The side pieces are still a work in progress and all credit for the idea must go to Samtrak another NAM member. We still do not have a production schedual or procing atthis time as ther are a few other items taking priority. The wheels are Hamman 17/ 8 with a 42 offset and no spacers .

Randy
M7 Tuning

 

We have been very happy with our coilovers. We have gained the look and feel that we wanted.

 

I'm curious- are M7's shocks built in house by m7, or are they outsourced by another third party manufacturer like TSW's shocks are, made by AST? Or can you not say?

 

those panels look amazing!

lets get em out there!

 

OK, I'll summarize about 5 threads and 500 posts: No, they are not manufactured by M7 (Actually I don't think M7 manufactures anything, but very few like-businesses do). They are produced by an unspecified shock manufacturer to M7 specifications. When shipped they do not have a country of manufacture marked on them or any characteristics that anyone has been able to use to identify the maker (and many photos have been posted here on NAM).
oh, and btw, they work. They suspend my car *perfectly*!

 

I didn't think so, I was just curious. They do look nice.

 

im saving up for these :]

 

Dr. Phil,

Do you have a good starting point for the shock length? I will be installing my set sometime this week so any help would be great.

 

I'm getting ready to find out how these perform tonight. And then tomorrow a.m. go get proper sized wheels, tahrs and maybe even spacers fitted. Settings? We're not even going there with my car. Pics will tell the tale when I get them taken tomorrow.

 

The settings that generated my photo ride height are as follows:

Rear: bottom of lower spring perch lock rings are 3/4" above the lowest thread.
Front: The shock body is inserted into the hub carrier/steering knuckle so that the bottom of the shock is flush with the inside bottom edge. The bottom of the lower spring perch lock ring is 1/4" above the top of the shock body lock ring. (hopefully these measurements will make sense once the shocks are installed).
And they settle quite a bit--it takes 2 days at least...


It's pretty low, but certainly not as low as possible. I haven't bottom out the shocks yet. Also, as posted before, cut the front shock boots down otherwise they will bind and cause you many problems (trust me on this, really!!)

 

Are these coilovers made in Korea? I think they are!

 

Why does anyone really care? If they perform well, they perform well. If they are made in Korea, El Salvador, Russia, Holland, it doesn't matter.

I don't think M7 would put their name on a crappy product.

 

Here's a quick (and dirty) pic of mine taken on the Cherahola Skyway on the way home from the Dragon. So far I have nothing but props for how these things ride. I haven't touched a setting yet and they have exhibited excellent ride despite how low I have the car. I'll try to remember to take a proper side view shot tomorrow and update the post.

BTW, I'm running on 17x7.5 rims with 215/40 tires. No rubbing issues and very few instances of bottoming yet.

 

Fireman: That's looking fantastic--and low!! Can you confirm, or otherwise, that when you jack the rear off the ground, the spring is not compressed? You must be running a good inch lower than me on the rear.

Gr8Force: any pictures of the new setup, please?

btw, I finally got the front to bump stop--over a severe bump in the road at speed. Not intentionally of course, but it sure felt bad. My earlier OEM/HSports would not have handled it either, for sure.

 

Nope, not compressed. Thanks.

 

"I don't think M7 would put their name on a crappy product."

Haha that is Funny...anyone remember the Plasma Booster...

But the coil overs look nice. but too rich for my blood. I ma glad people are happy with them.

 

Sweet ride, man! The drop looks amazing!

 

Thanks. Here's the disclaimer: I'm sacrificing some performance at this ride height for the sake of style . Yup, that's what I said . I really like how it "goes" and "shows". Over 1700mi in the last week and plenty of Dragon runs later make me feel pretty good about the new coils. Now we'll see how they hold up over time. Nice job Randy & Peter, et al.

 

I'd hit it.... errrrr wait this isn't the miscelaneous hotness thread... nm then I'd drive it!

 

I am such an ****. How did I not let you drive it or even ride in it? I owe you man. BTW, it's a good thing you didn't see the rear end shot with the one exhaust tip cleaner than the other.

