Suspension ignorant ? here

[joker]

What is the benefit of going to a coil over kit, and what type of racing would it be best suited for? Will it work well for both drag and road type racing?

[QWKSNKE]

not sure but I think its weight savings and a lot better adjustment control

[Sendero]

What is the benefit of going to a coil over kit, and what type of racing would it be best suited for? Will it work well for both drag and road type racing?


First and formost, coil-over setups give the suspension the capabilites to better control compression of the system. By moving the spring outward towards the wheels allows you to run a much lighter spring and achieve much higher wheel rates without giving up any ride quality.

The best analogy I can give is this: think of a wrench turning a bolt. Is it easier to turn the bolt by grabbing the wrench up near the bolt, or down at the bottom of the handle?

All types of racing benefit from the coil-over style suspension. For both, the weight savings alone can be worth the cost. For Road Racers its about running much higher spring rates while allowing the suspension better control of the wheels in their range of motion. For Drag Racers, you can run a lighter spring rate for better weight transfer without giving up your street manners. Coil-over setups also all for much light K-members because you eliminate the spring perches and supporting hardware.

[Wicked]

Well put.

[joker]

Thank you very much Nathan. One more question though, are special, or kit specific, shocks and struts used?

[qkjuicedpony]

Thank you very much Nathan. One more question though, are special, or kit specific, shocks and struts used?



joker.



just so you will know those lakewoods that are on the car now have already been modified to accept coil overs...all you need is th ecoil over kit itself.

just thought i'd let you know

[Sendero]

Thank you very much Nathan. One more question though, are special, or kit specific, shocks and struts used?

Most Mustang front struts will accept coil over components because of their spindle mouted design. The rear shocks will have to have their bodies machined to accept a "lock ring" in order for the coil-over sleeve to remain in position. You can order specific shocks with all the machining done or as qwkjuiced indicatied, look at the rear shocks and see if they have a groove cut into the body close to the bottom of the shock.

You'll probably want to order struts/shock specific (or have yours revalved) for your driving application because you'll want the compression and rebound valving to be in line with your spring rates. I am sure you've heard me complain about my Bilsteins rebound valving being to soft. The Lakewood's that are on the car probably will be sufficent for drag racing, but I cannot speak for their street manners.

[Craig K.]

Nathan pretty much summed this up.

not too much to add from this end, except that I would recommend saving the extra few bucks to do a coil over set up, rathar than spending the money on a convetional set up.