Firstfives.org

I ran the coilovers for the past few days now that the snow has cleared. Unbelievable feel. Very smooth and comfortable. Of course, corners like it's on rails. I haven't been able to set up a skid track in a parking lot yet to see about real hard turns. Basic aggressive street driving so far. I'll have an FAQ put together shortly. The only change I am making will be to use 7 inch springs up front. I have them adjusted all the way to the tire and they ride too high. The back is perfect in the center of adjustment. I have them set 1 1/4 inches higher then the front. I'll update you when I put the shorter springs on the front. I also have to check travel distance on the strut.

Suspension setup:

Rear 8 inch 275lbs
Front 8 inch 450lbs
Re-valved Bilstiens for the spring rate and weight of the car
22 and 19mm swaybars
front and rear strut bars.
New upper strut mounts front and rear
1 degree fixed camber plates on front

All the parts were bought at Ireland Engineering except for the re-valve at Bilstien. I'd say they converted the HD's into Sports but that wouldn't be accurate. They made them specifically for my setup, not a generic strut.

Thanks Jeff for sharing.

I'm looking forward to seeing some beauty shots when you get a chance.

very interesting!

It's back at the body shop for the yearly rust inspection. Kind of like the dentist. They are fixing a few holes in the underside and buffing out the paint for the up coming season. Will have it back at the end of next week.

I got the 7 inch 450lbs springs for the front. I'll install those when I get the car back. Should take more than two hours.

This time I promise to take some photos before I tear it a part again.


Jeff

Did you have to shorten the shock absorber rods to keep the springs in contact? In order to get mine right down, I had to use 2.5" helper springs to stop the mains losing contact with the seats. how much did you end up lowering it?

Pete,

Just got the car back from the rust surgeon. The eight inch springs left the front too high. I have seven inch springs I will be putting on shortly. That should give me another 1/2 inch down if we did our numbers right. Then i have to see if we bottom out.

The wheel offset I have doesn't allow me to adjust the springs any lower than they are right now. I'll have photos done shortly that show before and after.



Jeff

What's your opinion on the new spring rates?

Did they shorten your strut, or just weld the perch on?

Thanks,

Scott C.

I ended up with 8 inch all around. 600's in front and 450's in rear. Feels a little stiffer but I am trying to find something that will not bottom out on the track and still be ok on the road for daily driving. I really don't think there is a great middle ground. I ended up using spacers on the front wheels to lower the front where I wanted it. I'll have to measure the heights and post back. I have 17 inch wheels but the over all diameter is about the same as stock. The lower spring perch was rubbing the inside of the tire. The offset I ordered with the new wheels was correct for the stock struts but not for the coilovers.

I went with the springs based on Peter F's results. I can't tell you how the car will do until I get to a track and hit an 80 MPH corner. I have an adjustable rear sway bar to make adjustments after the first round.

Jeff

Can't wait for the FAQ write up! It would be awesome to compile everyone's Homemade setup if they were ok with disclosing them. How much does Bilstien charge for a re-valve? I know the components add up but I wonder how cheeper a quality homemade coilover could be compared to ground control's $1500 system

Shouldn't be more than $600 total. Figure the springs, used, are about $100/set. Struts you already have. A friend with a mig welder, grinder and the kits that are sold almost everywhere.

I bought new Eibachs but not necessary at all. I didn't want to hunt for used springs on the internet. I wanted the car back asap.

Odometergears wrote: Feels a little stiffer but I am trying to find something that will not bottom out on the track and still be ok on the road for daily driving. I really don't think there is a great middle ground.

Jeff

A couple of my E28 friends tell me shocks are the key. That oddly stiffening up the shocks takes the bouncy part out of stiff springs and ends up riding better and handling better too. I haven't tried it, YMMV.

The shock settings are the key to running coilovers. It will be a totally different car at different settings. I ran Ground Control with the Konis on my E28.

wkohler wrote:The shock settings are the key to running coilovers. It will be a totally different car at different settings. I ran Ground Control with the Konis on my E28.

That's what I've heard. I will need to go with something other than an off the shelf component and am planning on getting some Bilsteins re-valved. Right now I'm running Billies front and rear with ST springs, but the fronts are of an unknown model number. I have a set of good used Koni reds in a box on the shelf that I am going to switch to for a while. I have been ding a little research into lengths and valving specs for some of the Bilsteins hoping that I can find one that's close since they don't make them for my car anymore.

Jeff, what did your car weigh in at? I need to find a place to weigh mine, as I would like to get a baseline number. Yours is probably pretty close.

Thanks,

Scott

Scott,

Here are my corner weights:

1018 LF 927 RF
719 LR 711 RR
Drive Weight: 150lbs (must have been Peter F)
half tank of gas

35psi in tires

57.6% front

51.2% cross

51.4% left 48.5% right

3377lbs Total

42.3% rear

If you re-valve the Bilsteins, tell them the info above or for your car preferably.

I don't have the US bumpers anymore but I do have a heavy turbo in the front right. AC is still working and battery is front left still.


Jeff