review of LG suspension, trans/diff cooler and G-stop kit
08-16-2009, 04:19 AM
#1
Drifting
Thread Starter
review of LG suspension, trans/diff cooler and G-stop kit
got some shiny part for the car, did an autocross course and 2 track days.
though i'd post some thoughs on this for people interested in throwing more money at their cars
the cooler.
it's expensive (I bought used). it works. the quality of design and construction is top notch, as seems to be the case with everything that comes from LG. nice not having to deal with electrical pumps. no more temp warnings, no more refusing to go into 3rd/4th after hard use. I can use 2nd gear in slower corners without the fear of the dreaded temp warning. the kit is a fair amount of work to put in. 12 hours of labor for a pro race shop (ran out of time to do it myself).
coilovers.
the mounts are beautifully designed and built. fits well, and is an easy install - although the clearance between the rear spring and the tie rod is tight. the spring had to be rotated to avoid contacting the tie rod going over hard bumps.
I also got T1 bars with LG's adj. end links - those are super useful to play around with the stiffness of the rear bar and zeroing it out. it's a simple part but the design and construction are top notch.
suspension overall:
this is a lot stiffer compared to stock C5Z one, but rides surprisingly well on the street although sharp speed bumps and pavement seams are a little nasty - you can really feel every little imprefection of the road you drive on.
the car became a little unbalanced towards oversteering on turn in, changing the rear bar to the least stiff setting seems to have addressed that.
the best benefit is that left-right and power/brake transitions are a lot crisper - i need to wait less for the car to settle, which occasionally allows for a better line.
there is definitely less room for driver error compared to stock suspension, although corrections are a lot more predictable if initiated in time.
i cannot say the car became hugely faster, but I am still getting used to the feel. so far, I picked up about 2-3 seconds on a ~2min course with some room for improvement.
G-Stop kit.
this is more of a wilwood review than LG, obviously. the caliper fits fine over the stock rotors. the lines are a pain in the *** to route right. i ended up burning off the plastic sleeve on one side and splattering the liquid plastic all over the caliper - rotated too far forward, while rubbing the line against the wheel on the autocross course on the other side - did not rotate far enough. sigh. tried to adjust it on the side that was rubbing and stripped the fitting on the line. ended up with a frankenstein fix of adapting stock replacement goodridge line on one side as a temporary solution - but now I like it better than wilwood line, as it had additional elbow that prevents the line from coming in contact with the bracket. still thinking about good long term solution.
I used up about half of H compound pad in 2 track days, I remember someone posted that they get a season out of them. something does not add up. i do have to say this was more track time than your average club day - 5-6 35+ minute sessions.
I also set a personal "record" of snapping brand new chinese rotor in 8 sessions. this is with full ducting, cooldown laps and moving the car in the paddock to prevent the hot pads sitting over the same spot. the brakes work so well, I can overpower ABS at almost any speed with these brakes and r-compounds (not that I try to on purpose). best improvement from stock setup is more consistent braking from 100+mph. i can pick a braking point and it will work the same way every time as opposed to the stock setup which sometimes keeps you wondering about exactly how much brake you are applying.
By the way, I thought this will fix the pad taper I always hated with the stock calipers - it does not, there is still leading/traling edge taper on the wilwood pads, although not as pronounced. I wonder if this is normal or if the calipers are not lined up 100% perfectly, or if there is some play/flex in the hub/rotor/wheel or what? I am going to go with floating rotors, thinking DBA5000s...
i am a little worried about the bleed screws being so tiny. i am paranoid about tightening them too much, yet I had to retighten one of them multiple times to stop the fluid from seeping out. Cracking the fitting on the line was weird too - I don't think I was tightening it any harder than I used to do with the goodridge lines. I guess you get what you pay for...
