Pfadt Coilovers....
01-18-2013, 05:22 PM
#1
Melting Slicks
Thread Starter
Pfadt Coilovers....
...installed. Was a little concerned when I opened the box. The front coilovers had appeared to have leaked some oil. Anyone else ever have this?
Some minor tweaks left. Overall stiffer ride, but not in a negative way. Cornering is instant and flat. Amplifies the need for better supporting seats. hint hint!!!
Only minor negative, which may go away with tweaking the damping. I will get an occasional thump in the suspension if I hit a rough spot on in the road. Which wasn't there prior to the change.
But...here you go..old
..apart
and.. ain't they purrty
And ready to tackle the winding roads
Some minor tweaks left. Overall stiffer ride, but not in a negative way. Cornering is instant and flat. Amplifies the need for better supporting seats. hint hint!!!
Only minor negative, which may go away with tweaking the damping. I will get an occasional thump in the suspension if I hit a rough spot on in the road. Which wasn't there prior to the change.
But...here you go..old
..apart
and.. ain't they purrty
And ready to tackle the winding roads
01-18-2013, 06:30 PM
#4
Race Director
Did you buy them recently directly from PFADT. After I got my Featherlights, I received a notice from PFADT that some were having seal problems and they would replace them immediately. So far, so good on mine.
BTW: I replaced another well known brand of adjustable coilovers with the PFADT. THe Featherlights have more travel and allowed me to setup the suspension softer to take advantage of the extra travel. My car now handles like a gokart and the ride is just a little stiffer than the Z springs, bars and Biltsein setup I had run before. I also run the 3 piece PFADT bars.
BTW: I replaced another well known brand of adjustable coilovers with the PFADT. THe Featherlights have more travel and allowed me to setup the suspension softer to take advantage of the extra travel. My car now handles like a gokart and the ride is just a little stiffer than the Z springs, bars and Biltsein setup I had run before. I also run the 3 piece PFADT bars.
Last edited by WKMCD; 01-18-2013 at 06:34 PM.
01-18-2013, 06:30 PM
#5
...installed. Was a little concerned when I opened the box. The front coilovers had appeared to have leaked some oil. Anyone else ever have this?
Some minor tweaks left. Overall stiffer ride, but not in a negative way. Cornering is instant and flat. Amplifies the need for better supporting seats. hint hint!!!
Only minor negative, which may go away with tweaking the damping. I will get an occasional thump in the suspension if I hit a rough spot on in the road. Which wasn't there prior to the change.
Some minor tweaks left. Overall stiffer ride, but not in a negative way. Cornering is instant and flat. Amplifies the need for better supporting seats. hint hint!!!
Only minor negative, which may go away with tweaking the damping. I will get an occasional thump in the suspension if I hit a rough spot on in the road. Which wasn't there prior to the change.
The oil you see is oil that is part of a slight "overfill" process. Since we fill ALL of these units here in house, we have an automated system that makes sure the shock is topped off before being sealed. This will sometimes result in a little bit of oil making its way past the cap, and should not be a concern at all. Our Johnny O'Connell Shocks which are run on the factory GM production line, literally have the same thing, and customers may find a little bit of oil. Nothing to be alarmed over.
The thump in the suspension when you hit a rough spot in the road, should really be clarified. Our suspension is NOT inherently noisy whatsoever. There are no parts that should be loose, and therefore no actual noise coming with the coilovers. What you will feel, anytime you upgrade a suspension piece, is that the chassis is more connected to the road below you so you can start hearing things that were previously masked by soft rubber mounts. I would double-check the installation and make sure the upper nut is tight on all the shocks, as well as the rear plates. While you are at it, it is somewhat common for people to need to re-torque the sway bar endlinks if they disconnected them during installation. Just a thought. I would give it all a good-once over with the right wrench sizes.
Looks like a bad-a$$ ride my friend!
01-18-2013, 06:34 PM
#6
Did you buy them recently directly from PFADT. After I got my Featherlights, I received a notice from PFADT that some were having seal problems and they would replace them immediately. So far, so good on mine.
BTW: I replaced another well known brand of adjustable coilovers with the PFADT. THe Featherlights have more travel and allowed me to setup the suspension softer to take advantage of the extra travel. My car now handles like a gokart and the ride is just a little stiffer than the Z springs, bars and Biltein setup I had run before. I also run the 3 piece PFADT bars.
