Fortune Auto 500 Review

HapaZ · 02-23-2017, 04:23 PM

After some install hiccups I've finally gotten a set of Fortune Auto 500 coilovers installed on my '12 base model and thought I'd give a review. I picked up a used set off another forum member who reported that the set had about 25k miles on them. After purchasing them, I had them shipped directly to FA for a once over and to be dyno'd to see if they needed to be rebuilt. The customer service at FA was and continues to be great. $90 to have a factory tech look them over and put them on a dyno to verify their performance was well worth it to me. They offered to rebuild them for $250 before shipping back, but they were already in good shape and the tech said they didn't really need it at this point. It might have been worth the $160 difference for the peace of mind of knowing that they would be essentially new, but ah well.

Once I received the set, I noticed that the front dampers did not have place to mount the ABS and brake lines which was kind of a bummer. I contacted FA again and for $45 they sent me a bracket for the front dampers. Apparently this add-on works for the generation 4 (ones I have) and generation 5 dampers. Kind of expensive for a strip of metal, but they work so I just ran with it.

Installation
Install was mostly straightforward with a minor issue that I discovered with my stock rear spring perch. That wasn't on FA or on the coilovers though so no biggie. I torqued everything to FSM specs and haven't had any weird noises or anything. I'm not sure how much I lowered the car, but I'd say somewhere around an 1.25" in the front and maybe 1" in the back. I have an appointment for a corner balance in two weeks so I wasn't super concerned about getting it spot on since it'll be adjusted again I'm sure.

Performance:
With a base '12 I've got a few goodies installed already and can speak to the differences I've noticed as I've modded as a comparison to what these coilovers have done so far. First I added a set of hotchks sway bars - helped with body roll and slightly better turn in with the stiffer front bar. Upgraded to Nismo springs with stock base/sport dampers - somewhat stiffer ride and again slightly better turn-in and body roll. With these two upgrades, I could still notice some body roll and some general floatiness during high speed cornering... especially if there as a mid-corner bump. It would feel like the front and rear of the car weren't on the same page for a split second before settling out.

And what we've all been waiting for... first thing I noticed is that on the softest setting front and rear, the coilovers are smoother than what I had with the Nismo springs and quite possibly smoother than the base springs I started with. The car just seems to soak up the small bumps and makes the GF very happy when she's riding along - she wasn't a fan of the Nismo springs. When I crank the dampers to their full stiff setting, it is definitely stiffer than the Nismo springs alone and the car reacts to very small undulations in the road. I noticed this a LOT when driving at night as I could see the headlight cutoff line bouncing up and down a lot in the distance, but it was in a very controlled way. Just means that the car is stiff when it's set that way. I've settled for 3/4 firm in the front and 1/3 firm in the back and the car is totally streetable AND responds better. Let me see if I can explain... It now corners completely flatly and I really can't notice any body roll at street legal(ish) speeds. The turn-in is MUCH quicker - more so than with either the sway bars or the Nismo springs) and I can correct mid-corner more accurately than before. Weight transfer happens more quickly and the car just settles into a turn predictably and gives me more confidence when I'm going around a corner. I'll be tracking the car in the spring, but for now I'm 100% happy with how the set performs. Highly recommended!

Ape Factory · 02-23-2017, 05:21 PM

Nice review. I noticed the same thing when installing a damper kit. Negated any desire for swaybars as the higher spring rates and quality dampers (with more low speed compression damping) really keeps the chassis buttoned up and excessive body roll under control.

Hotrodz · 02-23-2017, 11:27 PM

Thanks for the review and you are going to love them at the track. Ran in the rain at Chuckwalla this past weekend and the car performed great. In the dry she was stable and flat through turns and no issues over rumble strips.

Jhill · 02-24-2017, 01:14 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by HapaZ

After some install hiccups I've finally gotten a set of Fortune Auto 500 coilovers installed on my '12 base model and thought I'd give a review. I picked up a used set off another forum member who reported that the set had about 25k miles on them. After purchasing them, I had them shipped directly to FA for a once over and to be dyno'd to see if they needed to be rebuilt. The customer service at FA was and continues to be great. $90 to have a factory tech look them over and put them on a dyno to verify their performance was well worth it to me. They offered to rebuild them for $250 before shipping back, but they were already in good shape and the tech said they didn't really need it at this point. It might have been worth the $160 difference for the peace of mind of knowing that they would be essentially new, but ah well.

