Fortune 510 series coilovers for my car!

[Silver92B]

I hijacked another thread (http://mazdaroadster.net/showthread.php?710-Could-anyone-explain-the-difference-between-Tein-Flex-and-Tein-Monoflex&p=19982#post19982) in my excitement about my new coilovers. My apologies for the faux pas. I should have started a new thread, and here it is:

I just pulled the trigger on the new Fortune 510 series coilovers by Fortune Auto. These are sold by RSpeed in Marietta, GA and for under $1100 they are indeed hard to beat. :applause:

http://www.fotomecanico.com/miata/coilovers/fortune1.jpg

I'll post the dyno graphs of my actual coilovers as soon as I get them. But these are representative graphs of the setup for a Miata.

http://www.fortune-auto.net/510%20pro/510%20series%20gen2.png

http://www.fortune-auto.net/510%20pro/510%20series%20gen2a.png

* Dyno tested*
* Mono-tube shock design
* IP synthetic 5w or 10w shock oil (prevents cavitation and promotes superior heat dissipation)
* Stainless steel body / piston
* 30-way adjustable dampers
* Spherical Bearings
* Dust boots on all pistons
* Oversized digressive 57mm piston housing
* Anodized aluminum camber plates* on front upper-mounts
* 1 year Manufacturer's Warranty
* Height adjustment independent of pre-load
* Rebound Adjustable
* Swift springs upgrade available
* Rebuild-able in the USA
* Re-valveable in the USA

Needless to say, I'm very excited about these modifications to my NA and I will post a through review after I and a couple of other qualified drivers get to test them out.

Cheers!

[The Driver]

You hijacked my adj coilover thread. No problem, as I'm but convinced that this is the direction that I'll be taking...

[Silver92B]

You hijacked my adj coilover thread. No problem, as I'm but convinced that this is the direction that I'll be taking...
Definitely check them out! I have them in my car already. The handling improvement is like night and day!

[The Driver]

Definitely check them out! I have them in my car already. The handling improvement is like night and day!

They won't show in the RSpeed site. No worries, I won't be in the market until the end of the summer anyway.

[Silver92B]

Try this link (http://www.rspeed.net/Rspeed_Fortune_Auto_Coil_Over_Miata_MX_5_p/nab-34500.htm). Anyway, if you get a chance, get a ride or a test drive in one. I will try some other coilovers to compare, but this is definitely the best setup I've tried in a Miata. This is my 3rd Miata and I've tried a number of different suspension setups.

[Titus]

Silver92B- Have you ever driven a car with Xidas/ASTs? I would love to hear from someone about how these compare to them as far as street comfort. The ASTs are SO SMOOTH on the street, but I can not bring myself to spend the money on them. My one or twice a year track/autocross outings don't justify a super high performance coilover... I just want something with adjustable height, a comfortable ride, and decent performance for around a grand. Hoping that these are them.

[Silver92B]

Silver92B- Have you ever driven a car with Xidas/ASTs? I would love to hear from someone about how these compare to them as far as street comfort. The ASTs are SO SMOOTH on the street, but I can not bring myself to spend the money on them. My one or twice a year track/autocross outings don't justify a super high performance coilover... I just want something with adjustable height, a comfortable ride, and decent performance for around a grand. Hoping that these are them.

No Titus, I have not. Those are far more rare than the Fortune Auto ones (which are not that common in Miatas either). Street comfort is very subjective. When I was in the EVO III stage, I communicated with a lot of guys in the internet. Many of them claimed that their favorite coilovers (insert the brand here), rode "better than stock" as far a s comfort. I never verified this myself, but I cannot believe it! I have never, ever ridden in or driven a car with a modified "sporty" or "competition" or just lowered suspension that rode more comfortably than the stock suspension. OTOH, I have ridden in or driven lots of cars with aftermarket "sporty" or "competition" or lowered suspensions that rode from "really firm" to "atrocious". Of course, this is just my opinion. I accept that is the nature of the beast. Whenever one improves certain conditions or parameters, it's almost always at the cost of sacrificing something else. If you want a nice boulevard ride, you gotta either stay stock, or improve upon stock while staying within the same design parameters. If you want a lowered stance or a more tenacious grip on the tarmac, or less body roll, or whatever, you are going to sacrifice comfort to some degree or another. It's all about compromise

Just my $.02

BTW, the Fortune 510s are butter smooth on the roads and streets as long as the roads and streets are smooth and in good condition. But they are no more comfortable than the Bilsteins HD on rough roads, RR crossings, etc. However, the handling in curves, straight line, and braking is stellar!

[stormin'norman]

When I was in the EVO III stage, I communicated with a lot of guys in the internet. Many of them claimed that their favorite coilovers (insert the brand here), rode "better than stock" as far a s comfort. I never verified this myself, but I cannot believe it! I have never, ever ridden in or driven a car with a modified "sporty" or "competition" or just lowered suspension that rode more comfortably than the stock suspension.

