i lost the love for this car...
#108
Dave, my car doesnt really feel like it handles as well as the way your describing and im on G/Z springs with coupe struts...
My car feels.... i dont know, not very good on corners. I have the 19s with 245 series tires on all 4 corners (Falken FK452) and honestly, my friends 03 Sedan on stock sport suspension and Michelin Pilot Sport PS2s felt way 'sportier' than my car does. My car feels very... loose almost. It stiffened up a LOT when i had the coupe eibach pro kit on. I could take corners like a fricken champ. There was nothing like being able to feel teh VDC kicking in coming out of corners, right at that limit, and just sticking on the quick toss around corners.
But, it rode like complete **** and i bottomed out with 4 people in the car, so that had to go, and now im back to my more comfortable Z/G coupe setup... doesn't handle as well, but it rides a HELLUVA lot better. I don't live on a race track, and i do a lot of driving, and quite low just wasn't cutting it.
I don't know why though. I get a lot of front plow going into corners and the car feels very heavy. In fact, im almost afraid im doing damage to the car when i hot dog it around cloverleaf's... it might be my upper control arm though. I need to fix that when i get home.
My car feels.... i dont know, not very good on corners. I have the 19s with 245 series tires on all 4 corners (Falken FK452) and honestly, my friends 03 Sedan on stock sport suspension and Michelin Pilot Sport PS2s felt way 'sportier' than my car does. My car feels very... loose almost. It stiffened up a LOT when i had the coupe eibach pro kit on. I could take corners like a fricken champ. There was nothing like being able to feel teh VDC kicking in coming out of corners, right at that limit, and just sticking on the quick toss around corners.
But, it rode like complete **** and i bottomed out with 4 people in the car, so that had to go, and now im back to my more comfortable Z/G coupe setup... doesn't handle as well, but it rides a HELLUVA lot better. I don't live on a race track, and i do a lot of driving, and quite low just wasn't cutting it.
I don't know why though. I get a lot of front plow going into corners and the car feels very heavy. In fact, im almost afraid im doing damage to the car when i hot dog it around cloverleaf's... it might be my upper control arm though. I need to fix that when i get home.
1) 19lbs 18X8 ASA AR1 rims
2) 235/45R18 PZero Nero summer tires, 30psi street
3) Z springs front, coupe springs rear, revised Z shocks
4) Cobb rear sway bar, lowest setting - 70% stiffer than stock
5) 3.54 VLSD (recently added)
Honestly, I can't pin the handling change/improvement to one single thing. Tires are always a big thing and the PZero Neros are very sticky and have great feel. I will admit the car can be a handful above 7/10ths when it's on the all season high performance 215/55R17. The Z shocks do improve handling feel, but they do add more ride firmness. When I push my car into sweeper turn, it just settles in and keeps a nice line while sticking hard. On the auto-x, the G is not the most graceful thing to watch, but auto-x isn't a graceful race. The G can be a handful, but it's a sweet chassis. You can coax it into power oversteer, make it go completely neutral, or put it into terminal oversteer. OR if you don't know what you're doing, it will bite you in the butt.
Your car's handling problems could be related to the Coupe shocks as they might be a bit undervalved for the drop and bigger rims. The shocks could also be worn out. I know my Sport shocks were toast after 65K miles, 40K miles of which were with a 1" drop they weren't intended for. The rears were really bad. But I think biggest culprit is your tires. They're quite a bit taller than stock (about .6-.7 inches). The 245 width in the front plus the taller sidewall might be a bit too much to the point they're not getting fully utilized. Have you experimented with tire pressure? You could reduce some understeer by adding a rear swaybar or upping the rear tire pressure. The understeer could also be related to your driving. If you go too fast into a slower (sub 40mph), tight corner and then try to turn hard, the G is going to plow badly. Been there, done that. The quickest way to get out of that situation (if you've got the room), is to quickly and momentarily turn the wheels out of the intended direction, and then turn back into the intended direction. Yeah, it's sounds backwards, but it works damn good. The real fix is to improve your driving and not get so greddy. The trick is to be as smooth as possible.
#110
#111
Your car's handling problems could be related to the Coupe shocks as they might be a bit undervalved for the drop and bigger rims. The shocks could also be worn out. I know my Sport shocks were toast after 65K miles, 40K miles of which were with a 1" drop they weren't intended for. The rears were really bad. But I think biggest culprit is your tires. They're quite a bit taller than stock (about .6-.7 inches). The 245 width in the front plus the taller sidewall might be a bit too much to the point they're not getting fully utilized. Have you experimented with tire pressure? You could reduce some understeer by adding a rear swaybar or upping the rear tire pressure. The understeer could also be related to your driving. If you go too fast into a slower (sub 40mph), tight corner and then try to turn hard, the G is going to plow badly. Been there, done that. The quickest way to get out of that situation (if you've got the room), is to quickly and momentarily turn the wheels out of the intended direction, and then turn back into the intended direction. Yeah, it's sounds backwards, but it works damn good. The real fix is to improve your driving and not get so greddy. The trick is to be as smooth as possible.
