Springs Or Coilovers

[MemphisRaines]

I am hoping everyone here can help me decide between springs or coilovers. Leave brands out...once I decide which way to go then I'll look at what brand to go with.

I am not at all concerned about look. I plan to race the car (on a track). Now, I've never raced a car before so I'm an absolute beginner. I am fortunate enough to live close to a race track that several times a year has track days and high performance schools. The plan is to learn how to get the most out of the Camaro on the track. I have no plans to drag race it at all. Also plan to keep the stock wheels and tires for now...at least until the tires need to be replaced and then I will still likely keep the stock wheels.

It is not my daily driver but when the weather allows I do drive it to work, essentially it's a daily driver when the weather allows - It is not specifically a track car. I just like driving it too much to leave in the garage on nice days!

I have spent some time in the classroom already learning how to drive and the recommendation from experienced drivers is to upgrade suspension first, then brakes, then horsepower and that is the path I plan to take.

Cost isn't necessarily a factor but I do not have an unlimited budget (the wife does see the savings account balance) and down the road will need to add brakes, supercharger, etc.

Having said all that what are thoughts on how to proceed. I was initially going to go with springs and sways figuring that's a good entry point... relatively low cost and it will improve performance on the track...but I've recently seen some coilovers out there for just over $1,000 (BC Racing).

Coilovers seem to have a lot going for them - adjustability, don't lose any suspension travel, etc. The downside is cost though, if I can get 80% of the performance from springs at half or less of the cost that's a good value in my book.

So, those of you with experience can you give me your two cents on recommendations. I'm leaning towards springs and sways but it's like 60/40 but if coilovers will give me 300% of the performance of springs for 150% more that may be the way I go.

Thanks!

[SupremacyCustoms]

Springs are nice but they do not come close to a good set of coilovers. If your going to be at the track alot you will get your money worth. With the coilovers being able to drop the car lower and a more stiff ride Handling is increased Greatly.

[Michael_Js]

+1 with above...especially for racing! A good set of Pfadt coilovers

[Nine Ball]

I'd recommend getting your driving skill first. Do at least a few track weekends with instructors, learn the nuances and limits of your Camaro as-is. Then begin to do subtle modifications with each visit, to really feel the improvements. People often make the mistake of throwing a lot of good money at hardware up front, without being able to maximize what they already have.

Seems you already know the pros-cons for each type of setup. The question then becomes if you want to spend that much, or if you will actually use/need the hardware. I know of countless Viper owners with $5,000 coil-overs that are installed on cars that never see a roadcourse.

Coil-overs are always better than just springs. Everybody has their own limit of budget and use though. No advice will help here.

Tony

[SSRSLY]

Originally Posted by Nine Ball

I'd recommend getting your driving skill first. Do at least a few track weekends with instructors, learn the nuances and limits of your Camaro as-is.

I wholeheartedly agree. I was always out driven in my old Mustang, that had springs, shocks, LCA's, and C/C plates, by an instructor in a completely stock car. No amount of suspension mods can make up for wheel time.

[PfadtRacing]

I think an important question to ask is: What are you intending to use the vehicle for? You already know the answer so that is half the battle.

The drop springs will give you a great aesthetic look and a slightly firmer feel to your suspension. There are differences between the manufacturers of drop springs, so investigate exactly which set of springs will get you the right drop, durability and ride quality. A good set of springs will improve the ride by adding a firm but not harsh feel. You'll probably need to get opinions from end users on the relative ride quality of springs. This is a good solution that requires minimal cost for parts and installation, and will provide a similar ride quality to what the Camaro already has.

If you are interested in gaining more performance, you could achieve the same drop with a coil-over solution and gain a lot of other things in the process. The benefits of coilovers in general and Pfadt units in particular are tunable damping and adjustable ride height. The adjustable damping fits well with any ride quality concern, because the damping plays a large role in ride quality. With the Pfadt coilovers there are 20 damping positions that will allow you to tailor the ride to suit your taste. Think of this as custom valving that you can change with a few twists of a knob. The softer damping settings provide better ride quality. There is obviously a substantial increase in cost when making the move to coilovers. But the added performance, tuning aspects, and adjustability make them well worth a consideration. There are a lot of differences between coilover manufacturers, so be sure to research this accordingly.

