Hello all,

Has anyone tried a coilover setup for the C6?
If so is it worth it?
Which one to buy?

Thanks,
GrumpyZ51

 

I heard the pfadt coilovers are awesome!
I might pick me up a set soon!

 

me too!!!

 

I did the Bilstein HD shocks on all four corners and I am very happy with the results. I know you track your vette so you may be better off with the adjustability of the PFADT set up. Brabus has this set up on his vette and was happy with them.

You may also want to look at the QA1 shocks as they are adjustable with the turn of a ***. Also KONI just came out with a set as well.

So you may trying looking in to them all and see wich one does what you want them to do

 

My Pfadt coilovers and adjustable sways are being installed right now. I'll put out a report when I get a chance to test it out.

 

Hi Guys,

We have done all the testing on our own LG Coil over shock package. I did the track testing my self until we arrived at what I thought was the optimum set up.

We then got Bilstein to custom build us our own Aluminum shock bodies and they install our proprietary valving to make the best coil over package for the Corvette C6 or C5 that there is.

We also make our own upper and lower mounts to make this a complete bolt in package. we use Spherical bearings that are teflon lined for quiet operation while not allowing any deflection that a rubber connection would have.

The shocks are the same shocks that I use on our Race Winning World Challenge C6 that we won Sears Point, Portland, Mid Ohio, and Utah with. I think that they would clearly be "track tested".

Our LG Coil Over package is a road race set up, it is not a drag package.

We use only HyperCoil springs which are the only spring to win at Indy, Formula one and Nascar. They do not take a set. meaning that once you install them and set your corner weights, they do not change. We have used cheaper springs in the past only to have them change installed height. Hyper Coils stay where they start from day one forward.

Our Bilstein shock package also allows the shocks to be mounted upside down, so they reduce "Unsprung weight". The heavy end is mounted to the chassis, not the suspension.

We just got a batch of our custom shocks in from Bilstein, so we can ship immediately.

You will not find any shock/coil over package that has been validated and tested like ours. We compete on the World Challenge circut against all the high priced packages and beat them.

We don't build anything for a road race Corvette that I would not take to the track myself. The saying ,"We race...You Win" is true.

Thanks
Lou Gigliotti LGM

Note, the lower front mount has long since been changed from this one shown.

 

Just had the Pfadt coil-overs installed last week. I'm very pleased. Ride is not too harsh, and a much better feel of control on the road. I was worried about the harshness of the shocks, but I am pleasantly surprised at the tightness of the give without loss of any ride comfort. I recommend them strongly even though they are a bit pricey ($1,800).

 

They are not that pricey compared to the other coilover solutions out there.

 

There are plenty of parts out there that are less expensive than other parts. That is not the measure of the value received.

Getting a coil over package for about $2k compared to a Penske or Moton for about $6k total is really a bargin. Especially when we beat them with our LG Coil over package.

We have not used adjustable shocks in the World Challenge series for the last 3 years. We dialed them in to be right at about 95% of the tracks, so NOT having "*****" on our shocks keeps us out of trouble.

If you have 7 positions on your *****, then by definition, you have 6 positions that are wrong.

Now in F1 or Indy, small adjustments matter on a 1000 pound car with 900 hp but on a 3400 pound car it has much less of an effect on overall performance than on the light formula cars.

Smooth feel is not the end all either. It is tire contact control that matters. Keeping the tires contacting the pavement is the goal. The package must be tuned together to limit roll, dive, yaw and to control the weight of the unsprung parts (wheels, hubs, brakes, A arms, etc) to get them back on the pavement quickest.

Shocks were never meant to be a band aid for an ill handling car. If your springs and sway bars are wrong, then the shocks can only control the transitions. Therefore shocks have only a "Temporary" effect and if you are using the "*****" to solve a handling problem, then the handling is off, not the shocks.

