Cadillac CTS-V - Installing ground control kit this afternoon... Any tips to make it easier??

Looks like my buddy and I are going to tackle a few things on the car this evening. I just picked up a set of ground control 600/650 coilovers. I will be installing them on my factory FG2's with the MM kit. I also have a new brakemotive brake kit I'm going to throw on at the same time and I have some new MAP trailing arms but I'm probably going to wait to install those until I get my TIC bushings for them.

Any tips or pointers before we get started? Any special tools needed that I should know about before ripping into it?

What's the best way to set the height on the coilovers? I've never messed with a coil over setup before so im a coil over noob! Lol I was initially going to run H&R's but some of you guys suggested the ground control kit for the firmer springs and adjustability so I went this route. I want the car to sit low. About the same in the rear as the H&R's if possible and a little lower in the front than H&R's. Also, can they be adjusted while they are installed on the car or will I need to remove them completely for adjustments??

Thanks in advance fellas! Figured since this is my first coil over experience some pointers would help! :cheers:

It's a straightforward installation. Time consuming.

You might want to try the 650 in-lb springs in the front. That's where I wound up. When you lower the car beyond a certain point, you'll want a high spring rate to avoid bottoming out, damaging the front apron, and/or damaging your fenders. This might be a good time to roll them a little. As far as I can tell, there is very little downside to ramping up the front end spring rate. On the other hand, if you go too high on the rear end, it'll greatly unsettle your ride. Personally, I think the ride starts to get obnoxious at 700 in-lbs in the rear, but I'm still tweaking.

Watch the front spring rotation carefully--try to orient them so that you have a nice gap between coils right where the silver cap on the shock is--otherwise, you might get some rattling when the shock compresses and bananas.

The rear springs are super easy to mess with after the fact. Make sure you really crank down the threaded red section that the gold ring attaches to--otherwise, it'll loosen up and rattle. Tighten down the center shock mounting nuts until they stop. The big thick slice of rubber up there will balloon out a little bit. It's okay. If you don't, it'll loosen up and rattle.

Might also want to look up the Feffman fix. I PMed you about this earlier. It's not a huge deal (maybe a 10-15% improvement), so don't let it stop the installation.

Finally, note that the driver's side front and the passenger side rear tend to need more attention when leveling the car. Give yourself an extra 1/4 turn or so on the driver's side front to ensure that your weight doesn't throw the car out of balance. Give the right rear a extra 1/2 turn to start, because for whatever reason, that corner always rests a little lower.

Appreciate the help bud along with all the useful info! So 650 in the front and 600 in the rear? Almost seems like that would be beneficial for weight transfer when launching anyway. I was just always told the higher spring rate goes in the rear but I can swap them like that.

I recall that mod u were talking about. I'll have to look it up and see what all is involved again and maybe I'll do it when we install them. If not, I'm sure I can do it later if I have any issues. Just don't wanna deal with any annoying squeaks or rattles.

I recall on my old car, we cut the springs equally side to side and my passenger side always seemed lower than the drivers side... Especially in the rear. I guess these cars naturally lean slightly to the passenger side for some reason.

So ideally, I want to have all 4 corners at the same height from the floor to the fender lip?

I think I'm going to install the rears as low as they will go with the perch. I know there is supposedly a way to remove the perch to get the rear even lower but I think I'd rather just order 8" coils if lowering it down as low as possible with these 10" coils isn't low enough. I think the hardest part will be setting the height evenly in the front and where I want it.

just send me the fucker and leave your shit stock... easiest

I found that the car still nose dived too much when I had 600 lb springs, which is why I went up to 650 lbs. That also cut down on the damage I kept doing to the fender liners. You'll probably wind up playing with the rear spring rate a lot. Thank heavens it's so easy to swap springs back there.

The Feffman fix basically involves putting an extra washer in the rear shock stack.

Ideally, you want to have all four corners at the same height with a full tank of gas (18.5 gallons @ 8.3 lbs per gallon) and with you in the driver's seat.

Start the fronts at 1/2 of maximum drop and the rears at full drop. Be careful with the 8" spring idea...I'm presently dealing with some weirdness over here that started when I replaced my 700 in-lb 8" springs with 650 in-lb 8" springs. I'm almost at the travel limit of the perches (before, I had plenty of room) and I'm starting to get nervous that I'll lose the springs if I get this car airborne. If I can find a set of aftermarket end links (i.e.: ones that are the correct size), that'll solve the problem, but for right now, if I jack the rear end of the car off the ground, I can pull the springs out without unbolting the shocks or the sway bars.

