Can anyone explain the difference between VB&Ps Grand Touring Plus System and their Street and Slalom System?

I'm interested in the technical differences, but mostly in how they feel. If people who have them could describe the differences from stock and between the two systems that would be great.

I'm also curious about the skill/time it takes to install them. I'm very new to the hobby and have only minor ability. Any info or advice anyone has would be greatly appreciated.

Thanks,

Matt

 

i just install the Grand touring system on my 71
it can be done with just hand tools
all i had sent out was the a-arms to be blasted
put the system on a 78 i once owned
i would put it on any vette that i drive alot
it is a world of difference well worth the time
and cost you might also consider doing the steering

 

I'm looking at a Steeroids kit as well, and depending on the time required I might try and do them both at once.

I plan to spend my spring break working, so I have about 9 days where I can work all day every day. If I can get both done in that time I will.

There is a lot of material about the steeroids kit in the forum archives, but I had a harder time finding info on these two suspension kits.

I'm still curious about the difference between the two if anyone can help me with this...

 

Thanks for the reply by the way

 

You might consider how much twist you get on a composite rear spring....the C4 rear ends were designed to compensate for that...not so sure what the C3 does....

 

I'm not an expert but....

I purchased the Street and Slalom System about 2 weeks ago. The problem is not how long it will take to install the kit…. It’s how many other things have to be repaired along the way.

I had to take the trailing arms out because I could not remove the strut/shock mounts from the trailing arms. I ended up sending them out to be rebuilt. Once I got the trailing arms out I decided to deal with some surface rust issues. That was only the beginning….

 

someday i will go for the complete kit, don't remember what its called but its 2300 bucks for my 79. would be sweet. many guys run rear fiberglass monos and haven't had any problems, so i think they are fine. You might check into vbandp rear crossmember reinforcemnets though.

 

A friend of mine had VB's Grand Touring suspension in his '79, and I essentially had the Street & Slalom setup in my '75. They were both pretty much as Vette Brakes advertised. The Grand Touring was a bit more "comfy" than the Street & Slalom. The Street & Slalom was firmer than the Grand Touring, and had very nice handling. I considered both suspensions to be an improvement over stock, though that may not be totally fair, as both of our stock suspensions had been around the block a few times.

I had put my suspension upgrades in a little bit at a time. Anti-roll bars first, then the springs, and finally the shocks. It was interesting feeling the suspension improve as each part was installed. I never thought that the stock suspension had that much body roll in the corners, but once the new sway bars went in, all I could think was "damn, now THAT'S flat". It was wonderful. The springs added a tautness that was confidence inspiring, though you will have to make some adjustments to get the ride height where you want it. You will also be impressed by how much less the fiberglass rear spring weighs compared to the stock steel spring. Finally, I was impressed with how much of a difference the shocks made. They really rounded out the setup nicely - the ride really smoothed out. Once I had all the pieces in, the system really was an impressive setup.

Whenever I had asked VB about the different suspensions, they always made a point of pointing out how firm the Street & Slalom setup was. When I told them that I autocrossed the car, they seemed satisfied that I wasn't going to be complaining about the firm ride. Considering all of the warnings, I was expecting the ride to be a lot harsher than it was. It was certainly firm - no doubt about that. But it wasn't THAT firm. I loved it. You WILL, however, feel it when the rear wheels go over a speed bump - take it easy when doing that.

The fiberglass spring was great, I never had a problem with it. Don't let a tow truck connect anything to it though. They are not meant for that kind of loading. The C3 suspension setup is quite happy with the fiberglass rear springs. If you are concerned about that, remember that Chevy started using the fiberglass rear springs on a lot of Corvettes in the 1981 model year.

I installed the suspensions in both my friend's '79 and my '75. It wasn't too bad to do. The most problems that we had were on my friend's '79 because of frame issues. First, his frame was slightly tweaked (we discovered), and it was a royal bitch to get his front anti-roll bar installed (which is normally a piece of cake). We also ran into trouble with his right front spring because the lower A-arm mount was tearing away from the frame, and needed welding (which I don't have the ability or the tools to do). Neither of these problems had anything to do with the stuff from VB though. Do be very careful when working with the front springs. If they get loose on you, they're going to put the hurt on something. I strongly suggest a spring compressor for that work.

I'm sorry for the long post. I always loved my Street & Slalom suspension, and I just couldn't stop typing! Let me know if you need any more info.


Bill

 

Thanks Bill,

that was what I was looking for. Can you estimate the hours/days it took to get a kit installed? Yours was not done all at once but the '79 was right?

also, are there any tools that I might need that a beginner may not have?

Thanks,

Matt

 

I have been working on cars most of my life. A rule of thumb that has always been proven true is, It takes twice as much time and money as you thought. So whatever you plan on will very seldom happen. You will always find more or break something coming out or be missing a part. Not trying to be a downer just being realistic. All of the VB suspension sytems are engineered to be very well performing. You will not be disappointed with any of them. Have fun with it and do it right even if it takes a little longer.

 

: Sounds like a body off coming soon..
SGT Kirk

 

The most time consuming part will probably be the front springs - I shot most of a Saturday getting the front springs in my friend's '79, but only because we were battling a frame that needed welding. I don't know if you are planning on replacing any of your A-arm bushings at this time, so it's a little hard for me to estimate how long you'll spend on this task. I tend to be a little slow when I'm working under the car, because I have a habit of cleaning and painting things while I'm under there. When I worked on the '79 on that Saturday, we did NOT replace the A-arm bushings. I will emphasize again though - be damned careful when you're messing with the springs. They can be dangerous if they pop loose on you.

The anti-rolls bars are straightforward (assuming anything can be called straightforward when your working on a 25 year old car). If your frame is tweaked, you may have to put some effort into getting the anti-roll bars in place, but if your frame is true, you shouldn't have any problem. I was spoiled on my car - since my spare tire carrier tub was missing and I was running Hooker sidepipes, the rear bar and spring were a piece of cake to access. I was unpleasantly surprised when I had to work on my friend's car, because he had all of the stock equipment under there. Even so, it wasn't awful.

By the way, I did use the poly bushings in my '75, and l liked them a lot. If you go with the poly's, pay attention to the manufacturer's instructions, and you can minimize the squeaking that poly bushings can sometimes have.

The only special tools that I can think of off-hand would be a spring compressor for the front springs, and possibly (depending on what all you will be doing for the rear suspension) the shock mount remover tool (Vette Brakes has it) to put on the lower mount for the rear shocks if you have to remove them.

Again, let me know if I've left anything out.