I'm looking at buying a set of coilovers later this year and wanted to get opinions on what was available and what my best options may be.

The car is currently used for track days, and I'd like to be able to do some time trials later. The car is still streetable, so I'll be driving it to and from the track, and some pleasure driving, probably ~1500 street miles/year.

Right now I'm looking at the DRM, LG GT2 and G2, AFE featherlite and black setups and aldan.

Some of my inital thoughts on them are:
DRM: Less expensive, seems to be a well regarded company, so possibly a good option at a lower price point
LG GT2: Adjustable, less expensive than the G2 Cons: not rebuildable, but have a lifetime warranty, so that may not be an issue.
LG G2: Possibly better performance than the GT2 on track, but not sure, not adjustable
LG kits also say they must run their bump steer kit on the C5s. Is this for packaging or is it just a good idea to run it anyway?
AFE: More adjustment (not sure if that's good or bad in my case, but have a mediocre reputation for rebuildability and past quality/service. Also more expensive new than the LG or DRM units.
Aldan: Adjustable, but maybe not in the way that I need them to be, and cheap. By far the most budget friendly option, and I'm not really sure how much performance I'll be losing to save the cash.

Also, do the kits typically come with rear lower shock bushings, or is that something that has to be purchased separately?

Anything else I'm missing on the options I have here or reasons to go with one over the other?

 

I have the LG G2's on my C5 and absolutely love the handing. My car is mostly used for track but I do drive on the street occasionally and the ride is just fine. On track the car handles great. Good response and control over bumps and curbs. Several passengers have commented on how amazing the car handles. I don't remember the spring rates I got but Lou hooked me up after a brief talk about the way I drive and the car setup. I would highly recommend them.

 

Look at Ridetech as well.

 

Viking offers inexpensive coilover kits. I have their smooth shocks, which are fine, but I don't have any good comparison to tell you whether they're really good or not. No experience with the coilovers.

 

Different setups for different cars and drivers. That is why we like to custom build kits based off what our customers are needing. We primarily use Penske shocks on all of our builds, while they do cost a bit more than most of your “shelf kits” they do offer a wide range of shock models, mounts, and designs that you can custom design just about anything you need. That being said it is hard to say Model Y is the best because....

Of course, they are all rebuildable and we stock parts in house to do any service that would be required if you needed to upgrade or rebuild at a later date.

If you would like to discuss a shock / coil over package for your car give us a ring at the office and we would be more than happy to work out some options for you.

 

OP what's your budget?

 

@GSpeed can the penskees be configured to take some use on the street, and how does their rebuild interval compare to others? I like the idea of having nice race parts and being able to upgrade to the single or double adjustable later if my needs change, but wasn't sure how they held up over time if I drive on the street.

@smitty2919 I've been looking in the $2-3k range. If I can get 90% of the performance out of a set of $1200 coilovers, that would be great, but I just don't think that's going to be the case. I'd prefer to be closer to the lower end, but that's just based on what I've seen for some of the mid level non adjustable shocks.

 

$2100 https://www.ridetech.com/application...ystem-level-1/

I found Penske SA 7500 kit (without springs) on Penske Racing for $800 but that seems really cheap...I might be missing something lol
https://www.penskeshocks.com/product...le-adjustable/

 

Does anyone here have experience with KW's coilovers on a C5 or C6?

 

The C5 Spec Corvette track series recently released a pretty awesome and easy to use and well tested Penske Coilover package too.

Check these out if you want something to tear up the road course with but also be able to drive a bit on the street:

http://trackspecmotorsports.com/spec...-racing-shocks

 

<full disclosure: while I'm not employed by GSpeed I work closed with them>

I've done at least my share of car builds and while there are so many places you can make improvements in "steps", I really don't think dampers are one of them.

Folks knowing they are going wheel to wheel but just starting out HPDE, you can do cooling mods, brake mods, safety...all of it in logical progression and some in micro-spend steps.

But the cost of dampers has led me to believe (and preach) that you look as far into the future as possible and buy dampers for that.

So, even for an HPDE guy, really good dampers give them better car control, and more confidence. Sure, they might need help with the initial setup, and yes they might need rebuilding after years of use, (and upgraded potentially as well) but in this specific area, I say spend what you need to for your end result.

That being said, GSpeed does a really nice job with non-adjustables AND adjustables.

Here is the NASA TT3 national champ lap at COTA:

Here is the NASA TT2 track record lap at COTA:

I have other vids, but the rumbles at COTA really need to be abused to run a fast lap. You'll notice in both vids how quick the car takes a nice set in the esses at high speed and also how using rumbles does not upset the car. This is massively critical to fast lap time and helps with driver confidence.

Costas
cars and such...

 

As with anything, depends on how it is used and abused. It is hard to put an exact mileage on what each customer is going to see on rebuild times. Some might go years on end while others need it done ever season.

Shocks have, in a lot of circles, gotten a wrap for not being that important. Far to often you hear; you can buy X brand for $200 but if you go to brand Z they are $3000 so not worth it at all. Now again, it goes back to what you are doing with it, if it’s for the stance crowd just about any bottom dollar setup is going to lower the car and keep it off the ground. If you are tuning in the suspension system then you need to look just as closely (if not more so) than say picking out a camshaft for your engine. Just as the cam is the “brains” of the engine, the shocks are the brains of the suspension system and if they are not dialed into the car and everything that is going on then you will have just as blah performance from the handling as the engine would with a cam that isn’t right.

Not everyone needs 4 way adjustable, remote canister $10,000 shock systems but take some time and plan out what you need from the car and what you need as a driver the car to do.

 

@GSpeed I appreciate the importance of the dampers, so I will certainly give you guys a call in the next couple months when I'm ready to pull the trigger. I really like the idea of spending a little more now for a better damper setup that I can upgrade later if needed. I can say for sure I don't need a $10,000 set, but I spending a little more now for a much better setup is what I'm looking for.