Overall, I am pretty happy with the results. Would have been nice to pick up a little more speed for the money spent, will see how this plays out in the long run - maybe I just need to push on the gas harder and get in the habit of using 2nd gear more often
though i'd post some thoughs on this for people interested in throwing more money at their cars
the cooler.
it's expensive (I bought used). it works. the quality of design and construction is top notch, as seems to be the case with everything that comes from LG. nice not having to deal with electrical pumps. no more temp warnings, no more refusing to go into 3rd/4th after hard use. I can use 2nd gear in slower corners without the fear of the dreaded temp warning. the kit is a fair amount of work to put in. 12 hours of labor for a pro race shop (ran out of time to do it myself).
coilovers.
the mounts are beautifully designed and built. fits well, and is an easy install - although the clearance between the rear spring and the tie rod is tight. the spring had to be rotated to avoid contacting the tie rod going over hard bumps.
I also got T1 bars with LG's adj. end links - those are super useful to play around with the stiffness of the rear bar and zeroing it out. it's a simple part but the design and construction are top notch.
suspension overall:
this is a lot stiffer compared to stock C5Z one, but rides surprisingly well on the street although sharp speed bumps and pavement seams are a little nasty - you can really feel every little imprefection of the road you drive on.
the car became a little unbalanced towards oversteering on turn in, changing the rear bar to the least stiff setting seems to have addressed that.
the best benefit is that left-right and power/brake transitions are a lot crisper - i need to wait less for the car to settle, which occasionally allows for a better line.
there is definitely less room for driver error compared to stock suspension, although corrections are a lot more predictable if initiated in time.
i cannot say the car became hugely faster, but I am still getting used to the feel. so far, I picked up about 2-3 seconds on a ~2min course with some room for improvement.
G-Stop kit.
this is more of a wilwood review than LG, obviously. the caliper fits fine over the stock rotors. the lines are a pain in the *** to route right. i ended up burning off the plastic sleeve on one side and splattering the liquid plastic all over the caliper - rotated too far forward, while rubbing the line against the wheel on the autocross course on the other side - did not rotate far enough. sigh. tried to adjust it on the side that was rubbing and stripped the fitting on the line. ended up with a frankenstein fix of adapting stock replacement goodridge line on one side as a temporary solution - but now I like it better than wilwood line, as it had additional elbow that prevents the line from coming in contact with the bracket. still thinking about good long term solution.
I used up about half of H compound pad in 2 track days, I remember someone posted that they get a season out of them. something does not add up. i do have to say this was more track time than your average club day - 5-6 35+ minute sessions.
I also set a personal "record" of snapping brand new chinese rotor in 8 sessions. this is with full ducting, cooldown laps and moving the car in the paddock to prevent the hot pads sitting over the same spot. the brakes work so well, I can overpower ABS at almost any speed with these brakes and r-compounds (not that I try to on purpose). best improvement from stock setup is more consistent braking from 100+mph. i can pick a braking point and it will work the same way every time as opposed to the stock setup which sometimes keeps you wondering about exactly how much brake you are applying.
By the way, I thought this will fix the pad taper I always hated with the stock calipers - it does not, there is still leading/traling edge taper on the wilwood pads, although not as pronounced. I wonder if this is normal or if the calipers are not lined up 100% perfectly, or if there is some play/flex in the hub/rotor/wheel or what? I am going to go with floating rotors, thinking DBA5000s...
i am a little worried about the bleed screws being so tiny. i am paranoid about tightening them too much, yet I had to retighten one of them multiple times to stop the fluid from seeping out. Cracking the fitting on the line was weird too - I don't think I was tightening it any harder than I used to do with the goodridge lines. I guess you get what you pay for...
Overall, I am pretty happy with the results. Would have been nice to pick up a little more speed for the money spent, will see how this plays out in the long run - maybe I just need to push on the gas harder and get in the habit of using 2nd gear more often
08-16-2009, 11:22 AM
#2
Team Owner
I hate crap from China but did you season the rotor before use?
What brake fluid are you running?
Bleeders should be fine.
LG products are all top notch and then some
You will still get some taper but nothing like stock.
You can get some heat shiels also for the calipers and spacers so as the pad wears you can keep the pistons in the bore to be more stable and cooler.
What brake fluid are you running?
Bleeders should be fine.
LG products are all top notch and then some
You will still get some taper but nothing like stock.
