It all boils down to this - I'm tossing the 255 x 19's up front and switching to 285's at every corner. So short of switching to a Griggs SLA, my aim is a conservative drop that is capable of handling whatever NY's finest roads can throw at it. So a mild KR drop it is, thanks to the deal currently offered at Buyfordracing.
I'm starting at the rear, since I'm still waiting for some parts that wouldn't allow me to finish the front end yet. Besides, changing the shocks and springs at the back is pretty easy. I simply raised the rear and disconnected the shocks, allowing the springs to be plucked out with relative ease.
It was interesting to note the subtle differences between the stock parts and the 'upgraded' stock parts, if you will.
Stock (left) springs measured 13-3/4" overall free length.
KR (right) springs measured 12-9/16" overall free length.
Something I didn't expect, the KR shocks were shorter than stock GT500 fare by 3/8" (centerline of bottom eye hole to the end of the threaded tip up top measured 22-3/8" for the KR shock).
Rear ride height, before the swap, measured 29-1/2" from the floor to the peak of the wheel arch radius. Post swap...
The shots above were taken immediately after yanking the jack and lowering everything to the floor. I measured 28-7/8" this time. After only 20 minutes of driving today, the rear has settled down to almost 28-5/8" for a total rear drop of 7/8".
As for the front, I picked up new factory strut mounts from FRPP, along with strut nuts from my local dealer. I'm waiting on strut mount bolts from Maximum Motorsports along with H&R front and rear sway bars as well.
The KR springs were short enough that I was able to push the strut mount down far enough by hand to start the strut nut up on top. I really dig factory fresh hardware. It'll allow me to pull the original struts and springs and leave them assembled together.
I'm looking forward to doing the front if for anything, so that I can align it myself. I'll take out the crown compensation and equalize both sides. I'll string up the car for the toe settings and use my Longacre caster/camber gauge for caster and camber settings. It was nice to see that it fit through the 2010 wheel, allowing me to attach it directly to the rotor face.
In the meantime, the rear drop only just about leveled the car (front wheel arch came in at 28-3/8" above the floor). The ride may as well have been stock. I couldn't detect any additional rear stiffness or harshness with the ass-o-meter.
More when the Brown Truck shows up.
Tob
On edit...
For reference, I give you "New Jack City" or what my car used to look like. I had 285 x 18's on all four corners then.
I'm starting at the rear, since I'm still waiting for some parts that wouldn't allow me to finish the front end yet. Besides, changing the shocks and springs at the back is pretty easy. I simply raised the rear and disconnected the shocks, allowing the springs to be plucked out with relative ease.
It was interesting to note the subtle differences between the stock parts and the 'upgraded' stock parts, if you will.
Stock (left) springs measured 13-3/4" overall free length.
KR (right) springs measured 12-9/16" overall free length.
Something I didn't expect, the KR shocks were shorter than stock GT500 fare by 3/8" (centerline of bottom eye hole to the end of the threaded tip up top measured 22-3/8" for the KR shock).
Rear ride height, before the swap, measured 29-1/2" from the floor to the peak of the wheel arch radius. Post swap...
The shots above were taken immediately after yanking the jack and lowering everything to the floor. I measured 28-7/8" this time. After only 20 minutes of driving today, the rear has settled down to almost 28-5/8" for a total rear drop of 7/8".
As for the front, I picked up new factory strut mounts from FRPP, along with strut nuts from my local dealer. I'm waiting on strut mount bolts from Maximum Motorsports along with H&R front and rear sway bars as well.
The KR springs were short enough that I was able to push the strut mount down far enough by hand to start the strut nut up on top. I really dig factory fresh hardware. It'll allow me to pull the original struts and springs and leave them assembled together.
I'm looking forward to doing the front if for anything, so that I can align it myself. I'll take out the crown compensation and equalize both sides. I'll string up the car for the toe settings and use my Longacre caster/camber gauge for caster and camber settings. It was nice to see that it fit through the 2010 wheel, allowing me to attach it directly to the rotor face.
In the meantime, the rear drop only just about leveled the car (front wheel arch came in at 28-3/8" above the floor). The ride may as well have been stock. I couldn't detect any additional rear stiffness or harshness with the ass-o-meter.
More when the Brown Truck shows up.
Tob
On edit...
For reference, I give you "New Jack City" or what my car used to look like. I had 285 x 18's on all four corners then.
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