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coilovers question

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Old 04-07-2010, 08:03 PM
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Default coilovers question

do they make a coilover for carving turns or just drag racing...i plan to go to the quarter mile every now and then but i also like to take the occasional road corse every now and then..i daily the car and i was wondering what coilovers are best for daily and handling if there is any...thanks
Old 04-07-2010, 09:06 PM
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If you are hell bent on an adjustable coilover, your best bet is to do koni sa in the front with ground control coilover conversion, and the weight jacks in the rear. The rear "coilovers" are debatable as to how good they are, due to the mounting points on the car (stock location).

The only "off the shelf" adjustable coilover conversion that I know of for these cars, is the LG kit (if they still make them).
Old 04-07-2010, 09:32 PM
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I have coilovers on the front of my car. Koni SA shocks with the Ground Control coilover sleeve kit (Global West also makes a similar kit) and 600# QA1 springs.

Realistically the only advantages to an adjustable coilover up front is adjustable ride height and a much wider (and cheaper) choice of springs. Had I not gotten such a great deal on the Koni/GC combo I woulda just gone with Strano springs (550# in front) and Koni shocks. I went a tad stiffer just because my tires have soft sidewalls and I hate body roll. If you just want a good handling street car Koni's and Strano's will do the job wonderfully.

unless of course you have a few thousand laying around for the KW V3's...
Old 04-07-2010, 10:40 PM
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Originally Posted by therealcreeper
...Realistically the only advantages to an adjustable coilover up front is adjustable ride height and a much wider (and cheaper) choice of springs.
along with those advantages are:
  • limited ability to control front-to-rear weight static distribution.
  • limited ability to control front-end corner weighting.
  • limited ability to control some cross-weighting.
but yeah, for the most part, unless one is really at the very edge of making some better times, it's going to be mostly what therealcreeper states. Even so, if one doesn't have the experience, the equipment, nor the time to do so, can be a real hassle or more trouble than what they're worth.
Old 04-08-2010, 01:00 AM
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Originally Posted by therealcreeper
I have coilovers on the front of my car. Koni SA shocks with the Ground Control coilover sleeve kit (Global West also makes a similar kit) and 600# QA1 springs.

Realistically the only advantages to an adjustable coilover up front is adjustable ride height and a much wider (and cheaper) choice of springs. Had I not gotten such a great deal on the Koni/GC combo I woulda just gone with Strano springs (550# in front) and Koni shocks. I went a tad stiffer just because my tires have soft sidewalls and I hate body roll. If you just want a good handling street car Koni's and Strano's will do the job wonderfully.

unless of course you have a few thousand laying around for the KW V3's...
like i said...i want a good handling car...could i use drag coilovers?and also afco makes a drag coilover...i was wondering if anyone can tell me how height adjustable these might be

http://www.afabcorp.com/AFCO_Dynatec..._t-drag-double
Old 04-08-2010, 01:50 AM
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Don't put Drag shocks on you car if you really want it to handle!

1slowM6, do you have a budget in mind?
Old 04-08-2010, 09:09 AM
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Originally Posted by 99Bluz28
Don't put Drag shocks on you car if you really want it to handle!

1slowM6, do you have a budget in mind?
No budget
Old 04-08-2010, 09:41 AM
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well if you're really set on coilovers you have a few options:

Edelbrock IAS kit: $700

KW V3 kit: $2100

GC/GW kit (and whatever shocks you want): $400-1100

or you could fab (actually there's a set available for $140ish) some custom upper mounts for the front and run some threaded body afco dirt/circle track shocks (much different than their drag shocks) or bilstein/penske race shocks. since it's a daily though you probably won't want to go this route.
Old 04-08-2010, 10:32 AM
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Here's a sticky to read: https://ls1tech.com/forums/suspensio...eal-world.html
Old 04-08-2010, 10:55 AM
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Originally Posted by Foxxtron

