Hey guys, glad to see you enjoying the site. There is more info coming once I get settled in and get writing.

A couple of comments though:

1. I am NOT a Yank. I am Canadian, thank you very much - Commonwealth country, Queen Liz and all that.

2. I have nothing against the Japanese - my race car was a Mitsubishi, as is my daily driver. Great cars. But the Japanese aftermarket has yet to build a shock that crossed my dyno and passed my tests. And boys, my tests are *easy*. Accordingly, without a dyno plot to prove otherwise, I assume all Japanese aftermarket shocks are steaming piles of grade-A crap, because I have yet to see an example that demonstrates otherwise.

3. So let's say that you've dropped a bunch of coin on a set of Japanese aftermarket shocks, and you think they're the best thing since Vegemite. Based on my experience, I'm going to go with "crap" - and the amazing human ability for self-deception, especially when money has been spent and egos are on the line. There is a way to prove me wrong - dyno the shock. Until such time as you have verified the shock on a dyno, what you own is far more likely to be a telescopic turd than THE diamond in the rough.

Why so extreme? Because gents, I dynoed hundreds of shocks, and the only ones worth a damn were Bilstein, Koni, Ohlins, Penske, Sachs, and Dynamic Suspension. Everything else was an utter horror show.

If you are at all serious about suspension, you will not buy anything without a dyno sheet. If your shock guy cannot or will not do it, find another shock guy, because the one you have is ripping you off.

Springs: you'd think that a spring would be simple. Wire diameter, number of coils, free length... Bob's your uncle. It doesn't work out that way in practice. I have had a set of "purple" springs off a customer's expensive Japanese Industrial Company aftermarket coilovers differ by 14% on the spring tester. My pass mark is 3%.

Don't believe me? Buy or make a spring tester and see for yourself.

On average, springs aren't the horror show that shocks are... but you get what you pay for.

The lesson here is TEST EVERYTHING - take no marketing department's word for it; test it yourself.

DG