Ground control coilovers with toikiko illuminas

[bmoha7321]

I see many posts about ground control coilovers on other struts but I haven't seen much mentioned about them on toikiko Illuminas.
At this point in my budget build I don't have the funds to go with true coilovers. I have Toikiko Illuminas on the car in good condition that I've been very happy with. It has stock GSX springs on them. It's too high to my liking and not stiff enough. I'd like the car to sit an inch to and 1&1/2 lower. I had the Talon slammed on sportlines before. Hated it. Scrape everytime I went in my driveway and everytime I went up the driveway at work
Ok next question is; are they still being made? Every vendor I've looked at lists them as out of stock.

 

[PieEyedPiper]

Yes, they are still available, AFAIK. But I wouldn't do off the shelf CG's for the illuminas. I don't think the illuminas are up to the task.

However, if you got custom rates for those ground controls you could find yourself pretty happy I'd imagine. You ought to consider calling up Tokico and see what they think. I've spoken with them before and they're very helpful. The illuminas call for a higher than "standard" rear spring rate than other aftermarket shocks like Koni's or AGX's. There is likely a damned good reason for that but I'd still only use the GC's on my illuminas if I had custom rates.

 

[bmoha7321]

I guess my other option would be to put on a set of Eibach Prolines.

 

[PieEyedPiper]

I guess my other option would be to put on a set of Eibach Prolines.

No such thing. It's Prokits or the rumored discontinued Sportlines. The sportlines are one of the worst springs you could put on your car. I run the Prokits and I thank god I do, over the Sportlines. The prokits are fine for a DD but fairly useless for going fast.

Look into H&R springs if you're not going to look into custom GC's.

Look into the classified for some used Prokits to save a few bucks. It would be tough to pour $235, let alone ~$400, into a deadend suspension setup.

 

[bmoha7321]

They don't make Eibach proline springs anymore? The black ones? I could have just sworn I saw those listed on a vendor's website the other night. I saw the sportlines listed. I had a set of those on my car before. Hated them. Got a set of them sitting her in fact. I'll use stock GSX springs over them.
Not sure what the Prokit is...

Much better than the sportlines but I still thought they lowered too much and were too soft. I want this to be a tight handling car.

 

[PieEyedPiper]

I want this to be a tight handling car.

Then you need to sell your Illuminas and buy waaaaay better gear. The best you can do, if you keep those Illuminas, is to purchase custom rate GC's. Call Tokico and call Ground Control.


As for the requested clarification:

No such thing. It's Prokits or the Sportlines.

Prokits (black springs) are a softer than stock initial spring rate and lower our vehicles 1.3 to 1.5 inches. Sportlines have very soft rates for the amount they drop the car, about 2".

Neither will provide any serious level of performance and, as you know, Sportlines should be killed with fire.

 

[bmoha7321]

After the H&Rs were on the Talon I stopped at a car wash. Had the sportlines sitting in the box in the back. Donated them to another kid with a ricey 2G. They were horrible. Just horrible.

 

[PieEyedPiper]

Haha! Good on ya!!

So you have had H&R's previously? Which ones? How did they work for you?

 

[bmoha7321]

This was approx 6 years ago? I think they were purple. They were a big improvement over the sportlines. I guess I could see getting a set of them again.
I live in WI and drive the car year around. I usually put my 16x7 Enkeis on with Stock GSX springs in the winter and switch to my 17x8 OZ Superleggeras and the H&R springs during good weather. But that gets kinda tedious. Plus I now have a beater 4x4 ford Xploder that I can drive when the snow gets high.

The H&R springs were progressive. Don't know if that helps or if all their springs are progressive.

I've been impressed by the Toikikos. Much better than the stock shocks. I usually run them full hard in front (4) and 5 in the rear. I like the car to be able to break the ass end loose when I want it to. They've been pretty durable as well. I went to a quick turn around in a parking lot I hadn't been in before. Just to find out that it had loading ramps for semi tractor trailers. I wound up driving the Talon entirely off one of them and dropping about 2 & 1/2'. Surprised the hell out of me. I was sure I would have blown out a strut but everything was fine and I didn't bottom out.
Maybe if I had done a little more reading before I bought the Toikikos 6 years ago I would have bought different shocks. But they've done well for me. Budget it very tight for the Talon to GSX shell swap so I don't have the money for true coilovers right now. I keep seeing the bulk discount deal for the DGRs and I'd love a set but I don't have $1K handy right now to buy them.
In reality the GSX will probably get built up with the stock GSX springs.

 

[bmoha7321]

I'm a little confused... The profits are softer than stock? I knew the Eibach sportlines were Softer but I didn't know the same held true for the prokits

 

[PieEyedPiper]

It's the initial rate that is lower, but yes, they're all crap.

Lame, right?

 

[bmoha7321]

Hmmmm. What about the H&R race springs? They say they are stiff. 1.9" drop which a bit more than I wanted. Then again how stiff is stiff? I found them new for $226. Decent priced
Honestly I could see myself getting GCs with stiff springs. Like 700 in front and whatever they recommend in the rear.

I talked to the guys at GC. They said don't put a spring on that's past the dampening abilities of the shock. So low 400s for Fronts and low 300s on rear with Toikikos. Konis are past 700 for the fronts and whatever corresponds for the rears. The GC tech said that the stock springs are in the 200s for front and hundreds for rear. So even running 450s in front would be double the stock spring rate.