[DarkKnightG8]

Before i start my write up, i would like to reach out to all G8 owners and wave the white flag, respectively, and ask that you V8ers be nice to us V6ers in our quest for the perfect fit for our driving demands, also, keep this professional guys. there's no need to bash one another for our decisions on parts and fitment, this is a community we all share and thrive in, so please keep sarcasm, destructive criticism, and flat out **** talking off the screen. with that being said, please hear me out.

i purchased my vehicle 2 years ago, a v6, and since then i've slowly been making progress in modifying my car. i live in california, so engine mods are a big no no! so i figured i'd tackle the visual aspect of modding my car first, before i get under the hood and start messing around with the stock set up. Now here is where i could hear the booing and hissing come in...lol. i know, i know... stock shocks with aftermarket lowering springs, a big time rule breaker, but it is what i feel fits my needs for now. i purchased brand new shocks only because im probably going to need to replace them soon (im at 45k), i figured i could put the lowering springs on the NEW factory shocks, and if i run into any issues, i could return back to the old set up for emergency purposes only, should some catastrophe occur. (knock on wood):banghead: mind you, i could hear all the comments saying...why did you waste all that money when you could've gotten coil overs? answer, i have experience with springs and stock shocks and no experience with coil overs, i have read up on them and they just seem to be a little bit too much for me to handle right now, meaning they confuse the **** out of me. is it really a bad idea for me to go ahead with my install? keep in consideration, all parts will be brand new, front and rear shocks, struts, and lowering springs. i know the more experienced car guys would flat out say im making a mistake, but for my type of style of driving, it seems to work. i dont take my car to the track, i hardly ever run it hard, its my daily driver, and as i mentioned earlier in my thread, im going for visual mods right now. i figured i could get another 2 years, maybe more, if i continue to care for my car the way i have been. My question is... has anyone had any experience running this type of set up and had any issues, positive or negetive? what might they be and how common are they?
as i mentioned i have had this set up on a different vehicle with no issues what so ever, but thats where my concern lies, it was with a different vehicle! please help a noob to the g8 community...

 

[cinosa]

Just a question, but why are you posting suspension stuff in an engine forum?

 

[DarkKnightG8]

Just a question, but why are you posting suspension stuff in an engine forum?

i noticed that after i started the thread when i backed out. im still trying to figure out how to remove it from the engine board as i already posted it to the suspension forums. noob stuff, my bad. lol

 

[jtirwin27]

I'm running H&R springs on my factory shocks. No issues thus far. Like you, I have plenty of experience with springs and not coil overs. I don't take my car to the track, I hardly ever get all up in the throttle, its just an aesthetic thing me right now. For me personally, 250 bucks for a visual upgrade for a little while until I decide to over haul the suspension was worth it to me and not throwing money away. Keep in mind, I don't have the money some of these guys here have to throw around so I do what is best for me at the time to help me reach my goals.

 

[Blitz]

Do the GXP shocks (FE3) not fit? From what I understand that's a good compromise without going all out on suspension goods. You may have even been able to get them cheaper than GT shocks. Tein, FE3 and new bushing/bearings is what I'd do to start.

 

[DarkKnightG8]

Thanks for your input guys, im learning something new. Well to be honest, I gave the fe3s some thought but I read due to Its stiffness being higher then gt shocks, it doesnt allow the car to drop as low as if they were on gt shocks. I got the parts for a steal, and they are genuine parts, the money I saved will cover the labor costs, but for future reference, this is good info. I looked into bushings and its all just so new to me I dont know where to start. Maybe a few more months of homework and I will figure it out.

 

[Blitz]

No matter what, I'd say at your mileage, if you're throwing some springs on it you might as well get some new bushings/bearings as well. You're right in the range that most owners see failure. Freshened up, you'll enjoy what you can afford for awhile.

Do what you can afford, just don't cut corners to do it and you'll be fine. Hopefully you can learn a few things AND have fun at the same time.

