Recent Ground Control Reviews
01-14-13, 10:24 PM
#1
Senior Member
Thread Starter
iTrader: (4)
Join Date: Apr 2009
Location: OR
Posts: 279
Likes: 0
Received 0 Likes
on
0 Posts
Recent Ground Control Reviews
So I posted this in the Suspension Forum but I want to get as wide of a set of opinions as possible, so I'm posting it here as well. Please chime in with opinions if you have something to back it up.
I know this has probably been done to death, but as I *finally* have a little spare cash I am looking into playing with my suspension. I've got an FD and I've recently replaced the pillow ***** with ones purchased via Atomic Rex, and now I'm looking at shocks and springs or cheap coilovers. I have searched quite a bit, and considering my budget of around $1000 I am heavily leaning towards a Ground Control kit with some Koni Yellows.
That being said the car is daily driven, so ride comfort is fairly important here in "dueling banjos" oregon. During my searching around I've heard many good things about the GC+Koni setup but recently there have been a lot of comments of "why bother with the yellows when there are so many better dampeners out there and good springs will work with them just fine". So I am curious for some clarification on that.
Also I read through HowardColeman's post on how to setup an FD suspension and remember he talked about using the factory upper spring mounts in lieu of a pillow ball or similar and I have been wondering if in that should be carried over to something like the GCs and lose the top mounting plate, in which case wouldn't it just be better to snag a threaded sleeve and do a "build my own" GC kit?
And of course in the face of all of this, would a coilover just be better overall? something like Tein SS or the offering from Pettit? I'm open to different ideas, and nothing is set in stone yet, but I would love to hear anything someone with more experience has to say on the matter.
Thanks ahead of time,
Andrew
tldr: is GC still good considering the new shocks/springs available, and how should they be setup for best effect, would a coilover be better since the car is my DD
I know this has probably been done to death, but as I *finally* have a little spare cash I am looking into playing with my suspension. I've got an FD and I've recently replaced the pillow ***** with ones purchased via Atomic Rex, and now I'm looking at shocks and springs or cheap coilovers. I have searched quite a bit, and considering my budget of around $1000 I am heavily leaning towards a Ground Control kit with some Koni Yellows.
That being said the car is daily driven, so ride comfort is fairly important here in "dueling banjos" oregon. During my searching around I've heard many good things about the GC+Koni setup but recently there have been a lot of comments of "why bother with the yellows when there are so many better dampeners out there and good springs will work with them just fine". So I am curious for some clarification on that.
Also I read through HowardColeman's post on how to setup an FD suspension and remember he talked about using the factory upper spring mounts in lieu of a pillow ball or similar and I have been wondering if in that should be carried over to something like the GCs and lose the top mounting plate, in which case wouldn't it just be better to snag a threaded sleeve and do a "build my own" GC kit?
And of course in the face of all of this, would a coilover just be better overall? something like Tein SS or the offering from Pettit? I'm open to different ideas, and nothing is set in stone yet, but I would love to hear anything someone with more experience has to say on the matter.
Thanks ahead of time,
Andrew
tldr: is GC still good considering the new shocks/springs available, and how should they be setup for best effect, would a coilover be better since the car is my DD
01-15-13, 12:07 AM
#2
Coilovers ultimately provide the best "tuneability".
They are primarily reserved for the track where this capability really matters. The ability to adjust overall ride height, corner balance, dampening, and rebound is where they shine. With this, much of the "racing" necessity parts bleed over to street cars.
For the street, there can be a large advantage. If you are looking to significantly lower your car they can help aid in giving you a better ride as the car is lowered. Also, lowering with springs sometimes gives a slight offset in height. Much of this is caused by the rubber top mount you mentioned condensing more on the drivers side.
I have yet to use the Ground Control setup, but I also have been considering them. The problem with purchasing the entire setup new, is it really comes close to the cost of a quality entry level coilover.
On the opposite side, a good shock and spring will provide more than enough handling capability for your FD. The Koni shock does also have a 3 way adjustable perch, that can help further lower the car if used with a traditional spring. I have been running Apexi 7-way adjustable shocks with Eibach Prokit springs for a year now. For the street, they are great. Coupled with full PowerFlex poly bushings, they provide a relatively comfortable ride but more than enough handling capability. My car is far from a DD, but if needed, it would be comparable.
I personally feel the GC setup or even a good shock and spring setup would be fine for your needs. With this, I have also heard good things about the Apexi EXV's...
Apexi EXV Coilovers
Some food for thought.
They are primarily reserved for the track where this capability really matters. The ability to adjust overall ride height, corner balance, dampening, and rebound is where they shine. With this, much of the "racing" necessity parts bleed over to street cars.
For the street, there can be a large advantage. If you are looking to significantly lower your car they can help aid in giving you a better ride as the car is lowered. Also, lowering with springs sometimes gives a slight offset in height. Much of this is caused by the rubber top mount you mentioned condensing more on the drivers side.
I have yet to use the Ground Control setup, but I also have been considering them. The problem with purchasing the entire setup new, is it really comes close to the cost of a quality entry level coilover.
On the opposite side, a good shock and spring will provide more than enough handling capability for your FD. The Koni shock does also have a 3 way adjustable perch, that can help further lower the car if used with a traditional spring. I have been running Apexi 7-way adjustable shocks with Eibach Prokit springs for a year now. For the street, they are great. Coupled with full PowerFlex poly bushings, they provide a relatively comfortable ride but more than enough handling capability. My car is far from a DD, but if needed, it would be comparable.
I personally feel the GC setup or even a good shock and spring setup would be fine for your needs. With this, I have also heard good things about the Apexi EXV's...
Apexi EXV Coilovers
Some food for thought.
01-15-13, 05:13 AM
#3
I've read many good things about the ground control/Koni yellow set ups. It seems to be popular among all imports really. That being said I've never personally rode in a car with them.
I also run the eibach prokit springs as they were the most recommended if you could manage to get your hands on a set. Here's the cost break down:
Eibach springs ~$200 used
New oem spring seats and shock mounts ~$340
Low mileage touring shocks ~$200
$740~ give or take. Don't even try to use your stock spring seats and shock mounts. At 42k, mine were toast. For slightly more you could get a decent entry level coil over and have slightly more adjustability. The tein ss with the right spring rates or even Rishies stance set up are about $1200 I think. I'll have to double check, but with a little more patience you could have an expert set up.
I love my eibach set up. It rides and performs extremely well for a lowering spring on a stock shock. I've had bad experiences with lowering springs and stock shocks but not with these.
If you're looking for a purely street application, go with an eibach set up. If you want track duty, save for some coil overs.
Matt
I also run the eibach prokit springs as they were the most recommended if you could manage to get your hands on a set. Here's the cost break down:
Eibach springs ~$200 used
New oem spring seats and shock mounts ~$340
Low mileage touring shocks ~$200
$740~ give or take. Don't even try to use your stock spring seats and shock mounts. At 42k, mine were toast. For slightly more you could get a decent entry level coil over and have slightly more adjustability. The tein ss with the right spring rates or even Rishies stance set up are about $1200 I think. I'll have to double check, but with a little more patience you could have an expert set up.
I love my eibach set up. It rides and performs extremely well for a lowering spring on a stock shock. I've had bad experiences with lowering springs and stock shocks but not with these.
If you're looking for a purely street application, go with an eibach set up. If you want track duty, save for some coil overs.
Matt
Thread
Thread Starter
Forum
Replies
Last Post