Just installed Bilstein sport coilovers

dankushead · Feb 4, 2008

And I dont see what all the hype was about, paired them with 375lb/in hypercoil springs. It rides ok, havn't gotten the alignment yet, but I dont think they were worth 900 bucks. I was expecting more, it just feels so different, almost unbalanced in a way, maybe the alignment will help. Anybody else have these, I mean the springs dont seem that stiff, compared to the H& R super sports I was riding on before. I was told they would be very stiff and aggressive feel, nothing to be doing backflips over.

BennyBlown2v · Feb 4, 2008

dankushead said:
And I dont see what all the hype was about, paired them with 375lb/in hypercoil springs. It rides ok, havn't gotten the alignment yet, but I dont think they were worth 900 bucks. I was expecting more, it just feels so different, almost unbalanced in a way, maybe the alignment will help. Anybody else have these, I mean the springs dont seem that stiff, compared to the H& R super sports I was riding on before. I was told they would be very stiff and aggressive feel, nothing to be doing backflips over.

A coilover will give you better ride quality and less "stiffness" but the handling will beat in arm springs anyday. An alignment should help quite a bit. Are you just running coilovers in the front? Get some in the back too and that'll even things out as far as unbalanced feel goes. A 375lb spring up front is pretty dang stiff, I only run 350/575 fr/rr (i have an IRS so the rear is pretty high rate), and a super sport is actually not that stiff lol.

Honestly, if you don't drive the car REALLY hard you don't notice much of a handling increase in day to day driving (but open track, and maybe auto x, you WILL notice a big difference).

bdcardinal · Feb 4, 2008

you need the alignment and you MUST get then corner weighted properly.

BennyBlown2v · Feb 4, 2008

bdcardinal said:
you need the alignment and you MUST get then corner weighted properly.

+1 on the proper setup...but corner weighting isn't needed if you're not into turning.

wms004 · Feb 4, 2008

dankushead said:
And I dont see what all the hype was about, paired them with 375lb/in hypercoil springs. It rides ok, havn't gotten the alignment yet, but I dont think they were worth 900 bucks. I was expecting more, it just feels so different, almost unbalanced in a way, maybe the alignment will help. Anybody else have these, I mean the springs dont seem that stiff, compared to the H& R super sports I was riding on before. I was told they would be very stiff and aggressive feel, nothing to be doing backflips over.

I'm running 350lbs hypercoils in front on Cobra R Bilsteins. I've got about 1.5 degree negative camber which gives it a more aggressive feel in quick turn ins. I wouldn't recommend that much , but if you can, go with around -0.5 to -1.0 degrees.

bdcardinal · Feb 4, 2008

BennyBlown2v said:
+1 on the proper setup...but corner weighting isn't needed if you're not into turning.

i would still do it though. especially for driving on the street. when i had MM corner weight my car at Buttonwillow, it immediately felt better.

Serper3 · Feb 5, 2008

bdcardinal said:
i would still do it though. especially for driving on the street. when i had MM corner weight my car at Buttonwillow, it immediately felt better.

i am looking into corner weighting the stang but really what does this entail, how much should this cost? something i can do myself?
thanks a bunch guys i know u have alot of experience with this and i am just slowly getting into autox and racing in general..
thanks alot!

hotdog71 · Feb 5, 2008

Hi All,

Did you have to change to tubular K meber to switch to coil overs? I heard this was needed in oder to made the change.

regards

bdcardinal · Feb 5, 2008

they did it for me for free because my driving instructor at a track uses all their suspension and holds multiple track records in his AIX fox body. the local alignment shop here charges about $600 under the table for a good corner wight.

bascially you put the car on scales, one under each wheel. you adjust the ride height to the weight evens out side to side. the scales are extremely accurate, down to ounces. they are also very expensive. i plan on picking up a set, about 5 grand for the good set. its very labor intensive as you are constantly lifting the car and adjusting the coilovers. you also have to unbolt the swaybar for it to be accurate.

you dont need a tubular k-member to switch to coilovers, i had the stock k-member still. although most tubular k-members will require the use of coilovers as they eliminate the pocket there the top of hte spring sits.

hotdog71 · Feb 6, 2008

bdcardinal said:
you dont need a tubular k-member to switch to coilovers, i had the stock k-member still. although most tubular k-members will require the use of coilovers as they eliminate the pocket there the top of hte spring sits.

Thanks for the answer it seems like the way to go.

