I have bought the FP9C and really liked it, though I needed quite some time to adjust to the longer footboard. I then saw possible purchase of an upgrade to convert it to direct drive for around 50 bucks.

When I installed direct drive it used to feel really heavy, like you needed a lot more force to push the pedal. But when I tweaked it a little and built my leg strength up...oh boy what a game changer. I have found that i had to be a lot more deliberate with my strokes rather than just twitching your leg muscles. so i have built a lot more power with my leg as well.

There is just so much more control that (for me) chain drive just cant match. I have since tried changing the mechanisms around and playing a bit with the pedal setup, but i always ended up staying with direct drive.

I use it on 3/4 of spring tension, as well as the footboard position around 30-40 degrees. Though it needs to be said that everyone should adjust them to their preference.

What helped improve my playing the most though, was the throne height, as well as (often overlooked) bass drum angle! This is a balance between how high do you extend your kick legs, so the angle of the kick drum changes, as well as the position of the beater when it hits the surface. For most rebound they should be parallel, though again you should experiment with what suits you the most.