Here's our camber and toe numbers we're running this weekend if anyone is interested.

 

Thank you, it's printed and in the stack of notes.

Les

 

Justin was racing this weekend in Arizona and I saw on FB that he bettered his all time best lap by 3 seconds with Ground Control over the K&W's. That is a lot of time. I can't wait for the details.

Les

 

Wow, that is impressive. What kind of engine mod gave you a ~3 second improvement on the track?

 

I share the excitement Les, ditto on the can't wait for details.

 

I'm putting some video together with gauge overlay to you can see the speed difference. I'll write up my thoughts when it's done.

 

Argh! Ok, I can wait .........

Les

 

WOW....really it's the best way I can think to start this review. The Ground Control Suspension is a game changer, plain and simple! The gains we experienced were significant, not only in lap times but ride quality as well (as you will see in the videos).

First off the install: I wanted to make sure this kit was doable at home for the average person. Since I consider myself an average mechanic I loaded up the racecar and brought it to my house. I threw her up on jack stands and got to work.



The install itself was straight forward, if you take the time to measure the factory parts after you take them out it makes it pretty simple to set the length of the new adjustable parts. This gives you a pretty decent starting point for your alignment. If you take your time and do them one at a time it's pretty simple. If you are going to do it yourself you will need a 12mm 12 point socket, you can't do it without it.




After it was installed we loaded up and headed to the alignment shop. Once we got it on the rack we noticed we picked up almost a whole degree of camber in the front just by installing the new shocks and springs. For us that was awesome, for the average owner you may what take out a little camber in the front. The adjustability of the rear suspension is pretty simple and basically limitless. You can pretty much get whatever toe, camber, caster and height you want....within reason.

Now the important part, the performance. Needles to say this kit is a game changer for sure. There is far less body roll, less nose dive under braking and less squat under heavy acceleration. The fact that there is less body roll makes for a much crisper turn in, it's also more stable and predictable on mid corner and corner exit. If you notice on the video below I'm on the brakes later and on the power earlier in just about every corner. It really made the car much more responsive is all areas.
I'll add more to this later, I want to give you guys a chance to watch the video and get your thoughts and or responses.

 

I can confirm just about every word above. With the greater control of body movement it's easier to keep the tires happy too. Before installing the Ground Control kit I couldn't keep the front tires happy. Add enough camber for mid corner grip and it was too much for braking and vice versa. After my first time on track with the G/C suspension my front tires had even wear which has never happened before. The on track ride is much improved. Naturally, it takes skill and guts to use all the new grip and control.

As far as the video, it shows me how much harder I can push my car and how much trust you have in yours. Congratulations! Now all you need is some TV coverage.

Les

 

That's a good point on the tires Les, we had great tire wear all weekend for the first time ever....until I flat spotted them....that's a video for another day lol

 

No body roll, nice smooth transitions, I was impressed. Doubt if I track the roadster all that much, but having a nice handling car, and having it sit lower will be a lot more fun in the long run. I will go with the kit below the race kit. After hearing it is something I can do in the garage and drive to an alignment shop, now that I like as well. Les. Your turn. That track is set for more speed than any I have been to in Indiana. Impressive.

 

The video that I posted was from Sunday. I had to raise the rear ride height due to some tire rub we were having. Below is a video from Saturday, it doesn't have any data but you can see that the car is more stable that in the previous video. I had to work alot harder on Sunday than I did on Saturday. It really shows the importance of proper set up. We raised the rear about 1/2 inch and it made a huge difference on handling.

 

That looked fast in an easier way. So, you had to raise the rear like I did. I have to ask, were you hitting the camber arms? For those reading, this kit lets you lower the car far enough to have all kinds of tire rubbing trouble, at the same time, it will allow you to be lower than other springs without trouble. It's up to you to find that height. I ask because I don't think I hit the camber arms on track but I definitely have and still do from time to time on the street. I ended up raising the front to match the height of the rear.

Les

 

No I didn't have any camber arm issues, I was rubbing on the inner fender towards the top.

 

Thank you guys for taking the time to write up reviews, post video, and experiences. I know that takes time and we all appreciate that.


I had to call GC today. I just got an invoice back from Donovan. After we talked he recommended 1,000 lbs. fronts and 750 lbs. rear with race dampers (for possible future auto cross). Lowered, daily driver, uneven/bumpy tight quick corners on some of the morning drive in to work, and infrequent strip. Quick question, are the GC bump stops the ones on the damper shaft?


I didn't realize my less than one year old adjustable koni sports that are rebuildable would cost so much to have rebuilt with specific valving for these stiffer springs. I just had to get another set of invo's again this year. very inside edge of fronts get rounded and come apart. I can't wait to see what this kit does for me after being on DIY max lowered setup for the past 2 years on the street.

 

No problem, it's nice to be able to finally do a write up and be able to talk about the system. To answer your question, yes the bump stops are on the shock itself.

 

In case anyone wondered without looking, the kits are up on the website.

Les

 

I made a quick video that shows how important set up is and how it effects the car. The first lap is with our initial set up and the second lap is with 1/2 inch more ride height added to the rear. Pay attention to how much busier my hands are and how much the turn in characteristics change. The car goes from a very stable and neutral car to a real loose car. The great thing about this suspension is it allows you to set up your car how you like to drive it.

 

Yes, also thanks for taking the time to share all this here. I just now saw the pic. of you on G.C.'s facebook page setting a new track record in your class? The car looks awesome fully compressed like that on the driver side in that shot. Congratulations!

 

THAT is awesome. I have a kit in mail, can't wait!


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