Kevin... Tempting but I'm over the 4x4 mode... Lol

Ok, I'll run the 650's in the front. If the 600's in the rear are too soft but the height with it adjusted all the way down is where I want it, I'll just find some 10" 650's or 700's to put back there as well since those are easier to swap like u said.

Yikes! 8" idea sounds kinda risky. Do they offer a 9" coil? That might be a better option so the spring is long enough to compress some and keep the tension when the rear is adjusted where u want it.

What do you have your car set at height wise from the ground to the fenders? I know we probably won't end up exactly the same but I'm trying to get an idea of what my goal should be height wise. With the rears all the way down as low as they go, do you think I'll still have an issue with the passenger rear being slightly lower than the drivers rear or should they sit even? I'll start 1/2 way on the front and adjust from there like u said. I hope adjusting the front is easy. I'm hoping I can just pull the wheel again once the car is jacked up and make adjustments without having to remove the front shocks completely if that's possible.

You can make adjustments when the wheels are removed.

9" springs don't exist. Don't ask me why--even Doorman doesn't know.

I think you'll still have an issue with the passenger side rear because the problem is probably being caused by an uneven side-to-side weight distribution. If you don't have a problem, then the issue has to stem from slightly asymmetrical spring mounting points.

Fender-to-ground distance is about 26 3/8", but that'll vary based on your tire inflation. I wouldn't recommended going below 26" unless you're willing to risk messing up a fender if you hit a bump while turning hard. I've rolled my fenders and I have a little bit of negative camber all around.

Hmm... I wonder if they could be custom ordered? I suppose we could trim the 10" springs but I'd hate to cut a nice aftermarket coil.

And yeah, you're probably right. I think all of these cars just tend to lean that way from the factory. My old car did it and even stock height, it seems like this car does it just a tad too.

I plan to roll the rear fender lips 100%. I don't want any issues with chewing up the tires. I'll stay 26" and above. It's a daily so it needs to be practical as much as I love that slammed look.

Oh... Do I need to cut the bump stops or remove the dust boots on the shocks?

I think I might go ahead and mock up the kit on my extra set of FG2's since they haven't sold yet so I can just bolt em in once I get the old stuff out. Might save me some time.

The front dust boots are supposed to be removed. The rear ones are supposed to stay. You do have the instructions, right?

http://www.cadillacfaq.com/faq/answers/gcinstall/index.html

Ok. I believe there are some directions in the box. I haven't looked. I bought the kit for my old car and when I sold it to him, I sold him the ground control kit too and now I'm buying it back for this car.

Is that spring compressor tool really necessary? I seem to recall not needing one when we cut the springs on my old car but I really can't remember if we used one or not.

Is that spring compressor tool really necessary? I seem to recall not needing one when we cut the springs on my old car but I really can't remember if we used one or not.

I found it absolutely necessary. You can pick one up at AutoZone or some local shop if you don't have one. They're cheap.

Ok. I'll run and grab that now then so I have it for the install.

Maybe I'm wrong but it looks like these springs are 500/550 combo. The pairs of springs have numbers on em. One set says 1000/250/500 and the other says 1000/250/550. Hoping that's just a part number and it works out to be a 600/650 kit like I was told it was when I bought it a long time ago. I was told its the "aggressive street" kit.

Other numbers on the springs are 246429 and 247348. Tried googling the numbers but nothing came up.

Maybe I'm wrong but it looks like these springs are 500/550 combo. The pairs of springs have numbers on em. One set says 1000/250/500 and the other says 1000/250/550. Hoping that's just a part number and it works out to be a 600/650 kit like I was told it was when I bought it a long time ago. I was told its the "aggressive street" kit.

That's their mid-level kit. Mine came with 550/600. The first number represents length (10.00"), followed by width (2.50"), and spring-rate.

Ahh ok. I was told it was mid-level. They have 3 options if I remember right. Street, aggressive street and track.

I guess street is 450/500, aggressive street is 500/550 and track is 600/650? I thought I had the 600/650 kit. Now I'm disappointed and wondering if I should still buy them from him or just order the stiffer set new? Hmmm

I found that the car still nose dived too much when I had 600 lb springs, which is why I went up to 650 lbs. That also cut down on the damage I kept doing to the fender liners. You'll probably wind up playing with the rear spring rate a lot. Thank heavens it's so easy to swap springs back there.

