4g61t.org

Okay, so Tonya and I installed the 400lb springs on the rear of the car and tested it at an autocross yesterday. (We actually swapped the rear springs in about 45minutes, I love my pitcrew!!) The car rotates nicely now. Maybe not quite enough to suit my driving style, but it's definitely an improvement over what I had before. And it doesn't rotate the way it did with the swaybar on. With the swaybar, the car would push hard into a corner, you'd ease off the gas and it would snap around, with little or no warning. Now the back-end rotates very controllably with plenty of time to get back on the gas or steer out to catch the rear from sliding.

Believe it or not, the car doesn't ride all that rough. With the koni's and the 400lb springs, it is still not as rough riding as the KYB AGX and 275lb springs. And it's not as rough as my Dakota with factory springs.

What I'm finding is that the factory actually knew what they were doing when setting up this car. They used pretty close to equal spring-rates all around. So sticking with that idea my suggestion is, if you're getting coilovers, choose a rate that you want and use it on the front and rear. If you find it doesn't rotate enough, bump up the rear spring-rate in increments of 50lbs until you find something you like.

Oh yeah, and please use Koni's, or GR-2's are okay if you're going with a spring-rate under 200 or so pounds and no more then 1-1.5" of lowering. While the AGX's may work well for other cars, they are just not tuned well for the DSM applications.

Jmauld:

Good Write up and I agree 100% with what you say... I have tested most of the applications on this car and the Koni's with some good springs work FANTASTIC. Your right coilovers rock because you can change the springs so quickly and easilty especially if you have air tools no reasons you can do a front spring swap in like 15-20 min and a rear 20-30min (rear plastic trunk peices get in the way...)

Oh yeah, I forgot to add.

Increasing the rear spring rates will generally result in increase front traction.

For the dragrace guys who don't drive on the street. Try getting 600lb springs that are 8" long. That will lift the car considerably in the back and really help out with reducing rear weight transfer. I wouldn't drive on the street like this though.

Hehe, i just had a visual of someone driving around with 8" 600lb springs on the streets. I'd actually consider a 500lb spring rate but i wouldn't use a 8" spring. I can sacrifice comfort for speed, my last two cars were absent all the interior behind the front seats, I like the sound of my exhaust resonating through the car...unless I have a hang over.

_________________
Turning a 4g61t into 1595 cc's of FURY!
10.995 @ 134.44 - http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bZXvcvzuWGQ

SOLD to the fastest shifting hermaphrodite in CO

Jmauld, what swaybar did you use, & do you find that without there is more body roll?

_________________
'89 Plymouth 200GT 4g61t , evo316g, fmic, 1g cams, cyclone intake, 1g throttle body, 2.5 hard pipes, 190 walboro, 650's, 2g o2, 2g ex mani,3" mandrel, ACT 2100, Fidenza flywheel, Unorthodox underdrive pulley, SBR lsd, , AEM wideband, tuned by maf-t, 2" drop, gr-2's, brembo
cross-drilled, metal masters, 205-50 Falken Azenis, etc., 280 whp @ 256 tq

I used the Suspension Techniques Swaybar. There is more body lean without it in place, but it is more driveable now. The biggest difference is the lack of snap oversteer.

Maybe that rear sway bar was a little too stiff for the Colt? In any case if you not having a problem with understeer then you dont really need the rear sway bar in any case.

Do you have one on the front?

- J

_________________
[ 1993 Lotus Elan SE ] [ 1989 Starion ESi-R ] [ 1987 Porsche 944s ]