So do the spring rates for both type have the same rate meaning or stiffness/softness, let say I were to swap my stock GT vert set up for the same rate but coil over would they be equal?

thanks

Serper3 · Feb 6, 2008

bdcardinal said:
they did it for me for free because my driving instructor at a track uses all their suspension and holds multiple track records in his AIX fox body. the local alignment shop here charges about $600 under the table for a good corner wight.

bascially you put the car on scales, one under each wheel. you adjust the ride height to the weight evens out side to side. the scales are extremely accurate, down to ounces. they are also very expensive. i plan on picking up a set, about 5 grand for the good set. its very labor intensive as you are constantly lifting the car and adjusting the coilovers. you also have to unbolt the swaybar for it to be accurate.

you dont need a tubular k-member to switch to coilovers, i had the stock k-member still. although most tubular k-members will require the use of coilovers as they eliminate the pocket there the top of hte spring sits.

sweet, thats basically how i thought the process whent... i have a few more questions.. when the car is corner weighted, i am assuming it will sit very equally in terms of if ur looking at the car from the front and back? do they also dial in weight differences in regard to front vs rear? wouldnt that mean that in general their are alot of very subtle adjustments? how much do these really help and is their a way for me to rent scales and do it myself or somehow get mm to do it for me by going to a track event? i am really not looking to spend 600 to corner weight my car...
on the other hand, would corner weight be more of a priority than a torque arm? i was planning on doing that next...
thanks a bunch!

Serper3 · Feb 6, 2008

sorry, i just reread the thread and i saw that bdcardinal said several times that it is important to corner weight the c/o setup.

BennyBlown2v · Feb 6, 2008

wms004 said:
I'm running 350lbs hypercoils in front on Cobra R Bilsteins. I've got about 1.5 degree negative camber which gives it a more aggressive feel in quick turn ins. I wouldn't recommend that much , but if you can, go with around -0.5 to -1.0 degrees.

I run 1.5 on the street and its fine. On my setup, I can't even run the recommended -0.8 that MM says to run, it would crush my fenders on bump travel (like I would need flares, not just rolling them lol). Just watch your tires. Add some toe-in too and that will help with daily driving wear.

bdcardinal said:
they did it for me for free because my driving instructor at a track uses all their suspension and holds multiple track records in his AIX fox body. the local alignment shop here charges about $600 under the table for a good corner wight.

Whoa that's a lot for corner weighting!! Local shop around here does it for >$100, only takes an hour or so.

Serper3 · Feb 6, 2008

BennyBlown2v said:
I run 1.5 on the street and its fine. On my setup, I can't even run the recommended -0.8 that MM says to run, it would crush my fenders on bump travel (like I would need flares, not just rolling them lol). Just watch your tires. Add some toe-in too and that will help with daily driving wear.

Whoa that's a lot for corner weighting!! Local shop around here does it for >$100, only takes an hour or so.

lol i guess i am going to have to call and inquire about local install costs.. really hope that it wont be more than 200....

bdcardinal · Feb 6, 2008

hotdog- as for the spring rates, when switching to a coilover, its technically called a wheel rate. what i would do if i were you is to call Maximum Motorsports. say you want to go coilovers. tell them what mods you have, what mods you plan on getting and what you want to do with the car. also let them know if the car is a daily driver or not. they will come up with a package that suits you best.

serper - on my stang, they had it setup so that the rear was about 1/2" higher than the front. i got printouts when they did it of the weights on each corner. my height settings i had about a 1.5 finger gap between the top on the front tires and the fender, rear was about 2 fingers give or take. ill throw up pics.

i had the hookup for the corner weighting. a AIX racer that uses Maximum drove my car in a hotlap session and told Maximum to corner weight it. they did it for free, i ran their stickers on the car. i no longer have the stang, due to unfortunate circumstances.

ill post up all the mods i had and pics if you want to see what it looked like. i had it all in my sig, but ya, i have another car now.

Serper3 · Feb 7, 2008

bdcardinal said:
hotdog- as for the spring rates, when switching to a coilover, its technically called a wheel rate. what i would do if i were you is to call Maximum Motorsports. say you want to go coilovers. tell them what mods you have, what mods you plan on getting and what you want to do with the car. also let them know if the car is a daily driver or not. they will come up with a package that suits you best.

serper - on my stang, they had it setup so that the rear was about 1/2" higher than the front. i got printouts when they did it of the weights on each corner. my height settings i had about a 1.5 finger gap between the top on the front tires and the fender, rear was about 2 fingers give or take. ill throw up pics.

i had the hookup for the corner weighting. a AIX racer that uses Maximum drove my car in a hotlap session and told Maximum to corner weight it. they did it for free, i ran their stickers on the car. i no longer have the stang, due to unfortunate circumstances.

ill post up all the mods i had and pics if you want to see what it looked like. i had it all in my sig, but ya, i have another car now.

thats awesome that u got hooked up for the corner weighting like that by mm.. i remember reading about it on here.. i think its great that they did it for free, shows how good their customer service is...
also, i have it about 1 finger gap in the front and about an 1 inch higher than that in the rear and i know that the difference should be .5 inches.. but first off, when i corner hard, i get minor rubbing in the front.. and i get lots of rubbing on my cats and mid pipe.. did u experience this? it started rubbing in the front about 5 months ago when i got my phb, i think... i think if i raise my car about 1/4 of an inch it will stop rubbing but as far as the mid pipe, any suggestions? i have been rubbing and scraping for over a year now... i talked to a guy at an exhaust shop, and he said he can cut out about an inch of exhaust piping that is sloped down, then re-weld it, but he said this will only help about 1/4 of an inch.. do u think this is a possibility?
if u could post pics that would be awesome! thanks so much for ur help!