The Feffman fix basically involves putting an extra washer in the rear shock stack.

Ideally, you want to have all four corners at the same height with a full tank of gas (18.5 gallons @ 8.3 lbs per gallon) and with you in the driver's seat.

Start the fronts at 1/2 of maximum drop and the rears at full drop. Be careful with the 8" spring idea...I'm presently dealing with some weirdness over here that started when I replaced my 700 in-lb 8" springs with 650 in-lb 8" springs. I'm almost at the travel limit of the perches (before, I had plenty of room) and I'm starting to get nervous that I'll lose the springs if I get this car airborne. If I can find a set of aftermarket end links (i.e.: ones that are the correct size), that'll solve the problem, but for right now, if I jack the rear end of the car off the ground, I can pull the springs out without unbolting the shocks or the sway bars.

If you give them extra turns they will take on even more weight. Unless your going for looks or preventing tire rub the last thing you want is more weight on those corners by jacking it up further.:cheers:

Now I'm wondering if H&R's might be the better route for me since the ground control kit isn't gonna be as stiff as I initially thought. H&R's will pretty much give me the stance I want... Just won't have any adjustment but for a daily street car, it might just be easier to throw those in and be done. Or should u still go ground control? What y'all think? Or really just u fuzzy since you're the main one helping me? Lol

I'm running 600/650 and qa1 right now, will be ditching them and going back to 500/550 with the fg2s.

I've run so many combos of springs and shocks... My favorite is 500/550 and fg2s, at 26.5 all around. Its soo smooth. Perfect balance.

I like the 600/650 but the truth is, it's just too harsh for the crappy roads around my area. If it were smooth everywhere I'd keep them in. The 500/550 are firmer than stock but still very forgiving.

I only considered the h&rs because the gc can tend to be very clunky
I'd run the stock fg2 setup if it didn't look like the car was in a 3 point stance.

Now I'm wondering if H&R's might be the better route for me since the ground control kit isn't gonna be as stiff as I initially thought. H&R's will pretty much give me the stance I want... Just won't have any adjustment but for a daily street car, it might just be easier to throw those in and be done. Or should u still go ground control? What y'all think? Or really just u fuzzy since you're the main one helping me? Lol

Run the kit as is, you might be surprised. Springs can be had later and swapped in minutes. I don't even pull the towers to swap springs in front, just unbolt and pull from bottom.

With stiffer sways , 500/550 is even better. Once you go 600/650, the stock sways are a better choice imo..

Well that makes me feel better. Thanks for the input bud! I'll go ahead and stick with running the GC kit and like u said, springs are always an option and the adjustability will still be nice. I'll look into some sways if i dont like it on stock sways and then go from there.

How do you run your 500/550 kit? 550 in the front or rear??

I run the GC/FG2 500/550 setup and really like like it. It is a great kit. no issues with mine, at all. 550 in the rear.

only wish I had 1" more in the back. I refuse to ditch the rear perches. I run the rears as low as they would go (exception to fine tuning the right rear) and made the front match height.

I did not use a spring compressor. not needed.

Fuzzy, I can pull my 10" springs out jacked up in the rear, without removing anything.

Cadzilla, you do not like the QA1's?? i was considering those.

I also installed the c5/PFADT upper shock mounts. I alos removed the rear dust covers and reinstalled the bump stump on the shock, after I cut the bump stop in half.

I also considered getting a set of really low rated rear springs for the strip to help with transfer weight. going to try that this season.

the hardest part is punching out those bushing in the front upper control arm and flipping them around. sucks. I did not have the tool with my kit.

Glad to hear it! I'll just run this kit then and stop my whining. Lol

As far as the extra drop in the rear... What perches would you remove to achieve that? Is it safe to run it that way? And again, you would obviously just be at the absolute low point without any adjustment capability right?

My kit has that little CTS-V bushing tool thing.

Did the PFADT mounts do anything for you?

If you can get 10" springs out the back, you must have stock sway bars.

Removing the gold ring perches in the back makes little difference in ride height, plus you'll mess up the coatings back there.

not sure about the PFADT's. I also used the c5 shock mounts to body. so basically solidified everything in the rear. I also have the rear strut bar.

I have to say car really feels planted in the rear now, where as before it seems to kind of walk a little at high speeds. To me, feels like it handles better now than ever.

I was considering the HOTBARS or at least the ADDCO rear bar.

