Gauging interest on Penske coil overs
 

Hey Guys,

For the past few years STILLEN has been working very closely with Penske Racing shocks on the Ford GT supercar and more recently on the Nissan GT R. They are hands down the leader in shock technology and no one meets their quality. They are the primary shock manufacturer in Formula One, Indy cars, and the exclusive manufacturer to NASCAR. However, they are not the cheapest either. They are interested in developing a set of coil overs in conjunction with STILLEN for the Nissan 370Z. Is this something that you would be interested in?

If so, what would you be looking for? They can offer them in multiple configurations including two way or single way adjustable, height adjustable or fixed height, however we would prefer to have only one or two options. This makes availability a lot better for you guys and allows us to keep more of what you want on the shelves.

Here are some examples of what we can offer and the price points.

Single adjustable with remote reservoirs and height adjustable, would range around $3,000-4,000.00. Two way adjustable with remote reservoirs and height adjustable around $4,000-5,000.00.

These are not your ordinary coil overs. Unlike most coil over manufacturers who use a simple stainless steel shock body and welded on reservoir tube these are CNC machined aluminum shock bodies, with high pressure hoses leading to remote mounted CNC machined aluminum reservoirs. We would be joining them with Eibach springs and would have the option of custom tailoring the spring rate to your specific application. So if you have a heavy show car/stereo we can throw in a stiffer spring. If you have a gutted race car, we could choose a different spring and if you have a standard street car we would have our standard package for you.

Hands down, some of the best stuff you can buy. :tup: :tup:

It's awesome to see you guys thinking about the production of Penskes, as these will be a must-have for anyone serious about tracking their car.

I think there are too many coilovers like there are exhausts. On a different subject is stillen going to be showing the bodykit for the 370z at sema?

Dude I wish I could afford PENSKE!!! There stuff is no joke! we use them on our race bikes but man this is really darn expensive for most. I honestly would settle for KW's for much less.

Costanza! where is that PENSKE file!!!

I'd sell my KW V3's for a set. Let me know

RCZ if you are selling your KW's give me a shout hehehe Ill trade up to KW's and you can trade up to Penskes :D its a win win!

Penske ftw ! Not sure I would throw down the money since I don't track my car enough but these are where it's at for anyone wanting to.

I know I will be completely happy with KW V3's when I get them.

double adjustable, stock height for use with stock springs in SCCA Stock class autoxing

How did you know that I've already been talking with SCCA about building a 370Z?;)

What kind of price range are we talking about here? If we are talking Moton and Ohlins territory then I'm out.

I have been talking with Penske about it and I'm going to find out for sure what we can expect soon. I have a dinner planned with them during SEMA so I should have more information soon.

If this is what can be delivered, then count me in as interested too. I'd prefer a sub $2k price, but I know we can't have everything.

Thank you very much for your input guys I really appreciate it!

Just a quick question for you, there are an overwhelming number of people who are saying that they're just not interested in Penske coil overs. Why is that? Is it the price? Do you have another brand that you would prefer?

I'm just trying to do my research so I can take good information to Penske. They are hands down the best shocks in the world. If it's a price issue, I will work with them on it. If it's just that you like brand XYZ more please let me know!

Thanks again for all of your help!

Kyle,

it is strictly price based. And to better explain that if we look at other manufactures in the industry they are able to offer similar adjustments and performance at a lower price. As for myself I am looking for a system that will rival my experience with the KW V3's. Just as a note the V3's retail for $2300 or so but can be had for less than $2k which makes them very appealing! If Penske can jump into this price range market they will gain a huge market share! They are proven and reputable and we all would trust them. Throw in remote reseviors and adjustment and I will write a check right now!

So the goal is mid to sub $2k price tag with 2 way adjustability and if possible remote adjustment and reseviors.

Thanks Kyle!

Bullitt,

Thank you very much for your input and I agree with everything you have said. I would love to see two way adjustable Penske's for around $2,500 maybe even $3,000.00. However, I don't know if they can physically be made for that price. When it comes to Penske shocks, cost comes second to quality in their eyes.

KW's are a fantastic coil over and we do carry them here at STILLEN and they are proven winners in some of the BMW spec racing classes, Tanner foust also won the drift championship with V3's on his car. Don't get me wrong, KW makes a very nice shock! If memory serves me correctly they even come standard on the Dodge Viper ACR. Penske is the next level up. They are race shocks that work extremely well on the street.