EPIK · Feb 7, 2008

My car feels the same way, kinda unbalanced, but I know once I get my rear coilovers & torque arm in soon, it should feel alot better. The ride quality of my 325lb front MM coilovers is nite & day over the harsh ride of the H&R supersports on my 95....

As far as corner weighting your car goes, some mustangs are off from the factory & the stance will look off. My car sat about a 1/4" higher on the front right, than the front left when i had my H&R's installed. Once I put the coilovers in, I adjusted it so that the car visually sat level from side to side. If I get my car corner weighted, will there be a possibility that the car wont appear to sit level? My car was never wrecked btw, it must have been Ford's excellent production tollereances

Serper3 · Feb 7, 2008

EPIKGT said:
My car feels the same way, kinda unbalanced, but I know once I get my rear coilovers & torque arm in soon, it should feel alot better. The ride quality of my 325lb front MM coilovers is nite & day over the harsh ride of the H&R supersports on my 95....

As far as corner weighting your car goes, some mustangs are off from the factory & the stance will look off. My car sat about a 1/4" higher on the front right, than the front left when i had my H&R's installed. Once I put the coilovers in, I adjusted it so that the car visually sat level from side to side. If I get my car corner weighted, will there be a possibility that the car wont appear to sit level? My car was never wrecked btw, it must have been Ford's excellent production tollereances

see thats what i am saying!! if i go spend money to get the car corner weighted, and it sits visually unevenly i would be kinda upset... i know we can do some things like getting a battery relocation kit.. but they are 200, and is it really worth it? maybe down the road i'd get mm's k-member, but again really expensive, and is it really worth it? i think for me once i get a torque arm, besides front kmember, and a arms... not too much else i can do?
i was also told at apexmotorsports that an adjustable swaybar isnt needed if i have the phb, torque arm and lca;s... is this true? or do the adj. sway give extra adjstment capabilities when corner weighting etc...

Thundermouse · Feb 7, 2008

Serper3 said:
see thats what i am saying!! if i go spend money to get the car corner weighted, and it sits visually unevenly i would be kinda upset... i know we can do some things like getting a battery relocation kit.. but they are 200, and is it really worth it? maybe down the road i'd get mm's k-member, but again really expensive, and is it really worth it?

Only you can decide if it is worth it. Is the last nth degree of handling worth any cost to you? Also, how often will you be driving the car in such a nature that you will be noticing the last bit of grip that you picked up?

Serper3 said:
i was also told at apexmotorsports that an adjustable swaybar isnt needed if i have the phb, torque arm and lca;s... is this true? or do the adj. sway give extra adjstment capabilities when corner weighting etc...

Rear adjustable swaybars function to let you change the rear roll stiffness of the car. In other words, an adjustable sway bar is one part that gives you the chance to tune the suspension to a desired over/understeer balance. To say that if you have a phb, torque arm, and lcas puts a mustang at a perfect roll stiffness at the rear relative to the front without specifying front and rear spring rates or even brands of the parts you listed (different brands' designs are not exactly the same and thus have different geometries) is rather over-simplistic. I'm not advocating that an adjustable rear sway bar is a part that a mustang 'needs,' and the terrible design of the stock sway bar is another discussion altogether; the point is that if you've changed so many variables in your suspension, you can't always make blanket statements that will apply to every setup.

Serper3 · Feb 8, 2008

Thundermouse said:
Only you can decide if it is worth it. Is the last nth degree of handling worth any cost to you? Also, how often will you be driving the car in such a nature that you will be noticing the last bit of grip that you picked up?

Rear adjustable swaybars function to let you change the rear roll stiffness of the car. In other words, an adjustable sway bar is one part that gives you the chance to tune the suspension to a desired over/understeer balance. To say that if you have a phb, torque arm, and lcas puts a mustang at a perfect roll stiffness at the rear relative to the front without specifying front and rear spring rates or even brands of the parts you listed (different brands' designs are not exactly the same and thus have different geometries) is rather over-simplistic. I'm not advocating that an adjustable rear sway bar is a part that a mustang 'needs,' and the terrible design of the stock sway bar is another discussion altogether; the point is that if you've changed so many variables in your suspension, you can't always make blanket statements that will apply to every setup.

yea i realize that, but most people who go with a handling suspension go with mm parts. if u look at my last post, i ask if the adj sway bar gives u additional control when corner weightin. i remember reading an article a while back that says that after your done corner weighting etc, its best adjust the adj sway to better evn out the weight or something along those lines and i was wondering if this had some meaning or if it was completely wrong...
i also am not sure if ur saying i made blanket statements? or do u think i am asking for a response which would be a blanket statement?
ionno u lost me man...
but yea this car is going to be a track/weekend car, i am slowly getting parts for it and hopefully will be getting a dd in next few months..

Just installed Bilstein sport coilovers

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