At any rate, See you at the Races,


Thanks

Lou Gigliotti

 

I used the word, "pricey", because I was initially going to go with the Z-06 shocks to firm up my ride on corners. My C-6 is a base model without the Z-51 suspension package option, so I can discern a noticeable difference in the handling of my Vette with the coil-overs. I also really like the fact that they are so easy to adjust.

 

Do you have them on the softest setting?

 

I'm right in the middle now of the firmness setting. I'm going to firm them up just a bit more next week. I thought for sure that I'd have a problem with the harshness of the ride, but my concerns are no more.

I had a problem with my front nose scraping when going up and down steep inclines. I got 19" front wheels and 20" rear wheels to help lift me up a bit. The additional height helped quite a bit, but I didn't want too much reveal in the wheel wells and my tires were rubbing going around corners aggressively. The Pfadt coil-overs were the right ticket for me.

 

Why anyone would buy C6 coilovers from anyone but LG is beyond me. No knock on the others out there but, clearly LG know more and has tested more than anyone else in the market, races against factory funded cars and kicks their *** with his setup. IMO LG is the only way to fly when it comes to coilovers for the C6.

 

I ordered the Pfadt C/O because I like the adjustability when I drive on the street. Most likely LGs are better, but I wonder about the street ride. Everyone's applications vary, so that's just mine. I did however, get some springs from hypercoil, 800 front and 650 rear. We'll see how they do. I can always change them. So far, it's just an experiment. Anyone have favorite spring rates?

Oh, BTW it's for a C6Z with T1 bars. Thinking of adjustable camber kits, but may be too much trouble for me.

 

It is beyond me why someone would spend ~$70,000 on a vehicle and then pinch pennies and comprimise on a coilover setup to save an additional $1,000. If you are going to do it, do it once, right. C6400hp is correct, LGM has the development time in this specific package, and as lou stated earlier value does not equate to price. It seems like you are robbing peter to pay paul.

If you are concerned about street ride, give LGM a call, I am sure they can figure out a solution to fit your requirements.

 

Smells like I have heard all of this before Lou what do you do with your shocks when it rains, anything ???? Did anyone that won WC events use adjustable shocks ??? Generally dampner pricing follows adjustability, more adjustablility more $$$, less adjutability less $$$. I have no beef with Bilstein, they make quality dampners. For most of these non-racers the adjustable dampners allows them to have their cake and eat it too (that "eating the bumps" on the street can be one thing and more force for the track can be another) A band-aid per say if you will, but these guys cars are dual purpose.....

I have never installed Lou's coil-overs and assume they are of the highest quality. I just got done installing a set of Pfadt's coil-overs which is going to lead to a question and answer session with Aaron.......Devilish one, your car should be done today, your lucky I like you working on your car through my vacation...

Lou, good talking with you the other day, now get off the forum and get those race cars done..............

 

In the rain I drive slower

Plus when it rains, I disconnect the bars, and my brain because both are required.

As far as other coil over packages out there, I don't concern myself with what they build. They do not build what LG builds, and I build what made the car go faster and eats bumps with the best of them.

Our shocks are Aluminum bodies from Bilstein and they are take apart shocks so they can be revalved or rebuilt if necessary. What brand of shocks do the other coil over packages use? does anyone know?

A steel shock is not state of the art and heavy. And if it is not mounted upside down there is not only more unsprung weight, but the added weight is from a steel and heavy shock.

Again, Our shocks are Aluminum bodies that are light weight and the correct length to allow totaly ride height adjustability and corner weight adjustment.

Ask yourself a few questions about how the springs on each of the packages mount, how they connect to the chassis etc. What does the spring rub against? Is it metal to metal against the chassis or is it mounted on a spring perch on the shaft that moves with the shaft? These are easy questions and easy answers.

