wdigitog

all you road racers out there: what spring rates are you running for autocross?, tarck days? can 12" aftermarket springs work? the stock rears are 14" tall, but i can only find 12" aftermarket springs....will a 12" 200lb rear coil keep stock height?

Dewey316

If you get an aftermarket spring, you will need something like the all-star spring perch. ground-control also makes spring perches. The GC ones accept a spring with a pig-tail like stock, the all-stars take a standard racing spring.

as for the rates, you don't have nearly enough information listed there to even guess at guess at spring rates.

wdigitog

thanks dewey....i'm getting the standard understeer and and want a more neutral/oversteer balance. it's a '83 z-28 with stock springs, bilstein struts and shocks, 34mm front, 24mm rear bars/ urethane bushings, SFC's, aftermarket control arms and track bar...i really don't want to lower the car 'cause i drive it on weekends shopping and i know the driveways would scrape the undercarriage lowered. i think if i put 150-175lb rears, i'd be more neutral. what do you think? if i put 12" REARS WITH SPACERS?

Dewey316

both G-C and all stars perches, are adjustable for height, so you can keep the look you want.

the best spring rate may not be the best bet here. A sligthly stiffer rear sway-bar, alignment up front, and so fourth may be all it takes. without knowing the exact rates of the springs you have, and also driving the car, it is hard for anyone here to give you a spring rate recomendation. If i know the rates you had, and drove the car myself, I might be able to make a suggestion then. But then that would set the car up the way 'I' like it. You might have to do some expermenting with springs and sway bar settings alike. Really, if you are understeering, idealy, instead of taking traction away from the rear, you would instead add traction up front.

wdigitog

you mean i should soften the front springs? i'm tight, so i need to either firm the rear or soften the front. if i were loose, i'd need to firm up the front or soften the rear. i'm running stock z-28 springs: 550 front and 109 rear

Dewey316

This is a tough one, you really have to determine how bad it is, it might be that a good performance alignment will give you enough front grip, to balance it out. It may be, that a slightly larger sway bar is enough, it might be that you need higher rate springs.

going to a 200# spring is a HUGE change, about a 46% change. that is huge.

What is the primary use of the car, it might be that a 4 corner spring swap is what is really needed.

wdigitog

dewey, thanks for all your comments....yea, i just need to get in there and experiment.....i was lazy and want an easy way out....no substitute for trial and error, 'cause every car and use is different. thanks also for the camber plate response.....i got an old car in the northeast and that's a bad combination. i've been replacing/upgrading almost every suspension part since i bought it 4 years ago.......it's a fun hobby and i'm enjoying it. stan

Axoid

Also keep in mind that each driver is different, with a different style. What works for one guy may not work for you. My co-driver last year found that out, he hates my car.