Coil-over conversion. Which is better?

[BlackVenom03]

Those would be exactly what I am looking for...but trying to find a company that makes them for the 03/04 cobras is what is kicking my butt! I havent tried QA1 yet though...

 

[BADASS03SVT]

I think alot of people that have coil overs on this forum would say the MM's but I personally think that coil overs are awaste of money unless you track your car a lot (like once a month or more). Just get springs and call it a day.

someone that says that...has never had coil overs.

i did extensive research on this before i got mine. the end result was MM. my car is a street / strip car and being a track guru, i figured the $100 generic coil over that EVERYONE uses would be fine. the feedback i got about them i wasnt liking which was mostly just noise....and lots of it form all of the pieces rubbing and whatnot. form the fewer MM users i talked to, it was all praise. now granted the MM kit is three times as much, i still went with it. when i got those pieces in the mail was i impressed... top notch quality and i didnt even care about the price. the MM kit comes with a couple of rubber pieces and some greased bearings to cut the noise down. i have ZERO noise from my front only setup. the car HANDLES BETTER and i have 175lb 14" DRAG SPRINGS and DRAG SHOCKS... :lol: i also have no front sway bar and there is no body roll up to about 45-50 on a good corner...before on stock cobra springs i couldnt turn too hard because my rear tires would hit the fenders form rolling so much.

you drive a COBRA, not a v6, do yourself a favor and buy the COBRA of coil overs.. :rockon:

 

[johnny-longtors]

I've used MM and generic Chinese kits (QA1, D&D, Granatelli - whatever) - hands down the MM are superior.
The threaded sleeves for the dampners are of a superior design (they have a positive "seat" on the top of the dampner) and the clerances they offer are superior and result in a rattle- and bind-free fit.

The thread and nut on MM units are beefier and fit with tighter clearances than the Chinese kits I've had. The sleeves are also hard anodized.

I am currently running MM and Koni DAs. They rock.

To the guy that can do this for $80 in parts from a race catalog - I'll give you an additional $100 if you can. Otherwise, you're simply talking crap out your @ss. PM me and we'll work the deal. New Hypercoils can't be had for $80 for a set of 4.

To the guy that says it's a waste, just get springs:
- decent weight savings over unsprung weight
- instant ride heigh adjustability - drop it for shows, lift it for winter or to keep your $600 from fascia from getting creamed when you pull into the local Pump-n-Munch
- $50 & 20 minutes of work gets you a new pair of springs to compensate for stiffer or looser tires to keep your ride comfort ideal; tune for track or street
- you've likely not spent any time diving a fully coil-overed car on the street as it's awesome

I will say it's not cheap - but is certainly part of a balanced "killer" suspension. You will need to get from CC plates (and of the 4 bolt variety) Call MM - they'll school you on the phone for free! They are awesome guys.....

I currently run 350 up front and 550 rear (IRS's GT)

YMMV
Don

 

[jimwood]

The best coilover kit? Maybe the better question is the best Struts and shocks for my application.... I agree with Shelbyguy in so much as you would be getting the same parts from which you would receive from Coleman. But, if you want to pay a premium for an all inclusive package I understand that as well.

"griggs squeak way too much. I like the MM" WTF??? Same parts. Oh well....


Edit: You get what you pay for Griggs or MM. MM has excellent customer service, I like them a lot. But I went with Griggs.

 

[jeb]

how much for the mm coil overs for my 03 cobra?The whole kit.(I like to do everything right the first time)

 

[BlueStripe]

everyone who says no contest MM needs to look at some american iron point charts

my opinion is MM is a more luxurious ride whereas griggs is more hardcore

And how exactly does a threaded sleeve and a spring perch determing how 'luxurious' or 'hardcore' a car rides?

I've had MM on my car for 2 years and I wouldn't change a thing. It should be noted that if you're using the stock shocks, you need to get the new upper mount from them ($9.95, worth every penny). The stock upper mount will not take the loads of a coilover setup and it will come loose, causing all kinds of damage to the suspension and making the car very unstable. It happened to me three times, don't take the chance.

 

[MidLifeC]

BlueStripe:

What has actually failed on your car? From what I have read on MM's site they do not recommend using the upper mount with the IRS.

 

[BlueStripe]

BlueStripe:

What has actually failed on your car? From what I have read on MM's site they do not recommend using the upper mount with the IRS.

Sorry, I should have been more specific. I was referring to this part, whereas you're thinking of this one.

What happened to me on all three failures was pretty much the same. The upper mount rattled itself loose and created play in the shock shaft. Over time the ball and socket joint wore out and the circlip that holds them in place fell apart, allowing the shock shaft to shoot strait up into the trunk (and in one case, through my convertible top :fm: ) This completely destroyed the shock shaft, so I had to buy a new shock, have it shipped to CA to get it grooved, shipped back, not to mention the purchase of a new ball and socket. Costs roughly $100-120 depending on how bad you get hit for shipping.

