^ Eh... if you're issue is "vague" steering then dial up the caster and get some DRM solid rack mounts.

 

2 WORDS


1.PRECISION

2. ADJUSTABILITY


When you are driving a stock car at 8 to 9/10th of it's capabilities, then coilovers make a big difference, as would going to dot -r from street tires, and so on and so on. I think as far as GM goes it is a cost savings and heritage item. Puttin a set of $80 shocks per corner v 250 to 500 shock. I even put upgraded coilovers on my Lotus and it came stock with CO, This made the car transition better, dive less during braking, lift less during acceleration, loose over/under steer problems, corner balance it to the lbs. plus most sytems let you soften them up for comfort so it is all good. Just $$$$$.

 

FYI all the things you listed can be accomplished with upgraded leafs and shocks.

 

So is your "support" based completely on SOTP or did you actually note identical times for each suspension type during your test?

I'm a bit confused about the term "comparable spring rates." How do leaf spring rates compare to coil-over spring rates? Would coil over spring rates be identical to leaf spring rates?

 

you dont need them.

 

Actually the coilovers will be the best thing you can do to the suspension. Totally changes the car for the better...street or track.

 

I have both Pfadt Adj Coilovers and Sways for about one year now and would NOT trade back to stock. I dont think they ride stiffer at all, as a matter of fact, at the softest setting I think they ride smoother than stock. If you want a stiffer ride then the adjustment is simple at 10 min or les in total. My car now corners much better w/o body roll. If I feel like running the car around corners harder I make the adjustment for a stiffer ride. I normally leave them at about mid setting but think a little stiffer is probably where I will end up keeping them when I get my car back from a few upgrades I am adding. You are not making a mistake if you have the extra $$$ to spend.

 

Absolutely

 

SOTP only... when i say comparable I mean upping the rates with a properly matched set of shocks.

Coil-overs on the rear of a C5/C6 are an compromise as the suspension moves up the shock angle gets very funky. In fact, C6Rs have modified shock mounts for this very reason.

Never said coil-overs were bad... but most guys on here do them for the wrong reasons. You can achieve the same results w/ leafs. The perceived handling benefits are from higher rate springs and better shocks... not swaping from leafs to coils.

 

I think the bottom line is this:

For all out racing on a road course, coil-overs are the best, and will yield the highest performance, though the margin can be narrowed by smartly modifying the leaf setup.

For every day driving, the difference is noticeable in feel but not in performance.

My dad has a C5 Z06 with coils and I have a lowered C6 Z51 w/ Bilsteins and PFADT bushings. I could not tell which one handled better; on flat surfaces and smooth roads the cars felt the same. The only area the C5 Z06 felt a little bit better was on particularly rough roads, but the difference was not that significant, and I think Michelin PS2s on the Z06 versus runflats on the C6 play a significant role in that as well.

You may be happy with the coil-overs; my dad dialed in the ride height to his exact preference. Also, for people who love modifying and getting parts just for the sake of beefing up the car... why not get coil-overs?

 

We did a mid-highway refueling.

 

Mine sure handles better.

 

Ok, I was planning them as my next upgrade, and I am now convinced that I want them sooner than later.

 

I'm with you. Seems like some on this forum can mess up a wet dream.

 

Interesting thread.

Most people will never push their stock suspension beyond its limits because of ability (by mistake is a different story ) and because the stock tires will most likely give out before the suspension. Dont forget your tires have a lot to do with how your car is going to handle so upgrading your suspension alone is not really going to improve your handling to the degree that you think it will.

I have Hardbar Dual Rate Coilovers with Triple Penske Shocks. The ability to change my setting when I want to is a great improvement over the stock suspension and also a great improvement over my first set of coilovers.

My stock suspension I tried to help by adding a T1 bar. It did help, but still not what I wanted. I added mid-level coilovers which were fantastic on smooth surfaces, but they really didnt work that well over various transitions. This probably would not make a difference to a street driver, but at the track I aggressively cut many corners which will throw the car out of balance and I needed a suspension that could handle that better.

Finally I ended with my current setup. These are more suited for the driving I do, but I found out over a few track events that the T1 bar had to go. I am working on testing now to see what size bar I want, but I can tell you now it will be alot smaller than the T1 bar. The reason is I have a good setup and want to reduce, as much as possible, any connection side to side.

As with everything, think about what you want from the car and then plan accordingly. A change in swaybars, shocks and tires will make a big improvement on the street and save you a lot of money, but coilovers are

 

My car is currently getting PFADT coil overs and sways. After reading the above posts now now sure what to expect. I was not really happy the way the car handled on spirited turns/curves. Just thought it could be better. The riding on rails feeling is what I am looking for. You guys now have me confused. Well we will see in a few short days

 

You will be happy.

 

I installed CO & sways in my C5 2 years ago, not a chance in hell I would ever remove them. My C6 Z51 handles well however demonstrates side stepping characteristics like the C5 before CO's. I will try the aftermarket adjustable shock only upgrade only to my C6 & see if that helps.

 

I think the real bottom line is simple: What meets your requirements; full race coilovers, or mild upgrades to stock? Many people seem to simply buy stuff because it's cool -without understanding what it does for (or against) them. The OP here is a classic example (not a slam). I just have to wonder how people can spend their cash to modify their car without understanding what the modification does.

I try to learn FIRST, then modify if I need to... It's worked out so far.

 

Actually my 650+RWHP C5 vert had the Bilstein shocks, Hotchkis Sway Bars, Heim End Links, Bigger Brakes & Non-Run-Flat Tires, a combination very popular with the C5 crowd and I wanted to take my vastly superior C6 Z06 up a notch and give the coilovers a try. I mean whats the worst case scenario here, I remove them? I'm sure that I will love them.