Once I received the set, I noticed that the front dampers did not have place to mount the ABS and brake lines which was kind of a bummer. I contacted FA again and for $45 they sent me a bracket for the front dampers. Apparently this add-on works for the generation 4 (ones I have) and generation 5 dampers. Kind of expensive for a strip of metal, but they work so I just ran with it.

Installation
Install was mostly straightforward with a minor issue that I discovered with my stock rear spring perch. That wasn't on FA or on the coilovers though so no biggie. I torqued everything to FSM specs and haven't had any weird noises or anything. I'm not sure how much I lowered the car, but I'd say somewhere around an 1.25" in the front and maybe 1" in the back. I have an appointment for a corner balance in two weeks so I wasn't super concerned about getting it spot on since it'll be adjusted again I'm sure.

Performance:
With a base '12 I've got a few goodies installed already and can speak to the differences I've noticed as I've modded as a comparison to what these coilovers have done so far. First I added a set of hotchks sway bars - helped with body roll and slightly better turn in with the stiffer front bar. Upgraded to Nismo springs with stock base/sport dampers - somewhat stiffer ride and again slightly better turn-in and body roll. With these two upgrades, I could still notice some body roll and some general floatiness during high speed cornering... especially if there as a mid-corner bump. It would feel like the front and rear of the car weren't on the same page for a split second before settling out.

And what we've all been waiting for... first thing I noticed is that on the softest setting front and rear, the coilovers are smoother than what I had with the Nismo springs and quite possibly smoother than the base springs I started with. The car just seems to soak up the small bumps and makes the GF very happy when she's riding along - she wasn't a fan of the Nismo springs. When I crank the dampers to their full stiff setting, it is definitely stiffer than the Nismo springs alone and the car reacts to very small undulations in the road. I noticed this a LOT when driving at night as I could see the headlight cutoff line bouncing up and down a lot in the distance, but it was in a very controlled way. Just means that the car is stiff when it's set that way. I've settled for 3/4 firm in the front and 1/3 firm in the back and the car is totally streetable AND responds better. Let me see if I can explain... It now corners completely flatly and I really can't notice any body roll at street legal(ish) speeds. The turn-in is MUCH quicker - more so than with either the sway bars or the Nismo springs) and I can correct mid-corner more accurately than before. Weight transfer happens more quickly and the car just settles into a turn predictably and gives me more confidence when I'm going around a corner. I'll be tracking the car in the spring, but for now I'm 100% happy with how the set performs. Highly recommended!

Cool review. Did you go with the standard spec 11k/8k rates?

HapaZ · 02-24-2017, 10:32 AM

Ah forgot to mention that these came with the swift spring upgrade. I'm not 100% sure what the spring rates are, but I'm pretty sure they're not custom rates otherwise.

Brendan · 02-24-2017, 08:51 PM

I was pretty disappointed by the lack or pictures. I came here looking for shiny car parts.