I did not mention and you may not even want to do it, heck I may even have Fuzzy's, LOL, the z06 endlinks for the front sways. I installed those at the same time. they just look so much beefier than the stock ones, I had to do it.

I still believe the PFADT mounts do put the shock at the proper angle, which if that is the intended benefit, it completes the task. I also have to say the difference in the c5/PFADT mount vs. the stock V mount is like night and day.

How much is that mount and where could I order it? You guys suggest it?

I actually have a set of z06 end links in the box with my mighty mouse kit. All wait to be installed. Lol

I have set of the c5 mounts, you just need to track down the PFADT's. they are hard to find. you don't necessarily need them at all. Me and maybe a couple of people even run them. I have Ichpen's old set.

the pfadt's are like 250 for 4, but you only need 2. plenty of people will split them with you on the CF forum or here for that matter, if you can find them.

like I said,you don't NEED them. just another piece to the rear end puzzle.

They stopped selling it. There's a huge thread about it on the CadillacForums. I caught the tail end of the thread and went looking around the internet for the mounts to no avail.

Ahhh ok. Well I won't worry about that right now then. I'll get the kit on the car and get it adjusted how I want it and then I'll look at going with aftermarket sway bars, strut tower braces, those mounts, etc to stiffen things up a little more if needed.

To get the maximum drop in the rear by removing the perch I've heard people talk about, is it the lower perch theyre talking about leaving off or what?

Maximum drop with it in the rear is said to be 1". I have a feeling I want it to be a little lower than that. Sitting right on the tire is where I really want it stance wise. I don't like any fender gap but tucking tire would be too much IMO.

The upper perch, as far as I know.

Ok. I'll see if I can google or search for some more info on how people are obtaining the extra drop with the perch removal and where exactly I should expect it to sit if I did that.

Ok fellas...

Finally started on the GC install earlier this afternoon. Got the front end done. Set the lower perch at halfway in the front on both sides and dropped it down. 25" on the drivers side and 25-1/8" on the passenger side. Way too low. I'll have to lift it back up to probably 26" to 26.5" even to keep it practical although it looks sick the way it is. It's tucking tire on both sides with 255/40/18's. I'll be doing the rear tomorrow. Running the 500's in the front and 550's in the rear. Changing springs won't be a big deal so I figure I'll try it this way first.

If anyone has a height suggestion from ground to fender, lmk what you're running. Car is a daily and I do like it low but I have long tubes and don't want to be smashing my exhaust or dragging my valance on everything. So far so good though. :)

I'm surprised that you got the rear down that low with 10" springs (even considering your spring rate). Keep in mind that the rear FG2's will rise a bit once you drive the car. Did you drive at least 1/4 mile before making those measurements?

Shoot for 26 to 26.25. The fronts you will need to set the perch almost to the top with about 6-8 threads visable above if I remember correctly. You may have to adjust it a few times.

The rear hasn't been done yet. Only the front. Im doing the rear now. I plan to run it as low as possible back there by leaving the perch off and doing whatever u need to just to make sure its level from side to side and then I'll make the front match it.

Why will the rears rise a bit? I will be installing a mighty mouse kit out back instead of the GC spacers since they aren't nearly as big.

The FG2s try to level the car to prevent variations in back end loading from pointing your Xenon headlights into oncoming drivers' eyes.

Well that sucks. My fog lights are already too bright to stop that anyway.

And I didn't drive the car 1/4 mile. Just backed it down the long driveway and back up to get it to settle out. Looks like tony tones car up front lol

Unless you beat me to it, I'll try to remember to count the threads on my front suspension. You'll probably have to spin the collars down 3-4 threads until you reach the proper ride height. There's nothing magical about a quarter mile--just get the car out there and do something to cycle the weight around. Accelerate, brake, and corner hard. Then check your height. You may notice that the rear settles a little bit overnight.

It's also probably helpful to remember that as you adjust your springs, your weight distribution will shift forward or back, which will modify ride height on the other side of the car and change your overall handling characteristics. Recommend avoiding adjusting both the front and back springs simultaneously.

Spin em down 3-4 threads? If its too low, id obviously need to be going up with it right to lift the car up by a few threads?

So... Running the rear without the perch should put me just above the tire in the rear right? I know with the perch on, its about 1" drop in the rear but the perch coming off, it should add another .5" of drop or so from what i understand.

