Ridetech Level 2 Coilovers installed:

Yes, I just discovered this myself a few weeks ago. So is the 2.5" spring perch correct then?

plc268 said:

Yup, saw that. I suppose it's useful here because I'm sure a lot of people don't know about it.

If I get these, I should remove the camber bolt and replace it with a normal splined strut bolt, right? No sense in having both the camber plates and a camber bolt.

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My assumption is yes, remove the camber bolt. I don't know that it would be necessary after camber plates.

NvrFinished said:

Yes, I just discovered this myself a few weeks ago. So is the 2.5" spring perch correct then?

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That's what I ordered. Ridetech's page state's they use hyperco 2.5" springs so I went off that info.

Do spring rates on a coilover translate to the same rate as spring and strut setup?

I had Steeda Sport Linear springs: 198lb, so would a 200lb spring on the front ride techs act the same?

gsxr1300 said:

Do spring rates on a coilover translate to the same rate as spring and strut setup?

I had Steeda Sport Linear springs: 198lb, so would a 200lb spring on the front ride techs act the same?

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You would have to convert your spring rate to wheel rates as well as the coil spring rate to compare them. Offhand I am not sure what the wheel rate is for s550 stock suspension.

Hopefully someone smarter than I will chime in with what the conversion %'s are.

So what's the advantages of the camber plate over the camber bolt?

Super Werty said:

So what's the advantages of the camber plate over the camber bolt?

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Probably better then I could word it.....Let me quote an earlier post in this thread that gtrracer posted:

qtrracer said:

A word on camber adjustment. You should use C/C plates rather than slotting the struts or using a camber bolt. Reason one is that making adjustments is so much easier with the plates. You don't need to get into the suspension mounts that would be required using the other methods. Reason two is that the factory KPI is not that great when in dive and roll. But moving the spindle inboard at the top for more camber messes it up further. Start with -2* camber, +6.9 caster, your toe choice (I like a bit of toe out up front; toe in for the rear) and check tire temps to see how the tires are working. Adjust as necessary.

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So just an update.

I wish I would have ordered through ridetech direct as I was told by ridetech (John i think his name was) that they can't simply swap out coil springs because of a stocking issue and I have to go through Cjpony. Cj had the best price so i thought i would save a few bucks going through them. With that, i called up Cjpony and they said they could do a custom order (at a higher cost) and I would have to return, at my own expense, the kit I just received. Understandable but not the outcome I hoped for.

It sounded too good to be true and I should have done the fact finding first but I went off info in this thread.....Anyway, I'm putting in an order with ridetech (or a hyperco dealer if they offer a better price)for springs in order to get the rates I'm looking for. Live and learn on my end. Hopefully anyone looking to purchase will read this and avoid the pitfall I created for myself.

So if anyone wants specific rates I would suggest going through ridetech directly so you don't have to spend the extra cash to get what you want. I'd hate for anyone to assume like I did that coil exchange could easily be done through ridetech.

I cant badmouth either vendor but for any future purchasers make sure you get exactly what you want so you can save a few $$$$.

What springs did you order?

gsxr1300 said:

What springs did you order?

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I found them cheapest through Amazon of all places but I just ordered 325f 450r springs.Ill probably end up messing around with springs until I find what works best for my driving. Can't go wrong for $61 each.

It's pretty easy to figure it out just find hyperco springs and the part number should start with 188B0xxx then replace the xxx with the spring rate you are looking for example 188B0475 for 475 springs. Its that easy!

What spring do you have that you dont want?

I have 375 front thinking of going softer.

gsxr1300 said:

What spring do you have that you dont want?

I have 375 front thinking of going softer.

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300

Let me know if you want to get rid of them or trade.

BmacIL said:

Increasing rebound all around will decrease the rate the car squats and dives at. That's why I think you'd like a damper with more rebound capability.

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Rebound actually determines how fast the spring recovers from compression. It it recovers too fast the chassis is upset for the next element/corner and hence loss of traction. In the front, you want compression set to allow the spring compression which permits weigh transfer increasing front grip. As the car goes into the corner, there will be rebound on the inside. Thus rebound can be set to limit or increase the jacking effect.

Meanwhile, on the rear you want enough rebound to allow the rear to transfer weight to the front but not so much that the transfer overloads the front - as in rear jacking. As the car rotates, you want the inside rear to lift just enough to slightly disengage which means the rebound cannot be set so stiff that it overcomes the spring and lifts the tire off the ground. Compression has to be enough to allow the outside rear to stay flat.

As the car completes the turn and moves to throttle, you want front rebound to allow weight transfer to the rear while still maintaining front traction. You want rear compression to permit the weight to transfer to allow power and traction while avoiding tire spin - too gradual.

This means that for serious track/autocross, you need at least double adjustable with enough range/resolution to cover the spring choices and tires used. And testing is required to learn what works best given the track/ venue conditions.

For most guys here, this is way too much. But, I've tried Bilsteins and Koni SAs on my other cars. The Bils are a great choice if one doesn't want to play around with adjustments. You just need to select springs compatible with the valving. I don't care for the Koni Yellow SAs at all. Aside from being rebound only, not enough adjustment resolution. Because they aren't compression adjustable, they were too harsh. This was a GC kit with the recommended spring rates. Lesson learned. For me, I'm going DAs from now on (currently KWv3s). Well worth the extra $$ for a quality damper and adjustability.

Super Werty said:

So what's the advantages of the camber plate over the camber bolt?

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The bolt was designed to correct alignment variances due to accidents - hence the name "crash bolt". While it allows camber adjustment similar to slotting the strut, it throughs-off other suspension geometry.

These cars use double lower ball joints which creates a virtual steering pivot. This pivot moves as steering is added. Engineers can use this to gain camber, caster and control scrub. But the suspension design assume a relationship between the hub face and the strut angle. By using a crash-bolt or slotting the strut, the hub angle to strut changes thus messing with the designed KPI.

While you gain camber with the bolts/slotting, you lose other benefits of the suspension design. The net effect is worse traction and steering. If you want to retain the designed geometry but would like a little more camber (don't need a lot), do it with camber plates.