#112
I would go 245/40 if I were you ^^^.... I mean.. the 245/45/18 is too big (compared to stock tire diameter)... and 245/40 is just slightly smaller (diameter wise)...
Just my $0.02
PS - I need some revised struts pronto. I have 156k on my stock sedan struts and I'm dropped on the Z/G combo. They creak like crazy!
Just my $0.02
PS - I need some revised struts pronto. I have 156k on my stock sedan struts and I'm dropped on the Z/G combo. They creak like crazy!
#113
I would go 245/40 if I were you ^^^.... I mean.. the 245/45/18 is too big (compared to stock tire diameter)... and 245/40 is just slightly smaller (diameter wise)...
Just my $0.02
PS - I need some revised struts pronto. I have 156k on my stock sedan struts and I'm dropped on the Z/G combo. They creak like crazy!
Just my $0.02
PS - I need some revised struts pronto. I have 156k on my stock sedan struts and I'm dropped on the Z/G combo. They creak like crazy!
235/45/18 = 26.32 overall diamater
245/45/18 = 26.68 overall diamater at 60mph i will be going 59.1 mph
245/40/18 = 25.71 overall diameter at 60mph i will be going 61.4 mph
245/45 is bigger but CLOSER to original size. i ran 235/45 and 265/40 last summer, loved it and PREFECT sizing.
I dont know too much on tires and etc. I'm keeping the car thru this summer so i might as well put some nice summer rubber on it and see if i can enjoy it.
#114
Haha, I'm a mechanical engineering major. I will be pursuing my MBA as well after I get my BS. I already work as a co-op for a large company.. And feel like I have my life in a good direction. I'm not getting ahead of myself and dropping big cash on something new now though... No point. Plus nothing in life is guaranteed, so I don't wanna be presumptuous. I definitely didn't mean to sound like a pompous ***** and act like i'd drop $100k on a car lol. I will forever buy used. Even if it's 10k miles on the sucker it's typically at least 60% the price of new. Besides, I'm partial to the E39 M5
It can be done. I'm 29 and a mechanical engineer. Graduated when I was 23. But instead of the $100K AMG, I own 2 peices of property. A house, a beachfront condo. When it came time for a new car for me, i bought a 4-year old used Infiniti. When you start making some good $$, you stop caring about your cars and start caring about real estate, investments, stocks, etc.
But i have promised myself a Porsche 911 convertible for my 35th birthday.
#116
That's where I hope to be, Mustang!
It's definitely not easy my friend. I like what I do, but it takes a lot of determination! I'm only halfway through school so far so I hope I'll make it lol
It's definitely not easy my friend. I like what I do, but it takes a lot of determination! I'm only halfway through school so far so I hope I'll make it lol
#118
yea but i plug the sizes in the tire calcaultor came up with
235/45/18 = 26.32 overall diamater
245/45/18 = 26.68 overall diamater at 60mph i will be going 59.1 mph
245/40/18 = 25.71 overall diameter at 60mph i will be going 61.4 mph
245/45 is bigger but CLOSER to original size. i ran 235/45 and 265/40 last summer, loved it and PREFECT sizing.
I dont know too much on tires and etc. I'm keeping the car thru this summer so i might as well put some nice summer rubber on it and see if i can enjoy it.
235/45/18 = 26.32 overall diamater
245/45/18 = 26.68 overall diamater at 60mph i will be going 59.1 mph
245/40/18 = 25.71 overall diameter at 60mph i will be going 61.4 mph
245/45 is bigger but CLOSER to original size. i ran 235/45 and 265/40 last summer, loved it and PREFECT sizing.
I dont know too much on tires and etc. I'm keeping the car thru this summer so i might as well put some nice summer rubber on it and see if i can enjoy it.
1) More selection, cheaper
2) Will look better. The 235/45s look too tall, IMO.
3) Lighter
4) Shorter sidewall means better response on turns.
IMO, a 245/45R18 will look like a ballons. The 8.5 rim should help a little, but they'll still look pretty tall.
#119
I wish i could show you some of the stuff i do, but i have signed NDA's so i can't.