You can get some heat shiels also for the calipers and spacers so as the pad wears you can keep the pistons in the bore to be more stable and cooler.
Last edited by John Shiels; 08-16-2009 at 11:25 AM.
08-16-2009, 12:22 PM
#3
Tech Contributor
Member Since: Oct 1999
Location: Charlotte, NC (formerly Endicott, NY)
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As John says the bleeders should be fine. I never had a problem with them other than one knucklehead move where I tightened instead of loosening and broke the bleeder off. That is where a nice feature of the Wilwood caliper comes in. The small bleeder is inside a removable larger piece so all I had to do was order replacement parts from the local race shop. I bled the brakes by loosening the larger piece until the new parts came in.
Not sure why you had a problem with the Wilwood brake lines. Mine went right on with no problems. When I took them off the car after 4 years I had a similar problem with the stock calipers and their stainless lines.
I would get 8 to 10 track days on a set of 7420 H pads. That is with 4 25 to 30 minute sessions per day. I usually flipped the pads after the second day which increased pad life by evening out the taper. Another thing you can do to reduce taper is to use shims behind the pads as they wear. I have some shims for sale in my post where I am sellin the calipers. I am selling because I stepped up to a C6 Z. Seeing how much brake parts cost for it I am seriously thinking of asking Lou if he could design and build a bracket that would allow me to use the Wilwoods on the Z. A set of Cobalt pads that are good for HPDE and Autocross use (similar to a Wilwood E compound) are right around $400 for the C6Z while the 7420 E pad goes for around $170. At those differences in prices it wouldn't take long to pay for some Custom brackets.
Bill
Not sure why you had a problem with the Wilwood brake lines. Mine went right on with no problems. When I took them off the car after 4 years I had a similar problem with the stock calipers and their stainless lines.
I would get 8 to 10 track days on a set of 7420 H pads. That is with 4 25 to 30 minute sessions per day. I usually flipped the pads after the second day which increased pad life by evening out the taper. Another thing you can do to reduce taper is to use shims behind the pads as they wear. I have some shims for sale in my post where I am sellin the calipers. I am selling because I stepped up to a C6 Z. Seeing how much brake parts cost for it I am seriously thinking of asking Lou if he could design and build a bracket that would allow me to use the Wilwoods on the Z. A set of Cobalt pads that are good for HPDE and Autocross use (similar to a Wilwood E compound) are right around $400 for the C6Z while the 7420 E pad goes for around $170. At those differences in prices it wouldn't take long to pay for some Custom brackets.
Bill
08-16-2009, 01:40 PM
#4
Le Mans Master
Actually, if you just take the bigger piece out, the bleeders from the stock calipers work perfect. I made the same mistake of overtightening the bleeders. I just left the stock size ones in there.
08-16-2009, 01:57 PM
#5
Drifting
Thread Starter
i have ATE blue fluid.
Good to know about the stock bleeder screws - I will make sure I have some with me as backup. Would the speedbleeders sized for stock calipers work? I love those and have plenty of them around.
Bill, PM me with shim prices, I think I definitely need some.
John, I am not sure what you mean by seasoning the rotors, I do bed in the pads with new rotors on.
Good to know about the stock bleeder screws - I will make sure I have some with me as backup. Would the speedbleeders sized for stock calipers work? I love those and have plenty of them around.
Bill, PM me with shim prices, I think I definitely need some.
John, I am not sure what you mean by seasoning the rotors, I do bed in the pads with new rotors on.
08-16-2009, 04:00 PM
#6
Team Owner
i have ATE blue fluid.
Good to know about the stock bleeder screws - I will make sure I have some with me as backup. Would the speedbleeders sized for stock calipers work? I love those and have plenty of them around.
Bill, PM me with shim prices, I think I definitely need some.
John, I am not sure what you mean by seasoning the rotors, I do bed in the pads with new rotors on.
Good to know about the stock bleeder screws - I will make sure I have some with me as backup. Would the speedbleeders sized for stock calipers work? I love those and have plenty of them around.
Bill, PM me with shim prices, I think I definitely need some.
