Rear Springs?

TurboWh1

Well-Known Member
Joined
Aug 12, 2002
I'll be installing a HR bar in the near future and thought I would replace the springs too. My car runs low 11s / high 10's. I've been running a set of TRW cargo springs - Advance Auto Parts special - for years. What are you guys running these days? Anybody going coil over? Looking for opinions on what worked well or maybe not so much.
 
Went 1.3* with the same cargo Springs you have. Haven't changed them because they have been working so far lol

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i run 2.5" coil over springs in the stock location , 6lbs for the pair vs 23lb for the cargo coils
 
Went 1.3* with the same cargo Springs you have. Haven't changed them because they have been working so far lol

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Thats good to know. I was figuring my springs were too stiff. Also running air bags. Tried all different combinations of air pressure in bags, nothing seemed to help. I get some erratic 60 foot times which makes my car real inconsistent. My best was 1.59 but the car usually does in the 1.7 to 1.9 range. Hoping the HR bar helps.

The strange thing is... The car doesn’t really squat when you leave the line. Maybe just a little but it seems to unload the suspension right after I leave the line.
 
the spring is there to hold the car up , its the shocks job to control the compression and extension rate not just at the rear but at the front of the car too .
low buck the cargo and a bag work

on murphsters white T and my 86GN i run 12-150 coils with a wolferacecraft adjustable perch for ride height adjustment adding around an inch or so for 27" ride height with a 28 tire (mt pro 275), you could run spacers under spring to find a happy place , you could install the adjuster up on the frame perch or on the axle tube but if on the axle you may need to add a piece of tube to the top to prevent spring drop out with some over extending shocks (like the comp engineering). Murphster has been running the strange double adjust rear shock and i just changed out my singles for doubles
if a car is going to squat the spring cant change that but the shock can slow it down or control what happens when its stops
we run the upper Instant center relocate setup (baseline) and that setup can be adjusted to prevent rear squat on launch and youll actually rise slightly on launch but again the spring is there to hold the car.. the shock controls the speed of the change , spring can be stiffened beyond whats needed for ride height almost to the point it will prevent a hard squat but it cant prevent rebound

my 87gn i have IC relocate GNS ridetech coilovers single adjust front and rear , Scot W handled the spring choice and they seem to be working
 
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I use 80s F-body springs in the back of mine. Constant rate, and result in a drop of the rear of around 1.5 inches, maybe a little more. I did not use the isolators. I believe I have WS6 springs in mine.

1.4x 60' times off footbrake and transbrake.
 
I'll have to measure my exact ride height in the rear. I know its rather high and Id like to bring it down some. Unfortunately, the car is on jack stands so it may take me several days to get it back on the ground to do some measuring. I have swapped shocks from KYB to Bilstein on rear. Both were non-adjustable. Currently running QA1 single adjustable shocks on front. Same outcome at drag strip.
 
I use 80s F-body springs in the back of mine. Constant rate, and result in a drop of the rear of around 1.5 inches, maybe a little more. I did not use the isolators. I believe I have WS6 springs in mine.

1.4x 60' times off footbrake and transbrake.

Any idea of the spring rate for the WS6 springs?
 
Any idea of the spring rate for the WS6 springs?

From what little research I have done, looks like around 204 lbs/in. They are a linear rate spring, not like a cargo coil. Supposedly Moog makes a replacement at around the same rate. Expect these have some miles, but certainly not sagging. I think I still have another set in garage.

Nice thing is they are smaller OD, so exhaust clearance is really good. Additionally, you can get a different size airbag for them I believe, if you are into that sort of thing.
 
Here's how it sits on the WS6 springs. Only using the rear springs btw. Fronts are moog with taller upper and lower balljoints.

29236722902_d3bb76cc26_o.jpg
 
I use Camaro F-body springs too, now, with recently purchased airbags. Can't contribute to the conversation as far as drag racing, but I like the fact that you can add the thick camaro isolator to raise or lower one side. My car sat slightly lower on one side and the isolator compensated. Also, they don't take up as much room because of their smaller diameter.
 
Here's how it sits on the WS6 springs. Only using the rear springs btw. Fronts are moog with taller upper and lower balljoints.

29236722902_d3bb76cc26_o.jpg

I like the way your car sits. I probably have 2-3 inches between the quarter and top of tire with no air in the bags.
 
What diameter are your front and rear tires?
What springs do you have in the front?

Front tires are 225/60r15 so 26" in diameter
Rear Tires are 275/60r15 drag radial or 28 x 10 slick. Both 28" in diameter
I’m running TRW front springs. Id have to dig for part number. Bought them at Advance 12 years ago.
 
I like the way your car sits. I probably have 2-3 inches between the quarter and top of tire with no air in the bags.

If you have an interest in lowering your car, you can pick up used Camaro rear springs at any junkyard along with isolators. They're very easy to remove at a standard u-pullit yard, and inexpensive. If your car sits high all the way around, you'll need to replace the front springs too. I replaced mine many years ago with used g-body springs.
 
Yes, the thought has crossed my mind to lower the car. A friend of mine who does well racing locally recommended lowering the car as well. I was thinking drop spindles in the front but that wouldn't fix the spring rate. I'll have to check the rear. I may have isolators that I could remove to bring it down some.
 
Yes, the thought has crossed my mind to lower the car. A friend of mine who does well racing locally recommended lowering the car as well. I was thinking drop spindles in the front but that wouldn't fix the spring rate. I'll have to check the rear. I may have isolators that I could remove to bring it down some.

Stock GN/g-body rear springs only came with a thin rubber pad that will not affect ride height. The F-body isolator is over an inch thick. I never used dropped spindles myself, so I have no idea whether they're a good idea.
 
I have Hotchkis 1901R springs in the rear , which are a 1" lowering spring . I needed to keep air in the bags to keep the tires off of the fender lip ( 275-60-15 ) with about an 3/8" to the frame . With rolled fenders they would tuck in .
These are the springs . http://www.hotchkis.net/product/196...ings-1-in-drop/?searchby=part&partnoval=1901r
DSCN0493.JPG


This is with the old wheels and Hotchkis springs with some air in the bags ( 8psi ) .
DSCN0325.JPG
 
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Front tires are 225/60r15 so 26" in diameter
Rear Tires are 275/60r15 drag radial or 28 x 10 slick. Both 28" in diameter
I’m running TRW front springs. Id have to dig for part number. Bought them at Advance 12 years ago.
Your front springs are probably 5606. You don't want to lower the front of your car. If anything, raising it would help,but along with that you need to lower the rear. This puts more weight on the rear tires. Having smaller diameter tires on the front than on the back creates a disadvantage right from the start because it creates a situation where the front is lower than the back. I personally like the front to be slightly higher than the back. If we start out this way we don't have to waste so much time moving the front of the car upward during a launch. We can spend more time moving the car forward.

Shocks are critical also. Don't wast your money on single adjustable shocks for the front unless the adjust ability is heavily biased toward rebound. Ridetech has a single adjustable that does this. Don't buy single adjustable shocks that adjust compression and rebound equally. This is what you have on the front now.

It's also important to push the car forward at the right spot. This is accomplished by changing the instant center by changing the angle of the upper rear control arms. This is what pacecarta was talking about when he mentioned the set up he purchased from Baseline Suspension. Unlike what pacecarta said,I don't want to see any separation between the rear fender wells and the rear tires during launch as this is counter productive to weight transfer and evidence that we are not pushing the car forward at the right/most efficient spot.

If you want to see what a drastic difference weight transfer and weight on the rear tires makes put as many heavy items as you can find in your trunk. Doing this will lower the rear and raise the front.
 
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