Thinking of putting the stock springs back in my VFII Redline

[Paulie81]

It's been well over a year since I lowered my VFII Redline. I did this because the stock VFII Redline looks like it's quite high with large gaps in the guards. For some reason, I don't notice it so much on VE's and earlier model VF's, in fact, I would have left it stock if it looked like many of the VE's I see on the road (any explanation or is this just my imagination?). So I installed Eibach springs all round with the stock FE3 shocks. I chose this brand due to its reputation and a conservative claimed ride height. Right from the start, I was not happy with the rear end as it looks lower than the front. I measured from the centre cap to guard and there is a 1.5-2cm variance from the front. Not sure if that is a fair comparison but I was almost certain that the clearance to guard was the same on all 4 wheels (correct me if I am wrong please).
I was pretty happy with the ride quality but over time with more driving experience, I feel the ride is not so great. Rough roads rattle the car and going around corners on a not so perfect road give the rear end a feeling that is not confident and jittery (if that makes sense). I can't remember how the stock setup felt in comparison but my gut tells me that something does not feel right. I have also had a scrape under the car at a shopping centre car park ramp and petrol station.
One of my plans for the future was to replace the stock shocks with Bilstein B8's as this would allow me to raise the back up a little bit as there is some clip that allow the installer to raise things up a little This would, in theory, give me the look I was after, prevent any scrapes and give me a better ride. Recently I have seen some feedback from folks running B8's that have thrown my plans as they claim that whilst the B8's handled very well, the ride is very harsh. My car is a weekend driver now and in most cases is used with my family rising along with me so comfort is important to me. Any suggestions on what my options are??

 

[Milo 6.0]

I hate the ride height on my s1 ssv wagon,after owning many lowered cars over the years and knowing how rubbish and rough they ride im leaving this stock.

 

[Forg]

I've got B8's in my Volvo, and with it's archaic suspension it's still not as harsh a ride as the stock Redline (VF1). If the VF1 had as sloppy a body as the Volvo, there'd be bits of dash all over the carpet by now.

It's possible that the springs aren't a match for the shocks, even if you go with theoretically firmer shocks you may get a better ride if they match the springs. But that's all theoretical.

Where are you in NSW? Maybe give a really good & professional (not a cheap place that caters for the kiddies) suspension mob a call.

As for the VF vs VE appearance … a lot of people have complained of VF's looking like they ride higher … but I think it's just the 19" wheels, did you have 19's on your VE? The lower the tyre profile, the more exaggerated a gap between wheel & guard will appear.

 

[Ron Burgundy]

I would put stock springs back in. Holden would've spent lots of money and testing time to get best overall result ; performance and comfort and tuned ESC accordingly.
It's easy making the car look better by lowering it but you lose other things with that...
Chuck them back in bruz

 

[White Swan]

It's easy making the car look better by lowering it but you lose other things with that...

It's easy to take the cheap option when lowering and end up with an unsatisfactory result.

Eibach have a formidable reputation but obviously these were the wrong springs for what the OP wanted to achieve.

That's where going to a suspension shop that knows their craft is invaluable compared to a run of the mill joint, a good shop can supply the right spec components if they know exactly what you want.

Eibach along with some of the other brands used in high end cars have a huge range of products plus coils with varied ride heights and spring rates and shocks to perfectly match.

 

[berlina411]

FWIW, I tend to agree with Ron. I have not made any mods to my Redline. Sometimes I look at it and think, Yeah maybe I should have it lowered a bit. But then I know, as a stock setup, it handles well through corners and has enough power for what I need or want. The Holden engineers have done well with this setup. Sure, you can mod the car and if that's your thing then great. For me however I am completely satisfied with the way it goes, handles and stops

 

[LS1SS]

I have a set of Bilstiens for a VF fore sale if any one is interested.

 

[Forg]

The Holden engineers have done well with this setup.

I do think this is true; the tweaks they did for MY2015 (new front sway mounts or some-such was it?) and then the recalibration for VF2, that shows they were still R&D’ing actively at a time they could’ve just sat on their hands. Better grip/handling/traction along with a more compliant ride. And the factory’s R&D budget would be difficult for Joe Bloggs Suspension to match, at least in terms of iteratively hypothesising improvements & having the means to test the results.

 

[Ron Burgundy]

It's easy to take the cheap option when lowering and end up with an unsatisfactory result.

Eibach have a formidable reputation but obviously these were the wrong springs for what the OP wanted to achieve.

That's where going to a suspension shop that knows their craft is invaluable compared to a run of the mill joint, a good shop can supply the right spec components if they know exactly what you want.

Eibach along with some of the other brands used in high end cars have a huge range of products plus coils with varied ride heights and spring rates and shocks to perfectly match.

And with dedicated suspension shop ..on how many cars would they install differents variations of suspension components and tested them and fine tune them...
Most places like this are about sales...and volume...
They have no resources to do extensive testing...
They probably can offer some good advice based on experience of other customers but I probably would not rely on that info with great confidence...
Appart from aesthetics there is nothing wrong with FE2 or FE3 suspension...
Especialy if the car is driven on the road...
If you are after dedicated track setup...that's different story...
The OP wants to improve comfort and avoid scraping on what is basically a weekend family car by the sounds of it...
So I reiterate...
Go with stock setup to satisfy above..

 

[Tripxit]

I had SSL springs with stock shocks in my Redline and it wasn't great. They would bottom out on big bumps and just wasn't working in the right range for what that shock was designed for. After I installed Koni's the ride was much better.