Looking at buying the full front and rear monospring system from VBP. My question to those who have bought this, do any of you have buyers remorse? My local Corvette expert tells me I will turn it into a go kart and the 550 spring is the way to go. Not scared of a firm ride but would like a little more insight. Thanks, Dennis

 

Sounds like your "expert" doesn't realize that the front VBP monospring has an adjustable spring rate. Four settings, soft to firm.

I went from VBP 550 coils to the monospring, and the monospring felt the same as the 550 coils at the second setting, only smoother.

 

I'll second what 7t2vette said.

I just swapped in a front dual-mount spring and Bilstien HD shocks, along with 18" wheels and 275/40-18 tires all around. I have a dual-mount rear spring, but have not installed it yet, so I still have an older 7-leaf steel spring back there.

Compared to the old mystery coils that were in the car when I got it (not sure if they were 550# or others that were cut down), I could feel an immediate difference. The front leaf felt much smoother and not as harsh as the coils, even with the same shocks and sway bar.

On Sunday I took the car for a drive down the PCH and then back home through a series of canyon & mountain roads and it handled great. It was smooth and firm, but not harsh or jarring and didn't want to skate or feel too heavily sprung.

Here's some other info on the setup:
1. Dual-mount front spring, set in second hole from softest to firmest.
2. VBP upper a-arms.
3. Shocks are Bilstien HD, front & rear.
4. 1 1/8" sway bar front, OEM 7/16" rear.
5. 7-leaf steel rear spring.
6. Heim-joint strut rods.
7. Poly bushing throughout suspension, except strut rods.
8. Borgeson steering box
9. 18x9.5" wheel with 275/40-18 tires (200 treadwear). Old ones were 255/45-17.

I still have some things to do, like install the rear spring, finish my front spreader bar, and modify the rear strut rod bracket, but so far, I really like the way it feels.

 

I thought about using this setup, but I didn't like the ground clearance possible problems that I have read about. I would think adjustable front coil overs would be the best solution , but then the price is a hard sell. You may want to hear from those that have this installed what the ground clearance is like.

 

I have the VBP front monospring on my '80 and love it. As for ground clearance, the monospring clearance is the same as the oil pan. My headers have less clearance than either, so if my monospring and oil pan hit, I'm going to have more damage to my exhaust. Here are pictures of actual clearance measurements (relative to a platform across ramps of a 4-post lift):




Monospring



Oil pan

 

Thanks to all for your answers. I was not worried about ground clearance because I was going to use side pipes. My only concern was ride. Sounds like no one is up set with the ride or they are not on the site much. On the use of coil overs. I have not seen any real coil overs offered. Just the make shift ones. I had those make shift ones on a Cobra kit car and did not like them. Wanted real ones if I was going to have coil overs. Spoiled from the race car world. Thanks again. Dennis

 

Why go with a mono spring over coilovers? Lots of C5 Corvettes removing the monospring to install coilovers. IIRC the load on one wheel affects the spring rate on the opposite wheel with the monospring.

 

With the way it mounts, How and how much does one side effect the other,

 

Are the C5 conversions real coil overs or are they the make shift style? As stated not interested in that style.

 

The front monospring for me is VERY firm. I need care when going over rails or other bumps because it hits hard I found. My ride height is set to match the suggested ride height in the chevy power book.

I still like the setup a lot.

 

Domobomb, of the four settings what setting do you have them on?

 

Look into Shark Bite front coilovers. I have them in place of VBP 550 springs. Easy adjustment and installation. Price is reasonable and comparable to front monospring price.
Ride height is adjustable and very quickly. Great ride and handling. Plus truely independent.
Kit included double adjustable Viking shocks, Van Steele 400lb springs, and nice aluminum machined parts.

 

What is the clearance like at the outer ends where the long bolt goes through the spring. Is it similar to the rear spring points ? (outer ends)

 

Here's a picture showing the ground clearance with the front mono spring. I've had the mono springs on my car for over 20 years and have never hit them on anything. The spring is right between the tires, so you would have to straddle something quite tall to hit it. You can see the spring and bolt just inboard of the front passenger tire.

I installed these long before the coil-over shock kits were available for our cars. I have my front spring on the 3rd stiffest setting and rear on the 2nd stiffest using 1" and 9/16" swaybars. Right now it tends to oversteer when pushed to the limit. Has a tight, but not overly harsh ride.



Here's an older video of it on a race course ... haven't taken any updated footage in a while.

 

Real coilovers.

 

I have had a single mount mono spring on the rear since mid eightys,
Put the front VB&P mono spring w/ tubular control arms in '93.
1" front bar, 5/8" rear bar love it, wouldn't go back!

 

I think it was the 2nd towards the center of the car, so second softest setting. I may have switched to the softest setting but i don't remember if I did.

I am in Italy for the next year but my car is back in Canada, so I cant check for sure. Definitely very firm, and also get some rattles on bumpy roads. Its very nice on a smooth road though.

My frame is all welded up and reinforced with gussets, and I am running a spreader bar, VBP's upper control arms and larger sway bar, ride height is lowered to the power book specs, and I have 17" wheels in front and 18" in the rear. I also pulled a lot of weight out of the car where I could.

The car is really loud (pypes straight thru mufflers dumped before rear axle) and with the stiff suspension it's very raw. I like it.

 

Good Pic of clearance

 

I found the Shark Bite coil overs on the internet. They are what I call make shift coil overs. Not the real thing. Yes they work like coil overs but the coil is still not held on to the shock at both ends. The rears are real coil overs. Yes they are better than the stock coils but still more work removing just like the stock coils. These are great for a lot of people but I have used them in the past on other car projects and I am not really fond of them. That is why I was asking how people like the mono spring.

 

Maybe call it a semi coilover? On the front suspension of these cars, they do have the advantage that the weight is put back into the stock frame pocket instead of into a more concentrated area where the top of the coilover mounts to frame.

You really can't do the coil-overs you want unless you are wiling to cut the top spring pocket out of the frame and then add the upper coilover mount over the hole you created. I haven't seen a kit for the C3, but it's really not that difficult to do for anyone with some fabricating and welding skills. Here is an example of what you'd have to do.

https://www.bmrsuspension.com/sitear...all/CCK001.pdf