Oh...and be sure to post before and after pics. We ALL love preety peekchures! lol

 

[DarkKnightG8]

Lol. I hear you on posting pictures. Could you point me in the right direction on the bushings and bearings, name of brand, or website I could reference for Pricing. I know whiteline has them but I dont know how many I need and all that good stuff, I know they would be able to help once I open lines of communication, but I'd like to get as many companies in the race to compare quality. Ive read that poly bushings restrict drop as well, there was a thread of someone running fe3s with poly bushings and they didnt like the way the car settled, they said it could be lower. if anything, im learning on how to do the job right, ill look into the parts, but google search with the keywords always just end up giving me more info that just confuses me further. Lol. I know there are many, many applications when it comes to our suspension set up, and the last thing I want to do is have something go wrong. Im still learning the ins and outs of the car, so talking about stuff like this with people who have more experience then I do is better info then hearing it from the mechanic at the shop. Every time I ask questions to the mechanics at the dealership, seems like they just dont get it if it isnt OEM.

 

[DarkKnightG8]

just a test to see if i know how to upload pics for all to see.

 

[Blitz]

For the bushings, give MarylandSpeed a look. They're a vendor here. They have them and you can gauge prices there. Check out the Suspension/Brakes section of the forum and read till you're blue in the face. Look around for any other G8 owners local to you, go have a burger together and pick their brains on what works. It will definitely be wise to see what works Real World. Take a ride in someone's car you think is the direction you want to go. Sometimes we all get caught up in the internet hype stuff and it's easy to spiral into a car you hate to and/or can't drive. Remember...not every new, cool, shiny gadget needs to go on your car. LOL

I always research like crazy, bookmark pages, save images and try to find as much related info as I can when I get on a "mod this car" kick.

 

[DarkKnightG8]

i totally agree, these cars are shiny enough already lol. im a firm believer in that philosophy, my motto is K.I.S.S. = "Keep It Simple Stupid." but when it comes to your suspension, you cant compromise there. so many things could go wrong and its too much of a headache to go back and fix something that will cost you $300+ after it is damaged when something that $30 could've prevented. (numbers used only to make a point.) if there were anyone in my area that actually had a modified g8, that would be worth looking into, but for some reason, the only mods you see on g8s in my area are aftermarket wheels. i have yet to see one lowered. i will check out the website you mentioned and as always, read until im even more confused then when i started. (so many choices lol) i just gotta find what fits my needs and then go from there. i appreciate the time, now i have to go turn into a smurf, well at least in the face as you recommended. lol

 

[Derekprz]

I haven't done anything suspension wise. Want to lower her a little. After receiving the GM replacement LCAs after mine failed. My nose is a little higher than I like. So I'll be doing something soon. A mod that I suggest being a V6er myself is upgrading to the GT brakes. All you need is the rotors and caliper brackets. The V6 and GT share the same calipers and pads. The V6 uses a 11" rotor and the GT has a 12" rotor. I've been running the GT setup for 3 years and love it. The car brakes better and visual wise its nice seeing a big rotor behind the stock 18s

 

[jackalope]

Derek when you want to lower yours you know where to come.

 

[DarkKnightG8]

@derek dude, thanks for the mod idea, that is going to have to wait though, i just bought new rotors but the v6 version because the dummy at the shop was like, "these are only for the GT." ill definitely do that next time around.

 

[DarkKnightG8]

***update***

i went to the dealership to ask them for a quote on work i wanted to be done, just to see how much they would offer their best rate. im in there to schedule an appointment for an oil change, and im talking to the mechanic about the parts and stuff, letting him know i had them in the trunk. (lowering springs, shocks, struts, rotors, and brake pads) make a long story short, the service attendant comes back after the 3 of us discuss the man hours of work and availability for it to be done, he doesn't even tell me a price, he just points to a slot on what looks to be a spreadsheet of how much they charge per hour. $1,558.97! fast forward... i go to a local shop, and out the door with an alignment and some tire work that i also needed done, 680 with tax included. not too bad i must say, what made me jump on it was he told me, "leave me your car overnight locked up in the garage, tomorrow at 8am, ill have a crew get to work on it, not just 1 guy, and we will have it done by tomorrow afternoon." good luck bro! we shall see how she sits when i take the photos upon pick up. wish me luck guys.

 

[Derekprz]

Looking forward to hearing about your results.

 

[DarkKnightG8]

Currently out on a series of road tests. Write up and photos coming soon.

