I need to do some work on my suspension it seems.
I keep bottoming out on corners.
What would be the best set up for drag / daily drive?

I'm reading conflicting info.
Some say coil overs are the best way to go.
Others say the springs that come with the coilovers are crap
and decent coilovers would cost $6000 or so...
So they say to go with Koni shocks and struts and get some really good springs.

Been trying to contact John Powell for a while, but seems he's away.

So looking to experienced people here that know what they are talking about about to give recommendations.

oh and FYI I don't care about lowering the car....
I'm looking for more of a drag setup, so looking for the back to go up not down.
Really don't care at all for lowering which seems to be what most things are geared to.

 

powell has been busy lately with ced prep and then actual ced, by next week or so he should be good to go, if not by now.

i run koni struts on my DD which see probably 50 or so passes a year at the track. nothing serious just test and tune nights.

 

So what kind of spring are you running?

Just trying to figure out the best set up. Which ones would give the best rear height, what weight should the springs be geared for, etc.

It's all a little new to me to be honest, but I've been reading through every post and sticky etc here to gather info. Along with other places.

Trying to piece this all together.

 

best setup ohlins
/thread
^_^

 

I run h&r sports. more for the height i like without having to bother with coilovers since 9/10 people adjust them and never touch them again its the same thing for less of a price imo

 

Yeah, they're the over $6000 ones I meant lol. That's half of what I paid for the damn car... I can't justify spending that amount on one thing for the car. I'm not making money off the car.

"$6450/set. This does not come with springs as you can spec whatever rate you'd like and we can provide Hyperco springs for between $75 and $95/each."

 

Are these taller and/or better then the Konis'?

 

Not sure I understand the question? Im on konis

 

I run Pedders springs and Koni Shocks/struts. Car handles like a go-kart.

 

So you're running these then:

Sport Spring Turbocharged 22 1.5 1.4 50735-2 $ 329.00 Kit

These are lowered though.
I would want to go higher in the back not lower though.

 

supercharged but yeah im sure its the same spring. i was only implying what im using not suggesting

 

you said best, you didnt put parameters. so i went with the skys the limit =p

 

i have some SCCA rated Betz T3 springs if interested. A bit lower than stock but handle like crazy, no rear bar necessary for these

 

ive always wondered. on cobalts other then the fact that a coil over is a single piece and a spring strut is separate is there any other difference between the two? i was always under the impression a coil over setup improved handling by placing the dampener in the spring but every cobalt is like that in the front and every coil over setup ive seen has separate spring and shock in the rear.

 

I thought we had replied to you, apologies if not....email again, its aholiday here today but I will answer whatever you need to know. Our YYZ springs will be ready I expect this month, all u asked for, performance without an extreme drop, but lower than stock...rate will be good, very good.

Koni's we have revalved to Grand Am track specs for the front but they run 550 a set for the front + 150 each front insert for revalve: thats a lot of coin.... not as much as Ohlins though. Requires some work and a set of stock struts to rip apart to insert.

Rears @ 268.00, stock Koni sport yellows work great ; valving is close enough not to worry about re doing it, and I run these and they really do control the body motion at the rear on the highway, as well as good for track. Wangspeed runs the koni's at the rear, he knows a thing or two...

 

That's a good question

 

Because the rear shock mount is not strong enough to hold the weight of the car (like the spring perches do) therefore they are separated. Even if the shock mount was enough IDK if there would be enough room for a shock+spring in there.

 

its not a question of strength the top shock position is in double shear. Its packaging. No room. With 9.5 wide wheels I have to run the handbrake cables behind the rear shock for clearance. Imagine trying to package a spring in there. We wanted to for the race cars, but it just wasnt worth the hassle...

 

John would you give your recommended rebound settings to those who are getting YYZs and have Konis already? Rack spacers and alignment specs would be cool too

 

right im not asking why coil overs arent "coil overs" in the rear but what the difference is between coil overs and spring/strut in the cobalt. Im totally a suspension noob but the reason for the question is almost everyone on the forum says go coil overs because they are better... yet when i look at it they look the same. so if they arent the same whats the difference?

 

The only advantage I see is you can set the height and damping, all on the fly,
but as people has mentioned in other threads, usually a lot of people set things once and don't even bother changing, and I'm thinking I'd probably fall into that group, so if I can get equal performance for cheaper without the coilovers then great. Even better if I can get better performance then most coilovers.

Defiantly interested in hearing more details on these springs John has though.

 

The rear shock in a coil over is made to be able to dampen properly even at the lowest point in its range. Unlike most shocks which cannot withstand the force and retain the desired damping force towards the end of its range, then blows the seal giving you "blown shocks". Not sure if I'm explaining this in the clearest way but basically the shock is meant to be low, and won't blow out like a stock one would when really low.

That and an adjustable spring perch are the only difference you were asking about.

 

You're confused on how shocks and our suspension works. You don't blow out shocks by running them near the bottom. You ruin them when you do things like cut the bump stop, and bottom them out internally so that components crush each other. It doesn't matter what part of the range you run the shock at, the valving should be consistent.

As for rear shocks in our cars, most, including those included in some coilover kits, have the exact same range as stock. The rear twisting beam configuration prevents you from lowering the car excessively without other issues coming into play, like banging on your exhaust.

And fyi, anyone can dampen their shocks with a bucket of water. I, however, prefer adjustable damping

 

Cant really say, but there are two ways of doing it.
first, get the springs, then wait and see what Wangspeed says. At the moment the rears with Pedders are two off full soft, and Warren gave me that spec and I have no reason to change that, for what I have right now. YYZ will be a different deal altogether.

Second, you dont have revalved fronts, so what I would do is set both front and rear at the mid range setting ( 4 of 8 or whatever it is) Then drive it and see.

from there, adjust for more or less damping based on what you find. If you are new, try changes, on an A B A B basis, A being the mid start point and B being where you want to go. Then go back and then settle on the B if you are decided. If the whole car feels out to lunch , wallowing from being underdamped then do front and rear the same direction.

Frankly, I kinda like having a beer and lying in the sun, waiting for Wangspeed to let me know what he finds. Its easier, and he is a good mang.

rack spacers free with spring order....alignment zero front toe, `1.5 negative camber, all the caster you can give it, and rear as it is, tracked true to the front.

 

^ the real question here is..... which beer?