What you suggest for a guy like me that LOVE stock suspension BUT, wants to get rid of the GAP? I don't want to be "slammed" or either "tuck" any tire, just a nice sporty appearance. :iono:
I really believe after experiencing this process myself that, without being scientific about it, going from stock to coils and back gives you an appreciation for the fine tuning that goes into this car's suspension engineering. I just don't think anyone less than a perfectionist with solid understanding of mechanics would be able to maintain or extract true performance gains from a lowered setup on these cars. At minimum, having corner balancing done seems like a requirement for anyone looking for more than to "get rid of that gap".
I really believe after experiencing this process myself that, without being scientific about it, going from stock to coils and back gives you an appreciation for the fine tuning that goes into this car's suspension engineering. I just don't think anyone less than a perfectionist with solid understanding of mechanics would be able to maintain or extract true performance gains from a lowered setup on these cars. At minimum, having corner balancing done seems like a requirement for anyone looking for more than to "get rid of that gap".
how can i know if installing FK shocks and springs might ruin the car's handling?if that is possible in the first place?
I am sure gramble knows this, but in the industry a lot of the ride and handling engineer, aside from looking at data and tuning on test stands, they also do subjective tuning with their "calibrated butt"....people who are good at stuff like that are really good at it. They can tell a shake or rattle in the suspension down to where it is happening and what to do about it....
Well, if you know:
-How much you're lowering the COG
-Where the center of gravity is
-Trackwidth
-Roll Center
-And other suspension characteristics listed in the OP
You should be able to find how much load transfer will change. The problem is the Tedious work of finding all of those variables.
I did a thread a while back about mass properties and finding you're center of gravity. Check through my threads and that should help you out there. I'll do my best one lonely afternoon to mock up something worthwhile for you gents.
As far as dampening values and spring rates are concered, again, I will iterate that companies normally dont give that sort of information out, so deteremning you're ride quality will be a bit harder to quantify.
don't all the major suspension companies out there do these calculations before they release their products? i don't care much about the ride comfort. i want to enjoy twisty mountain roads so firmer is better for me. they probably lower the car by 1" all around.
Then there you go. You've answered you're own question. If you dont car about ride comfort, I'd definitely say get coilovers.
From personal experience, I've done NVH, BSR (Bump Squeak Rattle), Windnoise and Driving Experience evaluation for JD Power IQS activities. Its nothing more than sitting in a car and going with your instincts on what rides good and what sounds are annoying. It can be very subjective sometimes, thats why we use a lot of transducers, microphones, and frequency modulators to accurately quantify those characteristics, so its not totally based off someone's opinion. However, experience starts to trump the doubt.