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Blackbird, just curious, do you have the SpecE30 camber plates? They were the only ones designed to use with a stock diameter spring like the J-stocks. The Race plates are made to use with small diameter linear springs, which may be why they are rubbing your spring perches. -
I've tried every factory spring combo out there, and settled with Turner J stock springs and TC Klein revalved Konis Sports. Best setup hands down. The H&R race springs are nowhere near high enough spring rate, the sport springs are even worse. As for Ground Control stuff, I'm less than impressed. My race camber plates are junk. I can get plenty of camber with them, but the design is poor (makes the car sit too low) and the materials are cheap. The mounting plates are flimsy and the mounting studs rub on the spring hats (eventually causing them to fail)
I'd say find a set of Turner J stock springs and dampers and call it good. A set of Vorshlag camber plates to get your camber adjustment and call it good.
WillLeave a comment:
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I mean, a full suspension setup that costs less than a decent set of springs kind of speaks for itself.
Plenty of reviews out there that say it a lot better than I can.
This alone is enough of a red flag lol.
Stiffer than H&R Race up front, softer than stock in the rear?SPRING RATES
Front - 375 lbs/in
Rear - 295 lbs/inLeave a comment:
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Raceland Coilovers
A bit off topic but when I was searching for Bilsteins a set of raceland coilovers came up for sale for $400.... how sketchy are these? I have no intention of buying buying, just wondering what the deal is.
https://raceland.com/bmw-coilovers/e...coilovers.htmlLeave a comment:
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IMO one of the best reasons to do coilovers on an E30 is the amount of camber you can gain in the front. I have IE camber plates with H&R Race and Bilsteins on my car right now and I can only get 1.8* of camber in the front before the large spring hits the strut tower. It's not enough.
That being said, GC has been in the game forever and have a lot of knowledge on setup. I think Fortune probably gets a bad rap as being newer and Asian-manufactured products. However, they are U.S. based and do their assembly, re-valving, and service in the U.S. which is nice.
I have Fortune 500's with custom valving and custom rate Swift springs on my Subaru and I have been very happy with them for the money. Fortune will probably not have the E30-specific setup knowledge that GC brings to the table, so make sure you really know what you want if ordering from Fortune.
GC Pros and Cons
Pros:
+ Long standing contributor to the community
+ Lots of setup knowledge (and you can pick your spring rates)
+ Can weld and shorten your struts for you for an additional charge
+ Gorgeous camber plates
Cons:
- Probably off-the-shelf Koni shock valving (which is fine for the popular spring rates)
- Somewhat expensive
- Spring preload is used to adjust ride height (debatable whether this matters)
Fortune Auto Pros and Cons
Pros:
+ Custom valving and spring rate options do not cost extra
+ Shock bodies have ride height and preload separately adjustable (debatable whether this matters)
+ Inexpensive, will probably be $500-800 less than GC depending on options
Cons:
- You'll have to find and pay someone to weld the strut tubes to your knuckles
- Parts are made in Asia (doesn't make them bad)
- Dampers are not as race proven and trusted as Konis are
- Camber plates are not as nice as GC, but they are sufficientLast edited by Digitalwave; 02-27-2017, 01:41 PM.Leave a comment:
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Get seat time any way you can and do it as you build your car into a track car. By doing this you'll have a better appreciation for what you are trying to fix, what changes need to be made, and the results of said changes.
With that being said....
I am going to second, third, and fourth the recommendations for GC.
My car started out with Bilstein HD's, Eibach sway bar (rear), IE springs, and IE fixed camber plates. Car handled well but on quick stuff, like slaloms, it didn't transition very well and the body roll killed me. Plus the car sat very low and scraped on every thing.
I went with GC coil over setup and was able to raise the car and corner balance to 50.1%. My spring rates are little "extreme" as the GC rep pointed out but, I love it. If I ever decide I want different rates, springs are easily purchased and installed. GC has lifetime warranty on everything which is also very handy.
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I would agree with you, except-The order I would go in:
front camber.
The stock car just doesn't have enough for the track.
So if you've had a few track days, like it, and are ready to
upgrade the car to be track- focussed at all, it makes sense
to spend the money on the front suspension early on.
So yes, a season of wearing the front outer edges off is recommended.
But at the point of any front upgrade, the ability to add camber is key.
And being able to easily and inexpensively change spring rate is bonus.
...but yes, track the stock car at first, because it IS better than we are- before
a few good lapping days. Err, I mean, "driver training events."
just my 02,
tLeave a comment:
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damn Rocco's setup is perfect, and sold!
I second the GC setup and they can get you a good spring rating so you can still comfortably daily drive the car. I have 500# front and 700# rear and its still good for daily duties even though my car isnt a daily anymoreLeave a comment:
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If you can't get that deal, I would really just consider getting some H&R sport springs and some fresh Bilstein's or MAYBE some single adjustable Koni's.
The fact is, your car will be more capable than you at this point. So throwing a bunch of money at it right away is not the smart course.
If you look through this section, you'll see this statement over and over. These cars are very capable track machines. Just a fresh set of bushings, some good Bilstein or Koni's and a reputable set of coils will give you a good track bruiser and still retain some civility on the street.
The order I would go in:
Tires
Brakes
Fresh bushings
New shocks/springs
Lot's of DE
..maybe coilovers.Leave a comment:
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There is a GC setup in the FS section right now
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Ground Control is a solid entry to mid level track setup, it definitely won't hold you back. They make their own stuff, they have developed it over a long period of time @ the track, and their customer service is good. Koni is a proven damper, and while the yellows aren't a really a motorsports damper, they're good enough to give you repeatable performance while you develop and get quicker.
All of the other stuff is all the same, it's manufactured with cost of production in mind. All of it is fine for a street car, but it's not going to help you learn anything @ the track.Leave a comment:
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