zdonner

Guess I should have figured that one out on my own.

What do you guys think of the GC stuff for the F-bodys? I always stayed away from them in the past, good? Bad? ugly?

mitchntx

iTrader: (14)

Unnecessary.

An F-car can be made to handle and handle well, without converting the rear suspension to coil overs.

Seriously ... you really need to get out of the "drag racing money buys speed" mentality. You just don't have to spend a lot of cash to make the car handle really, really well.

Leaving the driver mod out of the equation ... Before you go any further, you really need to address safety. A GOOD roll cage, seat and restraints is a must. After that ...

Step one:
Get all the weight out of the car you possibly can. You can easily get the car below to 2900lbs.
Cost: Time

Step two:
Install decent shocks. Most everyone will suggest Koni DAs. And they are a great off the shelf shock. I suggest an aluminum bodied Bilstein valved to specific spring rates. They are lightweight and inexpensive to rebuild.
Cost: $1500

Step three:
Springs. Rule of thumb is to start with a 3:1 ratio using stock sway bars. That means with a 32/19 sway bar set, got with a spring rate where the fronts are 3 times the rate as the rear, like 750/250 ... 600/200 ... 900/300 ...
Cost: $250

Step four:
Brakes. at 2900lbs, C5 brake hardware works brilliantly. Use some Carbotech pads.
Cost: $600

Step Five:
Rod end suspesnion: UMI makes a great package.
Cost $400

Step Six:
Poly sway bar end links and poly sway bar bushings.
Cost: $125

There you have it! For less than $3K you can make Z06 owners cry.

Flatblak

I am in the same boat as zdonner, please elaborate where you can get this type of customized spring selection for $250

Edit: Like zdonnerI, also had two nissan s13 240sxs before this Fbod, the first one i had koni yellows and Eibach Sportline springs and it really did handle very well, thats why I think you can go fast without spending 1500 on a coilover kit

mitchntx

iTrader: (14)

For the front:
http://www.pitstopusa.com/SearchResu...ategoryID=6359

For the rear:
http://www.pitstopusa.com/SearchResu...ategoryID=4288

Eibach, AFCO, Hypercoil ... all make spring rates beyond what are advertised at Pit Stop USA. Just remember that the fronts require a coil over "kit" ( http://www.pitstopusa.com/SearchResu...ategoryID=1195 ). The fronts use a standard eight inch or ten inch 2 1/2" spring and the rear uses a ten inch or eleven inch "pigtail" spring. They can be found almost anywhere.

I have a couple 25lb increments above and below where I like my rates. This allows for me to "tune" depending upon track and weather conditions. The rears can be replaced in 5 minutes. The fronts take about 30 minutes per side as you no longer have to fool with a spring compressor.

Suspension parts are not expensive as long as you understand what's going on and where to source them. I came from the dirt track world. Those guys are every bit as meticulous as we are. It's just their cars look a little rough.

jimmyblue

iTrader: (11)

That's some good info right there.

How do you decide whether you want 8" or 10" springs?
Just figure the weight per wheel and try to get the ride
height you want by spring rate? Do you play with spacers
or any kind of hard height adjustment, or just rate &
weight?

mitchntx

iTrader: (14)

The coil over kit has a threaded sleeve that fits over the shock and the lower spring perch threads up and down to adjust front ride height. So an 8" or a 10" will work. An 8" is lighter, but the collar is threaded way up to the top.

Flatblak

Another question is does the 4th gen gain negative camber in the front when you lower it? I only want to lower my car about 1.5"

zdonner

From what I've seen, no. Looking under my friends 95 TA they use a double wish-bone unlike the suspension of the S13/S14's were we needed camber plates, these cars require no such modification except RLCA. Seems if you lower them they may become un-level and require adjustment/replacement to keep them level.

I've actually owned, a S14 Zenki, a S14 Kouki, a S13 Coupe w/ RB, and 2 S13 HB's one with a SR. Always used Tein Coilovers and even on my 350Z loved them, feels so strange to price up suspension and the most expensive single part seems to be F LCA/UCA, and it seems you don't really need those either! Shocking how cheap this is turning out to be.

Jeff Smith

iTrader: (44)

to MitchnTX about coilover issue. I noticed, those coilover are expensive $$. I read MitchnTX's post and those coilover looks reasonable price.
Thanks

Glenn98ZM6

i'll correct Mitch here w/ regards to rear spring free lengths. rears should be in the 11"-12" range depending on rate. 225+ 11", 220 or less 12".

mitchntx

iTrader: (14)

The 200s I have are 11s

Cap'n Pete

iTrader: (2)

FWIW, I have Sam Strano's "Handling Pack 3" in my '02 Z28, with a UMI RR K-member. The car flat out rocks . I've raced it on 3 of the most popular tracks here in Ontario, and it runs very respectable times, and yet the car still retains full interior and A/C, and it's my daily driver in the summertime!!

I also bought a '93 Z28 this past summer as a dedicated track car (full roll cage, 5-point harness, fuel cell ... the works). It came with the whole GC coil-over setup, 650/175's, Koni DA's, and Sam Strano's big bars (35/22). Oh, and a set of 13" 'Vette brakes . Even though it has a much less powerful LT1 (compared to my 02's LS1) thus far, it has posted even better lap times, but the weight removal and suspension setup has surely helped.

That being said, I don't think I would jump right into such a hardcore "race car" right off the bat. I spent a good ~2 seasons before I modded my '02 into what it is now, and it took another season with that before I finally decided to go nuts and buy the '93 race car .

While FRRAX certainly is more specific to auto-x/rr, at least there are some guys on this forum who frequent both, who can answer many of your Q's .

BTW, gear ratio wise, the factory 3.42's seem to do the trick, although I've got 3.73's in my '02 and I think they work well at just about everything.

mitchntx

iTrader: (14)

FWIW ... I recently sold a race car that we built on spec. Instead of installing the springs/shocks/sways in increments we were used to, we went super high on rates and super soft on bars.

Wow! The car handled like a go cart. It would turn in crisp and was extremely predictable.

It had 900/300 springs, OTS Bilstein HD shocks and 30/19 sways.

FWIW2 ... I tune around the front rates. I adjust the rear shock and spring rate for the track I go to and the time of year I arrive. When you get to a certain point, you have to start tuning the suspension. One size just doesn't fit all.