And as a final note, since you are interested in taking a performance based approach I suggest that sway bar upgrades are a great tuning option. They have the ability to affect car balance without ride quality compromise. These, matched with a coil spring package or coilovers can offer a tremendous amount in terms of performance increase, and maintain great "ride" quality, relative to OEM.

If you are certain you are going to race the car at track events, you will not be wasting your time and money if you purchase the right coilovers. If you are unsure exactly how much you will be tracking the car, then maybe its a better option to start small, and just upgrade the springs and sway bars. Then make the move to coilovers once you get a good feel for the Camaro chassis on a track, and can benefit from the added performance. That way you can take what you learn on the track from your springs and sways, and make the right decision on what features you need in the coilovers you want to upgrade to.

Hope that helps. Let me know if you have any specific questions regarding suspension upgrades for your vehicle.

[Info@PeddersUSA.com]

Originally Posted by MemphisRaines

I am hoping everyone here can help me decide between springs or coilovers. Leave brands out...once I decide which way to go then I'll look at what brand to go with.

I am not at all concerned about look. I plan to race the car (on a track). Now, I've never raced a car before so I'm an absolute beginner. I am fortunate enough to live close to a race track that several times a year has track days and high performance schools. The plan is to learn how to get the most out of the Camaro on the track. I have no plans to drag race it at all. Also plan to keep the stock wheels and tires for now...at least until the tires need to be replaced and then I will still likely keep the stock wheels.

It is not my daily driver but when the weather allows I do drive it to work, essentially it's a daily driver when the weather allows - It is not specifically a track car. I just like driving it too much to leave in the garage on nice days!

I have spent some time in the classroom already learning how to drive and the recommendation from experienced drivers is to upgrade suspension first, then brakes, then horsepower and that is the path I plan to take.

Cost isn't necessarily a factor but I do not have an unlimited budget (the wife does see the savings account balance) and down the road will need to add brakes, supercharger, etc.

Having said all that what are thoughts on how to proceed. I was initially going to go with springs and sways figuring that's a good entry point... relatively low cost and it will improve performance on the track...but I've recently seen some coilovers out there for just over $1,000 (BC Racing).

Coilovers seem to have a lot going for them - adjustability, don't lose any suspension travel, etc. The downside is cost though, if I can get 80% of the performance from springs at half or less of the cost that's a good value in my book.

So, those of you with experience can you give me your two cents on recommendations. I'm leaning towards springs and sways but it's like 60/40 but if coilovers will give me 300% of the performance of springs for 150% more that may be the way I go.

Thanks!

If you are going to track your Camaro, then hands down our Pedders Xa coil overs will be far superior than just drop coils with higher rates. With our coil overs, you will be able to drive to the track at sport comfort levels, then change the "clicks" to road race levels, and off you go. Depending on the track, we are seeing over a 2.5 to 4 second improvement with strut height and damping level improvements. Also if you are serious about tracking your Camaro, you should read and throughly understand the write-up we did on the analysis of the Camaro suspension. There are lots of opportuniities for improvement that are not related to dampers, shocks, and sway bars.

So check this out:

Understanding the Camaro Suspension

Here is a utube of the Pedders Camaro thru a autocross, and on the track being chased by a ZR1:

If you have any questons, just ask

thanks
mike
dms

[toehead93]

I'd go with coiovers especially because you want to learn how to race your car. As mentioned the suspension will help but the most important factor is the drive. I am in the same position as you, I have never road raced but I have a nice locaal track and a friend who is a driving instructor. So I plan to take advantage of him. I went with coilovers. If you do decide to just do springs I would compliment them with sway bars.

[Number 3]

Well I had a good answer until two of the better known suppliers gave their answers. Of course for entertainment we should ask them to tell us why their solution is better than the other guys. LOL, no don't go there.

