road suspension

[john bach]

ok, guys, been driving my SPF P2116 for a few months now. no long trips.
just to rehab, about 6 miles. down to Mugu rock a couple of times about 12 miles. car is fun to drive. dont mind the noise, dont mind the heat, but the rough ride is for the track. not the street. at my age and income level i dont ever see me on the track. will not trailer it ever. so if i want to go to Willow Springs a couple times a year i want a better ride. so, my question is, how do i get a better ride? Bilstein coil overs, all 4 corners. compressed spring length at rear is 7 -7/8". did not measure front because if i change rear i will have to change front as well. will i have to get complete new coil overs or just change springs, or unwind springs a bit? or? i joke to my riders and friends that the rough ride and the bouncing of my eyeball are never in sync.

 

[Jim Craik]

John,

Tell us a little about P/2116, what motor/trans, does it have the original SPF suspension?

 

[john bach]

Roush 427, original suspension, RBT 5 spd. car is factory stock.

 

[Mike]

Here is what I did and it made a big difference. I am running 15" BRMs with Avons. I lowered tire pressure to 20-22 psi. It made a world of difference in ride quality. These cars are so light you don't need to run max air pressure which will result in a pretty brutal ride.

 

[Tim Kay]

QA1 makes a reasonbly priced coil over shock with compression and rebound adjusters. Makes it nice to adjust for different conditions.

 

[Bill Musarra]

What pound rating are the coils on your shocks. They may be stamped or labeled with stickers. I am using Qa-1 with 250 fronts and 350 rears. Tires are Nitto drag radials on rear(335x50x15x114V) and 225s on front with standard air pressure. The ride is very smooth. Not using a sway bar "yet".

Bill

 

[Jim Craik]

Boy John,

You got me stumped.

When it comes to P/2264, the noise bothered me but Dynomat and a thick plexi firewall window fixed that. The heat bothered me but sealing the holes and insulating the firewall took care of that.

Quit frankly I always though the ride was very smooth, not at all rough or jarring, I would consider it perfect!

I'm running 15"s with Avons at around 24lbs front and 28lbs rear.

Are you running low profile tires?

 

[Ron R.]

Same here. My ride is quite comfy.

Is it firm? sure, a little. But I wouldn't call it uncomfortable. In fact, once you're in the car, long rides are not bad at all. I suppose I might be singing a different tune if the roads were bad, but so far, so good.

Please, tell us a bit more...tires etc.

 

[Jim Craik]

Ron and my car are sister, sequential serial number MKI cars that came over in the same container. I see John's car is a much earlier #, I wonder if perhaps over the years they have changed the spring/shocks used?

Were the early cars noted for a stiffer ride?

 

[Mark Maybury]

John,
Please do not back off the adjusters on the coilovers as all that will do is lower your car.
Are you running 17" wheels? if so a change to 15" wheels would make a tremendous difference in ride quality.
My dad's Cobra has 17's and the ride is rough but I have 15's on my Daytona coupe and the ride is much milder. Both cars have the same suspensions.
Regards,
Mark

 

[Jim Cowden]

Most harsh rides come from shock valving.

More info on the spring rates would give you an idea.

If your shocks are adjustable back them all the way off then move up from there

Jim

 

[DaveM]

QA1 makes a reasonbly priced coil over shock with compression and rebound adjusters. Makes it nice to adjust for different conditions.

Tim- what # QA1 did you put on your SPF? I actually find the stock set up pretty soft especially as Mike says run low pressures (18 & 22 psi on mine). As stock Bilsteins are non adjustable I'm looking for adjustable ones for track use. Thanks.

 

[Tim Kay]

These are on my Tornado, me like:
1st & 2nd Gen F-Body Double Adjustable Pro Coil System | Camaro & Firebird Coil-Over Shock System | QA1 Suspension

My SPF "r" came with a set of double adjustables which I have yet to tune so I can't comment on those. They seem fine for the low milage they've seen.

 

[Tim Kay]

These are on my Tornado, me like:
1st & 2nd Gen F-Body Double Adjustable Pro Coil System | Camaro & Firebird Coil-Over Shock System | QA1 Suspension

My SPF "r" came with a set of double adjustables which I have yet to tune so I can't comment on those. They seem fine for the low milage they've seen.

 

[john bach]

ok, gents thanks for the input. tires are Avon. far as i can tell shocks are non- adjustable. first thing i'll try is lower air press. to 20-25 lbs. at present are about 35. i'll let you know.

 

[Mike]

Me thinks you're going to find that will make a huge difference

 

[Howard Jones]

35 psi is WAY too high. I set my street tires to 27F and 26R cold. They will go up to about 30 on a hot day after a full session at the track. That's a bit above my 29 pound target.

They will go up to 28ish on the highway from 26-27 cold.

My spring rates are 350F and 450R. Good track & street compromise. My guess would be to drop them 50 pounds for a pure street car.

 

[Mike]

I have #2307, a MK1, that I recently switched from the stock SPF springs to QA1's. The stock setup was 350 on the rear and 400 on the front. From what I have learned, that is pretty standard.

I switched because I go to some track days and wanted it a little more stable. I went with the double adjustable QA1's from Performance Unlimited. The owner has a SPF and has worked with the manufacturer to get the valving and dampening correct for our cars. This stiffer spring actually provided a better ride than the stock springs by just turning down the compression valve. Incredible shock for the price. On the street though, I echo the others input, 20-22 PSI is plenty.

Mike

 

[Dave Hood]

My AVONS are always at 20-22psi, and the ride is great as long as I avoid bumps and potholes.

 

[Dr. Bob Woods]

My friend Randy owns P1083. When he ran it a the Circuit of the Americas last fall, he was running 14 psi, but he had extremely wide tires.

These cars are very light and it doesn't take much pressure to hold the tire in the correct position. Take some tire temperatures if you can after some spirited driving. If the center temperatures are higher than the edges, then the pressure it too high.

-Bob Woods