 

I can live vicariously through your enthusiasm until next time i see you. :P

 

Because we have a right to know! Buyer beware. When I pay 1500 bucks for something that takes a few hundred to install and a few hundred to uninstall if it's crap and a few hundred more to install something back on so I can drive the car, you can be sure that I am going to do a lot of research. I found another company that sells the same coilovers for other cars in Korea. It's only a matter of time till I find out who makes them.

Part of good research is having a lot of guinea pigs willing to plop down hard earned bank in order to test this product for M7 and others who are thinking about buying these.

The biggest thing I am worried about is longevity. In my opinion if you compare them to other coilovers on the market, thier build quality doesn't look all that good. And that worries me.

 

Do we? Who gave us that right, and how do we enforce it?

Having just turned 50 this year, I'm not so worried about longevity. A friend once said to me that you know when you really enjoy wine once you pay more than $1000 for a case of wine so car parts are not really that expensive! I bought a $200 Megan header and it's lasted a lot longer than I ever anticipated, I bought RT-615s and got 15k miles out of them, and $2000 for coilovers fits into the same category. I'd be surprised if they don't last for 2 years, by which time I'll probably just retire the MINI and buy the car I really want.
My feeling is that if you go down the mod road you should expect at least the following:
1. You carry your own warranty
2. Expect to work on your car a *lot*
3. Know you'll hear sounds that don't seem right most of the time
4. Be prepared to annoy people by going over speed bumps really slowly
5. Spend a lot of time waiting for the next track day, or canyon run
6. Save up to buy your wife something really fine (I had to buy her an Audi TT)

cheers,

 

To start off with, the law says we have the right to know the origin of the products that we buy. See the other M7 coilover thread and read the book that I posted. There is a very good reason why that law exists.

There is also a safety issue here. Similar products of good quality from Europe come with certain quality standards or certifications. I was able to look at a rear M7 coilover over the weekend. I didn't at all like the way the lower mounting eye was welded by 2 very small welds to the body of the shock, with a small space between the eye and the body. It doesn't look strong or safe at all. The eye needs to be fitted to the body and welded all the way around. All of the quality coilovers I have seen have a one piece aluminum lower mount that threads onto the body. If this part fails in a high G corner, you'll be in for a wild ride.

To answer 1-6 above:

1. No warranty, no purchase. I know they have a warranty but I can't seem to get an answer as to rebuildability or how much or if one corner can be replaced

2. I don't have a problem working on my car. I have moded suspension on a few cars: '77 280Z, '70 Porsche 914/6, '89 Honda Hatch Back Si where I have done similar mods. I have always been carefull to buy quality components. I have put over 100K miles on both the Honda and the Z with similar mods and they were both going strong with no problems. The 914/6 I sold after putting about 5k miles on it. Dumb move, but I got 3 times what I paid for it. And since I lived in a canyon they were getting daily canyon runs. And a lot of fast canyon runs on the weekends.

3. Iv'e never had a problem with strange sounds, for the same reasons as #2.

4. Oh well, Im sorry to those who are to impatient to wait.

5. I have never been put on hold by a suspension failure, for the same reason as #2 I have broken 2 wheels, my fault though.

6. Im very sorry to hear that. My I refer you to the Tom Lykus Show? 97.1 FM Los Angeles. Listen to him for a month and you'll be cured, and you'll have a lot more money to spend on yourself.

As I have said before, I am not trying to bash here, I like M7 products, Peter and Randy. And I do hope these coilovers turn out to be a good product. I just can't justify paying $2000 for parts and installation without having some important questions answered. My car and my safety are to vauable to do that. I consider myself to be an average consumer, So if I feel this this way, I know there are others who feel the same way. But most people are not as vocal as I am. I am that way because I care.

 

You make a good point here. Of course, just because a product is made in Korea as opposed to Spain doesn't make it fail, or even more likely to fail. That said, how could we test this lower shock mount (which is the way it is to permit the compression/rebound adjustment **** to be at the bottom of the shock, I presume) to see if it's actually capable of withstanding the forces to which it will be subjected? I'm no fan of being a beta-tester for anyone, trust me. If the lower shock mount were to fail, what would you predict would happen? I presume the rear shock is not a structural member of the rear wheel location system?