But the simplest answer taken from the above is adjustability. If you can find a set the allows you to adjust spring preload, and both compression and rebound damping you have it.

This is one of the advantages of the MR shocks GM uses on the Corvette and CTS-V. You can adjust the damping to some pre programmed levels to change the "balance" between ride and handling.

Your Camaro has a very well tuned suspension. But it was done to achieve an overall ballance between performance and general driving. A car tuned for the track, say a Z06 is actually a pretty hard ride to take on vacation, but at the track, not much fiddling required.

As Mike points out, you can drive the car to the track in relative comfort and then switch to the track settings fairly quickly.

Keep in mind most performance motorcycles offer this suspension adjustability. It's just very expensive to make standard on a car in the Camaros price range.

Also, as Pfadt mentions, you can go a cheaper route. You can specifically taylor the car to the one track you'll be driving. Get a set of springs and some shocks that set the car up right. But again the advantage of adjustability is you can tweak it for different tracks etc.

But again, redundant answers to previous posts. Good luck and drive safe.

[Bruce@raymondsperformance]

I have been club racing a camaro for serveral years now.There is no subtitute for seat time.I would not go over board with up grades at first because as you get faster you will start to learn what you need, such as more suspension or brakes or power.If you start the up grades right out of the box you are going to end up with a pile of parts that didn't work as planned.If you are going to start with up grades such as the springs or coil overs go with a set of good coil overs to begin with they are going to be much better not to mention as you driving improves you can adjust them as you go.If you replace the springs and shocks to start with you will replace them with coil overs and end up with some used race parts and we all know what they are worth.Best advice I ever got when starting was learn to drive what I had then research the parts you need not what the other guys are running it will save alot of money in the end.But if you have never road raced you are going to have a blast regardless of how fast you go.

[Circuit Motorsports]

You already have a lot of good info here.

Get your car, and go to your first track day/HPDE event. See how the car feels, think about what YOU feel should be improved upon and go from there. Heck, you may think it's perfect, or you may even hate track days.

The ONE thing I would definitely improve before a lapping day is brakes. Get some good pads and brake fluid. You'll fry the stock ones otherwise and cut your day short.

After some seat time you can get a better idea if springs and sways is enough for you or if a set of coilovers is the way to go. You can also take a look at your budget at that time. We should have the BCR coilovers within a couple weeks time, and those will be another option for you.

If you have any questions on anything here, please feel free to PM us

[PfadtRacing]

Originally Posted by raymo1

There is no subtitute for seat time.I would not go over board with up grades at first because as you get faster you will start to learn what you need, such as more suspension or brakes or power....But if you have never road raced you are going to have a blast regardless of how fast you go.

Originally Posted by Circuit Motorsports

Get your car, and go to your first track day/HPDE event. See how the car feels, think about what YOU feel should be improved upon and go from there. Heck, you may think it's perfect, or you may even hate track days.

This is excellent advice in my opinion. Getting a good baseline for you and your car's capabilities is essential. Cant stress that enough... good stuff guys.

[MemphisRaines]

Thanks to everyone who chimed in. I was going to go with springs and sways before I headed to the track but I will wait based on the feedback you guys gave. My first track time is end of March, we'll see how that goes and then figure out what if anything I need to upgrade.

Thanks again for the input.
C.

[boro62]

I agree with what most of what is being said here. First off, if your going to track your car, seat time is #1. Save the mod money and spend it on track time. If you plan on upgrading your suspension, definately go with coils over springs. I personally went with the KW V3, and it has been a night and day difference for me. I am sure that Pedders and Pfadt make great coils from what I've read, but I don't have any personal experience with them.

Personally, I would do 1 mod at a time. Go to the track stock and learn/get a feel of the stock suspension, then swap for coils, track it some more and see how you like it. If you toss a bunch of stuff on it at once, and track it, your going to have a harder time actually figureing out what you liked and what help you improve the most on the track.

I do agree with one of the above guys saying that pads and brake fluid is a must, and would definately do that. You really don't realize how hard you push your brake's from normal driving vs on the track.