That's depressing. What a suspension deprived life you have lived. I have numerous experiences that stand out vividly in my mind in numerous chassis with spring rates double, triple, etc factory rates that were an absolute pleasure to drive on.

[Silver92B]

OK, I guess I just haven't had the same experiences as you. Fair enough, maybe one day when I go back to Seattle, I can swing by Portland and check out your car. I would love to find that one can have everything in a suspension package. There again, I have just started dialing in my suspension. It might be that I have not yet dialed it in. It actually feels really nice in every condition except some of the horrible streets of Atlanta. But it was never a pleasure to drive on them with any sporty car anyway.

[stormin'norman]

OK, I guess I just haven't had the same experiences as you. Fair enough, maybe one day when I go back to Seattle, I can swing by Portland and check out your car. I would love to find that one can have everything in a suspension package. There again, I have just started dialing in my suspension. It might be that I have not yet dialed it in. It actually feels really nice in every condition except some of the horrible streets of Atlanta. But it was never a pleasure to drive on them with any sporty car anyway.

Only one of those experiences was in a Miata (FCM built). Sadly it wasn't mine.

The other three vehicles were E36 M3's and an Evo. Moton Singles & Ohlins DFV's respectively.

edit: I would not be surprised at all if your Fortune's are leaps and bounds more comfortable than my aging Teins.

[Silver92B]

Some Atlanta streets are horrible, I broke 2 wheels and ruined 2 tires in my '09 Z51 hitting a pot hole. Unfortunately they are the wost in my neighborhood :P. I just got back from a nice drive to test the Fortune 510s again. I set the damping of the shocks to full soft. It's raining and pretty dark, but at least the traffic is light and I can pay attention to the car. I must admit that the ride by and large is extremely smooth. However, in the roughest spots, you can definitely feel them.

I also have some sort of rattle or bump in my car somewhere. It sounds as though it comes from the left rear area. I emptied the trunk completely and bundle & secured the amp wiring as much as possible. Those bumps and rattles are disturbing and make the road bumps worse. I have to have a good look under there and see if there is something loose or worn out. It's disturbing to hear it.

I have not posted about this because of the controversy caused by my original post. But Terry called me personally (I did not call him) to offer full support for the product. He told me that he wanted me to be completely happy with the coilovers and he would do whatever was necessary to give me the results I wanted. I think that Joe at RSpeed contacted FA to consult on the adjustment of my shocks. Terry probably called to personally deal with me. This is among the best customer service & support that I have ever gotten, and frankly I was not even expecting it. Granted, I have the first copies of the 510 series to hit the road and FA is very interested in putting out a top class product for the Miata market. But still, it's really reassuring and very nice to get this kind of attention and support.

I was really excited about getting the full coilover option for my car and I chose the FA 510 because I thought they were the absolute best bang for the buck. I am now even more excited about them and very happy I made the choice of FA and RSpeed because of the first class customer service. I am happy with the coilovers as they are, but they want to go even further to make a really superior product. I think that RSpeed & Fortune Auto deserve to be respected and recognized for their super good efforts to make their excellent products even better.

[Silver92B]

Only one of those experiences was in a Miata (FCM built). Sadly it wasn't mine.

The other three vehicles were E36 M3's and an Evo. Moton Singles & Ohlins DFV's respectively.

edit: I would not be surprised at all if your Fortune's are leaps and bounds more comfortable than my aging Teins.

Hey, that's cool. I believe you, it's just that I really like to get a first hand experience on these things. Anyway, as I recall, the streets in Portland were not particularly smooth the last time I visited there. I don't know if you've driven from Tacoma to Seattle, but that road is truly miserable. I doubt anything would feel comfortable on that road :P

[atlnb]

Nothing is worse than roads than downtown Atlanta. They do not care about roads downtown

[TripleScoop]

I have personal experience with these coils and I'd tell anyone who's in the market to go for them, Amazing quality and fair pricing on a setup that is worth far more.

I'm new here but from personal experience in other vehicles I've owned previously these were among the best.

[friday]

Nothing is worse than roads than downtown Atlanta. They do not care about roads downtown

They are quite horrible. I can't believe I didn't destroy two of my wheels one time on 10th street. Loudest bang ever. At least I know the TR wheels have some strength.

[Silver92B]

Well, I've spent a frustrating day trying to isolate a loud bump that comes from the right rear area of the car. Got it up on the lift 3 times and checked practically every fastener in the rear suspension and the rear end. Even moved the rear brace down with some spacers to get it farther away from the tail pipe. Found that the battery was not fastened securely enough and could move a bit so went to great lengths to secure it as well as possible... All for naught, I still have the noise/bump when I go over rough patches of road or irregularities. It's really hard to evaluate the coilovers for their ride when that clunk/bang/bump happens.
So far everyone who's driven the car was very impressed with the coilovers even though the noise happened during the rough bumps on the road. I would appreciate any ideas about what the noise could be and how to eliminate it. It sounds as though some part of the car bumps hard against the body/frame in the right rear part of the trunk (right where the battery is). We spent quite some time rechecking every mounting point of the coilovers as well as the obvious mounting points of the rear end. I also emptied the trunk completely and secured everything in there that I could see as well as possible... Oh yeah, as the suspension settled a bit, I raised the car about 1/2" in all corners.

