Trying to decide what suspension to run in my 280zx. Going to have s13 spindles up front and the stock zx rear. I know any s13 setup will bolt in with this but Im having trouble deciding on what to do.
Choices right now are between: Koni yellows with ground control sleeves
Or
One of the many 1k$ coilover setups
The car is used for everything besides rally racing.
What say the great grm braintrust?
I have had good fortune with GC stuff including a few road racing class wins over cars with much more expensive underpinnings. Getting the spring rate, damping, car balance and alignment (read: the fine details) correct for whatever you choose will make more difference than what you choose provided you stay with quality dampers.
I have GC + koni on my 95 miata that I year round daily. Only noteable is that the lockdown screw on the adjuster for the ring on the coilover WILL seize if you dont antisieze the crap out of it and you absolutely dont want to overtighten it. Replacement rings are about $80/set and you can cut the old ones off though. (been there, done that)
Other than that, good, quick, only stuff that seems better is a multiple of the price.
As long as your spring rates are within the damping range of the Koni's you should be happy with the results. If not, you could always get them revalved too.
And some platforms are already custom valved from Koni for big rates.
I've had their setups on two E30s, and currently on my BRZ.
I called Dustin at GC and they were very knowledgeable about my platform and spent a good 15-20 minutes interviewing me about how I use my car, other supporting mods, etc. After that, he made a full recommendation. Konis were custom valved to work with the spring rates. Ended up spot-on, and great quality components. Couldn't be happier.
Even if you have a pretty good idea what you want, I'd recommend giving them call.
Looks like GC it is. Guess now I just have to figure out what spring rates to run.
The Ground Control guys are successful because they combine knowledge, product quality and good customer service. I've not found better setups for any where near their costs.
I am very happy with my set on the race car. I run the double adjustable konis up front and revalved singles in the back. The guys at gc were very knowledgeable and were spot on with their spring rate suggestions.
What kind of drop can I expect? The cars sits about 2" lower than stock right now and Id like to keep it there.
Fitzauto wrote: What kind of drop can I expect? The cars sits about 2" lower than stock right now and Id like to keep it there.
My application was a BMW 330i ZHP (E46.) It was already fairly low on the stock ZHP springs. I went about .5" lower in the back, which was near the lower limit of the GC rear spring perch. Lowered the front to match with the rake and corner balancing I wanted. If you want to go supadupahellaslammed, you might need a different setup. For a street/track application, it looks great and works within the realistic limits of stock suspension travel.
Nice that everything was pre-assembled and in the general zone to just bolt it on. Obviously, you need a good setup man to corner balance and fine tune coilovers, which is the whole point. If you're not interested in being able to corner balance it and don't want camber/caster settings beyond stock, get some KONIs and sport springs and save a pile of cash.
In reply to Tyler H:
I have a good setup guy close to me. I have lowering springs now and want more adjustability.
Im mostly worried that to get the look I have and very much like I may have to run a pre-made coilover.
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