02-23-2017, 04:23 PM	#1 (permalink)
HapaZ Base Member Join Date: Sep 2014 Location: NorCal Posts: 245 Drives: 2012 370z Base Coupe Rep Power: 11	Fortune Auto 500 Review After some install hiccups I've finally gotten a set of Fortune Auto 500 coilovers installed on my '12 base model and thought I'd give a review. I picked up a used set off another forum member who reported that the set had about 25k miles on them. After purchasing them, I had them shipped directly to FA for a once over and to be dyno'd to see if they needed to be rebuilt. The customer service at FA was and continues to be great. $90 to have a factory tech look them over and put them on a dyno to verify their performance was well worth it to me. They offered to rebuild them for $250 before shipping back, but they were already in good shape and the tech said they didn't really need it at this point. It might have been worth the $160 difference for the peace of mind of knowing that they would be essentially new, but ah well. Once I received the set, I noticed that the front dampers did not have place to mount the ABS and brake lines which was kind of a bummer. I contacted FA again and for $45 they sent me a bracket for the front dampers. Apparently this add-on works for the generation 4 (ones I have) and generation 5 dampers. Kind of expensive for a strip of metal, but they work so I just ran with it. Installation Install was mostly straightforward with a minor issue that I discovered with my stock rear spring perch. That wasn't on FA or on the coilovers though so no biggie. I torqued everything to FSM specs and haven't had any weird noises or anything. I'm not sure how much I lowered the car, but I'd say somewhere around an 1.25" in the front and maybe 1" in the back. I have an appointment for a corner balance in two weeks so I wasn't super concerned about getting it spot on since it'll be adjusted again I'm sure. Performance: With a base '12 I've got a few goodies installed already and can speak to the differences I've noticed as I've modded as a comparison to what these coilovers have done so far. First I added a set of hotchks sway bars - helped with body roll and slightly better turn in with the stiffer front bar. Upgraded to Nismo springs with stock base/sport dampers - somewhat stiffer ride and again slightly better turn-in and body roll. With these two upgrades, I could still notice some body roll and some general floatiness during high speed cornering... especially if there as a mid-corner bump. It would feel like the front and rear of the car weren't on the same page for a split second before settling out. And what we've all been waiting for... first thing I noticed is that on the softest setting front and rear, the coilovers are smoother than what I had with the Nismo springs and quite possibly smoother than the base springs I started with. The car just seems to soak up the small bumps and makes the GF very happy when she's riding along - she wasn't a fan of the Nismo springs. When I crank the dampers to their full stiff setting, it is definitely stiffer than the Nismo springs alone and the car reacts to very small undulations in the road. I noticed this a LOT when driving at night as I could see the headlight cutoff line bouncing up and down a lot in the distance, but it was in a very controlled way. Just means that the car is stiff when it's set that way. I've settled for 3/4 firm in the front and 1/3 firm in the back and the car is totally streetable AND responds better. Let me see if I can explain... It now corners completely flatly and I really can't notice any body roll at street legal(ish) speeds. The turn-in is MUCH quicker - more so than with either the sway bars or the Nismo springs) and I can correct mid-corner more accurately than before. Weight transfer happens more quickly and the car just settles into a turn predictably and gives me more confidence when I'm going around a corner. I'll be tracking the car in the spring, but for now I'm 100% happy with how the set performs. Highly recommended! Hotrodz and OldFart like this. Last edited by HapaZ; 02-23-2017 at 07:11 PM.

02-23-2017, 05:21 PM	#2 (permalink)
Ape Factory Base Member Join Date: Apr 2016 Location: San Antonio Posts: 210 Drives: Audi RS5/QX70S Rep Power: 9	Nice review. I noticed the same thing when installing a damper kit. Negated any desire for swaybars as the higher spring rates and quality dampers (with more low speed compression damping) really keeps the chassis buttoned up and excessive body roll under control. __________________ '13 Audi RS5 Misano w/mods-The Red Mist '13 G37 IPL-SOLD

02-23-2017, 11:27 PM	#3 (permalink)
Hotrodz A True Z Fanatic Join Date: Aug 2012 Location: NW, AZ Posts: 9,330 Drives: 10 Nissan 370z Nismo Rep Power: 2684385	Thanks for the review and you are going to love them at the track. Ran in the rain at Chuckwalla this past weekend and the car performed great. In the dry she was stable and flat through turns and no issues over rumble strips. __________________ *Fast Intentions TT Installed and Tuned by Seb at SpecialtyZ 610whp 560tq:\|Fast Intentions 3" TT-TDX*\|SpecialtyZ/Fast Intentions 72 Row Oil Cooler\|SZ 6 Puck Clutch & Flywheel\|3GsCustoms\|Z1\|Wavetrac\|Hotchkis\|Whiteline \|Blitz\|Fortune Auto 500\|Fujimura\|SPL\|H&R\|TK\|TWM\|RPM Rollbar\|Sparco\|Next Level Performance\|TrackSpec\|AeroFlow Dynamics\|Pioneer\|

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02-24-2017, 10:32 AM	#5 (permalink)
HapaZ Base Member Join Date: Sep 2014 Location: NorCal Posts: 245 Drives: 2012 370z Base Coupe Rep Power: 11	Ah forgot to mention that these came with the swift spring upgrade. I'm not 100% sure what the spring rates are, but I'm pretty sure they're not custom rates otherwise.

02-24-2017, 08:51 PM	#6 (permalink)
Brendan Track Member Join Date: Apr 2013 Location: Colorado Posts: 642 Drives: Poor man's Porsche Rep Power: 542	I was pretty disappointed by the lack or pictures. I came here looking for shiny car parts.