Like I said, worth the $10

 

[Matt94GT]

any of you guys look into KW ones? Look them up they sell them locally and seem like killer parts I didnt know about them till I ordered my MM ones.

 

[Venomous04]

What about the MMR (http://www.modularmustangracing.com/) stuff?

I'm wanting to buy the following from them:
MMR Front Coil over kit for Road Race/Handling
MMR Tubular A- arms 94-04

they are having a great sale for the a-arms/front coil over adapter kit.


To finish it off I'll use the MM Caster Camber Plates that Lethal Performance has on sale

What do you guys think?

Marc.

 

[03CobraCCC]

curious as well about MMR, TTT

 

[Cobra-R]

Exactly. The adjustability of the Koni's is what puts Griggs over the top in my opinion. If you have an 03 you can use those shocks and struts and do it on the cheap and have great results but Koni's are the best shocks money can buy IMO.

You may be right, but very very few people know how to adjust a shock/strut properly.

Yes, Griggs has had a few breakages but everyone makes it sound like it happens every other day. I have been running the full GR-40 kit for well over a year on Nebraska roads and LOVE it. Those that have broken Griggs parts were running the standard A arms for auto X and open track events, when they should have been running the severe duty arms. MM builds for the street and Griggs builds for the track. By that I mean MM over builds there K member and A arms (they weigh more) and recommends urethane for most bushings where as Griggs builds there K and A's as light as possible with out sacrificing strength and use delrin for everything. And now have the only SLA front suspension available!.

I'm not going to attack here, but next time you say something like this, research before you make such bold statements. I am one of the "few" that had Griggs products break.......all within a year of being purchased new from Griggs themselves. I did have the severe duty a-arms, but they weren't the only griggs part that broke. My Griggs K-member, Panard bar, bumpsteer kit, and severe duty a-arms broke/cracked. This was all within a year or so, on a non street driven car, and a car that hadn't been four wheels off track in that time period.

Am I a isolated instance????? I don't think so, since 3 other people I am close friends with had many of the same failures as I did, and none of them were the standard duty a-arms.

I get a chuckle out of many of the posts in this thread abouthow people think this or that is the best suspension setup. Unless you have experiemce in both setups in simular cars, on the same track, you havn't a clue what is best. My 94 Cobra Race car is full Griggs, my 95 R which I race as well is full MM. The actual difference in performance is very small.

Brian

 

[CobraRed01]

How many of you guys running coilovers in the back have installed a rear shock tower brace? If no, any problems? If yes, any impressions? Weld in? Did they help noticeably stiffen up the car?

 

[01cobravortech]

The KB rear shock tower brace is a work of art. I think its helped out lot when I hit the gas. Everything stays firmly planted with my rear coilover. 2 thumbs up

 

[johnny-longtors]

I have a Hans Racecraft rear STB, but since I'm running the Hans subs, the car was so stiff I saw no point in it. I find it hard to believe that that point flexes that much.
I would have had to sacrifice my stereo, so I have not installed it.

 

[ShelbyGuy]

the rear shock towers are the weakest part of the chassis. if you have coil overs without reinforcement you WILL tear spotwelds. the chassis was never designed to carry spring loads there.

 

[johnny-longtors]

I will have to take a look, but it's been over a year on the COs and no shock tower issues for me thus far. Is there any brace that offers more trunk clearance? Can we merely add a plate to the towers?

 

[LargeOrangeFont]

I will have to take a look, but it's been over a year on the COs and no shock tower issues for me thus far. Is there any brace that offers more trunk clearance? Can we merely add a plate to the towers?

I wouldn't.... but it is better than nothing. As Shelby guy said, the car was never designed to carry the weight of the car on the rear shock tower. Putting a load in that area will cause the chassis to twist, and start tearing spot welds in the rear seat area. The trunk\rear seat area is the weakest point of most unibodies due to the cavern of open space with little lateral reinforcement.

When installed the STB is in kind of in a weird place, but are not that envasive.

 

[01cobravortech]

the rear shock towers are the weakest part of the chassis. if you have coil overs without reinforcement you WILL tear spotwelds. the chassis was never designed to carry spring loads there.

Where exactly are these spot welds located in the rear and if you tear them, will you get any creaking noise? I recently started getting some creaking noise but it is only heard when I take off from a standing still. I don't get the noise at any other time. I read the thread by the 03 Cobra guys that pointed out where typical welds break in the rear trunk/fender area. Is the fix for this problem as simple as just welding those areas again?

 

[ShelbyGuy]

start where the rear seat opening meets the passenger side rear inner wheelhouse

i welded mine, cliff bent his apart so it wouldnt creak.