i asked about coilovers for handling that are safe to run on a daily..........im not looking for the "best ride with improved handling"i dont care how my car rides...i want a part that will last
Old 04-08-2010, 10:58 AM
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Originally Posted by 1slowM6
i asked about coilovers for handling that are safe to run on a daily..........im not looking for the "best ride with improved handling"i dont care how my car rides...i want a part that will last
Reread the sticky and you'll see how it also answers your original goal of "road-racing" and "drag-racing."
Old 04-08-2010, 10:12 PM
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Originally Posted by Foxxtron
Reread the sticky and you'll see how it also answers your original goal of "road-racing" and "drag-racing."
i didn't want one that was good for both i was simply explaining what im using the car for
Old 04-08-2010, 10:19 PM
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hotchkis springs bilstein shocks baer rotors hawk pads subframe connectors, umi adj panhard bar, strut tower brace, you will spend less on all of this than the lgs if they make em, this rides and handles fantastic
a fellow road course racer, check my fquik link
Old 04-08-2010, 10:52 PM
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Originally Posted by 1slowM6
i didn't want one that was good for both i was simply explaining what im using the car for
Okay, then I'll post your original comment:

Originally Posted by 1slowM6
do they make a coilover for carving turns or just drag racing...i plan to go to the quarter mile every now and then but i also like to take the occasional road corse every now and then..i daily the car and i was wondering what coilovers are best for daily and handling if there is any...thanks
Even if you bring up road racing and/or quarter mile, you'll need to be aware of those compromises as well as the fact that "daily driving" has way too many individual preferences AFA driving goes. This is why you'll eventually get an answer like those I posted. Vague and ambiguous statements usually yield vague and ambiguous answers.

AFA Budget goes, everyone has a budget wether they realise it or not, however even if one is a millionaire, it's really down to the shocks valvings, which AGAIN, there will be a compromise with regards to optimal acceleration vs. handling/braking on the track or the street. With that stated, there are setups that are actually worth 10,000 dollars with 99 individual settings over 4-ways on coil-over shocks made of fancy alloys that don't perform better than say, something that's 1000. In fact, they sometimes perform worse.

This is why I object to using things such as the KW V3 "coil-overs" because I've dynoed them and they actually don't work as optimal for the Koni SA's. As a matter of fact, I've owned the LG/Bilstein custom-coilovers and their build quality is quite good, but it has no adjustments built-in. Bilstein offers an adjustment option that I eventually retrofitted to them for 350 dollars per shock. Still didn't improve on the dyno performance compared to the Koni SA's. This explains what I'm talking about in the paragraph above. AFA the Edelbrock IAS's, their dyno's are actually tolerable for the street, but sucked AFA optimal road-race and drag use.

If you'd like to throw money on parts at your car, that's your decision. If you'd like to think this through for yourself to really get to know the products you're using better, then it's best to read around the stickies, use more specific search functions more. It also helps to call a sponsor who actually does corner carve with some drag racing.

In future postings, be more respectful to those who are offering information that may not readily be useful up front, but also down the road.
Old 04-10-2010, 09:51 AM
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Originally Posted by Foxxtron
Okay, then I'll post your original comment:



Even if you bring up road racing and/or quarter mile, you'll need to be aware of those compromises as well as the fact that "daily driving" has way too many individual preferences AFA driving goes. This is why you'll eventually get an answer like those I posted. Vague and ambiguous statements usually yield vague and ambiguous answers.

AFA Budget goes, everyone has a budget wether they realise it or not, however even if one is a millionaire, it's really down to the shocks valvings, which AGAIN, there will be a compromise with regards to optimal acceleration vs. handling/braking on the track or the street. With that stated, there are setups that are actually worth 10,000 dollars with 99 individual settings over 4-ways on coil-over shocks made of fancy alloys that don't perform better than say, something that's 1000. In fact, they sometimes perform worse.

