C3 Front suspension

SuperBuickGuy said:
MYBAD79 said:
clutchdust said:
At the risk of getting flamed (although less likely here than elsewhere), my suggestion would be to save all the money you're planning on spending on a c3 and buy a decent, used Miata or something if you're plan is autocross and track days.
Just my opinion, but having logged roughly 3000 track and autocross miles on a c3 I can tell you they make fun street cars or great full out race cars, but pretty much suck at anything in between.
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talking from experience here... had a Miata and currently have a C3 and a C6. The C6 handles really good but due to weight I believe the Miata will be hard to beat on a tight AutoX course. I'd have to dump a lot more money into the C3 to get it even close to the handling of a Miata....
the car smiles but it doesn't matter if others only see the taillights....LOL
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as my dad says - anyone can do things the easy way.... yet still, the question remains about front suspension upgrades to C3 Corvettes.... when I need advice on setting up a miata, I'll go ask on a miata site. :D
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:D So many ways to screw a pooch....

I don't race my car, so all I can say is what I have done, and to say I am very happy with results....YMMV, especially with tires/wheels....

460 lbs VBP front springs, Bilstein shocks/VBP supplier....Poly bushings at first but now thinking to stick with stock rubber....cross support in front was noticed IMMEDIATELY as a GREAT imporvement, but need ditch mechanical fan to so it without a act of God....

Ditch rear steel spring, I use VBP plastic 360 spring Bilsteins....8" bolts....

now years ago I went with C4 17" wheels, keep it all vette, and PRICE....

currently '89 wheels

Did my own rack ten years ago, works fine today, tmrw? who knows.....

Gotta say that ride improvement alone was worth the springs/shocks....

the steering being quickened up by a turn of the wheel, makes it handle great with modern rubber....

after the above, I question how much bang/buck ratio is available...and that shit is ALL subjective....

I stay outta most of these suspension threads when the ME's start talking cause I dunno shit, really....so I had mine done well before any .net related groups, and have found little to no reason to change, other than the rack conversion ten years ago....

:crutches::friends:
 
SuperBuickGuy said:
I'm curious what, if any, upgrades could or should be made to the front of a car whose use is autocross/open track days?
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how much money do you want to spend ?

550lbs springs (coils) and Bilstein or Koni shocks are a very good start, front dualmount spring seems to be really good - based on the performance of the rer dualmount that I just installed.
Conversion to C5 or C6 front/rear suspension seems to be the best way to go.... involves cutting and welding...
now, to make it fast on a AutoX track you probably want to get the weight under 3000 lbs and ditch the steering for a R&P ....
 
Given your insistence on sticking with the c3 (not faulting you for it, we all have those things we love to hate) my suggestion would be that a spreader bar is mandatory. I was amazed just driving down the street at how much of a difference it made.
Then I would do as Steve suggested and address the shortcomings in the rear. You would be surprised at how bad geometry in the rear can really upset the front, or at least seem to.
 
clutchdust said:
Given your insistence on sticking with the c3 (not faulting you for it, we all have those things we love to hate) my suggestion would be that a spreader bar is mandatory. I was amazed just driving down the street at how much of a difference it made.
Then I would do as Steve suggested and address the shortcomings in the rear. You would be surprised at how bad geometry in the rear can really upset the front, or at least seem to.
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The rear will be another post, I'm having the Giovanni pieces made as we speak....

My wife is a ME - want to guess who's the only one in the household who actually fixes and makes stuff? (it ain't her)
And I'm seriously listening, I'm doing all but the rack n pinion in this go around. I laugh when people tell me I should get a better car - the last autocross car was a 1970 Buick Skylark with a 455 and 4 speed, my choice was to either IRS the Buick or build a Corvette.... I sure hope the Buick likes New York :).... so I tend to be contrarian (sorry about that) :)
 
Still don't buy it that it will damsge the shock. What about a chapman or mcpherson strut. The shock is the droop limiter there too. Dame for a lot of coil over systems.

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In addition to a spreader bar, solid motor mounts made a noticeable difference in frame stiffness in my car... Cheap way to lessen frame flex up front.
 
mrvette;99068I ...cross support in front was noticed IMMEDIATELY as a GREAT imporvement said:
A spreader bar between the top of the spring towers is supposed to greatly improve the strength of the front suspension....keeps the front of the car from silightly deforming and changing front suspension geometries on a rough road or high g turn. I got one from Guldstrand. You gotta get an electric fan though, which is in itself a good thing. I hate the mechanical fans. Working on the engine, when it's running with a mechanical, makes me nervous about being hit by the fan. Also, the mechanical fan blasts you with hot air. With an electric you can always turn it off for a few minutes without being cooked.
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Twin_Turbo said:
Get the tallest one. It moves the angle of the upper arm so that it moves the IC from the undersirable outboard to an inboard position. Roll center will be above ground isntead of below, camber will gain negative. The stock geometry does not.

If you have pics off Klutts car, I'm willig to bet they either modified the spindle or moved the upper arm cross shaft a little lower.
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OK I'm just asking because I don't know much about this stuff. I thought lowering the front end was supposed to give you negative camber gain. Do you use the tall ball joints so you don't need to lower it so much?

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Kid Vette said:
Twin_Turbo said:
Get the tallest one. It moves the angle of the upper arm so that it moves the IC from the undersirable outboard to an inboard position. Roll center will be above ground isntead of below, camber will gain negative. The stock geometry does not.

If you have pics off Klutts car, I'm willig to bet they either modified the spindle or moved the upper arm cross shaft a little lower.
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OK I'm just asking because I don't know much about this stuff. I thought lowering the front end was supposed to give you negative camber gain. Do you use the tall ball joints so you don't need to lower it so much?

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If you lower the car, you reduce camber gain that you get from the lower control arm. The ball joint (on the LCA) is suppused to be lower than the inside pivot at stock ride height. So, in a lowered car, the LCA is flat. That means the lower ball joint moves in (to the center of the car) as opposed to away at normal ride height.

The ball joint moving out gives you more camber gain than a lowered car where the ball joint is moving in (on the same arc as the upper control arm).
 
^^^ raises more questions then answered (and it's a good answer IMO)

For example, how many variable should one account for when determining how much camber gain is enough? the answer above - here's my response... galldarnit, I'll go get a suspension book and read it :)

In lowering my C3 today, where I want the car to be puts the tire with about a 1" (not 1*) negative camber.... not good if I want to have any life from my tires
 
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