With that being said, there is definitely room for improvement. Whether those gains would be worth the cost would depend on the person spending the money and what they are using the car for.

Here are a few of the major differences between penske shocks and some of the other options currently available:

1) Material- Penske uses CNC machined aluminum shock bodies. This means less weight and less heat. The majority of other manufacturers are using stainless steel shock bodies which is fine and works very well but it is a little heavier, it is definitely less expensive to produce, and the steel will retain more heat than the aluminum.

2) Ease of adjustment- The KW's are not the easiest shocks in the world to adjust. One of the adjustment screws is in the bottom of the clevis which is a pain to access when trying to dial in the suspension. Penske would mount their adjustment knobs on the top of the shock shaft (inside the engine bay and cockpit same as KW) and the other adjustment screw would be mounted on the remote/piggyback reservoir. With the KW adjustment screw inside the shock clevis it can be a real pain to access quickly/easily. With the Penske's both adjustment knobs can be quickly and easily accessed and adjusted.

But, let's be honest...Most people won't adjust their shocks more than once or twice after they've been installed on their car. With our cars we constantly adjust them because they are being driven on the track and street and different tracks and what not. So for us, the ease of adjustment is a big feature but for most people it won't be a huge problem.

3) Custom Tailored- The majority of aftermarket coil overs come in a standard kit, spring rates, shim stacks, reservoir selection and so on. The Penske's would allow for more custom tailored setup which again, really only affects the die hard track guy or hard core enthusiast. We can make any changes you like with numerous choices of spring rates and things like that.

With all of that being said, Penske still needs to make a product that comes in at a price point where people are interested in buying them. It might be the best thing since sliced bread but if no one is willing to buy them, then there is no point in Penske developing them.

Thanks again for your information and please keep it coming! I will take all of it to Penske and see if we can make something work!

JRZ not a choice?

We do not currently have a relationship with JRZ. They are pretty expensive too though aren't they? I know for the GT R they are around 6K or something like that while the Penske's that we developed are considerably less.

I went to a (motorcycle repair) Penske seminar last spring. Came away most impressed with the company, their people and their products.

Kyle you hit it on the head about the adjustments with the KW's OMG are they a Pain in the A$$ to adjust!!! Having to crawl under the car at the track on while the car is on jack stands is not fun at all and very time consuming. However, I am working out a deal with THM and Stance for custom 3 ways in my price range that I mentioned :D Penske is no joke and will be a serious contender on the track as always. JRZs for the 370 are also $6K+ trust me I asked! lol way too much $$$ figuring that is alsmost a TT kit!

GL with Penske Kyle!

For me, it's the price. I just can't afford spending $3k-$4k on coilovers. I'm sure they are well worth the money, but I need to put food on the table! :tup:

I hope that more of the people who voted not interested will chime in, since we're only a sample of a few. As I mentioned I'm in the boat of people who want to use these to get the most out of the Stock class in Solo racing. Koni has yet to release their shocks, but it's a safe bet that all 4 corners will come in around the $1k range. Therefore, Penskes in the $1500-$2000 range doesn't seem unreasonable to me. Over $2k, and you're really competing more with the full coilovers, and it would be hard for me to justify for my uses.

To get a larger buyer pool, you may also want to consider an application specific to the Nismo Z owners.

in the 2-3krange I would be very interested but definitely nothing over that. Penske are awesome and the V3 are INCREDIBLY painful to work with especially on the 370z since the front bottom adjusters can't even be reached once on the car. I do love them though and at this moment wouldn't pick anything else but Penske is the tits.

This is a good range for me as well.

Koni Sports are supposedly under development oversees, but not expected here anytime before the beginning of 2010. I've spent entire seasons in the past WAITING for Koni and I've already waited out this season and have no interest banking on Koni for next season.

Vorshlag is supposedly working with AST on something for us autoxers but nothing firm that I have heard of. I would anticipate them to be on the costlier side...with Koni Sport being the most economical. I'd assume AST and Penske would likely be in the 2k-3k range for some double adjustables. It's steep for a stock based damper, but then again so are 19" Hoosiers....