I know some of you 380 owners out there are currently researching the coilover option for our beloved 380's, especially with regards to the Koni Coilovers for the Galant. Im not getting ANY answers from anyone that I have been emailing.

I have been talking to a few people around my local area about certain options. I have found a guy that will make a set of coilovers for the 380 out of Landcruiser Springs and modify them to buggery! Iv had a look at these and although a good option they seem to be VERY heavy compared to coilovers available to Commodores and Fords.

Now here comes some interesting news. I just dropped by Pedders down the road. We had a chat and they said that "they" (their research and development team) can also produce a custom coilover for the 380 using a 380 (or 3000gt) shock that is 100% fully adjustable and all the brackets for a straight bolt on. These will have a 30 position adjustable bump and rebound damping setting. They said that they will be using the original front mounts.

I will be dropping by on Monday to get all measured up and get the ball rolling. I will report more on Monday avo.

What does everyone think?

Sweet. Thanks Matt. With lowering and exhaust next on my to-do list, I'm definitely very interested to see how you go. It might be worth letting the guys at Pedders know that there are quite a few interested parties on this forum which may translate into future sales, which might give you some bargaining options (but then again for custom coilovers it will probably cost a bomb anyway).

good on you for the leg work on this Matt
I am very interested in the result
Its like looking for anything with the 380 lots of RESEARCH

You sir are a PIONEER

I will be getting as much info as I can on Monday. Measuring up alone is going to take a couple of hours. Any questions you guys would like me to ask?

I dropped by pedders in mascot (sydney) a couple months back looking at lowering my 380 and the guy told me he could do fully adjustable coilovers for $2000 straight. I was VERY close to doing it but came to the conclusion that the money would be better spent elsewhere.

I think we are all pretty interested in the coilovers, but bear in mind that they can tend to be a really harsh ride. I would be interested to see what inserts they are using first. That will make all the difference.

Yeah I can attest to a harsh ride my Corolla has Bilstien adjustables and it crashes over our crappy roads and I now CBF changing the settings either such a better steerer though

My concerns exactly!! Not generally family friendly me thinks.

I will be asking how harsh these will be compared to normal driving, also what settings (ie soft --> hard) will be available. These guys are already measuring me up some front and rear sway (both 30mm thick) and front strut bars.

FWD drifting here I come!!

Damn it wont have any body roll. Just remember that all that energy has to be displaced somewhere and that somewhere is the tyres = more slidey sidey stuff. You probably know that anyway.

Had a chat to the place that McHenry is looking at and they reckon that the insert goes from "here you go Nana come for a ride" to "far out mate!! Did you weld your suspension shut??" or thereabouts. Which is good for us old fellas who like a bit more comfort with the option to crank it up when we are in the car alone for a drive. It will be interesting to see if Big Mc bites the bullet and gets them, then we should have an objective opinion on them.

How easily adjustable are they?

Simply jack the car up and make four simple adjustments, one on each?

Or do you have to go to the trouble of removing & refitting them? That would be a real pain in the butt.

Doubt if they would be electronically adjustable via some type of dial inside the car, that would cost squillions.

KJ.

Tein have the electrically adjustable ones but you are right that costs another $1000+. The dampers are easy as on the front to adjust as the adjustment is (as with all coilovers I would imagine) on the top of the strut tower. The rears depend on how easy it is to access the top of the insert. (see links).
http://www.201motorsports.com/images/P/MR-CDK-SI02.jpg
http://image.hondatuningmagazine.com/f/8874825/0410ht_12z+Honda_S2000+Coilover_Adjusting_Valve.jp g
Some of the rears (very few) have adjustment on the bottom.
http://image.mustangmonthly.com/f/27131862+w750+st0/mump_0907_26_z+coilover_front_suspension+dual_adju stment_knobs.jpg
The height adjustment however is a different story. It is not that it is hard but that with any adjustment in height changes the overall geometry of the car, making a wheel alignment necessary. I guess the bottom line is that with the adjustment you make the choice of ride height and if you are having problems bottoming out you can just raise it incrementally, basically for the cost of a wheel alignment (and a little bit more labour), instead of having to buy different springs or just grimacing and bearing something that could be better.

How easily adjustable are they?

Simply jack the car up and make four simple adjustments, one on each?

Or do you have to go to the trouble of removing & refitting them? That would be a real pain in the butt.

Doubt if they would be electronically adjustable via some type of dial inside the car, that would cost squillions.

KJ.