[Titus]

Driftdevil had a very similar clunk in the rear on his car. It turned out the top nut that secures the shock body to the top hat was a little loose. when the suspension unloads on full droop the spring would clunk against the top hat. We pulled it off and he hit it lightly with an impact. Clunk gone.

[bedheadben]

Those coilovers look awesome! The fact that they're all dyno'd is a huge plus too.

I don't know if you've driven from Tacoma to Seattle, but that road is truly miserable. I doubt anything would feel comfortable on that road :P
I do that drive on a monthly basis and my frame rails are half an inch off the ground. It's awful.

The other three vehicles were E36 M3's and an Evo. Moton Singles & Ohlins DFV's respectively.
I knew one of those cars was going to be an M3. I rode in an E92 M3 on Moton's and it was one of the most comfortable sports cars I've ever been in. You'd never know it was on pretty stiff coilovers.

Well, I've spent a frustrating day trying to isolate a loud bump that comes from the right rear area of the car. Got it up on the lift 3 times and checked practically every fastener in the rear suspension and the rear end. Even moved the rear brace down with some spacers to get it farther away from the tail pipe. Found that the battery was not fastened securely enough and could move a bit so went to great lengths to secure it as well as possible... All for naught, I still have the noise/bump when I go over rough patches of road or irregularities. It's really hard to evaluate the coilovers for their ride when that clunk/bang/bump happens.
So far everyone who's driven the car was very impressed with the coilovers even though the noise happened during the rough bumps on the road. I would appreciate any ideas about what the noise could be and how to eliminate it. It sounds as though some part of the car bumps hard against the body/frame in the right rear part of the trunk (right where the battery is). We spent quite some time rechecking every mounting point of the coilovers as well as the obvious mounting points of the rear end. I also emptied the trunk completely and secured everything in there that I could see as well as possible... Oh yeah, as the suspension settled a bit, I raised the car about 1/2" in all corners.
What's your ride height? At a certain point, the frame just sits on the rear upper control arms, that's how mine is. Here's a shot of it unloaded.
http://farm8.staticflickr.com/7175/6445422987_712ea1b325_o.jpg (http://www.flickr.com/photos/benellett/6445422987/)
IMG_5220 (http://www.flickr.com/photos/benellett/6445422987/) by bedheadben (http://www.flickr.com/people/benellett/), on Flickr

[Silver92B]

Those coilovers look awesome! The fact that they're all dyno'd is a huge plus too.

I do that drive on a monthly basis and my frame rails are half an inch off the ground. It's awful.

What's your ride height? At a certain point, the frame just sits on the rear upper control arms,

Thanks! I just checked and my car is settled overnight at 12" front and 13" rear (from center of wheel to edge of fender)
I think I will drive it up on the ramps ans check it out.

[bedheadben]

I don't think you're having the problem I described. Tighten down the nuts on the top of the shocks on both sides. At the same time I don't think that's the problem because as I see the coilovers came pre-assembled with their own tophats.

[Silver92B]

I finally found the problem. After switching sides with the coilovers, the clunk went from right to left along with the shock absorber :(. This morning I determined that the shock absorber is not traveling fully and seems to hit something inside of the cartridge. Joe spoke with Terry and FA is sending a new cartridge to replace the faulty one. :) As soon as it gets here I'll have it installed!

[bedheadben]

Nice! That's a problem I've never heard of before with new coilovers.

[Silver92B]

Nice! That's a problem I've never heard of before with new coilovers.

Yeah, it's a bummer. I guess anything can happen, looks like maybe something got loose inside the cartridge and is preventing it to even move very much.

[Silver92B]

I have an update:
The problem is solved. After replacing the defective shock absorber, the ride improved immensely. I am riding on the coilovers with a setting of 5 clicks from the softest (there are about 40 clicks of total adjustment). The ride is wonderful, very smooth and comfortable. The handling is excellent as well. So far I am very happy with these Fortune 510 coilovers. I'll post another review after enough time has passed to make a valid evaluation.

[atlnb]

great to hear that it got resolved. nice meeting you too

[Blueiii]

I'm curious how these will compare to the FM VMAXX? The stage 2.5 track setup vs. these seem to be comparable, only with higher spring rates on the FM setup and an adjustable shock. Oh, decisions decisions....

[etikoner]

This is a monotube Coilover.

FM VMaxx is european dump your car cheap suspension.

I want these. I'd prolly go for them with the swift springs.