Potomac-Greg

I've had the binding issue that others have had. In short, when turning, the upper hat was not rotating, forcing the springs to slide/rotate on the perches. Yesterday I decided to take the tops of the struts out and see what was going on. Sorry for the lack of pics but I think I found two issues. I don't know that I solved either one, but at least I've determined what my birthday present is going to be.

http://www.ground-control-store.com/.../II=140/CA=219

First, on my driver's side, the steel cuff/spacer that went from the top of the spring hat to to the bottom of the strut bearing was mangled. The top of it got mangled against the bottom of the strut bearing. I might have overtorqued the top bolt, mashing it. I modified a washer to try to restore that joint to some function.

Second (and this applied to both sides) there was not enough length between teh top of the hat and the bottom of the bushing (the cuff/spacer was too short) so the hat was up against the bottom of the camber plate.

In the end, I also confirmed (with the strut pulled out) that the upper bearing was just not going to move without a lot of motivation. See link above.

drift a 944

Yeah, I returned mine right away and got my refund. I would suggest doing the same if you still can!

Ben Waite

hi i have the same set, havent had them in my car very long so im not sure what problem you are having but id like to know more about it. I also have another question about them, i found that if i mount them inside under the hood they dont sit properly due to a lip around the hole, but if i mount them like a stock strut from underneath they seat better and just plain fit better, any comment?

Mark944na86

I had a look at these from the guy selling them on ebay. My impression, reading some of the feedback, was a crap product from a crap seller. He seems to specialise in cheap and nasty aftermarket parts. I think a camber plate is probably one of those parts where a bit of extra spent on quality pays off. Racers Edge is certainly pricey, but looks very well engineered. I've also been looking at the Ground Control units.

FRporscheman

Thanks for your valuable experience with these. I've been considering camber plates lately and your post is great info.

Potomac-Greg

I love saving a few bucks, but sometimes it doesn't work out. But if you're going to take chances, best to do it on parts that don't imperil life and limb. I don't regret trying it (and I've gotten 2 years of faulty use out of them).

Eric_Oz_S2

I have the KLA monoball tops and the bearings on those also seize up from time to time, resulting in the hats spinning on the bearing and leaving nice grooves in the top of the hat. Anything without a proper thrust bearing to take the load of the car is not going to last. The KLA uses a spherical bearing which takes all the load - that type of design is never going to last very long. I'm looking at going with the Ground Control Units myself, but thinking about the top mount version to maximise suspension travel. In the mean time I'm going to put the stock rubber ones back in - at least they will allow the hats to spin.

Liftedbronco

i had the same issue with the ground control top mount ones. I switched to bottom mount and was more careful wiht the bearings at the top when i installed it and i think that made all the difference.

Dimi 944

I have the ground control bottom mount ones and they seize up now and then. I think the best way to go is Racer's Edge ones. They are the most expensive ones but it appears that the materials quality is the highest.

http://www.racersedge-inc.com/racers...open&id=11.3.4

Potomac-Greg

At this point, I do not think you can rely on any aftermarket unit! If you read the product specs on the Ground Control bottom mount it seems like they went as far as possible to avoid the issue. I wouldn't be so sure that any product is going to work.

The Ground Control camber plates feature two sets of bearings, a proprietary bearing, made to our specs by Aurora in the USA, which allows for articulation of the shock shaft. This spherical bearing is very understressed, as the Ground Control design does NOT support the weight of the car on the spherical bearing. Instead, the weight of the car is supported by a completely separate articulating needle bearing, which is also manufactured for Ground Control in the USA.

Liftedbronco

fwiw I have a top mount set of plates from ground control and i aint usin em. Anyone have a use? I dont have the center section wiht the actual bearings...just the housing part that bolts to the strut tower.

mikey_audiogeek

Racer's Edge with Vorshlag spring perches. Better than the Ground Control arrangement, IMHO.

Mike

Potomac-Greg

I should report that my efforts to improve the MK1 performance have paid off -- somewhat. The springs are definitely not binding up nearly as much now that I have installed some spacers under the bearings. Even the steering feels diferent -- looser. The car will tramline when I hit ruts, more that it used to, suggesting to me that the bearings were so tight that it was actually binding the steering.

So, the spacers and grease have freed things up. I suspect that the bearing is still stationary, and the spacers are just spinning -- which is an improvement. Now I'm wondering if I should have used a nylon washer. Maybe next time around.

pjburges

Simpler solution - greased the tops and bottoms of the spring perches with CV axle grease. Smooth as a babies ***. Until it rains...but thats what more grease is for.

originalmotorhead

I just picked up a set of Racer's Edge camber plates. Will be interesting to see how they work when installed because the ball/bearing is stiffer then a mother effer and I am wondering how it will rotate when installed. Might be greasing the snot out of it.

Tom