What length hypercoils?

[Toshiro]

What length hypercoils should I get for my planned GC/Koni Yellow setup?

7inches front / 7 inches rear

8 inches front / 7 inches rear

8 inches front / 8 inches rear

The reason I ask is that the GC coilovers come with 7 inch springs but I heard someone on here recommending 8 inches and I'm not sure why.

Thanks!

 

[Toshiro]

Ok, guess I'm just going to go with 7 inches all around.

 

[jtmcinder]

Sorry. Been actually working, instead of surfing.

You want(ed) 8" in the front, to keep them from binding.

- Jtoby

 

[Toshiro]

Haven't ordered them yet, so I guess I'll go with 8 inches front / 7 inches rear.

On another (sort of) related note, does anyone know where I can find installation instructions for ground controls? I got mine used with no documentation.

 

[jtmcinder]

There's a VFAQ somewhere.

Remember: repeat several times when talking to the guys at GC that you want 8" fronts and 7" rears and that you need rings for Koni Sports. Also, don't be a wuss and get the 450/300 rates that they'll push at you. Up the rears to 375, at least, or just go nuts and get 500/450. Then play stupid and get them to read it back to you. Great stuff for the money, but their ability to screw up an order is equally impressive. (Combine that with all of the silly [but male] giggling that you hear in the background and I have to wonder if they really listened when Nancy told them to "just say no.")

- Jtoby

 

[njshift]

Jtoby, in some previous post you mentioned shortening your konis. At what point do you need to shorten the shocks? Is this recommended when you're substantially lowering your dsm? I'm sure I'm treading somewhere I shouldn't but I am curious as to why they need to be shortened. Thanks in advance.
Greg

p.s. Trust me I'm not planning on "slamming" my car. I feel my 1- 1.5 inch drop is fine. I'm just curious....

 

[Toshiro]

I bought my coilovers used, any way to tell if the rings are indeed for Koni sports?

 

[Toshiro]

After some investigation, turns out the springs that came with my coilovers are 500 ft/300 rear. I think that's close enough to your recommended 500/450 setup to merit me not spending money on all new springs. Maybe I'll try to swap the 300s for 450s, though. Do you guys think GC will let me exchange the 300 lb springs for 450s? I'm going to stop by their shop tomorrow to pick up some installation instructions, maybe I'll ask. BTW GC is about 10 minutes from my house.

 

[jtmcinder]

The difference between 500/300 and 500/450 is huge.

If you're down only a bit more than an inch and have decent front springs (e.g., 450+) and have flat upper plates, then you don't need to shorten your Konis. However, you need both the springs and flat plates, not one or the other.

- Jtoby

 

[Toshiro]

So you would recommend a 500/450 setup over a 500/300 setup even to a relatively inexperienced driver like me? The reason I ask is that I wonder if I would be able to tell the difference, since I'm not exactly the best driver.

So I have to spend $420 on front and rear Coaxial upper hats and bearing mount plates (RRE price) or my shocks won't last? Or can I just get the front upper hats? You didn't say anything about the rears.

 

[jtmcinder]

I have no idea if 500/450 is right for you ... it depends on where you stand on the handling vs ride-quality dimension and what the roads and tracks are like near you. All I can say for sure is that 500/300 is going to do you no good with regard to understeer.

Only a few people insist that coaxial hats are required and they are all running extremely high front rates, which is part of why they could well be required. In the front, pillowballs are sufficient; in the rear, nothing fancy is really needed, but pillowballs are nice. Heck, you can probably get away with GC plates in the front, as long as you avoid those little black rocks that GC calls bushings.

- Jtoby

 

[Toshiro]

Is there a significant difference between GC plates and RRE upper hats? I'm probably going to end up running 500/450 with a 1.5 inch drop or so, if that matters.

 

[SpicyTuna]

Is there a significant difference between GC plates and RRE upper hats?

I would like to know this too. . . . .

 

[jtmcinder]

The GC plates use standard, rubber or urethane bushings. The RRE plates are pillowballs. Neither has a coaxial springhat.

- Jtoby

 

[SpicyTuna]

The GC plates use standard, rubber or urethane bushings. The RRE plates are pillowballs. Neither has a coaxial springhat.

- Jtoby

Is it bad that neither have coaxial hats? Does anyone make plates that have coaxial hats?

 

[jtmcinder]

I don't think that coaxial hats are needed until the spring rate is in the 650#+ range. (Not everyone agrees on this, though.) Plus, please note that I said "needed" ... they would probably help at lower rates (in the front, at least), due to a reduction in stiction.

- Jtoby

 

[SpicyTuna]

I don't think that coaxial hats are needed until the spring rate is in the 650#+ range. (Not everyone agrees on this, though.) Plus, please note that I said "needed" ... they would probably help at lower rates (in the front, at least), due to a reduction in stiction.

- Jtoby

Well if someone wanted coaxial hats, that would rule out RRE's and GC's, where would you get 'em? I want to get them for my fronts. . . . .

 

[logic]

Well if someone wanted coaxial hats, that would rule out RRE's and GC's, where would you get 'em? I want to get them for my fronts. . . . .

You wait until Dennis Grant decides that it's worth manufacturing a run of them.

 

[njshift]

RRE will make the coaxial hats for a price...

 

[Toshiro]

I'm still a little foggy and the whole uppper mounting plate issue- are they needed in the rear?

 

[Toshiro]

So I went to GC's shop today and had a chat with a few of them, including Jeff (I think the owner or manager or something). He doesn't think their upper mounting plates have anything to do with prolonging shock life, they just add an inch or so of suspension travel (and are $100 a pair). So I didn't get them.

I also brought in the rear 300 # springs that came with my used kit to see if they could take a trade in towards some 450s, and they convinced me that 7 inch rear springs were too long, and wouldn't lower the car, and would make the ride rougher or something, so I got some 6 inch 450 # springs. He also said they couldn't take my old springs because whoever installed them put them on incorrectly, and one inside half of each spring was worn from rubbing on the coilover sleeve. I bought the used kit from a DSMTuner. It was missing a couple parts, poorly shipped, etc. Probably should have saved the hassle and bought new, but that's not really relative to this story.

They also gave me the contact info of a race shop an hour or so into town that can corner weigh cars. Do you guys think corner weighing is required for the best handling?

 

[14.5 drift]

definatly. Dsm weight balalnce is so off, I can make left turns at 5 mph quicker than i can make rights. I would have hit the scales before i bought the springs though.