Almost wish i would have just gone with the H&R's but i do like the look of the coilovers and adjustability. Seems like there will be some noise unless im lucky. The springs in the front (may be better one i lift it back up) dont seat in both perches. The spring sits on the bottom perch and about 1" from the top perch until i start bringing the car down and guide the top into the upper perch. Seems like as soon as the car hits a big enough bump to lose compression on the coil that it would clunk around.

It might seem like that, but in actuality, you have to be doing some insane driving (i.e. get massive air) to unseat the springs. Once you get the proper end links in there, there will be no gap, even with the wheels all the way off the ground.

Removing the rear perch probably isn't worth the extra wear and tear that will occur. You barely get any additional drop, as counter intuitive as it may seem. Try it and see if you agree.

Lastly, sorry about the confusion. I forgot that the front collars are on the shock body, not the upper mount (it's been a while since I've been in there). You're right--spin then up to raise the front of the car. It's good that you're doing this now with the stock end links. Once you add aftermarket end links, spring tension will make it almost impossible to spin that collar unless you compress the spring with a pair of spring compressors. It's a pain in the ass.

It might seem like that, but in actuality, you have to be doing some insane driving (i.e. get massive air) to unseat the springs. Once you get the proper end links in there, there will be no gap, even with the wheels all the way off the ground.

Removing the rear perch probably isn't worth the extra wear and tear that will occur. You barely get any additional drop, as counter intuitive as it may seem. Try it and see if you agree.

Lastly, sorry about the confusion. I forgot that the front collars are on the shock body, not the upper mount (it's been a while since I've been in there). You're right--spin then up to raise the front of the car. It's good that you're doing this now with the stock end links. Once you add aftermarket end links, spring tension will make it almost impossible to spin that collar unless you compress the spring with a pair of spring compressors. It's a pain in the ass.

I have C5 Z06 end links for the front. I went to install them yesterday and realized they dont slip right in like i had expected them to. Apparently ill need to drill the control arm and the sway bar to accept the larger diameter end link. Does that sound right or do i have the wrong ones?

As far as the rear perch, what would wear more without them? I suppose i can put them on with the perches first and see how it sits. If its too high, i'll explore my other options. Perhaps ill trim my stock rear springs to the height i'd like. I recall a thread here where someone else did that and liked it. Cut springs in the front will cut through the isolator and cause that metal on metal squeaking sound after awhile. The rear is silent and i didn't have any issues with the springs being cut on my old car. I wonder what the disadvantage would be to running cut springs in the rear and the coilover up front. I decided to try the 500lb springs up front first. I'd imagine the factory spring rate cant be much lower than that if its lower at all and since the rear isn't a true coilover, i can't see it being much different.

Ok cool. Makes sense now. And i'd have the z06 links in if they would fit. lol But... Sounds like i'll just leave the stockers in for now and swap the z06 ones in after i get the cars height set where i want it and feel like drilling to fit them in there.

I have C5 Z06 end links for the front. I went to install them yesterday and realized they dont slip right in like i had expected them to. Apparently ill need to drill the control arm and the sway bar to accept the larger diameter end link. Does that sound right or do i have the wrong ones?

As far as the rear perch, what would wear more without them? I suppose i can put them on with the perches first and see how it sits. If its too high, i'll explore my other options. Perhaps ill trim my stock rear springs to the height i'd like. I recall a thread here where someone else did that and liked it. Cut springs in the front will cut through the isolator and cause that metal on metal squeaking sound after awhile. The rear is silent and i didn't have any issues with the springs being cut on my old car. I wonder what the disadvantage would be to running cut springs in the rear and the coilover up front. I decided to try the 500lb springs up front first. I'd imagine the factory spring rate cant be much lower than that if its lower at all and since the rear isn't a true coilover, i can't see it being much different.

Ok cool. Makes sense now. And i'd have the z06 links in if they would fit. lol But... Sounds like i'll just leave the stockers in for now and swap the z06 ones in after i get the cars height set where i want it and feel like drilling to fit them in there.

That's correct--you have to drill out the holes to fit the new bolts. On the positive side, you'd have to do that with any aftermarket end links, since they're all geared toward the Corvette. Did you buy new M12 hardware (washers and nuts)? The old stuff won't fit.

If you remove the rear perch, you'll experience a little bit of rattle since the shock is only being held loosely by the skinny, threaded GC tube. You'll wear the threads on the tube, the paint on the bottom of your car, and the rubber coating on the inside of the spring.

