic/456491-racepace-tein-vs-others/

[Dose Pipe Sutututu]

  On 25/11/2015 at 1:05 PM, billywhiz said:

You mention BCs, did you have BCs previously and tracked the car(were they the wakefield times mentioned?)

I've been running BC ERs with separate comp/rebound adjustability but a shock blew at PI the other weekend, I have to check in to this a bit more but it looks like $600 just for replacement canister(and other 3 could go anytime) therefore looking at buying a new set. Hence very interested in track feedback from people who have run both BC and MCAs rather than people who've just got MCAs from OEM etc or read about how good they are.

I've been in a car with BC BRs but not have driven nor been in a car with BC BRs on the track. My previous setup consisted of Bilstein B5 shocks with lowered springs as per SydneyKid's recommendations.

They clearly didn't suit my needs, thus they were removed and replaced with MCA X-Rs.

I will be going to Wakefield 20th December for some testing, will provide video footage of Bilsteins vs. MCAs

[gtr jet]

Those Bilsteins are too soft for track work aren't they?

[Dose Pipe Sutututu]

  On 25/11/2015 at 10:56 PM, gtr jet said:

Those Bilsteins are too soft for track work aren't they?

wayyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyy too soft, I know everyone will say get thicker ARBs, blah blah.. yes I have, still way too much weight shift.

Here's a video of 3x different drivers with the same car.. the 1st driver is a seasoned track broad minded person.

[Kinkstaah]

As someone with the Deluxe Sydneykid setup, I am curious to see how well it works out for you, as MCA do quite know their stuff on the track!

Though it doesn't look so bad in the video, but you can't see how it 'feels' when trying to throw the weight around.

[Dose Pipe Sutututu]

#doyouevenbodyroll ? haha.. this is with 24mm solid ARBs front and back set to the freaking hardest setting... overall understand and oversteer was very balanced/neutral...

however, by doing so I've snapped about 3 sets of ARB links to the spindle... they snap like butter when I hit a ripple strip or come off the track.

[Dale FZ1]

  On 25/11/2015 at 11:50 PM, johnnilicte said:

Here's a video of 3x different drivers with the same car.. the 1st driver is a seasoned track broad minded person.

3rd driver appears the most relaxed and smooth/deliberate with the application of steering, throttle, gearchange. How was his pace?

[Dose Pipe Sutututu]

  On 29/11/2015 at 3:37 AM, Dale FZ1 said:

3rd driver appears the most relaxed and smooth/deliberate with the application of steering, throttle, gearchange. How was his pace?

also slowest lol, 1m14s

[Dose Pipe Sutututu]

Alrighty.. 13 days to go till I see Wakefield Park again!

Just in the process of moving my oil cooler to the driver's wheel arch to promote cooler air flow to the radiator. I find the sandwiching of FMIC, Oil Cooler, Radiator isn't too effective for track duties and found water temp was rising a little too much for my liking.


Anyhow, install guide for the MCA coilovers.. who doesn't like a good install guide?

LINK HERE: http://www.trak-life.com/diy-r33-gts-t-mca-x-race-coilover-install/

Tools Required:

• Breaker Bar
• Torque Wrench (optional)
• 10mm, 12mm, 14mm, 17mm Sockets
• Trolley Jack & Jack Stands
• Rubber Mallet (optional)

Duration: 3 hours
Difficulty: Medium
Profanity Level: Medium

Step 1:
Jack up your car and securely lower it on a set of solid jack stands with the wheel removed as per the photo.

Step 2:
Locate the front shock absorber’s mounting points, at the top 2x 14mm nuts and at the bottom 1x 17mm nut .

Step 3:
Time to get physical, firstly unbolt the bracket that holds the ABS sensor line (only on ABS equipped vehicles), then undo the bottom nut followed by the two at the top. Gracefully then wiggle the shock absorber out, this is where a rubber mallet “might” come in handy when trying to pull the shock out from the bottom mounting point.

Note: Might be wise to have a second set of hands holding the shock absorber as you remove the top 2x 14mm nuts as it will drop down. If you’re good with multitasking, holding the shock with one arm whilst you’re removing the 2x 14mm nuts works too (that’s what I had to do because Flop wasn’t around)

Break:
Time to get that business on! but first, some mirin’ time and side by side comparisons!

Step 5:
Pretty much reverse of what you’ve done to take them out, starting with the top 2x 14mm nuts, followed by the bottom 17mm nut. Note that because of the new shock absorber aka coilover suspension, there is a lack of droop which may make it difficult to align the suspension mounting points to the upright. A simple solution to this is to use a trolley jack and load up the lower control arm till it aligns with the bottom eyelet of the coilover.

Once you’ve tightened up everything, just admire the detail of the suspension hardware.

Step 6:
Time for the rears, same as the front jack up the car securely then lower on jack stands

Step 7:
Pull out your rear seats, by first removing the bottom bench which will expose 2x 10mm bolts that hold the backrest in place. Remove those bolts, and lift the backrest upwards as it will come off the hangers. Once the seat is fully out of the car, remove the parcel tray by pulling it out on an angle (it will make more sense as you attempt it).

Step 8:
Locate the suspension strut tops of either end of the rear. You will see there’s a parcel tray support bracket, simply remove the front 10mm nut holding it and slide it across so you have direct access to the strut top. Now remove the 2x 12mm nuts holding the top of the suspension.

Step 9:
Locate the bottom mount of the shock absorber, again this wil be a 17mm nut. Simple remove this nut (I’m lazy thus you see the cordless impact wrench).

Step 10:
Similar to the front shock absorber, you may need to give it a whack with the rubber mallet to separate it from the rear spindle.

Break:
I suggest a beer at this point, as removing the rear seats was probably not fun nor exciting. Whilst smashing down a few cans, admire what you’ve just purchased and compare it to what you had previously (it’s a great feeling).

Step 11:
Time to bolt shit back, pretty straight forward – reverse the process of when you removed them.

Step 12 (Optional):
If you’re like me and love tinkering and adjusting shit all day, MCA have these optional strut top adjustment extenders for the rears (of course not free but worth investing). These flexible rods allow you to adjust the dampers without the need to pull out the parcel tray OR cut massive holes for your hands. Pretty straight forward, measure and trim the rod as required then they simply just hook up to the adjuster tops and tighten up with a small 3mm grub screw. I chose to butcher up my parcel tray and feed them through, alternatively they would still work wedged up between your seat and parcel tray.

Step 13:
Repeat for the opposite side of the car, yippee!

All done, time to rock and roll. If the height requires adjustment, please follow MCA’s instructions. Also don’t forget to hit up a wheel alignment shop and re-dial in the toe settings for the front and back. If you have the luxury of camber arms, get those checked too and dialed in accordingly as changing height will affect other aspects of the geometry.

[billywhiz]

Enjoy experimenting with shock settings at Wakefield.

Doh, you've just reminded me, time to remove the bolt in cage for decent access to the rear parcel shelf.

[JH32]

Nice guide mate, love the colour of your car too!

[billywhiz]

You'd really want personal experience to go against a recommendation from a person whose business is suspension.

Just ask what spring options will work the proposed suspension valving you're buying and you can always swap/purchase different springs that your valving can cope with after driving the car a bit. Obviously if you want to go outside this range, you'll be up for rebuild.