Koni SA shocks, Ground Control Coilovers, Bear GT+ brakes, BMR LCA reloc brkts *Pics*
05-11-2005, 07:58 PM
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Koni SA shocks, Ground Control Coilovers, Bear GT+ brakes, BMR LCA reloc brkts *Pics* Installed:
Cround Control coil overs front and rear.
500# front springs, 150# rear springs
Koni SA shocks front 4th gens, rear 3rd gens
BMR LCA relocation brackets
Solo bleeders front and rear
Eradispeed rice rotors with Hawk pads in the rear
Baer/Eradispeed C5 calipers and rice 13.125" rotors in front
Install had a lot of unknowns because no one really installs ground control adjustable coilovers, especially with Koni's. It is a little extra work since you have to make a tool to dissassmble the top of the shock, but it's a good setup.
Brakes already feel rediculously better with just light normal driving to break them in. Forgot to bring the directions on the brake install, and didn't realize the lower mounting ear for the stock caliper had to be cut off of the spindle, but we figured it out :crazy:
I'll be doing a writeup on www.frrax.com/ of some of the details that no ones really made clear in the research I did before the install. For instance I found a Craftsman wrench that only needs the end cut open to be a great Koni tool.
Anyway the car handles great now and will eventually stop great once the brakes are seasoned/bedded. :w00t:
Rear rice Eradispeed rotor and hawk pads
Rear ground control adjustable perch and Koni shock
Stock crap
Rusted stock crap
Bling Baer 13.125 rotor and caliper
Front ground control and koni combo
Pic of the blue goo that we put on the back of the pads so they don't squeak
Rear setup
Front setup
Old ride height
Old ride height
Cround Control coil overs front and rear.
500# front springs, 150# rear springs
Koni SA shocks front 4th gens, rear 3rd gens
BMR LCA relocation brackets
Solo bleeders front and rear
Eradispeed rice rotors with Hawk pads in the rear
Baer/Eradispeed C5 calipers and rice 13.125" rotors in front
Install had a lot of unknowns because no one really installs ground control adjustable coilovers, especially with Koni's. It is a little extra work since you have to make a tool to dissassmble the top of the shock, but it's a good setup.
Brakes already feel rediculously better with just light normal driving to break them in. Forgot to bring the directions on the brake install, and didn't realize the lower mounting ear for the stock caliper had to be cut off of the spindle, but we figured it out :crazy:
I'll be doing a writeup on www.frrax.com/ of some of the details that no ones really made clear in the research I did before the install. For instance I found a Craftsman wrench that only needs the end cut open to be a great Koni tool.
Anyway the car handles great now and will eventually stop great once the brakes are seasoned/bedded. :w00t:
Rear rice Eradispeed rotor and hawk pads
Rear ground control adjustable perch and Koni shock
Stock crap
Rusted stock crap
Bling Baer 13.125 rotor and caliper
Front ground control and koni combo
Pic of the blue goo that we put on the back of the pads so they don't squeak
Rear setup
Front setup
Old ride height
Old ride height
05-12-2005, 12:52 AM
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That's a real perdy lookin suspension you have there. Nice work. BTW, those are C5 wheels you have, right? Are front/rear the same size? or do you have a fr/rr differential?
05-12-2005, 07:47 PM
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Originally Posted by pimpmaro
BTW, those are C5 wheels you have, right? Are front/rear the same size? or do you have a fr/rr differential?
17x9.5 all the way around
05-16-2005, 10:04 AM
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congratulations!!
I can imagine how nice your car is riding right now. Right now i have a set of qa-1 but the sa'z are my next choice with the ground control setup. (i guess sam does know wat he's doing?!
)
Anyways, i would love to see your write up, i'll be checking the ffra.com board but i think a similar write-up here would be a good contribution to the board. Been having some ideas on suspension stickies and this might be a good idea to include...
Nice!!!!! How much did you lower it? an inch?
I can imagine how nice your car is riding right now. Right now i have a set of qa-1 but the sa'z are my next choice with the ground control setup. (i guess sam does know wat he's doing?!
)Anyways, i would love to see your write up, i'll be checking the ffra.com board but i think a similar write-up here would be a good contribution to the board. Been having some ideas on suspension stickies and this might be a good idea to include...
Nice!!!!! How much did you lower it? an inch?
05-16-2005, 07:42 PM
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Originally Posted by obZidian
How much did you lower it? an inch?
Installed:
Cround Control coil overs front and rear.
500# front springs, 150# rear springs
Koni SA shocks front 4th gens, rear 3rd gens
BMR LCA relocation brackets
Solo bleeders front and rear
Eradispeed rice rotors with Hawk pads in the rear
Baer/Eradispeed C5 calipers and rice 13.125" rotors in front
First is a new way to make the Koni tool that almost anyone can handle.
It only takes a grinder.
Found this deep offset wrench at Sears.
(IMG:http://content.sears.com/data/produc...320000-dlv.jpg)
http://www.sears.com/sr/javasr/produ...id=00944320000
All that's required is an opening as large as the shaft diameter.
I measered the shaft with some digital calipers, then ground the opening, checking it with the same calipers till I had about 5 thousands clearance. This way the wrench still grabs the nut on all 6 sides.
Next step is to find a shim to stick in between the side of the wrench that wants to open up when you turn it, and the side of the collar the nut is recessed down in. We used a small nut that fit in there perfectly and didn't allow the wrench to spread open when turned.
Front spring and shock install.
