New to this site and in need of help

LaserSVT said:
OMFGWTFBBQROFLCOPTER!!

Frog, dont talk to me like I am an idiot. I make mistakes but have proven I am not an idiot, more so in suspension matters.
I did say that "everything else being the same" that the coil would do better. I understand bracing, poly mounts, bump steer, off set rack bushings, sway bars, camber/castor/toe, tire compound, unsprung weight all add to how a car will handle and perform.
Suspension components are always my first mod and I have built allot of cars.

It is IMHO that a coil spring setup will do better then and air spring setup. Granted I have never used an air ride in a performance application and I am sure your guys cars handle spectacular. It is a Mark and they handle very good out of the box, better then allot of sports cars out there. But when I look at a dedicated race car they have coils, if the coil was not better then you would think at least one team on a road course would use them for a dedicated trac car, no?

Now are you saying if you took a 100% stock Mark and ran it on a track against another completly stock Mark that had a coil conversion that the air setup would be faster?
Click to expand...

I will reply to this later.
 
ludicrous speed said:
I'm not really concerned about which one is better I just want the car fixed so i can drive it again. I just have to hurry up and make my mind on what I'm going to get coils or airbags. I'm going to be stuck driving my girlfriends mazda 3 for now:(
Thanks for the help so far i appreciate it:)
Click to expand...

I'm the great Mark VIII destroyer ... I have 3 all converted (maybe this is why I'm such good friends with Eddie) ... all had air ride but I got tired of keeping up with the repair and not rich enough keep throwing money at the air ride and it was out of my budget to replace the whole thing.

In my opinion it's up to you what you want to do. Air Ride is nice but to me it's not what makes the Mark VIII the Mark VIII ...

So do what you need to do ... you will not be sorry on the conversion and if you keep the air ride you will still like it.

Can't wait to see what Frogman post in his reply to the above post LOL ...
 
Frogman and I already talked via PM. We understand each other and its all cool. We each have our prefrences and agree that is more what the owner wants then what someone else thinks.
thumb.jpg
 
ludicrous speed said:
I'm not really concerned about which one is better I just want the car fixed so i can drive it again. I just have to hurry up and make my mind on what I'm going to get coils or airbags. I'm going to be stuck driving my girlfriends mazda 3 for now:(
Thanks for the help so far i appreciate it:)
Click to expand...


Just my opinion but for now, I would just get two new airbags from Eddie for the front and then see what you have. I think they were $178 each and unless you'll be taking curves in your town at 50 to 80 mph, you'll appreciate the ride a lot better. If you're compressor fills the bags (after the initial fill is complete) and they stay up without any over night slam, you're good to go. When the money is free to spend again, get the compressor from Eddie and then send your old one back in within 30 days or you will be charged an additional $50 to your credit card or check card. He will have the parts to you within 3 days, 4 tops. When complete, you'll know you're not driving a Mazda 3 anymore.

Also, you're car with air struts can take curves at 50 to 80 with no problem.
 
I give up. There are just toooooo many things I can be called a jackass for. :lol:
 
Oh my gosh - foxpaws wanders into a tech forum....

Bag the bags - I am in the performance suspension tuning business. There is absolutely no reason to keep them. They age, badly, they are inconsistent because of the mechanical aspect of the system, they move through their travel range at different rates, even with the exact same stress loads, their return rate is almost always behind coils, and down the road, sooner than you think, you will be replacing or repairing yet another niggling problem with them.

Replace them with the best coils you can afford - but don't forget, replace your bushings throughout. Those 16 year old bushings aren't doing anyone any favors right now.

If you want a tighter car go with polys where the bushings do nothing but compress - stay with a higher durometer rubber where you have bushings that need to rotate.

Most people don't realize or care to think it through that bushings can also be machined - fairly easily. My caddy has mostly custom bushings - for a couple of reasons. In many cases the bushings are no longer available and two - the suspension has been altered significantly, and the old bushings weren't doing what I wanted them to do.

Things to watch as you move out of the airbag system, you will notice a different roll to your car, as well as a difference when you brake. The roll will be much flatter with the coils (it will improve), the braking won't be as good as it is with the bag system (if it is well integrated into the car). The car should know when heavy braking is happening and stiffen up the front bags to eliminate some of the front end dip. The computer knows when you are braking, it has an advanced warning, the computer doesn't know when you are going to hard bank into a hairpin... it doesn't have time to compensate, that is where the coils will shine.

Give up the Lincoln ride, and give the car some handling. Especially a 16 year old car - that suspension is old tech... You can at least move it into this century with coils...
 
Frog - you will get slapped up the side of the head with an active strut if you ever come out of hiding... :)

Don't forget to get the car aligned after replacing everything-and if you really want to feel a difference don't make the mistake that most tuner guys make if you want tighter handling - don't change the factory camber setting much.... you'll trash your tires. Go with pushing the caster - you won't trash the tires, you will add as much, if not more, grip into corners, and the only difference you might notice is parking - you will notice it might be a little harder to turn, but with power steering it really isn't that big of a difference.
 
Sorry Frog - I pulled the actives out of the Caddy and put in passives - so all I have lying around are active ones...

I'll try to be gentle ;)
 
You must log in or register to reply here.

Members online

No members online now.
Total: 149 (members: 0, guests: 149)
Back
Top