Wilqaeda
New member
I had FK coilovers on my bravo, they were great!
General FK Automotive sale.
- Thread starter Demi
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General FK Automotive sale.
OP
OP
at the end of the day. FK has grown massively in the last few years, yeah ppl did buy few lemons from them, but then again Panda is generally great car too, BUT few ppl did have few lemons too. Take the steering column problem for example.
So FK wouldn't grow or even survive for long if they didn't do something right.
So FK wouldn't grow or even survive for long if they didn't do something right.
You've obviously never visited the GolfGti forum then..
FK do come in various different specs and prices and i've heard good things about some of their more expensive gear and to fair to my coilovers, they were wound right down and subjected to west country roads for a year....i'd give em another go if cash was a bit tight.
You've obviously never visited the GolfGti forum then..
FK do come in various different specs and prices and i've heard good things about some of their more expensive gear and to fair to my coilovers, they were wound right down and subjected to west country roads for a year....i'd give em another go if cash was a bit tight.
No but having been on the mini forum, I'd say this is more clique and some if the posters are far more unhelpful than HMRC!!!
You dismissed my suggestion on the eps thread because it doesn't make sense to you, not because you know it to be wrong.
ahumbletramp
New member
Finally got these fk struts fitted, not at all bad. They will do for now, not to harsh either. Might as well order another set to keep aside just incase. Cheers for the link.
Im not getting into any arguments here but generally buying anything cheap to save money can actually lead to spending more money. Its usually best to save money up and buy something more expensive but better quality. Otherwise you end up buying a cheap version several times and eventually buy the quality item in the end anyway. Not that im saying anything bad about these components as ive never heard of the manufacturer or tried them.
There is a saying, "you get what you pay for". These seem very cheap. Either they are cheaply made, so may not last or perform as well as hoped, or they could be good/adequate and the supplier is missing a profit opportunity. Most stuff is actually very cheap out of the factory, it is the supply chain that adds cost. If FK are removing most of the supply chain, that could account for the low price, but they could be missing a trick.
Personally I'd be wary. They are being honest about the 30% stiffer damping, not necessarily desirable for everybody, so perhaps the price is to clear unsold stock. The rears might be a problem on normal full-length springs.
Personally I do buy lots of budget items. Crisps,pop and other food stuffs from time to time. I even buy the occasional cheap bargain from Lidl. Recently I bought a cordless handheld vac for £15. But is my life so cheap that I would risk it on cheap components that might kill me? Things like suspension, brakes and tyres are never things I would scrimp on. My life, the life of my passengers and my Abarth are worth more to me than saving a bit of coin.
ahumbletramp
New member
I have these fitted and the car feels good. They are stiffer and its noticeable, although no annoying. They will do me for now until I decide whether I want coilovers.
Spring and damper rates are complicated. The springs need to be strong enough to support the car, with enough travel to absorb the bumps. The manufacturers spend a lot of time trying to get the best compromise. Lowered springs have to be stiffer to take the same forces without hitting the stops. Easy so far.
Damper rates are more complex. The spring needs to be allowed to compress to cushion the shock, so that hitting bumps does not bend the car or shake its occupants to bits. If the spring is undamped it will bounce and continue to bounce for some time. Witness 1970's American cars that wobble like jellies. Soft damping and long travel springs are good at giving a soft ride, but for best handling we need stiffer springs and firmer damping.
If we stiffen the compression damping, over a series of bumps the spring may not compress enough, so transmitting more of the shock of hitting the bump into the car. It may feel better on corners, but six months on it will squeak from every body joint.
Stiffening the rebound damping can cause the spring to not fully extend between bumps, and over a series of bumps the springs will gradually compress, leaving less travel to absorb each successive bump.
Good suppliers of lowering springs and matching dampers will have done some research and sums for this. Others may not have. 30% stiffer may be fine, or may not.
Damper rates are more complex. The spring needs to be allowed to compress to cushion the shock, so that hitting bumps does not bend the car or shake its occupants to bits. If the spring is undamped it will bounce and continue to bounce for some time. Witness 1970's American cars that wobble like jellies. Soft damping and long travel springs are good at giving a soft ride, but for best handling we need stiffer springs and firmer damping.
If we stiffen the compression damping, over a series of bumps the spring may not compress enough, so transmitting more of the shock of hitting the bump into the car. It may feel better on corners, but six months on it will squeak from every body joint.
Stiffening the rebound damping can cause the spring to not fully extend between bumps, and over a series of bumps the springs will gradually compress, leaving less travel to absorb each successive bump.
Good suppliers of lowering springs and matching dampers will have done some research and sums for this. Others may not have. 30% stiffer may be fine, or may not.
shame car manufactures don't have the same attitude, they are building the cars with the cheapest they can find, things like springs breaking was rare on a 5 year old car years ago, now its common (not just fiat all makes)
Well like I said I dont know anything about these FK components I was just referring to cheap parts in general. I totally agree that car manufacturers are really cutting costs these days. The build quality and obvious cheap plastics used in the construction of my Punto tells me that. Even though the build quality of the 2 Pandas I had contradicts the theory as they were rock solid but cheaper. There has also been plenty of model recalls too. Although if these were down to poor quality parts or dodgy design I dont know. However on the components that are more critical I do think that the manufacturers use good quality parts. There are so many laws, legislations and tests these days that it would be difficult for a manufacturer to use very poor quality parts. And if they did and were caught out well they would be taken to the cleaners.
Ive never had a spring fail on me yet (old or new car) and maybe the reason why springs are failing more is that new cars weigh a lot more.
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Springs are just **** quality these days. My 406 was an R reg and a spring went pop in 2008, wifes Legacy is an L reg and it has its original springs 20 years later and has done twice the mileage my 406 did and the springs are just fine.
But do you think it has something to do with how much heavier cars are these days? I also personally think the condition of the roads has never been worse. The streets in Sheffield are appalling.
Nah, just poorer steel and lower quality
old cars are still driving on the same roads as new ones, some still on original springs 40 years old or more
Ok I, Mr standard at all costs has a question.
This is not a comment on the dampers on sale, Demi has given us an oppertunity, thank you.
However, what if you put standard Abarth springs and dampers on?
Would it fit?
Ride change?
Handle a little firmer in the corners?
In other words, spring rates and damper viscosity, compared to the 100?
Or has any one done it?
This is a technical question, not a koni love hate thing, I'm sure they are nice but that's not what I'm thinking of.
Mauh mauh Maxi ok hehe
This is not a comment on the dampers on sale, Demi has given us an oppertunity, thank you.
However, what if you put standard Abarth springs and dampers on?
Would it fit?
Ride change?
Handle a little firmer in the corners?
In other words, spring rates and damper viscosity, compared to the 100?
Or has any one done it?
This is a technical question, not a koni love hate thing, I'm sure they are nice but that's not what I'm thinking of.
Mauh mauh Maxi ok hehe
