Worn suspension fix
2/10/13, 08:28 PM
#1
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Worn suspension fix
It was time, both due to tired dampers and a toe problem which killed the front tires in about ten thousand miles as well as getting out of a set of 305/45R18 NT05R's on the rear.
The net effect was an especially poor handling GT500 that would knock the fillings right out of your head as the car crashed down on the bump stops.
Out with that and in with the FR3 suspension and fresh Nitton 555's all the way around in the stock size (not my first choice but it will due till I get around to some rims) and Vorshlag CC plates to dial in some extra camber.
Did the install at a buddy's house with hand tools so it wasn't quick but wasn't especially hard (love the very simple suspension set-up on the cars just for that reason)
After getting the old suspension out I inspected the dampers; three of the four were weak and the fourth was completely shot (right front) also had noticed a clunk in the suspension and it turned out to be that the front swaybar bushings were cracked so I'm glad I got the full kit rather than just springs and dampers or just springs.
The Vorshlag CC plates are top notch and offer a good range of adjustment in combination with the provided nuts to secure the strut to the spool on the plate although I found that I had to adjust the caster (set with drilled holes in the plate) all the way forward - even so the car still measured 7.5 degrees of caster is still in spec but I thought maybe it would have been less with the plates adjusted all the way forward.
Anyways, set the dampers per the instructions in the kit with 3 turns counter clockwise from max (6 turns) with the front swaybar set to the middle, air at 35 psi and alignment at 1.2 degrees negative camber, 7.5 degress of caster, and toe at .20 degrees in
Thats my baseline anyways so I'll play with the damper settings after everything is settled in and I'm comfortable with the way it handles.
IIRC springs are about 20% heavier than the factory pieces so the ride is firm and the dampers at the present setting feel like they control the ride well even on bumpy roads at moderate to high speeds.
I noticed the Boss cars call for a wee bit less caster and a wee bit more camber and I suspect it might be to make them turn in a bit faster (less straight line stability but more nimble feeling) so I would have liked to been able to dial out some caster to see how it felt but thats a no go and will have to wait till it warms up a fair amount to really push the car in a turn and get a sense of how well the front bar helped to tune out some understeer - speaking of which going back to the same type tire front and rear with less stagger (255/45R18 - 285/40R18 vs. 255/45R18 - 305/45R18 DRS) really addressed that glaring problem.
All in all I'm pretty satisfied with the revamped suspension and tire combo and can't wait to really push it to see how things shake out. Especially now that I can rotate the **** thing in a corner which was another issue with the DR's - great for straight line traction but the disparity in grip between the front and rear (the DR's being so sticky) pretty much killed that action making tight corners harder to navigate when hustling down the road.
The car also looks better with the new ride height although I'm going to have to center the rear and check pinion angle as the axle is offset to the drivers side and I don't know how much pinion angle has changed. Luckily I have alread installed an adjustable RUCA and Panhard rod. Will also have the alingment checked after about 500 miles or so when things have hopefully settled in.
The net effect was an especially poor handling GT500 that would knock the fillings right out of your head as the car crashed down on the bump stops.
Out with that and in with the FR3 suspension and fresh Nitton 555's all the way around in the stock size (not my first choice but it will due till I get around to some rims) and Vorshlag CC plates to dial in some extra camber.
Did the install at a buddy's house with hand tools so it wasn't quick but wasn't especially hard (love the very simple suspension set-up on the cars just for that reason)
After getting the old suspension out I inspected the dampers; three of the four were weak and the fourth was completely shot (right front) also had noticed a clunk in the suspension and it turned out to be that the front swaybar bushings were cracked so I'm glad I got the full kit rather than just springs and dampers or just springs.
The Vorshlag CC plates are top notch and offer a good range of adjustment in combination with the provided nuts to secure the strut to the spool on the plate although I found that I had to adjust the caster (set with drilled holes in the plate) all the way forward - even so the car still measured 7.5 degrees of caster is still in spec but I thought maybe it would have been less with the plates adjusted all the way forward.
Anyways, set the dampers per the instructions in the kit with 3 turns counter clockwise from max (6 turns) with the front swaybar set to the middle, air at 35 psi and alignment at 1.2 degrees negative camber, 7.5 degress of caster, and toe at .20 degrees in
Thats my baseline anyways so I'll play with the damper settings after everything is settled in and I'm comfortable with the way it handles.
IIRC springs are about 20% heavier than the factory pieces so the ride is firm and the dampers at the present setting feel like they control the ride well even on bumpy roads at moderate to high speeds.
I noticed the Boss cars call for a wee bit less caster and a wee bit more camber and I suspect it might be to make them turn in a bit faster (less straight line stability but more nimble feeling) so I would have liked to been able to dial out some caster to see how it felt but thats a no go and will have to wait till it warms up a fair amount to really push the car in a turn and get a sense of how well the front bar helped to tune out some understeer - speaking of which going back to the same type tire front and rear with less stagger (255/45R18 - 285/40R18 vs. 255/45R18 - 305/45R18 DRS) really addressed that glaring problem.
All in all I'm pretty satisfied with the revamped suspension and tire combo and can't wait to really push it to see how things shake out. Especially now that I can rotate the **** thing in a corner which was another issue with the DR's - great for straight line traction but the disparity in grip between the front and rear (the DR's being so sticky) pretty much killed that action making tight corners harder to navigate when hustling down the road.
The car also looks better with the new ride height although I'm going to have to center the rear and check pinion angle as the axle is offset to the drivers side and I don't know how much pinion angle has changed. Luckily I have alread installed an adjustable RUCA and Panhard rod. Will also have the alingment checked after about 500 miles or so when things have hopefully settled in.
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