Another thing is

Is it a positive connection, or is it rubber. Is the spring riding on a spherical bearing or is it sitting metal to metal. and if it is not connected to the chassis via a monoball, then what is the consequence of the different attchment. How much rubber is between the spring and the chassis, and is the spring rate of the rubber factored in to the spring rate overall? and if there is no rubber or spherical bearing, then what is there?

Compare the many different features of the basic package first before even questioning the spring rates, or the actual shock performance and you will clearly see the differences.

And if some of you are already buying alternate springs where did the savings go?

Now, unlike an autocross track, road racing corner transitions are fewer and compose less % of time per lap than an autox. In an autox, Shocks impact a larger % of the lap time, so even though they affect only the transitions, there are more of them, and less high speed corners, so shocks with adjustments can have an impact under those conditions.

But on a high speed road course, the shocks spend more time keeping the tires on the ground than acting as a handling aid. it was on this kind of road racing track that we set up our shock valving so we are very confident of their performance.

If anyone needs an adjustment from full soft to full hard they must be drag racing plus road racing. Otherwise, no car could need full soft one day and full hard another day on a road course. There has to be something wrong with the chassis set up.

I can see the need for slight variance in valving but only to cure minor handling "quirks" not handling problems.

Fix the handling first with springs, swaybars and chassis set up and use the shocks to control the unsprung weight and keep the tires on the pavement.

Our shock packages got 30% of the pole positions and 20% of the wins in the World Challenge series this past season. (so did our headers )

Bilstein has just come out with an adjustable dampener. We have the first set here in the US which we are testing in a couple of weeks. (I cant test them next week because I am heading to Daytona for Rolex 24 hour testing.)
We had Bilstein put our valving exactly in the middle of the adjustment to match our current valving. Remember that if there are 7 adjustments then by definition 6 of them must be wrong.

Any of you can call me any time if you have any shock, spring sway bar questions and we can discuss your car's needs.

Key Points with regard to LG Coil over shocks:

*** LG uses Aluminum custom length bodies built for LG by Bilstein. Much lighter and state of the art.

*** We mount the shock and spring in a race quality Teflon lined spherical bearing.

*** Our springs are mounted to the shock so the springs move with the shock rather than butting the spring to the chassis which causes the spring to deform under compression.

*** We use only HyperCoil springs, the best and highest quality springs made in America.

*** Our shocks are rebuildable/take apart shocks for servicing and they

*** The bilstein shock is a Nitrogen filled shock with seperate nitrogen chamber

*** The gas filled feature allows for inverted mounting to reduct unsprung weight

*** Track tested and compatable for track and street. rates were chosen for best handling while leaving street performance intact. (teflon lined bearings minimize noise transmission)

*** Full technical support from LG Motorsports for track set up etc.

*** full guarantee on the shocks per Bilstein. One of the best shock companies on the planet

Thanks guys,

Lou Gigliotti

LG Motorsports
www.lgmotorsports.com 972-429-1963

 

I'm pretty sure that $1,800.00 is pretty reasonable for a full set of coil overs.

 

Hmmm. Hot topic!

I admit it, I am not a cost-no-object participant. The entire car is a project, this is one area only. I know I make purchasing mistakes, but we all have different considerations. There are other areas requiring financial attention, and I am glad to have saved some money for LGs headers, very nice result there. After tweaking these C/Os, I will move onto aerodynamics. So, it is a question of balance in overall applications.

There was no response about my spring rate inquiry, but there was alot of reactivity otherwise. Opinions are important, but are they more important than specific helpful aspects of applications I ask? Again I pose the question, what is your favorite spring rate (it's ok to not know, but I ask anyway), and also what are your favorite adjustable shock settings on the street and track?

This is the stuff I find helpful. I'm just trying my best here.

 

Lou, thank you for an excellent and informative post (one of many). Some of the guys are not listening to what you say, and will not think this through as you are suggesting. That is their loss. You have a future coilover customer in me as a result of your efforts to educate, the other guy lost a customer, even if he is cheaper. Hope that helps. I know this forum can be frustrating.