BTW: I replaced another well known brand of adjustable coilovers with the PFADT. THe Featherlights have more travel and allowed me to setup the suspension softer to take advantage of the extra travel. My car now handles like a gokart and the ride is just a little stiffer than the Z springs, bars and Biltein setup I had run before. I also run the 3 piece PFADT bars.
We narrowed down that seal issue you had to a batch of literally a couple dozen units, which were shipped in 7/2012. So I believe there should be no problem with the set that meflyfrc has installed. We emailed every single customer who received one of those sets and replaced all of them.
01-18-2013, 06:35 PM
#7
Race Director
Thanks for the comments. We appreciate you running Pfadt!
We narrowed down that seal issue you had to a batch of literally a couple dozen units, which were shipped in 7/2012. So I believe there should be no problem with the set that meflyfrc has installed. We emailed every single customer who received one of those sets and replaced all of them.
We narrowed down that seal issue you had to a batch of literally a couple dozen units, which were shipped in 7/2012. So I believe there should be no problem with the set that meflyfrc has installed. We emailed every single customer who received one of those sets and replaced all of them.
01-18-2013, 08:07 PM
#8
Melting Slicks
Thread Starter
Did you buy them recently directly from PFADT. After I got my Featherlights, I received a notice from PFADT that some were having seal problems and they would replace them immediately. So far, so good on mine.
BTW: I replaced another well known brand of adjustable coilovers with the PFADT. THe Featherlights have more travel and allowed me to setup the suspension softer to take advantage of the extra travel. My car now handles like a gokart and the ride is just a little stiffer than the Z springs, bars and Biltsein setup I had run before. I also run the 3 piece PFADT bars.
BTW: I replaced another well known brand of adjustable coilovers with the PFADT. THe Featherlights have more travel and allowed me to setup the suspension softer to take advantage of the extra travel. My car now handles like a gokart and the ride is just a little stiffer than the Z springs, bars and Biltsein setup I had run before. I also run the 3 piece PFADT bars.
Hey thanks for being a customer!
The oil you see is oil that is part of a slight "overfill" process. Since we fill ALL of these units here in house, we have an automated system that makes sure the shock is topped off before being sealed. This will sometimes result in a little bit of oil making its way past the cap, and should not be a concern at all. Our Johnny O'Connell Shocks which are run on the factory GM production line, literally have the same thing, and customers may find a little bit of oil. Nothing to be alarmed over.
The thump in the suspension when you hit a rough spot in the road, should really be clarified. Our suspension is NOT inherently noisy whatsoever. There are no parts that should be loose, and therefore no actual noise coming with the coilovers. What you will feel, anytime you upgrade a suspension piece, is that the chassis is more connected to the road below you so you can start hearing things that were previously masked by soft rubber mounts. I would double-check the installation and make sure the upper nut is tight on all the shocks, as well as the rear plates. While you are at it, it is somewhat common for people to need to re-torque the sway bar endlinks if they disconnected them during installation. Just a thought. I would give it all a good-once over with the right wrench sizes.
Looks like a bad-a$$ ride my friend!
The oil you see is oil that is part of a slight "overfill" process. Since we fill ALL of these units here in house, we have an automated system that makes sure the shock is topped off before being sealed. This will sometimes result in a little bit of oil making its way past the cap, and should not be a concern at all. Our Johnny O'Connell Shocks which are run on the factory GM production line, literally have the same thing, and customers may find a little bit of oil. Nothing to be alarmed over.
The thump in the suspension when you hit a rough spot in the road, should really be clarified. Our suspension is NOT inherently noisy whatsoever. There are no parts that should be loose, and therefore no actual noise coming with the coilovers. What you will feel, anytime you upgrade a suspension piece, is that the chassis is more connected to the road below you so you can start hearing things that were previously masked by soft rubber mounts. I would double-check the installation and make sure the upper nut is tight on all the shocks, as well as the rear plates. While you are at it, it is somewhat common for people to need to re-torque the sway bar endlinks if they disconnected them during installation. Just a thought. I would give it all a good-once over with the right wrench sizes.
Looks like a bad-a$$ ride my friend!
