Spoon Rigid Collars

[.grimace]

Anyone do these yet? Think I am about to order them for the front and rear as well as their crossmember brace. Heard they make such an amazing difference but have never installed them on any of my cars.

 

[ApexEight]

Are these for the Type-R only? I had inserts that are very similar in the front and back subframes of my Genesis Coupe. I honestly didn't notice much of a difference.

 

[.grimace]

Are these for the Type-R only? I had inserts that are very similar in the front and back subframes of my Genesis Coupe. I honestly didn't notice much of a difference.

As in do they fit the 10th gen SI? Not sure.

When you say you didn't notice a difference are you talking about on the street or track? I think such a new car it wouldn't be as noticeable as say a 2005 or something where they have had more time to move.

 

[Night Fury]

This mod will be noticeable on a car with notorious issues with subframe due a bad design ( MK6 GTI), so far, I haven't heard none on the FK8 chassis. However, it will be a great add on for someone who track the car.

 

[TheShadow]

I have the front collar set, but do not have them installed yet. I tried doing some reading and I am not sure how much benefit they will do on our cars right now since they are so new and everything should still be torqued tightly. I think the big benefit comes when things start to loosen up after some period of driving - they would help hold everything solid and in place. I think the cross brace would be more of a noticeable change since you would be adding stiffness and rigidity that never existed, whereas the collars help to maintain the ideal rigidity of a new car. That being said I still plan to do the install, and am interested in the cross brace as well.

 

[ApexEight]

As in do they fit the 10th gen SI? Not sure.

When you say you didn't notice a difference are you talking about on the street or track? I think such a new car it wouldn't be as noticeable as say a 2005 or something where they have had more time to move.

Street and a couple autocross events, never tracked.

I thought they would make a big difference after researching the Genesis Coupe subframes. The reason these collars were developed for that chassis was because the subframe bolts had like an 1/8th of an inch of side to side play in the holes of the bushings that held the subframes to the chassis. The collars were inserted into the holes and got rid of the side to side play of the bolts.

I'm sure they're good parts, but definitely not one of the top parts I would consider when chassis tuning.

 

[Type-JZ]

I personally don't think the collars would do much. Think about it, once your subframe bolts are torqued, your subframe should NOT move AT ALL. If it does, wouldn't you think the issue is more than collars that align bolt holes? After it's torqued, an alignment should compensate for the oversized holes on the subframe or the small slop. I think they would be a good investment if your car is very old(mainly the subframe), your subframe holes are completely out of wack, and your subframe bolts have stressed or stretched due to age. You could then get those collars to realign everything to factor spec. But then again, i'd think new bolts or stronger bolts would also do wonders if you're car is 10-20 years old.
As for the brace, I think it's more beneficial than the collars obviously, but our cars are very well built and stiff already. I would buy that if i had $1k in cash i wouldn't know what to do with.

Sorry, this doesn't answer your question and no, i don't have these installed. Honestly, i don't think anyone will be able to tell you they felt a huge difference on the fk8 that's 2 years old. There's some pretty big heated debates on these online for other cars however, so you can simply google it and read thru them.

If you want to jdm or spoon everything, go for it. Let us know if you feel the difference. I'm interested in the brace.

 

[jefxfree]

But, even if you didn't notice the change I would hope that they'd keep everything in place and you wouldn't really have anything loosen over time.

I'm considering these as well. Not for the stiffness now, but for keeping everything in place in the future.

 

[wEaK Squad]

It doesn’t have as much to do with the subframe moving. The bolt OD is too small in comparison to the ID of the holes they pass threw in the subframe. This is so the car is slightly easier to install at the factory. The collars make sure the front and rear subframes (suspension the driveline pick up points) are perfectly square/aligned with each other and the unibody. So the real test on the FK8 is to have the alignment checked prior to install. And directly after the install. The main purpose is the proper align these pieces in order to achieve better balance and corner weights.

(FYI a lot of places offer lifetime warranties on alignments so you could do day 2 for free)

Just my $0.02
-Justin

 

[FK8_K20c1]

I have both front and rear subframe collars on my .:R32 only difference i noted was the alligment last longer.

 

[rajahdat]

Spoon Rigid Collars Front and Rear

Here is an overview of what the product does.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zWyUD6UXfog

I was one of the first private parties to attain the Rigid Collars for the FK8 platform in the US. This is a longterm review.

Installation is difficult and should be done with a 2 or 4 post lift and multiple screw jacks. This is a multi-step process as the car must be aligned after installation. Do not be afraid to over lube with the supplied anti-seize included with the collars. Lube up the subframe bolts and the collars. Instructions are in Japanese but reference the areas of the subframe where they go and they are numbered to its respective placements. DO NOT mess up the placement of the collars as they are specific to their hole sizing.

***Note*** careful while dropping the front and rear subframe.

The front, you will find the rack and pinion for steering have little play to bring down the subframe. Be gentle, not forceful you may need to disconnect the rack and pinion to gain additional space for the collars to fit into place correctly.

Rear subframe installation is the difficult one. Should you drop the rear subframe too much you risk damaging the fuel tank/fuel filler nozzle. There is no way to know if you installed the rigid collars correctly in the rear until you are done. After installation of the rear collars, start the vehicle up, if a check engine light comes on you have messed up the fuel tank by dropping the subframe too low. An internal hose within the fuel tank and nozzle assembly have come apart while installing the rear rigid collars. You will need to buy a new fuel tank/nozzle assembly if the check engine light is on and have a code for emissions.

Pricing for front and rear is $420 depending on where you purchase the part sets from.

In my personal opinion, this is the BEST suspension upgrade you can do to your suspension as you will notice a big difference whether stock or have done some suspension upgrades to your “R”
Noise Vibration and Harshness, steering response, and the overall feel are greatly improved. This upgrade acts like welding your subframe to the unibody of the vehicle always keeping your suspension geometry square. Having these Rigid Collars installed on my “R” over 8 months I don’t have any complaints but praise for something so simple to improve your driving experience.

 

[.grimace]

Damnit well now I need to get them

 

[jefxfree]

@rajahdat wow. What a great reply! I've been wanting these, and your post definitely makes me want them more. But also assures me that this isn't something I can't do with my current tools.

Thank you!

 

[sonicgray_kev]

I have front and rear set on my tracked S2000. Definitely huge improvement in steering response feel. Almost want to say it one of my favorite mod. I'm considering doing it for the FK8 but it looks like a PIA to install.

 

[Marc_Seegs]

I have front and rear set on my tracked S2000. Definitely huge improvement in steering response feel. Almost want to say it one of my favorite mod. I'm considering doing it for the FK8 but it looks like a PIA to install.

Just installed front and rears on my car, took about 3 hours total as I was being careful plus I did it with 4 jacks and not a lift so that was a PIA.... but not that difficult at all.

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