 

[DarkKnightG8]

so here is the end result...photo shoot pending.
:worthless:

i took the car out and put her through a series of tests before i could stamp this as a done deal. first tests were tight turns in the canyons at normal speeds, second test was stopping power/brake test (also had drilled and slotted rotors installed), and third test was high speed turns (secluded 3 lane highway with a race track feel, quick lefts and rights.)
when i first rolled out, of course you hear the new parts talk to you, whispers from the new brakes, squealing from the springs during cornering, the movement of the wheels causing pings here and there, but keeping mental note of all these things are from settling. i put about a good 60 miles on my car after they gave me the keys, and im still not done running her!
in the canyons, while taking turns tight with a little bit of G-force, i noticed how the body performs. absolutely no roll, instead of feeling like the car is sliding outward in a high speed turn, it feels like its buckling down and digging in, so to say. this is where i would hear the squealing of the springs i mentioned, at first i thought it was my tires rubbing from my shocks bottoming out, but i noticed i could only hear it, and not feel it in the floor boards. next set of turns i performed the same maneuver as the last set of turns, i didnt have to make any adjustments for over or under steering as everything just seemed to stick (body roll in stock height would cause the need for steering adjustments.) through this set, the squealing was noticeably different, and it felt like with each turn, it was helping everything get settled in their new home. by the end of the canyon, the squealing was gone, to be sure, i made a couple of u-turns, very little noise, and i continued on.

next was the hard brake test. before i installed these new rotors, my steering wheel would shake under breaking, i had been dealing with it for so long that it was immediately noticeable the first time i applied the brakes coming to a red light. what a relief, glad that it wasnt something more serious ($$$) seriously. first test was a gradual deceleration from 45 to 0. i could feel a nice and even grip in the peddle when applied, and jumped it up to a frantic stop simulation from 60 zero, with a slight steering adjustment during braking, left and right. (this is where the brakes really show their teeth.) i push the brakes and simulate a slight deviation, left... then right... before coming to a stop. (im talking a couple degrees, not a quarter rotation)
i still wanted to maintain my forward momentum, and also see if i needed to maneuver, i would be able to. it all happened so fast, it is going to take longer to type it all out then if i had it on a video. when i turned left, i could feel the car make the proper corrections to prevent the brakes from locking, as well as the stability control kicking in to prevent the loss of even traction. the same thing happened when i eased the wheel over to the right a couple of degrees. it felt like the tires were pulsing rapidly to keep the car in full control shifting its power from the left to right upon my steering adjustments. in no time, seemed like 2 maybe 2.5 seconds we were stopped. (not actual time) i turned off the stability control and tried to make the tires spin while applying the brakes but no dice, tires wouldn't spin, upon releasing the brake, the car would inch forward. brakes are working great!

everything up to this point was in control and worked excellent, no complaints, no major issues, green flag for the next tests.

last test; lane control. what i mean by that is MY LANE not the ones painted on the ground. there is a very discreet 3 lane highway (one way) that is perfect proving grounds for a test like this. starting in the middle lane (Home Lane), i sweep left and right to take the turns. by this time the squealing, whispering, pinging, and all that good stuff has been hush hush. this whole test has been conducted under radio silence and now its time to open her up a bit and have some fun. :AC/DC-Thunderstruck: comes on and away we go. handling turns at pace (speed limit 65) is amazing, so amazing that my female passenger was sliding out of her seat, she literally looked over at me, smiled and said, "I'm falling out of my seat."

"Wait! Do You Hear That?" (that's the sound of 256 horses making the panties drop!) sorry, that's a little bit of V6 humor for you, but i digress...

from left to right, 65-80mph, the car never once gave a hint of letting go of its grip. i know, i know... its still too soon to tell, which is why im not done testing her out yet. i cant have parts "settle in" by just sitting there and let gravity do what it does, i need to be out on the road, "smashing it in." its the only way ill know if anything is wrong, and know how much is sooooooo right! today.... superbowl?? dvr that **** or ill listen to it in the car. im working!

p.s. when i returned home after these tests, i noticed a huge difference in the ride height. before the tests i was able to see more of a gap, now it looks like the car is sitting on the tires. very pleased with everything! i think im going to need to tackle the sound system next.

 

[DarkKnightG8]

 

[terryscott621]

Looks good!!! What size wheels are you running?


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