Thinking of putting the stock springs back in my VFII Redline

[Forg]

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...

In my experience, a supplier who’s good will tell you if they don’t know, or can’t do what you want.

There’s a problem in knowing who’s actually ‘good’ though; and additionally, despite our stock Redline not looking super low, it would annoy the living crap outta me if it were any lower, slamming onto speed-bumps that I’ve gingerly rolled over isn’t uncommon.

 

[[paradox]]

i think if there's one thing i learned over the years is if you are going to change suspension, do it properly.

in my VT i went from good old FE1? to a full whiteline strut/spring/swaybar setup. it was probably the most bone jarring car i have ever owned.
i was young, it was cool, but i dont think id ever do it again.

in my VE i went from FE2, to second hand koni fsd + eibach, self install but "proper" alignment done, never felt right car was so unpredictable,
went to various places to try and get it sorted, some said other bushes were gone, others said it was just the shocks themselves.
ended up putting in pedders xas, the car was more predictable, the ride was harsh, even backing off the adjustability to 5/30, they failed after about 18 months (maybe 12k kms), fought with pedders to get them replaced. had the two sets on their for the majority of the 10 years i owned it.

coming to my VF, honestly im disappointed in the ride. i see a lot of people here praise it. but i just find it bouncy and twitchy. granted where ive come from. my wifes STI, is much more predictable and firm but not harsh. id expect the redline to be on par with it, but its just not. i know its a bigger heavier car but its disappointing to me.

I think for the OP, going back to stock springs is a good idea. or if you want to spend money go talk to someone like MCA and get a custom valved coilover made up for what you are after.

myself im going back to coilovers, most probably shock works.

 

[gluten3]

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

I totally agree, the Redline suspension is great. Don't mess with it.

 

[King Brown]

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.

Hilarious !!!
The same could be said for all other manufacturer designed componentry. Why 'take the risk' with any mods ???

( BTW …. a little tongue in cheek )

 

[Ron Burgundy]

Hilarious !!!
The same could be said for all other manufacturer designed componentry. Why 'take the risk' with any mods ???

( BTW …. a little tongue in cheek )

You are missing the point bruz...
Read what he intends to do with the car and what the issue is...

 

[Milo 6.0]

My s1 vf ssv wagon has the roughest stock suspension of any car ive owned in my life,im used to it now but when I first got it,it was like a kinghit in the throat,rough as guts,almost as harsh as my eb ghia v8 with boge shocks and king super lows with full nolathane bushes throughout,holden lol wtf did you do wrong.

 

[Strattos]

I've lowered my base model SS using King springs and Monroe GT Sport shocks - and I've noticed this combo criticised a fair bit in terms of the Kings springs being harsh and the Monroe shocks being unreliable - but tbh I haven't had an issue after more than 20,000ks and would do it again over stock any day for the price.

I know I'm starting from behind by not having the Redline suspension but pretty much everything my suspension guy (his business specialises in suspension/steering alignment) predicted is how it turned out.

Over the smaller bumps I really don't notice a difference compared to the stock. Must say here that given how high the bloody car was from stock, I was pretty diappointed how harsh it rode considering it was so far off the ground.

As per my suspension guy's predictions, the only time I really notice the difference in ride quality is with the bigger/sharper hits in the road, which are noticably harsher. But for me it's an easy trade off given I'm not generally encountering those conditions all the time.

As a proportion for how much I lowered my car compared to stock, the ride quality definitely hasn't suffered to the same extent, if you know what I mean.

Having said all that, I know there are definitely better options, such as coilovers from what I've read, but I'm wondering if some peoples' bad experiences relate to not upgrading the shocks as well.

 

[RED LION]

I've lowered my base model SS using King springs and Monroe GT Sport shocks - and I've noticed this combo criticised a fair bit in terms of the Kings springs being harsh and the Monroe shocks being unreliable - but tbh I haven't had an issue after more than 20,000ks and would do it again over stock any day for the price.

I know I'm starting from behind by not having the Redline suspension but pretty much everything my suspension guy (his business specialises in suspension/steering alignment) predicted is how it turned out.

Over the smaller bumps I really don't notice a difference compared to the stock. Must say here that given how high the bloody car was from stock, I was pretty diappointed how harsh it rode considering it was so far off the ground.

As per my suspension guy's predictions, the only time I really notice the difference in ride quality is with the bigger/sharper hits in the road, which are noticably harsher. But for me it's an easy trade off given I'm not generally encountering those conditions all the time.

As a proportion for how much I lowered my car compared to stock, the ride quality definitely hasn't suffered to the same extent, if you know what I mean.

Having said all that, I know there are definitely better options, such as coilovers from what I've read, but I'm wondering if some peoples' bad experiences relate to not upgrading the shocks as well.

I agree. The King Spring/Monroe combination is good. Looks better and isn’t too harsh.

 

[blackve76]

Lowered springs on stock shocks = crap ride. Your stock shocks are probably stuffed now, I would get a set of good short Strick shocks that will give a better ride, I've done kings and Monroe Gt shocks on several VE VFS and have a good ride on SL springs, under SSL the ride gets a bit harsh.

 

[Paulie81]

I have booked the car in to get this stock spring installed this week. Should I get the front strut mount bushings replaced whilst its being done or am I just burning money? The car only has 22,000kms on the clock.