AlHugh

I have an 86 951 track car with a completely stock suspension. I would like to re-do the suspension for the track only. The car is gutted with a complete roll cage. I want to upgrade to big red's so 17 inch wheels will be ordered. I am going to install charley arms and Racers Edge sperical bushings all around. I am interested in either a Huntley coilover package or the Leda system ( with remote reservoir ) and Hypercoil springs. Any other packages recommended?

I am leaning toward Kolken sway bars front/rear.

I am also going to replace the front spindles as a safety measure. Given the issues with Big reds on 86 951's ( extra parts needed), I was thinking on upgrading the whole front end to 87 specs.

Any thoughts?

thanks

Luke

Check out www.morissdampers.com My buddy has a double adj. coil over (gas emulsion) setup from them. They are absolutely wonderful. I have been in the car serveral times and I will deffinately be getting a set myself in the near future!

belz

Al ... I too have an '86 race car and have been contemplating the very same damper questions.
A couple things to consider regarding LEDA and Morris ... they are twin tube design. Some people feel this is "old" technology and a cheaper /less expensive / inferior way to make dampers. I've been reading alot about the pro and con arguements and it depends on who you choose to listen to. I guess the answer for me was to look around at the top teams in sportscar racing. Pretty much all using mono tube dampers. (JRZ / MOTON / Ohlins / Bilstein / Koni)
This comment is probably going to raise the hackles on the twin tube guys ... chime in and tell your side!
I have also heard some less than favorable things about the overall quality of the LEDA product. I do not have first hand experience with this, however something to consider.
What did I end up doing? Sent my Bilstein Cup stuff back to Bilstein to be revalved and rebuilt. I'm going to save my pennies and purchase one of the mono tube / adjustable set-ups mentioned above.
Are the LEDA and Morris products good? ... yes. Is the mono tube design better? ... probably. I sure wish there was a way to do a side by side comparison.

If you end up keeping the '86 spindles/hubs etc ... check out my add in the classifieds for 17" CCW wheels/ Kumho tires for an '86 951.

Skip

Hey Belz, ya forgot Penske You know... David Finch - SCCA GT2 944 (SHOULD HAVE WON THIS YEAR'S RUNOFFS!).

Al, Welcome to Rennlist!

It's hard for me to post an unbiased opinion, but I will offer up that a Koni setup can come in several stages. Though they're not listed as such, I'll try to sum it up:

Stage 1: (8641/8040) - single adjustable for rebound, valving approximately For 200-400# spring rates.
Stage 2: (8742/3012) - coil-over height-adjustable front and rear, double adjustable for bump and rebound. Specially valved for higher spring rates, or custom valved for your specific needs. Rear is an aluminum bodied monotube.
Stage 3: (2817/2812) - These are the same as used by F1/CART/IRL, British/German Touring cars... newly adapted for the 944/951/968. custom valved for each application. 8-position double adjustable.

Those sway bars are very nice and quite a bit lighter than the Weltmeister competition. FWIW, they are designed and manufactured by Tarett Engineering.

The 87 swap is probably smart for that reason, but might want to do the rear also so the wheels aren't mismatched.

You didn't say if this was a track DE or Club Race car?

Good Luck!

Lemon Yellow 87 n/a

Hey Skipper, after I install my koni yellows and welt 250# springs, do you think I should do anything else to the susp (car is a daily driver, not a track car) other than the obvious (alignment). I'm thinking strut tower brace but I dont know what the next step would be if there was one.

Skip

Lemon: While a strut brace certainly has a function, it's more show_than_go for a daily driver. You'd have to be driving pretty hard for that brace to be helping... not normally something you'd do on the "road". I would certainly recommend an increase in camber for the front (and rear) if for no other reason than to help the overall handling. It's my experience that the 250# springs on a street car will not feel overly pushy (understeer). When you get on the track or autocross and start driving at the limit, then you might feel the need to upgrade elsewhere. Best advice is to try it for a stint, then decide what's next (because there's ALWAYS something next )

Good Luck!

AlHugh

Skip,

Thanks for the info. It is a DE car but I hope to advance within two years to club racing. Therefore, I would like to think forward to the best components but keep it affordable today. Went to your website and reviewed the products you listed. Is removal of the torsion bars required with the 2812 series of rear shocks? Also do you use the current struts as part of this package?

Noticed you also carry the A-arms, say bars as well as the racers edge bushings and camber plates. How do you say package deal ?

Also, if I upgrade the front to 87 specs, what has to change on the rear?

Thanks

P.S. What a great board for a great car. I have a 98 C2S but love my 951

Skip

Not required, but they certainly can be. Some folks keep them with coil-overs to satisfy stock rules ("retain original spring type")... but, there's a loophole that allows you to *turn* the bars down to basically nothing (~10mm) so they really don't affect the ride. The 2812's are definitely up to the task of stand-alone coil-overs.

Nope, the 28 setup is out-of-the-box all new parts including springs, hats, and mounting hardware.



If your favorite dismantler is nearby, you rip the entire thing out. If looking to do it piece by piece then basically the cast trailing arms with hubs and brakes.