This is why I object to using things such as the KW V3 "coil-overs" because I've dynoed them and they actually don't work as optimal for the Koni SA's. As a matter of fact, I've owned the LG/Bilstein custom-coilovers and their build quality is quite good, but it has no adjustments built-in. Bilstein offers an adjustment option that I eventually retrofitted to them for 350 dollars per shock. Still didn't improve on the dyno performance compared to the Koni SA's. This explains what I'm talking about in the paragraph above. AFA the Edelbrock IAS's, their dyno's are actually tolerable for the street, but sucked AFA optimal road-race and drag use.

If you'd like to throw money on parts at your car, that's your decision. If you'd like to think this through for yourself to really get to know the products you're using better, then it's best to read around the stickies, use more specific search functions more. It also helps to call a sponsor who actually does corner carve with some drag racing.

In future postings, be more respectful to those who are offering information that may not readily be useful up front, but also down the road.


thanks for the info.and i wasn't being disrespectful...sorry that you took it that way
Old 04-10-2010, 11:34 AM
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No worries. It's a bit tough dealing with the tough topics like this over this crazy medium (internet forums). Typing context isn't always as good as verbal context.

I understand you want coil-overs, however if you've seen this thread:

https://ls1tech.com/forums/suspensio...day-video.html

You may not want to rule out quality replacement springs just yet. Even though Sam's car has coil-overs in the front, his customer is running Sam's replacement springs all around on that same track during the same session.

If you go further down the thread, mitch has a video from a different road course with his former street car that had LG G2 super springs and Bilstein HD's on them.

You'll see that the most important aspect is that not only are these setups highly streetable, but also fairly priced and high performing on an open track session.

This may or may not be what you're looking for, but I'd like to throw that out there.
Old 04-11-2010, 06:50 PM
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I have an answer for you.. i autox my car and i have the koni/ground control setup with strano sway bars..

600lb front springs and 150lb rears.

I could DD my car if i wanted the ride is not harsh as the konis do an excellent job of damping.

I picked up what i believe to be about .3 tenths in the 1/4 from putting on my suspension. so its going to help. went from a 13.2 to a 12.9 by changhing nothing else but my suspension setup from stock to what it is now.. Not to mention i was running 40PSI in my rear tires from the autoX the day before!

My car handles like its on rails and hooks up well. Just my .02..

Anything is better than stock.. But dont buy drag shocks if you want to handle.
Old 04-12-2010, 02:10 AM
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Originally Posted by Foxxtron
No worries. It's a bit tough dealing with the tough topics like this over this crazy medium (internet forums). Typing context isn't always as good as verbal context.

I understand you want coil-overs, however if you've seen this thread:

https://ls1tech.com/forums/suspensio...day-video.html

You may not want to rule out quality replacement springs just yet. Even though Sam's car has coil-overs in the front, his customer is running Sam's replacement springs all around on that same track during the same session.

If you go further down the thread, mitch has a video from a different road course with his former street car that had LG G2 super springs and Bilstein HD's on them.

You'll see that the most important aspect is that not only are these setups highly streetable, but also fairly priced and high performing on an open track session.

This may or may not be what you're looking for, but I'd like to throw that out there.


thanks man.im just trying to figure it all out right now...thanks for your help
Old 04-12-2010, 02:12 AM
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Originally Posted by TrakJunky
I have an answer for you.. i autox my car and i have the koni/ground control setup with strano sway bars..

600lb front springs and 150lb rears.

I could DD my car if i wanted the ride is not harsh as the konis do an excellent job of damping.

I picked up what i believe to be about .3 tenths in the 1/4 from putting on my suspension. so its going to help. went from a 13.2 to a 12.9 by changhing nothing else but my suspension setup from stock to what it is now.. Not to mention i was running 40PSI in my rear tires from the autoX the day before!

My car handles like its on rails and hooks up well. Just my .02..

Anything is better than stock.. But dont buy drag shocks if you want to handle.




sounds like your not doing to bad all the way around
Old 04-12-2010, 02:53 AM
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i have the eldebrocks IAS on all 4......they are ok.....thought they would be ALOT better for the price


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