spring rates? drfiting/hill climb car

[Rockinlittle325i]

ok, I'm going to build coilovers for my e30
Art is going to show me his method

my question the my fellow track rats is:
What spring rate do you have in the front and rear?
how do you like it? and how does your car react to it?

I'm planning on using this car for hill climbs either this year or next year
I currently drift it at the moment

thanks guys

[team9]

off topic, but where are you looking to do hillclimbs?

[Farbin Kaiber]

Maybe on a hill?

[j0oftheworld]

Hoping the ground control guys see this one!
My car is getting the cage done which will include front/rear shock tie-ins and stitching along the chassis making it very stiff. I'll have fully adjustable front and rear strut tops, tie rods and rear subframe. It's going to be ~2200lbs and will be full race on Rcomps.. want the stiffest setup I can get.
Whats the specs on your ride OP? Seems we're in the same boat. :)

[slaterd]

Hoping the ground control guys see this one!
My car is getting the cage done which will include front/rear shock tie-ins and stitching along the chassis making it very stiff. I'll have fully adjustable front and rear strut tops, tie rods and rear subframe. It's going to be ~2200lbs and will be full race on Rcomps.. want the stiffest setup I can get.
Whats the specs on your ride OP? Seems we're in the same boat. :)

Also off topic...where are you gonna race. I'm out in fountain hills past scottsdale and I don't know where there's any good places to race.

[Sagaris]

I do not compete in any sort of events but I would imagine wanting to go softer on the springs and stiffer on the sways and adjust the sways to dial in the balance.

Stiff suspension creates for faster, more unpredictable weight transfer / snap oversteer. Soft suspension will also prevent the wheel from leaving the ground on bumpy roads. The ride height needs to be kept reasonable to avoid bottoming out, though I would have to assume that if you are serious about competition, that you would not be lowering the car much since presumably you would understand how detrimental excessive lowering is to roll centers, bump steer, and handling.

[z31maniac]

Just pick up the phone and call Ground Control, explain your use, weight, tire/wheel setup and they can give you a personalized recommendation for your car and your use.

[j0oftheworld]

Also off topic...where are you gonna race. I'm out in fountain hills past scottsdale and I don't know where there's any good places to race.

NASA AZ, ProAutosports, AZsolo will all fill your need for speed..
NASA and PAS are track day clubs, AZsolo is our local autocross club.

[rpob5t]

You left out a lot of variables: Shocks (how much spring can they handle) and sway bars (big bars/softer springs, smaller bars/stiffer springs) all will have a pretty big effect on what springs will work for your application. Beyond that also how much street duty will this car see? 600-700+ lb-in springs can work great on the track but will feel pretty miserable on the street even with properly valved shocks.

One of the earlier posts hit it pretty well; If you're looking at coil kits that actually let the end user pick springs rates I'd call whoever you're dealing with and tell them your setup/goals they'll provide you with much more salient information then your typical internet experts.

[Rockinlittle325i]

I have adjustable swaybars,
the car will not be used on the street
and I was hoping to get a "shot gun" effect of answers

I know a 1000/800 set up would be the maximum on big road courses, where as a softer set up would be ideal for actual road type racing (hill climbs)

also in drifting a small or loose to even no rear swaybar because of the slight body roll used for weight transfer

I've been talking to alot of drifters about how their set up is compared to the guys I know that run time attacks
drifters say 800/600 is the sweet spot for them,
and time attack guys say 1000/800 is amazing

but the drifters are usually in s13's

[wcaswell]

Guys are telling you they run 1000 lbs springs in the front of their e30?

[Sputnik]

Guys are telling you they run 1000 lbs springs in the front of their e30?

hes going from rear to front

[kilgojr]

There are MANY variables you are leaving out here. team9 and I both do autox, track Time Trials, and Hillclimbs all over the southeast. You are going to use a different set up for each of these disciplines. And if you are planning to continue drifting, then you are obviously going to need a different set up for that as well.

However, autocross and hillclimb are going to be a very similar setup on an e30. Hillclimbs are very much like autocrossing, you are just adding the variety of the road on the mountain. Track use and Drifting are going to need a very different setup, and probably dependent upon how you drive, and how you like the car to react.

team9 and I are both driving 89 e30 325i. The cars are gutted, and have 6 point rollcages that do not have tie ins to the suspension mounting points. If you are looking for a general all around setup, Bilstein sports, Ground Control camber plates and Eibach 450 frt 650 rear will do well for you with the adjustable swaybars (assuming 22mm/19mm). In my opinion, after running heavy downforce and big (225 frt on 8.5in/275 rear on 9.75in wheels Hoosier Konis race slicks) at a proper race track you are going to find that you might want to go up to a 600/800 front/rear. Our cars are a bit heavier then yours (around 2500 lbs) and that can make a difference. We are actually planning to spend a good part of the first part of this year testing out different spring rates. The good thing about running the 2.25 race springs is that they are cheap, and plentiful. So you can have several sets and change them out for the different places you are running.

But like I said at the beginning, there are ALOT of variables in a suspension set up. Bushing choice throughout the car will have an effect on movement as much as anything. Full aluminum mounts on the engine and transmission will make them a load bearing part of the car, that will have a major effect on driving. On the opposite end, if you have factory mounts on the engine and transmission it is going to be moving around alot on side to side motions, and getting jarred around on hilllclimbs.

The biggest thing is to get your set up done, and then make changes once you get used to how the car feels.

[plmichal]

I have BC Racing coilovers with 10k/14k spring rate (roughly 560/780) and they are PHENOMENAL.

My car sees grip and drifting and it always performs like a champ. ~3.5 degrees of camber up front and probably the same in the rear naturally because it's pretty low. I don't have any problems with understeer, but it is very quick to let the rear end out if you're attacking a course hardcore so pay attention (not like you wouldn't). AMAZING coilovers for the price.