Let's talk coilovers

[B-Man]

Forgive me if this has already been said, it's a long thread, but why wouldn't you use the ground control adjustment kit on the rears and why the snap-ring?

[DG]

The GC rear sleeves won't fit the Bilstein. The shocks are a different OD.

The snap ring is what supports the sleeve.

Just buy the stupid thing and it will become immediately obvious.

DG

[DG]

Beatles, Pink Floyd Engineer Alan Parsons Rips Audiophiles - CE Pro Magazine Article from CE Pro

Note comments on audiophile equipment.

DG

[HLxDrummer]

So I was looking at the Bilstein conversion (not for coilovers, just normal struts) and it doesn't look terrible. Would the ride quality/handling of this setup with springs be better than that of an ECS setup with springs? Is there much point to the adjusters/coilover sleeves for a street car with a touch of track time?

Thank you (you about have me convinced)!

[B-Man]

The GC rear sleeves won't fit the Bilstein. The shocks are a different OD.

The snap ring is what supports the sleeve.

Just buy the stupid thing and it will become immediately obvious.

DG

Why isn't it sitting on the spring mount like the GCs on stock struts?

[B-Man]

I might have to call up these guys, too, to see if they'll do a custom build.

Buy PIC Select - Mitsubishi Evolution 8/9

I guess they're located in Chicago.

[DG]

Why isn't it sitting on the spring mount like the GCs on stock struts?

In the box with a Bilstein is a spring mount plate. This slips over the shock and rests on a snap ring that supports the plate. The snap ring is located in the correct location to place this spring plate in the same place as the OEM spring mount.

When you slip the sleeve over the shock, it too rests on the snap ring. But that snap ring is located for where the OEM spring height needs to be, not necessarily in the place where the sleeve best fits. Commonly, the spring sleeve will project over the top of the shock by a couple of inches.

So you move the snap ring to the place that best fits the sleeve, and that necessitates cutting a groove.

Again, this is immediately obvious once you have the parts in hand.

Would the ride quality/handling of this setup with springs be better than that of an ECS setup with springs?

No. By virtue of the ECS computer, the ECS setup can be the best of both worlds - soft for general driving, hard when the car is pulling enough G to demand a stiffer setup.

The Bilstein setup can more-or-less be thought of as ECS locked into "sport" mode - which nobody ever does, right? (that defeats the whole point of the ECS)

Is there much point to the adjusters/coilover sleeves for a street car with a touch of track time?

None at all.

For a car that would see serious track time, or for a street/track car where the car will see race tires and the engineer will swap springs for track days - yes. But for a 90% street car, the lowering springs are fine.

I might have to call up these guys, too, to see if they'll do a custom build.

Why?

Why hack an inferior and more expensive product that will not be properly tuned when you can buy something FAR better that fits for a fraction of the cost?

The mind, simply, BOGGLES at the logic.

DG

[2fnloud]

Beatles, Pink Floyd Engineer Alan Parsons Rips Audiophiles - CE Pro Magazine Article from CE Pro

Note comments on audiophile equipment.

DG

I wanna play!
Richard Clark's $10K amplifier challenge.

[B-Man]

Why?

Why hack an inferior and more expensive product that will not be properly tuned when you can buy something FAR better that fits for a fraction of the cost?

The mind, simply, BOGGLES at the logic.

DG

Show me hard data, not some forceful opinion, that this suspension will be any worse than your Bilstein setup because what you're suggesting is a basically an ECS strut with lowering springs. I've owned and driven that setup and it was NOT working for me. So why spend money on something that I know I'm not going to like? Seriously, stop.

[Maximal]

Running both the Megans and Ground Controls at some point over the years I find it hard to believe that someone is recommending the GC's.