Perfect suspension setup

[stocky]

Curious on peoples opinions on how to make the earlier models handle well, without going to extremes with the absolute best parts. Looking to make mine go a bit better around corners, mainly mountain roads.

After information regarding combinations of -
- Springs
- Shocks
- Swaybars
- Camber/Castor/Toe adjustments
- Strut braces
- Weight reduction/relocated

What have people got in their cars, what improvements were made, etc.

Lets try get a good thread going here with a bit of useful information for people.

[Brett_jjj]

All new Nolothane bushes, adjustable swaybars, stiffer springs and adjustable shocks(KYB).Should be able to set it up pretty good with that lot.Maybe also add between 45 minutes to 1 degree of camber to the front alignment.

[FusionX]

Problem is every car likes its own little settings and so does the driver. This is where adjustable components come into their own. 3 main adjustable components in the front worth gettings: adjustable sway bars, adjustable radius rods and adjustable strut top (the old solid noltec ones are the best... bent plenty of others like K-Mac).

Spring and shocks can be a bit hard to pick and a bit of trial and error process. I ended up with a too soft spring in the front and notice it braking (car becomes taily) although the rear is setup very well. I got a reasonable deal on Koni's and got front (yellows) and rear (reds) for about $700 all up. (would of liked Bilstein... but geezus the price on them). Adjustable shocks are good for that fine tuning... just wish springs were the same. Couple of sets later to get the right ones.

Strut braces I think stiffen up the front end way too much.

Weight reduction/distribution: Just need to watch where you take the weight out from (weighbridges are good for this, find out front and rear axle weights). It's easy to remove weight from the boot/back of the car... gets hard to remove weight from the front.

My setup:
Camber: -2.5
Caster: think its around 12 degrees (either way, the battery box has been belted as it was in the way)
Toe: 0

This cars main use is club sprint/track days. For everyday driving that would be too much camber... although if the car was trailered to events, I would probably run -4 degrees camber there.

I am by no means a suspension expert, I just learn from trial and error with what works on my cars with my driving style.

[stocky]

i think the front end of mine has -1.6 camber, 27mm swaybar, standard fe2 springs in front, and monroe shocks. it seems to understeer around corners a bit. i think i need to raise the rear a bit to even it up. currently has SSL kings in the rear and camber needs adjusting. ive heard mixed things about strut braces so i wasnt sure about them.

i notice the fe2 springs are a bit soft, so i dont know if i should change the front springs or not, as i dont really want it any lower than it is. i scrape on enough stuff as it is.

[savage1987]

I have a theory that reverting a VN to VN Clubsport front alignment/toe/caster settings (quite different to stock VN settings apparently) would make a decent difference. Shame I can't find those settings anywhere :P

Coupled with a strong shock/spring/sway setup it could be total win.


Just a theory

Sam

[stocky]

i think i read that -1.2 was good camber for a street driven commodore, but i cant be sure, however i havent read anything about castor or toe