MeisterR Coilovers Rust Report and Care Tips

[MeisterR]

Corrosion (rust) protection is a major concern for an enthusiast when considering coilovers.

Corrosion can cause adjustable components to seized and prevent any further adjustments, especially in the UK where harsh road salt is used during the winter months.

It is extremely important that the anti-corrosion coating is durable in order to protect steel damper body.

If the anti-corrosion coating is not durable enough, it can be eroded easily by the weather leaving the damper unprotected.

Once the coating has perished, the unprotected steel damper body can corrode (rust) within weeks.

 

 

 

In the picture above, the anti-corrosion coating at the forward facing part of the damper had eroded leading to corrosion build up on the damper body.

Corrosion did not set in on the rear facing part and the upper part of the damper where the anti-corrosion coating are still intact.

This is an example of a weak anti-corrosion coating that is not durable enough against wear from the environmental condition it has been in.

 

 

Many potential customers had asked us about corrosion protection of the MeisterR Coilovers.

Therefore, we want to show some pictures of the testing and a real life example of what you can expect from MeisterR coilovers.

 

All MeisterR dampers are anodised in "Black Chromium".

The "Black Chromium" coating has been tested in a salt spray test under ASTM B117 standard for 120 hours with no corrosion.

This coating was tested to be stronger and more durable than most anti-corrosion coating that are commonly found in the market such as Zinc or Chrome.

 

 

 

MeisterR's Demo R32 GTR has been using a standard set of Zeta-R coilovers coat in "Black Chromium" since the summer of 2009.

The coilovers had been replaced with a new prototype coilovers that MeisterR are currently developing in summer of 2012.

What that means is we have an example of how a set of MeisterR coilovers endure 3 years of real life road use.

 

 

 

While this R32 was not a daily driver, it does get used often.

We have never jet wash the suspension or put any type of grease on them.

We did not give the suspension ANY maintenance let alone "proper" maintenance over the past three years.

While we should have followed our own advice and put some white lithium grease on the dampers and with proper care.

We wanted to test the long term durability of the "Black Chromium" plating and therefore intentionally neglected all care.

 

 

 

This is how the rear coilovers looked after being exposed to the elements for 3 years.

As you can see in the picture, there is some corrosion on the steel damper body (as anyone would expect after 3 years of use).

The top mount, collars and the brackets are in great condition as they are made from T6061 aluminium.

 

 

3 years old damper: Before Cleaning.

 

 

 

We did not use any fancy tools or chemicals: all we used were, a can of WD40, a can of brake cleaner, and a few bits of cotton rags.

We decided to take all the aluminium collars off to show that they are not seized up, and wipe everything over with some WD40.

 

 

3 years old damper: After Cleaning

 

 

 

 

Shines up well and we are impressed with the result and the performance of the "Black Chromium" plating.

 

 

MeisterR Damper Care Tips:

 

1. We would recommend coating any metal to metal surfaces with white lithium grease prior to installation.

This is especially true for MacPherson Strut suspension as the steel lower bracket will heat cycle along with the damper body, causing them to bind after prolong usage.

Therefore, application of grease will greatly reduce the risk of seizing.

 

2. We would recommend putting a layer of white lithium grease on the damper thread as an extra layer of protection.

While damper body should be protected by an anti-corrosion coating, a little bit of extra protection never hurts.

We suggest white lithium grease as it is easy to spray on, wash off, and re-apply.

 

We hope this will give some visual evidence about the corrosion protection that goes into every set of MeisterR Coilovers.

If anyone has any concerns, please feel free to contact us at info@meisterr.com

 

Jerrick

[350 Russ]

impressive

[MeisterR]

From feedback of members, I apologise if readers feels the post is biased towards Meister R products, this is not my intention.

As suggested in the title 'MeisterR Coilovers Rust Report & Care tips' this post is to give information to the community regarding caring for coilovers, it is simply an informative post.

 

As a result of an information post we did not run a salt spray test on every coilovers on the market to compare, the rusting coilovers in the photo I took, prompted me to make this post so that people who spend good money on coilovers can avoid such corrosion on their products- be it Ohlins, Teins, JIC, Cusco, HSD etc

 

 

ASTM B117 is a standard salt spray testing procedure.

As stated on the photos, the left photo shows the tube body under going the salt spray test, and the right photo shows the salt spray test result after 120 hours.

The results shows there were no corrosion to the tube body even after 120 hours when compared to a new tube body.

The salt spray test was done to re-assure myself of my products as well as helping my customers make informative decisions, not to compare against other brands.

Ensuring our products are of high quality is standard practice at MeisterR.

 

If customers would like to see other brands salt spray test results to compare before buying, I suggest they contact the brand directly, I'm sure they will be more than happy to provide such information.

 

 

Regarding the MeisterR coilovers on our demo R32 GTR isn't a daily driver as I posted.

It does get use to go to show, track and drag during the summer time, it also attends the odd show and car meet during the winter time.

The car also drives in the rain, that is one reason why it is on Toyo R1R tyres and not semi-slick like the R888.

 

When I state I don't wash the suspension, I mean I do not purposely wash the suspensions.

We do give the arch a wash (like you would during any car wash) when we wash the car.

But we do not jet wash the suspension on a weekly basis and grease them up on a monthly basis like some manufacturer indicate as proper maintenance.

 

While MeisterR "Black Chromium" plate is a durable anti-corrosion coating, the extra care tips provided will help prolong the condition of any coilovers.

As mentioned this information will be helpful to owners of any coilovers.

 

Jerrick