DoesSpeedTurnUon

iTrader: (17)

Not for drag racing, but for Auto Crossing or Road Racing?

I'm going to be setting mine up to handle, I've got a line on some eibach coil overs right now for $450. What sway bars would be good for some daily driving and kickin *** at the track. (i'm competing with all of my old corvette buddies)

CTSV_510

iTrader: (1)

Most guys use hotchkis sways, but I think you need Z06 endlinks if you're running them with coilovers.

nikon

iTrader: (2)

^^ Yup...I've got hot sways on stock springs and I love em.

crazybmwapexkid

u can rock on stock suspension I have tracked my car a few times and it is all bone stock I was passing everyone with it including e92 m3's and zo6's the stock suspension is very capable and is confort for everyday driving

DoesSpeedTurnUon

iTrader: (17)

Did you notice a big difference between those and stock?

gauge hp

iTrader: (1)

Ground control,Hotchkis, BMR stuff, a Tires, big improvement over stock at the track!

DoesSpeedTurnUon

iTrader: (17)

Right now i'm Toyo Proxes, but i'm trying to get an extra set of wheels and some stickies before my race days.

Seattle CTS-V

Hotchkis sways, ZO6 endlinks, Ground control coilovers w/ 550/600# springs (should have gone 600/650#), BMR pinion support and KARS stage 3 wheelhop bar. Oh yeah, tires, tires, tires. A good alignment goes a loooooong way too. I liked my Toyo T1Rs better than my previous GSD3s (245F/275R).

I guess it would have been easier to just say 'check my sig'...

DoesSpeedTurnUon

iTrader: (17)

In what order would these purchases be best?

Seattle CTS-V

Hmmmm, I'd say:

1. Tires
2. Alignment
3. Sways
4. Coilovers

The pinion support and KARS kit are more to eliminate slop and hop but don't really add to cornering ability.

BTW, I assume you already have the FG2 shocks. If not, then that would be #1.

TGrits10

Stupid question because I'm lazy: FG2 (OE hardware, right?) shocks work with Coilovers?

trukk

iTrader: (1)

FG2's are upgraded struts available as an RPA item from the factory (i.e. you could buy it that way, but it had to be installed at the dealer), vs. the OEM FE4 struts.

CTS-V uses a coil over strut in the front, and a sepperate coil and strut in the back. Almost all of the aftermarket shares this setup. The only full coilover (front and *rear*) that I'm aware of is the Penske's (available for sure through Mallett), but they are at the high end of the proce spectrum (5k+).

Most of the available upgraded springs re-use the struts that are already installed on the car (eibach, H&R, Ground Control). Only the GC has a kit to relocate the rear chock perch, to counteract the pump-up action of the rear OEM nivomats struts (because the car has Xenon HID's, some beam leveling is required by law in the US. Some OEM's will make the headlight auto-level, GM makes the car autolevel with the nivomate self leveling rear strut.) If you have FG2 or FE4 struts in the rear, and install a lowering kit from Eibach or H&R, the fron twill stay low, but the rear will pump back up to OEM height, unless you relocate the shock perch.

Adjustable QA1 struts are a way around the self leveling nivomats as well (if you really felt the urge to use the H&R or Eibach springs).

Finally in the mid range price point is something like the KW kits, which includes adjustable struts as well as new springs.

Hope this helps on the strut/spring questions.

-Chris

TGrits10

It does indeed, thanks a bunch!

FWIW I'm looking at picking up an '05 or '06 late this year as a DD and occasional track toy. I've done the LSX/brakes/suspension/track thing before ('98 Z28 & '99 C5) but not with a CTS, so I need to bone up on the topic. Particularly the brakes, since this is a significantly heavier car than I've dealt with before, and I know almost nothing about the stock brake system beyond the obvious fact that the calipers are Brembos.

TGrits10

So if I'm understanding this correctly, the system assumes that the front height is constant and pumps the rear to the needed height to match that and level the headlights....which doesn't take into account anything that might change the front height, so the system is nice for adjusting to heavy loads in the rear, but not particularly effective as a headlight leveler....that's dumb, they could easily use a small/cheap sensor to read the f/r rake and adjust accordingly, which would level the headlights and allow us to reduce ride height without workarounds.

trukk

iTrader: (1)

Although the CTS-V is big, the OEM brakes are great. 14" dual pots all the way around (rears are actual 14.5, due to the E-brake design). The calipers and rotors are very nice. Even the OEM pads are good (Ferodo H1000's). Once you start track prepping your car, you wont' have to spend too much effort in this area. Get some good high temp fluid, and some gripier pads. That's about all you'll need to deal with even the gripeist street tires. With DOT rubber, or slicks, You may need to improve the cooling a bit, with Ti shims, and/or brake ducting.

Money would be better spent on suspension upgrades vs. brake upgrades on this car (although the stock suspension is pretty nice for a luxo-sport). If you already have FG2 struts [You can check by looking at the strut. It has a purple sticker on it. If it is outlined in solid back they aren;t FG2's, it is has a dotted/checker board outline, then you have FG2's], I'd start with some adjustable sways (I have the Hots bars, and wish I would have got adjustables now). I'm not sure who makes adjustables though. The Gm Racing ones were adjustable, but they are sold out.

If you don't have FG2's then I'd consider upgrading to something like the QA1's or KW's. Then get sway bars later.

-Chris

DoesSpeedTurnUon

iTrader: (17)

So whats the difference between putting the Eibach springs on VS. putting the eibach coil over kit on? Adjustable ride height?

I'm thinking regular eibach pro kit and some hotchkis sways would set this car up nicely!

Why do you think the adjustables are better?

trukk

iTrader: (1)

To my knowledge Eibach only makes a spring kit for this car (called the pro kit):

http://eibach.com/cgi-bin/htmlos.exe...79561700028459

These springs replace the stock springs, so they go over your stock struts up front (a la a coil over), and replace the rear springs in the back (not a coil over).

Now that I've tracked my car some, I'd like the felxibility that the adjustables provide. You can dial in understeer or oversteer to some extent as needed at the track. Very handy. The Hots bars are a nice product, and I'll probabaly keep mine, now that I have them.

Finally I'm not sure what the actual spring rates are for the Eibach springs, as to my knowledge they don;t publish the spring rates. A lot of people choose the Ground Control over the Eibach or the H&R just for that reason. Aditionally with the GC, you can choose your own spring rates, change ride height, and still use your OEM nivomat struts.

Sounds like from what you've described and nice GC kit + Hots bars would work fairly well for you, since your car will only see light track duty.

-Chris

DoesSpeedTurnUon

iTrader: (17)

light = Every weekend this month... and as much as i can afford for the upcoming months

I've always known eibach to be a very good spring. But i'll definitely check out the others. Thanks alot!

I wonder if the "eibach coil overs" I was offered for $450 are just eibach springs on stock shocks.

trukk

iTrader: (1)

If you are going to go a lot (I had it in my head 1 or 2 track weekends a year), then you need some adjustability, go with the KW's (double adjustable) & some adjustable sways.

I think you were about to get okey-doked on those coil-overs (but I could be wriong).

-Chris

TGrits10

GC's run about $450 and they use Eibachs on adjustable perches but don't include shocks; not a true coilover but many people refer to them as such...