GC Coilover kit+Konis

[Chim-Chim]

I did cut the perches off and with that done, I can run an 8" spring or a 10" spring (only on rates at 225 lbs or below). Right now I have 8" 275 lb Hypercos up front and 10" 225 lb in the rear.

 

[Sky Render]

Second-

Sport springs are NOT 'Good STIFF SPRINGS' they are barely an upgrade when you are open tracking. They just don't have the rate needed to control the car appropriately when aggressively braking from 120+, and handling high speed sweepers. Perhaps they work OK when dodging cones, but not on a real track.

Sports and Ultralites aren't the stiffest, but they're a good, inexpensive compromise if your car is mainly driven on the street, which is what I gathered from the OP's post is how his car will be mostly driven.

Third-

True coilovers in the rear DO NOT cause deformation of the rear shock mount on these cars, THIS IS AN INTERNET MYTH. It is reinforced by an angle adapter that displaces the load to the VERTICAL sheet metal, which is plenty strong for the car on the track. The reason you see racecars with reinforcement bars as part of the cage is just to further stiffen the chassis, something you need every bit of in head to head racing. For open tracking, the rear coilovers work fine without any other reinforcement than comes with the kits. Give Griggs, Cortex, Moton... a call if you don't believe me.

Now I thought from reading the thread I linked to that some people were having issues with it, but I stand corrected. Do you have a picture of this angular brace? I'm pretty curious about it.

 

[trakhoar]

Just so you dont gather (assume) any more from my posts, I'm no spring chicken when it comes to the track. I have about 25 track days under my belt (a handfull in an evo and the rest on 600CC sport bikes, running in the advanced group when I gave it up), so I will be pushing the car hard when it comes to the track. The last bike I had was equiped with triple adjustable forks and an ohlins triple rear, so I have some decent experience with suspension tuning and the impact of minor tweaks, which is why im looking at a fully adjustable set-up

 

[Whiskey11]

Sports and Ultralites aren't the stiffest, but they're a good, inexpensive compromise if your car is mainly driven on the street, which is what I gathered from the OP's post is how his car will be mostly driven.

Interestingly enough I find his quote about "real tracks" and soft spring rates not cutting it funny when last I checked springs play a far more important role in transitions then anywhere else, which is something "real tracks" tend to have far less of than "fake tracks" that autocrossers use. Nice subtle slight at us lowly cone dodgers. Pretty high road of him too!

What I can say is I wouldnt put the money into the GC kit with d-specs as the base. Running those super soft Steeda Sports, the d-specs are almost brutal at the softest setting on the nearly-worse-than-a-third-world-country roads of Nebraska. I am 6 turns out at all 4 corners and it is plenty firm for daily driving. Get the Konis for sure.

 

[JesseW.]

i am running koni sports with gc kit and their caster/camber plates. love them. easy height adjustments/corner weighting. great quality. i am running 600lb front/250rear as of right now with the front strano bar on full soft and it is just as comfortable of the street as eibach pro springs and the sway bar on full stiff that i was riding on bump stops autocrossing with....

i might buy some 450lb front springs and do some experimenting later this year, but the kit is top notch, even with the regular koni sports, not the gc "tuned" ones.

 

[trakhoar]

Thanks for the info. I was looking at the GC CC plates too..I guess its the "custom" konis and assembly that puts the complete kit priced $300 more.

 

[Overtorqued]

Does anybody have any pics of the struts set up with this GC kit? And pics of the rear spring perch setup?

 

[Mark@]

Performance Autosport has been building SEMA,Street and Race S197s since 2005 with rear coil overs and have had Zero issues.

Our American Iron car has a simple washer weled to the top of the shock tower to benter the shock mount bit that is all. Our driver is no virgin when it comes to the rumble strips and so far no issues.

 

[JAJ]

Performance Autosport has been building SEMA,Street and Race S197s since 2005 with rear coil overs and have had Zero issues.

Our American Iron car has a simple washer weled to the top of the shock tower to benter the shock mount bit that is all. Our driver is no virgin when it comes to the rumble strips and so far no issues.

The discussion of "coilover issues" was for daily-driver/track day cars without that mass of steel tubing and plate reinforcing the rear shock mounting points.

 

[bullitt6019]

Sky Render,
I too am running the Steeda Ultralites with the TSW Nurburgrings....Not too low and just enough negative camber for my occasional road course work.....Nice set up

 

[Sky Render]

Sky Render,
I too am running the Steeda Ultralites with the TSW Nurburgrings....Not too low and just enough negative camber for my occasional road course work.....Nice set up

Do you have camber plates up front? Just curious. A couple of people have asked me if they're necessary. My response is "yes," but I admit that I am anal about doing everything "right" the first time.

 

[Scrape]

Does anybody have any pics of the struts set up with this GC kit? And pics of the rear spring perch setup?

That makes two of us. I have been waiting to see some pictures as well.

 

[hunterwiley]

I'm going to be pulling a complete GroundControl setup off my 2005 mustang shortly, and will sell it as soon as it's off the car. The kit is nearly new, and includes the CC plates. I'll try to get some pics and will post them here...

 

[Sam Strano]

Explain to me how physics change when on a track vs. the street vs. an autocross? I'm curious. I mean, the car weighs the same thing, unless the aliens have taught you something the rest of us do not know. And a say, 55mph corner is pretty much a corner you take at 55mph, no?

Steeda Sports are most certainly an upgrade over stock, and you know it. Are they "RACE SPRINGS"? Hell no, they are very well balanced street springs that offer a nice balance without crushing your spine or bruising kidneys. Are there stiffer springs, hell yes there are and frankly if you can deal with the ride H&R Race springs are pretty damned impressive for response and all.... but then there are those that still think those are too soft (which is a bit funny to me).

 

[hunterwiley]

Just pulled this out of the car, for those that wanted to see pics of the kit...

 

[neema]

Just pulled this out of the car, for those that wanted to see pics of the kit...

that seems like a great way to start off to me. depends what you're going for, but if you take your car to the track and like to adjust and tinker for imporovements, this is certainly an affordable option.

 

[Sky Render]

Did you have to modify the vehicle in any way to install that?

 

[JesseW.]

Did you have to modify the vehicle in any way to install that?

I didn't. though the strut mounts have so much adjustment that if you want to max them out you need to open up the hole in the strut tower. not allowed in SM so i haven't.

 

[a50cobra]

Just pulled this out of the car, for those that wanted to see pics of the kit...

What were/are the front spring rates? Can't tell from the picture.

Your rears are 250#. Did you experience them to be a little rough on a bumpy road? Or could you live with them like that? Just curious.

Thanks

 

[hunterwiley]

This kit was on a track car, the front springs are 700lb rated. I've never driven it on the road, but it felt pretty good on the track. Even running the curbs it didn't upset the car much. I'd think the rear would be fine for a street car, it felt soft. I ran 350 rear springs on my other track car so my "butt-meter" may be off a bit.... For a street only car you'd probably want to drop the fronts down to 500-550.

The kit is for sale, asking $1100 for it... Just haven't gotten it posted in the classified section yet...

I'll post a video from this past weekend at VIR, you can see how stable the car is and how it reacts to bumps...