Dissasembly was as stated in the directions from www.ls1howto.com
My only suggestion on the drievers side torx bolts is to cobble together a wrench of some sort and use it to on the hex shaft of the torx bit driver to get the bolts out.
Front spring/shock install
There seem to be a couple things that are very important for later adjustability in terms of alignment.
First I set both shocks to half way, or 4 turns from full soft. Also used the GC short bump stop on the shock assembly. Didn't use the large washer provided with the kit.
Assembled the perch coilover, and shock assembly.
Next you need to leave the top nut loose and get everything lined up before you tighten it or your adjustable collar on the GC coilovers if you have adjustable shocks. Look at how the shock and top mount are mounted in the car. Studs forward on the top mount, shock mount is angled up. The top mount has a squared off edge if layed down on the floor that should be parallel to the plain the bottom shock mount runs on.
Now you need to poistion you shock window of adjustment facing you, or facing the wheel to the outside of the car. This will also require turning the spring until the largest, longest gap between the coils falls in this same range.
Now that everything is lined up so that you can adjust the shock once installed tighten the top nut keeping everything aligned. The spring can turn, but your other 3 points need to stay in alignment.
Once tightened you can get your spring back into the correct position and start tightening the adjustable collar up to your desired ride height. Now is when you'll have to keep everything from turning and getting out of alignment when turning up the adjustable collar.
If everything stays inline get to your desired height and tighten the screw on the collar.
I measured exactly 40mm up from the bottom of the threaded housing to the bottom of the collar on both front perches. I ended up with a passenger fender height of 25.75" and a divers side height of 26".
I hear this is low and I might be raising the front up to about 26.5" on both sides.
Rear spring shock install
This was a lot simpler than the front install.
Hardest part was probably rolling the carpet back far enough to get to the shocks.
Again I followed the directions on ls1howto.com, but I didn't cut my carpet. You can roll it back
under the rear/side plastic parts so that you don't have to cut it.
On the rear I set my 3rd gen Koni SA shocks on full soft.
The adjustable collar was turned up 5 complete revolutions from the very bottom of the threaded housing.
I ended up with a 26.75" rear fender height on both sides with this setting.
Seems a tad high, but that might be because the front is so low. I may adjust this down a 1/4" just to see what happens.
BMR lower control arm relocation brackets.
Followed the instructions on installuniversity.com
Eric always has great instructions and there were no real catchs to the install.
Rear rotors and pads, 5 min job, very straight forward.
Front Bear GT+ Brake install calipers, rotors etc.
Forgot the instructions at the house about an hour away.
I also forgot about cutting the lower ear on the spindle to get the new mounting bracket to fit. :unsure:
Had to stop and do a search without much luck other than getting lucky and seeing the pics from UMI.
http://www.umiperformance.com/images/2120c.jpg
http://www.umiperformance.com/c5conv.aspx
15 min with an angle grinder and the ears were gone.
The wheel bearings were in there nice and tight. Threaded all the bolts in with about a 1/4" sticking out, then placed a peice of metal over 2 of the bolt heads and tapped the bearing out slowly.
Messed up andhad the drivers side wheel bearing in facing the wrong way. The little wheel sensor points to the rear and says forward now, but I think that's just to prevent a lot of elements from getting jammed into the weather tight connector. It worked fine with it backwards.
Brake install was pretty straight forward.
Have to make sure the banjo fittings are tight, but not too tight.
Making sure the SS lines hang and coil properly took a second try on both sides from what initially looked right.
Mainly the unknowns slowed us down.
A lot of unkowns on the Koni/GC install.
Also had to find and make the Koni tool the day of the install because the impact socket I cut and welded a handle onto opened up way too much and only grabbed 2 sides of the nut.
http://frrax.com/rrforum/index.php?act=ST&f=3&t=4514&
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05-17-2005, 02:08 PM
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do you have pics of the tool you made? Was the tool for the front or the back, I'm not understanding that part... I cheated and had someone else install my Koni's for me
05-17-2005, 08:08 PM
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The tool was for the dissassembly of the front Koni shock.
You only have to dissassembly it if you use the Koni SA or DA shocks in conjunction with the Ground Control Coilovers I believe.
The tool is basically the wrench pictured in the link with a ~ 0.675" gap cut out of the end of it.
You only have to dissassembly it if you use the Koni SA or DA shocks in conjunction with the Ground Control Coilovers I believe.
The tool is basically the wrench pictured in the link with a ~ 0.675" gap cut out of the end of it.
05-17-2005, 11:53 PM
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Originally Posted by FAST LS1
The tool was for the dissassembly of the front Koni shock.
You only have to dissassembly it if you use the Koni SA or DA shocks in conjunction with the Ground Control Coilovers I believe.
The tool is basically the wrench pictured in the link with a ~ 0.675" gap cut out of the end of it.
You only have to dissassembly it if you use the Koni SA or DA shocks in conjunction with the Ground Control Coilovers I believe.
The tool is basically the wrench pictured in the link with a ~ 0.675" gap cut out of the end of it.
oh ok I get you now
07-29-2005, 08:36 PM
#15
I too have to purchase a new set up w/perches and Koni's (from Sam) to lift the rear suspension as a result of my 400# overweight stereo/dynamatting. Scaled the car, and I am exactly 400 over on the rears. I intend on replacing the eibach/bilsteins and this would be a fantastic write-up. Gonna replace along w/9" rear when the time comes.
Thanks for the post
Thanks for the post
08-01-2005, 11:38 AM
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how she riding? HAve the springs settled any lower? any negative sides to the switch or needed to rebuild a shock? etc........... "inquiring minds would like to know!"