John, I am not sure what you mean by seasoning the rotors, I do bed in the pads with new rotors on.
08-16-2009, 04:03 PM
#7
Team Owner
As John says the bleeders should be fine. I never had a problem with them other than one knucklehead move where I tightened instead of loosening and broke the bleeder off. That is where a nice feature of the Wilwood caliper comes in. The small bleeder is inside a removable larger piece so all I had to do was order replacement parts from the local race shop. I bled the brakes by loosening the larger piece until the new parts came in.
Not sure why you had a problem with the Wilwood brake lines. Mine went right on with no problems. When I took them off the car after 4 years I had a similar problem with the stock calipers and their stainless lines.
I would get 8 to 10 track days on a set of 7420 H pads. That is with 4 25 to 30 minute sessions per day. I usually flipped the pads after the second day which increased pad life by evening out the taper. Another thing you can do to reduce taper is to use shims behind the pads as they wear. I have some shims for sale in my post where I am sellin the calipers. I am selling because I stepped up to a C6 Z. Seeing how much brake parts cost for it I am seriously thinking of asking Lou if he could design and build a bracket that would allow me to use the Wilwoods on the Z. A set of Cobalt pads that are good for HPDE and Autocross use (similar to a Wilwood E compound) are right around $400 for the C6Z while the 7420 E pad goes for around $170. At those differences in prices it wouldn't take long to pay for some Custom brackets.
Bill
Not sure why you had a problem with the Wilwood brake lines. Mine went right on with no problems. When I took them off the car after 4 years I had a similar problem with the stock calipers and their stainless lines.
I would get 8 to 10 track days on a set of 7420 H pads. That is with 4 25 to 30 minute sessions per day. I usually flipped the pads after the second day which increased pad life by evening out the taper. Another thing you can do to reduce taper is to use shims behind the pads as they wear. I have some shims for sale in my post where I am sellin the calipers. I am selling because I stepped up to a C6 Z. Seeing how much brake parts cost for it I am seriously thinking of asking Lou if he could design and build a bracket that would allow me to use the Wilwoods on the Z. A set of Cobalt pads that are good for HPDE and Autocross use (similar to a Wilwood E compound) are right around $400 for the C6Z while the 7420 E pad goes for around $170. At those differences in prices it wouldn't take long to pay for some Custom brackets.
Bill
Last edited by John Shiels; 08-16-2009 at 04:05 PM.
08-16-2009, 04:36 PM
#8
Le Mans Master
08-17-2009, 11:32 AM
#10
Safety Car
I have some shims for sale in my post where I am sellin the calipers. I am selling because I stepped up to a C6 Z. Seeing how much brake parts cost for it I am seriously thinking of asking Lou if he could design and build a bracket that would allow me to use the Wilwoods on the Z.
08-17-2009, 06:34 PM
#11
Racer
It would be interesting to see how our cars/styles compare now with your added changes. I will be looking at a diff/tranny cooler set-up this winter, I've been getting the dreaded light during my last couple of track days.
Will you be at the ProFormance event on 9/2? I'd like to sign up but I'm not exactly sure how long my 'new' tires will last.
Will you be at the ProFormance event on 9/2? I'd like to sign up but I'm not exactly sure how long my 'new' tires will last.
08-17-2009, 07:13 PM
#12
Drifting
Thread Starter
It would be interesting to see how our cars/styles compare now with your added changes. I will be looking at a diff/tranny cooler set-up this winter, I've been getting the dreaded light during my last couple of track days.
Will you be at the ProFormance event on 9/2? I'd like to sign up but I'm not exactly sure how long my 'new' tires will last.
Will you be at the ProFormance event on 9/2? I'd like to sign up but I'm not exactly sure how long my 'new' tires will last.
I should have done the trans cooler years ago... probably as the first mod.
08-17-2009, 07:36 PM
#13
Drifting
If the rotor's relationship to the hub is the same on the C6Z as the C5/C5ZZ/C6 all you need to do is put spacers under the caliper on the bracket and space the caliper outwards. Thats the beauty of a radial mount caliper.
