So can anybody tell me about this kit you can buy that will replace your coil springs with a single inverted spring. Is it one of those things you buy that never work right when you try to install it, then after all the trouble you find out its worse than the OEM? I sure would appreciate any feedback. If anybody has one on their car I would like to know how it works out.

 

it makes a big improvement in ride quality, well worth the $. you'll also want to upgrade yer shocks to bilsteins while yer at it. i just finished the conversion 2 months ago and am very happy w/it

 

Looks sweet, not as bulky and outta place as i imagined it would be. thanks for the info.

 

One more Q: who manfactured your kit? what did it come with exactly? could you send me a link?

 

The stickers make his spring look like it came from Vette Brakes and Products. Their website is, http://www.vbandp.com or more specifically, here's where the front monospring is located on their site, http://www.vbandp.com/SearchResult.aspx?CategoryID=170

You'll find people on both sides of the debate.
On one side you'll hear things like:
"There's nothing wrong with coil springs."
"A fiberglass front spring is more vulnerable to road debris." (As in, watch out what you run over)
"You cannot jack the car up by the front crossmember anymore."

On the other side you'll hear things like:
"The car handles like it's on rails."
"My car responds to steering inputs more quickly than before."
"It feels more like a European touring car." (As in, more nimble and tossable)

Choose which side has more benefits to you, and make your decision based on that. There may be nothing wrong with coil springs, but I like the front monospring idea. Everything good I hear about it appeals to me. I love throwing my car into a corner and feeling lateral Gs. Of course, good sticky tires (such as Falken Azenis or Toyo Proxes RA-1) are also a requirement. I would install the front monospring on my car if I had the cash. Unfortunately, I've got other things on my "to do" list before I can make an upgrade like that.

 

http://www.vbandp.com/detail.aspx?ID=514
they also carry the upper tubular Aarms that i bought

 

What are the spring rates at the various settings? My fear would be that I would run out of adjustment before I’m satisfied.

 

How would they compare to 550lb coils for autocross/road course use?

 

If you are running a small block I don't think you have anything to worry about. I like a stiff set-up ,but when I installed mine I put on the second softest setting (I did this based on other user's posts). The car handles great, rough roads here and the car just glides over the bumps. I'm sure I could go at least one setting stiffer but not sure I need to. The thing that is so great about this set-up is that both ride stiffeness and ride height are fully adjustable, and with the tubular upper arms you can get more castor to help with high speed stability (eliminates vette wander).

 

Vettes starting in 81 up have the transverse springs... Right?

My wife's 81 and my 99 have em. Love em.

 

All Corvettes with IRS have the transverse springs in the rear. I think '80 up had the composite in the rear.

I used the VBP transverse monoleaf front system on my '82 and love it. I'm going tubular A-Arms and QA1 adjustable semis from Van Steel on my '72 just to do something different.

 

Best not tell a European that his car is tossable

No experience of the front monospring here, but I do have a question:

It seems that a lot of C5 owners are converting to coil-overs if they intend to go for serious road racing/track day use. This would imply that coil-overs are superior to tranverse leaf springs (even if they are composite). Any suspension gurus here who could explain the plus/minus points of each (please, no mention of Jeremy Clarkson, I'm genuinely interested in why tranverse leaf springs are made/fitted if coil-overs are supposedly better, I don't want to start a UK/US war!)?

 

Well, the C6R runs coil-overs, but then the Z06 still has the monospring. I think the biggest advantage of the coil-overs is being able to independantly adjust the spring rates for different track conditions. I really doubt that anyone who isn't pushing their cars to the absolute limits will ever be able to tell the difference though. I'm sure someone will chime in saying that coil-overs also allow the wheels to travel completely independant of one another, but I think it's more for the adjustability. I don't think there's much difference in weight between the two.

 

The did this on a '76 on HorsePowerTV about a year ago. Car turned out great and they claimed the transverse monoleaf front suspension was a huge improvement over stock.

 

Yeah 81's and up have a fiberglas/composite transverse spring in the back. However, if your '81 is like mine and has the FE7 suspension it has the 9 leaf steel spring in the back. I personally don't like springs that are prone to fatigue, such as steel ones.

I'm going to do the front transverse spring in the front when that comes up on my list of things to do.

 

Just to answer a couple of the questions in this post.

First, the spring rates. The front transverse set-up has four bolt hole positions for spring rate adjustment. The innermost settings will be a really, soft, comfortable ride for the earlier C-2 and C-3 Corvettes that are lighter in total weight than the later models. The second position outward is more for the later C-3's that are heavier and would equate to a stock ride for touring and comfort. The third position out would be a little more stiffer for light racing and the furthest out is for racing. The springs are designed to get the most adjustability and flexibility for different driving styles and conditions.

It is my understanding with the coilovers that you have to take the shocks out to adjust them (I could be wrong, I am still new to all this stuff ). With our spring set-up, you jack up the car and change the bolt settings, make some other adjustments etc. and you can take her to the track. Our set-up is also a more economical way to get the adjustability. We are now offering QA1 single and double adjustable shocks for racing applications and so far my customer feedback is great. I am told they are comparable to some of the more pricier adjustable shocks out there. We try to get a set-up for all driving styles as well as all budgets.


Our front spring set-up will give you better reaction on corners and flats with the rate adjustments as well as ride height in comparison to the stock coil springs.

Please feel free to call our tech at 800-237-9991 to discuss our set-up further.

 

One thing to keep in mind is that this setup will boot you right into SM2 in SCCA or Exhibition (or RP with required safety equipment) in NCCC.

 

Adjustability and flexability seem to be the biggest pluses. I could adjust ride height and stiffness quickly and easily. I haven't decided to do this yet, because my Bilstien shocks and aftermarket springs ain't broke. One question, does the transverse spring setup weigh less than two steel coils. Does bolting this on make your car heavier or lighter? And by how much?

 

Part one: Yes, the transverse spring is lighter than the two coil springs.

Part two: Bolting this on makes your car lighter. By how much depends if you get VBP part number 42129 or 42030. Number '129 is just the front spring. '030 includes new lightweight lower A-arms.

Search the C3 archives using, "Front Monospring." You should find people who have posted how much weight they pulled off their car.

 

I don't know the road conditions where you live but over here the front spring being that low would be a big clearance problem.