Zak77

I recently picked up, well today, a set of lightly used LG coil overs. I believe they are the G2's. I'm going to be replacing my suspension over the next month and since I'll be pulling out my F45 shocks and base springs in my C5 I might as well upgrade my sway bars. Trying to decide though on what sway's to get that will go well with these coils. T1? Z06?

Originally I was going to go with Z06 suspension all around but I could not pass up the price I was able to pick up these coil overs for. Car is my semi daily driver during warm weather and I plan on doing a lot of HPDE this summer. I don't want bone jarring though.

sothpaw2

T1 bars if you can find them used or Pfadt Johnny O bars (similar to T1). Z06 bars allow more roll but will give you a more gentle ride.

Where'd you find the deal on those? I'd love to find lightly used coilovers as a next upgrade.

96CollectorSport

For bar selection (I think) it really comes down to what rubber you're gonna run at the track, if you are running street tires I would definatly stick with the Z06 bars, if you are running a R-compound then you may lean toward the T1 bars.
LG recommended the T1 bars years ago when I installed a couple sets of there coil-overs. I think it's a really good set-up for the track but a bit stiff for the street - especially if you are coming from stock base suspension. (I'm actually a big fan of the Z06 rear bar in place of a T1 bar for the track - most of my customers feel like it helps the rear end hook up a little better off the corners.)
I also noticed in the picture above that you are missing the upper clevis for the front coil-overs, did they come with the coil-overs or are they missing?

Zak77

Thanks for the info. There are a lot of used Z06 bars out there so I should be able to find a set easily.

A friend of mine and previous C5 owner told me about a mechanic that had a number of Z06 parts laying around from a customers build, with the coilovers included and I was able to get an insane package deal. I can't use any of the other parts on my C5 as they are C6Z parts so I'm selling them.

I do have the upper clevis's, they were sitting in a box in my car when I snapped the picture. It's warming up htis week up here in PA and might be a perfect time to swap them.

Zak77

Also, forgot to answer that I'm currently running street tires at the HPDE events. I've only done 2 events and not anywhere close to having the skills for R compounds/slicks. It is quite humbling to be passed by a spec miata.

Another option is the ZR1 bars. From some research last night/this morning they seem to be stiffer than Z51 but not as stiff as Z06.

96CollectorSport

I was actually refering to the C5Z sway bars, bellow is the ever famous Pfadt sway bar chart where you can compare relative stiffness between bars.



The ZR1 rear bar is a pretty stiff bar, I still think that the C5Z rear is the way to go. I do think the ZR1 front may be just what you're looking for - somewhere between the C6Z and T1. Either way you are going to notice a pretty big change from the stock set-up.

Zenak

for the $$ T1 bars are a good deal. also if you ever decide to do any events, you are closer already to that category. I loved my pfadt bars. hard as rocks, stiff as stiff comes, felt ever bump... ride ont eh road was awful, thank god for coil overs. But when it came to autocross and road tracks it was amazing how that much feel translated into driveability. I would not go anything lighter than a T1 setup honestly. not worth it, you will be upgrading again later, doing the work twice and paying twice. better off waiting for what you want then doing it all and paying it all over and over each time you upgrade.

Zak77

Looking at that chart, those T1 bars are quite stiff. Hmmm. It's going to be a HUGE shock though going from old F45 suspension to the LG GT's. With the T1's my kidneys might fail driving it on the street.

I want great performance but some street driving worthy. the C5 is just to much fun to let it sit in the garage and I loath now driving my jeep.

I have the front suspension removed and started to install the coil overs and I was not given the lower shock bolts. Bummer as the stock bolts are not long enough. I'm assuming they are just grade 8 bolts?

jd86L98

I run T1 bars on my 100% street driven Z51 convertible and love them. I am slightly lowered (stock bolts and bushings), with stock metal endlinks and Bilstein sports. I did have my concerns especially after reading the majority of the comments indicating they are to much bar for the street or for street tires in general. However, with a slightly more aggressive alignment I have found them to be an absolute blast on the street and not at all intrusive to the ride of the vehicle. I had previously upgraded to the C6 Z51 bar with poly bushings, which was a slight improvement over the C5Z51 bar.

Bills Z06

I use the same coil overs from LG and have the T1 bars on my car. My car is for the track only so the harsh ride really isn't that important to me. I think your decision should be based on what your goal is - great handling or a comfy ride. Good luck!

el es tu

Some of the faster folks out here use thinner bars than the T1 and stiffer than factory springs (the idea is that it limits suspension independence less than softer springs and heavier bars).

Ie addco and hotchkiss - those front bars are about the same as the Zr1 front

If youre going all factory on the bars (which in the end is cheaper than aftermarket) Id say Zr1 front, and c6 z51 rear, or c5 z06 rear, heck if you like more oversteer (Im not sure what the spring rates are on your coilovers) you could even go with a c6z06 rear.