Keep in mind that these springs are linear. The factory springs are progressive. Here are their specs, as measured by Eibach:

OEM Cadillac CTS-V Springs - Initial and Final Rate:
F: 1.6" drop: 343lbs -> 457lbs
R: 1.2" drop: 363lbs -> 395lbs

Ok. I figured that. What size bit do I need to drill it out to the correct size? I'll
Have to pick one up. I didn't buy any M12 hardware. What is it for? Something else to do with the end links? Assuming the nuts than hold them in there?

Ok. Removing the rear perch sounds like a bad idea and not worth the added .5" drop to deal with rattling and beating the parts up. Wish they offered a 9" coil. That would be perfect.

As far as spring rates, I'm a noob at this for the most part. Would running cut stockers in the rear to get the amount of drop I want be a bad idea? How different would the rates be from the 500lb springs up front? Would I be better off finding someone here with some stiffer 8" rear coils (600 or 650) and running the 550's up front? I don't track the car so i'm more interested in the cars stance but I would also like a solid and well performing setup so i can have some fun with it on the street.

Can't you just get the 8" ones and put some helper springs in? In case you ever get airborne, that is.

I'm really unsure. Everything I know I've learned from searching and from fuzzy helping me through this. I really want 8" springs out back but not at the risk of it being unsafe.

Oh... Also... Forgot to ask but I'm removing the rear seat as we speak and starting on the rear. Is the GC spacer kit plenty to trick the stock shocks from self leveling? I have a mighty mouse kit here I was going to use but I'm not sure if it's necessary. I'm assuming it would be worth while to install them if I plan to ever go lower in the rear. Saves me from changing to them later when the GC spacers aren't enough. Am I right in thinking this?

Anyone have a link to install instructions for the MM kit? I'm assuming if I do this, I'll follow those instructions for the modification to the top of the shock instead of the GC instructions correct?

There's no point to installing the Mighty Mouse kit with the Ground Control kit. The MM kit is for people that want to lower the car past the point where the shock will aggressively auto-level the car. You literally can't get that low on the GC kit--even with 8" rear springs.

If you wanted to add a helper to some 8" springs, you could, but you'd have to pay someone to weld the springs together. Alternately, you could buy PowerGrid or LG end links, adjust them properly, and never have to worry about unseating 8" rear springs.

Until you dukes of hazard your car and the landing is even harder than expected.

I went low enough for my old car to self level even after I put some 1" billet spacers in back (RC51 style) and I only cut 1-1/4 coils off the stock springs. I think these stock shock will constantly try to bring the car back to stock height unless the spacers u use are bigger than the amount it is lowered. I'm thinking I might as well install the mighty mouse kit. I mean I already have it so why not? Worst case scenario... It's overkill. No negative effects from having it that I can think of.

Finally got it all installed with the mighty mouse kit. Did some adjusting back and forth but I ended up with the rears turned all the way down to the stoppers. Rear is sittin at about 26-1/4 on both sides. Passenger rear is a hair over the 26-1/4" mark and the drivers side is a hair lower than 26-1/4". The fronts are both just a hair under 26" on both sides. I'm happy with the stance. Of course lower would look better (to me anyway because I love the slammed look) but I wanna keep it practical at the same time. Don't need to be dragging my bumper on driveways or smashing my headers and 3" exhaust on speed bumps. Haven't driven it much. Just around the block between adjustments to allow it to settle out but it already feels night and day better. :)

Any rattles in back when hitting a bump, etc.?

Nothing yet but I really haven't driven much. Kinda weird how the GC lower perch just sits in the rear lower control arm. I would think that would make some noise considering its metal on metal but I hope not.

Any pictures...? :huh:

Nothing yet but I really haven't driven much. Kinda weird how the GC lower perch just sits in the rear lower control arm. I would think that would make some noise considering its metal on metal but I hope not.

It won't.

So far so good. Just drove 35 miles out here to the plant for a meeting and I'll be making the same drive back shortly. Car feels solid and handles way better now. I'd like to turn the front down a tad to maybe 25-5/8" but I'm worried I'll start smashing my headers on speed bumps and I'll start tearing up my bumper cover on steep driveways so I'll most likely leave it where she sits.

Pics coming soon. Car needs to be cleaned. Maybe I'll go have it detailed from here and snap some. I get my black powdercoated wheels back Friday so I may wait to take pics until after I install those.

Your primary concern should be wrecking your fenders when performing sharp, low speed turns over bumpy roads.

