Are coilover conversions rough riding?

[67Thunder]

I have ordered all the parts for my rear suspension, modified the wheelhouses for wide tires, and cut out the old leafs.

Because I have such a wide tire, I considered using the global west del-a-lum bushing/shackle to make sure I don't get too much side to side movement from the rear suspension . (I am lowering 2 -2 1/2 ")

When I talked to the salesman, he said the only del-a-lum they sold was returned, because it was too rough riding. It was more for track or road race applications.

I wondered if the FRONT coilover set ups like TCP etc have a similar problem. I am looking for a street performance suspension with a negative wedge setup so I can lower the car etc.

So if any of you have the TCP coil overs, can you give me some feed back on how your car rides. Is it bone jarring?

 

[Marshall]

I can recommend the RRS coilover struts from experience, ride and handling is excellent. they also offer optional shocks and disc brake sizes.

 

[Route666]

The theory on coilovers, especially on older cars, is that the coilover can make better use of available leverage through it's longer length and re-designed attachment points, thus a coilover that will react better in performance terms will not necessarily be more rough riding and could in fact be better riding.

 

[rbohm]

ride quality depends on how stiff the springs are, how stiff the shocks are, how stiff the chassis is, and how stiff the bushings are. a stiff chassis allows the use of softer springs and shock rates to allow for better ride without compromising handling. bushing that are too stiff, like solid aluminum or steel, transmit vibration and road noise, as well as every bump in the road, and that translates into a harsher feeling ride. however bushings that are too soft allow the suspension to move in unpredictable ways, thus giving you a squirrly feeling when you are driving agressively. coilover suspensions are not really more efficient than other suspension systems, but they are lighter and reduce unsprung weight, sometimes rather considerably, and they are adjustable, more so than other suspension designs, and thus they are generally more tunable.

 

[70vert]

I've got some experience here.

I can tell you that after upgrading from ancient springs and newer gas shocks that the ride is a little harsher, but of course much less vague. I have the Unique Performace (TCP copy) so the experience should be just the same. I forget what weight the springs are, (small block spec) but it's a different geometry so it won't compare 1 to 1 to your older springs.

The biggest thing that made my ride harsher was going to 17x8 wheels with 245/55/17 tires rear and 275/45/17 in the rear. I'm hoping that composite leaf springs help that out later on.

I have ordered all the parts for my rear suspension, modified the wheelhouses for wide tires, and cut out the old leafs.

Because I have such a wide tire, I considered using the global west del-a-lum bushing/shackle to make sure I don't get too much side to side movement from the rear suspension . (I am lowering 2 -2 1/2 ")

When I talked to the salesman, he said the only del-a-lum they sold was returned, because it was too rough riding. It was more for track or road race applications.

I wondered if the FRONT coilover set ups like TCP etc have a similar problem. I am looking for a street performance suspension with a negative wedge setup so I can lower the car etc.

So if any of you have the TCP coil overs, can you give me some feed back on how your car rides. Is it bone jarring?

 

[Route666]

TCP's catalogue suggest 400 - 450lb for a baseline weight for a Mustang driven on the street depending on desired ride quality. They say 50lb less for aluminium heads and 50lb more for a big block.

Is that less than typically is run? I hear about 620lb standard type springs, but they are very harsh. I'm just wondering what coil-over rate matches the 620 springs with regards to suspension performance, not ride quality.

 

[C0V3R]

I can also personally recommend the RRS setups. The installation is a piece of cake and they perform very nicely.

 

[Bullitt]

TCP's catalogue suggest 400 - 450lb for a baseline weight for a Mustang driven on the street depending on desired ride quality. They say 50lb less for aluminium heads and 50lb more for a big block.

Is that less than typically is run? I hear about 620lb standard type springs, but they are very harsh. I'm just wondering what coil-over rate matches the 620 springs with regards to suspension performance, not ride quality.

you typically can't compare a "coilover" rate to a "coil" rate unless the springs and all mount in EXACTLY the same spot. depending on where the coilover mounts to the control arm it will change the motion ratio. this basically means that it'll take more or less spring (usually less spring) to get the same wheel rate. most coilover spring rates i've seen are quite a bit less than what you'd run for standard coils on the same car. it's hard to say exactly what is "right" unless someone else has the exact same setup.

 

[Route666]

you typically can't compare a "coilover" rate to a "coil" rate unless the springs and all mount in EXACTLY the same spot. depending on where the coilover mounts to the control arm it will change the motion ratio. this basically means that it'll take more or less spring (usually less spring) to get the same wheel rate. most coilover spring rates i've seen are quite a bit less than what you'd run for standard coils on the same car. it's hard to say exactly what is "right" unless someone else has the exact same setup.

I understand that if you did have a coilover with everything in the same spot it theoretically would give the same performance as the stock setup, because it basically would be the stock setup.

I thought that coilovers take advantage of leverage better (mounting to the control arm closer to the wheel) but rbohm's post has thrown me off a little on this.

 

[67Thunder]

Thanks, good info.

One of the other tough parts, is once I decide what to go with, I have to decide spring rate.

I have a running 428, to drop in the 'stang, and we are putting the battery in the trunk.

Eventually I am going to remove the cast heads in favour of the edelbrock aluminum heads, aluminum water pump, and as many other weight saving tricks that I can think of for the front end.

If I did this at drop in time, I could figure close to small block weight. Since I am doing it over time, then I might have to use the Big block springs.

 

[Route666]

Well I know that with TCP (I'm not affiliated, I just like the gear, so I drool over it lots) that you can now get a second set of springs at a different rate for an extra 75 bucks, so you could get a softer set for later mods for not much more than the initial cost.