Coilover upgrade 89 90q

[Todd Phenneger]

Heya guys,
  Let me share my experiences.  The 2-bennett and GC setups are
very similar and both fine for street usage.  I beleive tyeh
difference is that 2B makes a sleeve for the front of the 4k
that makes the threaded collar fit tightly but I could be wrong.
 With the GC setup I've heard of people having to use Duct-tape
to fill space.  I dont like that.  THat is not a well designed
system in my opinion.
  I opted to go with a Rally Based system from Ron Wood.  Its
basically just like the GC/2B setup but differs in one main
area.  The THreaded collar.  Rather than using a Generic
Aluminum collar that must be shimmed to fit properly, Ron uses a
steel collar that is a tight almost press fit over the strut. 
(IE....grind the paint a bit and then use a rubber mallet to
seat it.)  ONce on you weld the collar in place.  Guess what,
its there and will never rotate or move on you.  Then I took my
struts in to get them powdercoated and they put a really thin
coat over the threads to protect from corrosion.  They are
anodized as they come but where you weld they lose the anodizing
so I just had the whole thing PowderCoated.  The threads are so
coarse that its not a problem.
  Anyhow, I believe this to be the better way to do this.  For a
street car on smooth roads the GC setup is fine, but where I
live I wanted the extra durability of Rons setup.
  BTW....the spring perch Ron uses is a GC part so replacing
that down the line for some reason isn't a problem.  I'm running
325lb fronts and 275 rears.  Works well for me but since I have
two piece rear struts that are easy to change (from a 90q) I
will likely run 350 r 375's in the summer out back and change
back to 275's for the winter.  
  I'm also running beefier 5ktq front struts but for a steet car
thats NOT necessary, I did it for the extra .9" extension and
.1" bump travel they gave me over the 4kq/urq  Bilsteins. 
Lastly, if you run 300+ lb spring rates you WILL want to
re-valvev the Bilsteins.  The Sports and HD's are not stiff
enough.  Bilstein can help you with this.  But I spose if you
run Koni Yellows then you may be fine.
l8r
  Todd
l8r
  TOdd 
l8r
  TOdd

--- Kwattro at aol.com wrote:
> In a message dated 01-05-30 15:30:21 EDT, you write:
> 
> << 20v.org claims that 2Bennett may source their 
>  coilover system from Ground Control.  Is there any experience
> with either of 
>  these kits?  I'd prefer not to spend more money on the same
> thing.  I'll be 
>  mating the coilovers to bilstein HD shocks, good source on
> those?  How long 
> can 
>  I expect to spend on this project?  What special tools should
> I get to make 
> the 
>  job easier?  I'm planning on getting tool 3078 (open socket
> for allen wrench 
>  access) soon from the local dealer.  >>
> 
> 
> I've got Ground Control's and so does Alex.  Javad has
> 2Bennett's coilovers.  
> They're the same essentially, although Javad can tell you the
> exact 2B 
> differences.  I'm very happy with my GC's, and yes, I saved 50
> bucks.  Plus, 
> they returned my calls (:-0), while the Bennetts can be hard
> to get a hold 
> of.  I also chose Ground Control because of their quite
> notorious reputation 
> with SCCA front wheel drive racers, and since I wasn't coiling
> a quattro, I 
> figured that GC would know more than anyone.  Further, since
> Ground Control 
> supplies for 2Bennett, it seemed to make sense.  But, as I
> said, there are 
> some advantages to Javad's setup - things are *slightly*
> different.  I'd talk 
> to him about spring rates (Jshadzi at aol.com) since your hefty
> car is a good 
> 600lbs heavier than mine.
> 
> Later!
> Carter J
> Kwattro at aol.com
> 1986 4000CS Quattro
> 1986 Coupe GT


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