Recommend getting the rear slightly higher than the front end to combat weight transfer to he outside rear during high G turns.

http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/en/thumb/3/39/TargaTasmaniaRacer1.jpg/800px-TargaTasmaniaRacer1.jpg

Well the rear sits right at the tire with 1/4 tank of gas. Like not even a full finger will fit between the fender and the tire. With a full tank, I'd assume it would tuck just a bit. Surprising because I didn't think I'd get the rear as low as I wanted it on these 10" coils. I like that look. The front sits just above the tire but its already lower measurement wise compared to the back. Think I may turn the front down just a tad so they are both sitting right at the tire and borderline tucking. I'm running a 275/40 out back and a 255/40 up front.

How much settling should i expect from the springs? Will they compress a little over the next couple weeks or is what I see what I get?

And I'm pretty casual with this car man unless it's straight line dragging. My car won't see nasty hard cornering like that one in the pic. I'm careful on turns, driveways and speed bumps. I will say though that the handling has improved a ton already and the ride is better than stock!

You shouldn't get any settling on these springs. At least, I haven't noticed any. Eibach springs have a million mile warranty.

Ok. Well the rear is perfect for my taste. With a full tank, I'll be borderline tucking my current tires. Leaves room for some widened stickers and 305/35/18's. :) and I'll just turn the front down on both sides by a full turn or so.

Once you start to become accustomed to the higher spring rates, I'd be interested in hearing more impressions from you.

I'm late to the party but the holes in the ways/control arm need to be drilled to 15/32" for the Z06 links. Also, M12 x 1.5 (or 1.75) threaded nuts for the newer style Z06 links. I used the Nylock kind.

Here's a link to my writeup back in the day (when the old Z06 links were in circulation):

http://www.cadillacforums.com/forums/2004-2007-cadillac-cts-v-performance/148074-z06-sway-link-collar-install-rotor-8.html

I'll play with spring rates later. For now, I like where it's at :)

Lolly... Thanks for the link bud! Maybe I'll tackle those this weekend. I need to do it soon so I won't snap these stockers cause I hear they don't like much drop.

Update...

Car drives and rides great but I'm hearing a squeaking/creaking sound from up front. Any idea what it could be? Something to do with the sway bar from being on stock end links?

Update...

Car drives and rides great but I'm hearing a squeaking/creaking sound from up front. Any idea what it could be? Something to do with the sway bar from being on stock end links?

Does it occur when turning or when driving in a relatively straight line?

It doesn't happen constantly. Noticed it after I took a couple quick turns in the back of a neighborhood and then it happened for a short bit after I straightened it out. So I guess u could say both. I'll try to narrow it down to one or the other when I drive it again in a bit.

I wanted to reply to every post in here but never had time.

Swapping suspension again this weekend, 750th time. Might be a record...

Check this out:

http://i1027.photobucket.com/albums/y332/memphisctsv/IMAG6469-1.jpg

FML! that's a brand new rear fg2.

Your primary concern should be wrecking your fenders when performing sharp, low speed turns over bumpy roads.

Sorry this is off topic, but I know THIS^^^ all too well, & all I have is an Eibach kit with QA1's. Both my front fender lips are damaged, especially the passenger side. It's been pulled out about 3-4 times when taking turns into shopping center driveways. I had to physically roll the lip back under with floor jack handle. Bent to hell, pulled out, cracked paint, you name it... It SUCKS, but no way to alleviate the problem at this point, the car needs new fenders now, & they would need to be rolled. The Front fenders honestly should've been rolled under from the factory IMO. Anybody else experience this issue?

Sorry this is off topic, but I know THIS^^^ all too well, & all I have is an Eibach kit with QA1's. Both my front fender lips are damaged, especially the passenger side. It's been pulled out about 3-4 times when taking turns into shopping center driveways. I had to physically roll the lip back under with floor jack handle. Bent to hell, pulled out, cracked paint, you name it... It SUCKS, but no way to alleviate the problem at this point, the car needs new fenders now, & they would need to be rolled. The Front fenders honestly should've been rolled under from the factory IMO. Anybody else experience this issue?

Yes. Sounds like my issue isn't as bad as yours...only minor deformation. It'll be fixed when I have my hood painted. They have to repaint the top face of the fenders anyway to color match against the hood.

My fenders are damaged at all and I'm low. I'm just super careful when taking driveways...

And damn... That broken thread pic sucks?