This weekend I will be tweaking the adjustments. Right now I have it set at the full stiff setting. I will also double check all torque on all the nuts and bolts.
01-18-2013, 08:17 PM
#9
Race Director
I installed a set of Featherlites on mine last summer. The only issue I had other than the thump/clunk was when I went under the back of the car to check it out I noticed the coils were slightly hitting the tie rod lock nuts and chipping the powder coating.
I spoke with a tech at Pfadt and was told they knew the coils would be close and said others had called with similar issues. They recommended based on input from customers to lightly file the lock nuts down on the rods to alleviate the rub.
I chose to file the flat portion down and adjusted them so the flats were closest to the spring thus avoiding them rubbing.
I did have a front one lose a seal the first month, but it was promptly replaced by Pfadt under warranty no questions asked. Super customer service.
I spoke with a tech at Pfadt and was told they knew the coils would be close and said others had called with similar issues. They recommended based on input from customers to lightly file the lock nuts down on the rods to alleviate the rub.
I chose to file the flat portion down and adjusted them so the flats were closest to the spring thus avoiding them rubbing.
I did have a front one lose a seal the first month, but it was promptly replaced by Pfadt under warranty no questions asked.
Super customer service.
01-18-2013, 09:49 PM
#10
Race Director
Member Since: Mar 2003
Location: Northern Illinois
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Oldtimer
I've had my Pfadt coilovers for a couple of years. This past fall I had my car aligned at BlackDog Speed Shop in Lincolnshire, IL. They also road race Corvettes, so I thought it would be a great place to have my car aligned. I'd had it aligned twice at a local tire shop before that. I can't believe the difference in how well my car handles. It's like driving a different car! The picture below was taken at their shop. I thought it was interesting that they wanted to know how much I weigh. They also asked about the weight of the glass top, which I take off in the spring and put back on in the fall.
01-18-2013, 09:57 PM
#11
Melting Slicks
Thread Starter
I've had my Pfadt coilovers for a couple of years. This past fall I had my car aligned at BlackDog Speed Shop in Lincolnshire, IL. They also road race Corvettes, so I thought it would be a great place to have my car aligned. I'd had it aligned twice at a local tire shop before that. I can't believe the difference in how well my car handles. It's like driving a different car! The picture below was taken at their shop. I thought it was interesting that they wanted to know how much I weigh. They also asked about the weight of the glass top, which I take off in the spring and put back on in the fall.
Sweet ride !!!
That's next, an alignment, once I get the the damping set.
01-19-2013, 12:00 AM
#13
Melting Slicks
I've had my Pfadt coilovers for a couple of years. This past fall I had my car aligned at BlackDog Speed Shop in Lincolnshire, IL. They also road race Corvettes, so I thought it would be a great place to have my car aligned. I'd had it aligned twice at a local tire shop before that. I can't believe the difference in how well my car handles. It's like driving a different car! The picture below was taken at their shop. I thought it was interesting that they wanted to know how much I weigh. They also asked about the weight of the glass top, which I take off in the spring and put back on in the fall.
01-19-2013, 11:29 AM
#16
Melting Slicks
Thread Starter
The lower spherical joint has excess play in the joint on the left coilover. The side where I've occasionally heard the noise. Right side is tight.
Here is a video of the movement and noise.
01-19-2013, 02:00 PM
#19
Melting Slicks
Have you contacted them yet? That must have been a tough one to find. Especially being it was on the other side of the car that you thought the noise was coming from. Curious how that even happens. Isn't it a ball in a UHMW/teflon cup? Have you read if this is a common failure? One thing for sure, at least you know Pfadt will take care of you.
Last edited by IRON MAIDEN; 01-20-2013 at 03:48 AM.
01-19-2013, 02:08 PM
#20
Melting Slicks
It's a bummer yes, but it will get worked out. Imagine if you went with QA1 or Stance.... Would you have to contact someone in China??? Be glad you went with a company known for taking good care of it's customers. Plus they are very active in our Vette community. By far the most active of the manufacturers who provide parts for our cars. It's one of the main reason I'm gonna go with the Featherlights as well. I'm usually the one with bad luck. lol I'll feel a lot more comfortable knowing I have access to them during setup and after the sale if I run into any issues. I plan on getting their Tri-Y headers as well. Keep us posted.