COILOVERS VS 1LE

[SLY5ACE]

i have a 2013 camaro ss 1le and my question is, how much better are coilovers and which is the best coilovers for autocross and road course racing ???

[bkevind]

I've wondered the same.

For Autocross, if you care to be competitive you'll want to stay in the stock class for the car which I think is FS. In that case you're very limited in what mods you can do. You can replace the shocks but not springs for example. Serious autocrossers spend a LOT on custom shocks, and other semi-legal tweaks to be able to get more adjustment out of their suspension (like bending OEM components to get more negative camber).

Coilovers - it's a just word that means coil spring over shock. But it's usually meant from an aftermarket perspective that you're getting a threaded shock body that allows you to adjust the height and more importantly corner balance the car.

You can get coilovers that are worse in every way than OEM suspension (except for being able to "slam it", and perceived handling improvement because of stiffer springs but actually get worse handling), on the flip side you can pay several thousands for a truly good setup, something like double or triple adjustable Penske's would be on the pricey side. There are other top end suspension companies that will probably do whatever you want to your specs. And lots in between. Depends on what you are really looking to do.

I'm considering the KW Variant 3 coilovers, or less likely the BC Racing ER series. Either of these are mid tier, will be an improvement to OEM for the street and decent enough for track days. Figure about 2500 for this level.

Or just stay stock, the car will be better than most of us can fully exploit, but upgrades do help us go faster even if we're not getting the most out of it.

Commonly for track work I think the first recommendation here is to make sure your brakes are up to the job, heavy car will heat up the brakes fast.

[frenchsquared]

Brakes and tires are most important first step, but the OP was just looking for the single question.

The bonus to stock 1LE or Z28 is its all set. With the coil overs you have to learn or know how to adjust them to make them better. I think it would be easy to make the car worse.

I have read on this forum that a few guys took the 1LE off and bought the Z28. I would be researching that to make sure I wouldn't be better off starting with the Z28 stuff.

[Lonewolf583]

As someone running the Z28 kit, I can attest they have this thing freaking dialed. I run slicks in ESP and for most courses it's a riot. However, there is there is no adjustability on damping. I'm less concerned with spring rates and ride height, as provided they seem like a pretty solid compromise between street/track for me. Ride height, especially on mcstrut cars, is best kept near stock anyways.

If you want to bolt on parts and go, get the Z28 kit. If you want something that drives better than that - you've got your work cutout for you, but you will have adjustability if you put in the time.

[bkevind]

At the top of my list of interest right now is the Ohlins R&T, with the Multimatic DSSV not far behind.

The Ohlins interest me because (well Ohlins!) of the DFV tech, known to be compliant over bumps but return the wheel as quickly as possible to the pavement to maintain traction. VS. a stiff setup that can have you skittering over bumps, losing more time with a tire not touching, therefore not gripping.

Bumpy back roads where I live, and most Texas tracks are pretty bumpy, except for COTA.

[lionssfan]

1le system I would die for on my 2010. I have coilovers and there rough ride for everyday driving. so the z28 struts are being sold? do they only work on a 1le car? if they had a upgrade for my car module and wiring for the struts I would buy one.