Zak77

Here is the description from LG's site regarding the coilovers I have now:
http://www.lgmotorsports.com/product...roducts_id=272

I don't have a problem going aftermarket as I'm not married to factory products and really don't mind mixing and matching to see what works best. This is my first time changing sways on any car so it's all new ground for me.

I would though like a decent balance between track/street. I drive my C5 a lot but I don't rely on it as I work from home and drive it to the store, pick up one of my daughters from school, go for spirited drives with my wife, drive to customers offices etc. I will do 5-6 hour drives in it to customers offices. I much prefer a stiff ride, just don't want to have fillings fall out.

After inspecting the front leaf spring last night after I removed it, I noticed it had a few splits/cracks in one spot. And I was amazed at how light they are. I'm use to truck/jeep leaf springs. Big difference.

96CollectorSport

The truth is the LG coils are going to be stiff and a bit jarring no matter what sway bars you go with - is that a bad thing, no, it depends on what you are looking for. The LG coil-overs have springs selected more toward a track type set-up (vs the DRM and Pfadt) and don't require a big sway bar to keep the car flat in the corners, the springs are pitching in there.
The cars I set up have won National Championships with NASA 4 years running, I'm not just throwing my $.02 on an opinion of one set-up that "feels pretty good".
T1 sways are too much for street tires period! Heck when we were running PTA and running 275 Hoosier R6's the car handled a lot better with a smaller Hotchkiss front bar and a base C5 rear bar - we called it the Miata bar why? Because we didn't have the grip to make the bigger bars work. The T1 bars are designed to work with a 315 R-compound race tire, if you run street tires with that bar the car will push at the limit, if it doesn't you're not driving the car hard enough.

If you are using the car for street and track and you are running street tires at the track the ZR1 bar and C5Z bar will definatly work better than the T1's, to tell you the truth I bet a C5Z front bar and your stock rear bar would be a good set-up too. I'm sure some will argue and say to stick with the T1 stuff but I have a feeling that you would be happier driving the car on the street and track with a little smaller bar set-up. Best of both!

Zak77

Thanks 96! I can find C5Z bars quite a bit locally (my HDPE instructor has a set for sale) and they are pretty easy to swap out so I'll go with a C5Z in front and leave the rear alone for now. My current tires are Hankook V12's and are "only" 275 wide. I'm just starting out in tracking my C5 so I don't mind taking baby steps. I was going to go with C6Z shocks and C5Z springs/sways but this coilover package came along at a price I could not turn down, basically the same price (maybe $100 more) than the setup I was going to go with.

Now to find a bolt in rear cage for hillclimbs.

el es tu

funny thats exactly what my car is being set up for

The rule book for scca hillclimbs states that youre going to need full protection (assuming youre going to be in a higher up class).

http://scca.cdn.racersites.com/prod/...el_4_HC_v2.pdf

hope this helps with your build.

good luck!

Supercharged111

If I get my hands on coilovers, I'd have no problem running them with my stock bars. Since you're still working on the driver mod (aren't we all), I say just install the coilovers and decide over this coming season what you want to do for bars. That way you have that much more time to find another screaming deal. At this point I think it's fair to say that the stock bars wouldn't hold you back.

Zak77

I'm also not entirely sure on what class I'll be in. I ran into a guy the other day with a beautiful E36 M3 that had a rollbar in the back. We started talking and hes on the board of one of hte local SCCA chapters and they host a few hill climbs (I'm 20 minutes from Reading, PA). We talked for a bit about hillclimbs and what is required and he said I'd be in a similiar category as him. I need to read the rules a bit more though. Simply amazing the amount of rules for level 3 and level 4 events. Does Phoenix sell bolt in cages? I'd prefer right now to do a 4 point cage if I can.

el es tu

I know phoenix makes cages that they weld in. Considering the fact that they are always doing custom stuff and the C6 Z06 has to have a cage bolted in (due to the aluminum frame), Im pretty sure they could make one for you.

The rules can change with each club and they will even make exceptions for things like licensing or track experience. The best way to go would be to call the local club and get them to tell you what they want to see in the car in terms of cage, seating, harness, window netting, helmet neck support, fire suppression, etc.

Zak77

I looked up the local hill climb club and am starting to search their forum for rollbar/cage setups. Hoping to meet up with a few of them soon and discuss their setups.

I PM'd Joe at Phoenix but their cages are WELL out of any range I could afford to pay. Love Joe's work and his shop is amazing (Had my C5 HPDE tech'd there over the summer) but this is my hobby and I only have a certain amount of extra funds to throw at it.

Zak77

Coilovers are installed. Install went well overall. Took me about 3 or so days to install them, but only worked on them a few hours each day. Rears were very easy to get out, a bit harder to get in, while the fronts were very easy to install but difficult to remove the leaf spring. Ride is a LOT more firm. Car is not unformfortable to ride it and feels like a true sports car and not a floating caddy like it did on the stock F45 shocks and leafs. Now to find a place to deprogram the F45 system and get a good alignment.

Anyone know of a place in Chester County PA that can do the Tech II for the F45 removal? And a good place for an alignment? Can't afford Joe's shot right now.