These are EXTREMELY easy to adjust. From what they said they are adjusted with the turn of a dial situated on top of the coilover. They will be very similar to to the Pedders Extreme XA Adjustable Coilovers (check their website).

Im definitely going to go for these.

These are EXTREMELY easy to adjust. From what they said they are adjusted with the turn of a dial situated on top of the coilover. They will be very similar to to the Pedders Extreme XA Adjustable Coilovers (check their website).

Im definitely going to go for these.

I am soooo hanging out for your opinion.

After todays cruise round Mt Nebo we pretty much have no option but go coilovers or SUPER hard suspension.
HUGE gouge marks out the front tyres!!:eek2:

After todays cruise round Mt Nebo we pretty much have no option but go coilovers or SUPER hard suspension.
HUGE gouge marks out the front tyres!!:eek2:

Hate to say it mate, but it's because your rims are so big. They're just far too big to be sporty at all.

Hate to say it mate, but it's because your rims are so big. They're just far too big to be sporty at all.

+1, i think i told you that not long ago didn't I MCHenry?

Yep....But we only got them coz we liked them!
Would have no scrubbing at all if we went for the 235's not 245's

well, its up to you mate, i know if i had coilovers that my car would be dropped on it's nuts.... otherwise there is no point in having coilovers IMO

Believe me mate it will be.

Thought the same thing actually. Went in for a service early last week and got the mechanic to look at it all (he was on the same wave length), he came back with everything being fine. But we have only been on these for about 4 weeks and the last ones for nearly a year..... could go south VERY quickly!

Yep, all it would take is a crumbling edge on the side of a road, hit some of that at a decent speed will no doubt do some very serious damage to your rims and major suspension components.

Personally (my 2 cents here) i would just use a set of standard springs, reset to the height you want, or a set of Kings with fresh shocks, i really think coilovers with 300+lb's is going to do some major damage in the short/long term.

I was thinking of doing that actually. Al (megatron) said that today, to just go for a harder shock. With the Kings Super Lows and on the standard shock I have found that it has become seriously sloppy (even before the rims). Im thinking this is due to the original shock being overly compressed more than standard.

Careful with the coil overs, if you intend to wind them down low but keep the damper on a soft setting to make it ride smoother, chances are the damper will wear out in a short time.

Careful with the coil overs, if you intend to wind them down low but keep the damper on a soft setting to make it ride smoother, chances are the damper will wear out in a short time.

They shouldn't with a decent set of coilovers. I'm not talking about hotbits rubbish or any cheap crap like Tein, but a proper set of coilovers like Ohlins.

McHenry, look into getting a set of quality shocks like Bilstein to go with your springs. You will notice a huge difference.

They shouldn't with a decent set of coilovers. I'm not talking about hotbits rubbish or any cheap crap like Tein, but a proper set of coilovers like Ohlins.

McHenry, look into getting a set of quality shocks like Bilstein to go with your springs. You will notice a huge difference.

These were one of the first companies I was on about it nearly 6 months ago. I have sent the dozens of emails regarding making a kit for the '07 Galant, pretty much told "go away and stop bothering us". They said that they are only making coilovers for the Evo IX & X for the moment, but no intention of expanding at the moment.


+1 Although id consider Tien to be decent gear, but crap like hotbits and ksport and all of those left wing bits, yeah i wouldnt touch them with a 10 foot pole.

MChenry, if its mainly for looks, why not consider a basic bag kit? plenty of adjustability etc etc. If the suspension is sloppy now, chances are the shocks are already wrecked from running SL's on it. With my 380 it handles ok with the factory sports suspension (for a Large nose heavy FWD car that is)
Im looking at coilovers for aesthetics and drive-ability (just to chuck it round the track once in a while with the originals on). I was looking into a basic air bag kit, but they can be up to and including $2k. Also I went round to a few places to have a look at them, found that they were quite load and took a while get up to pressure, also they insisted on having a duel compressor and with the subs in the back that would mean no more room in the boot.

Iv been thinking about this for over 6 months now and dhave come to the conclusion about the coilovers. When I go in on Monday, they are going to take me for a spin in the ute which has their custom setup in it, once that happens my final decision will be made.

Interestingly I was having a chat to Matt, the guy with the ute there, and asked him who made the inserts for them. He refused to divulge who made them for pedders, either that or he didn't know.

Yep....But we only got them coz we liked them!
Would have no scrubbing at all if we went for the 235's not 245's
May go for the 235's next time around out of necessity. You wont be sacrificing much at all in grip and would have far more flexability with your suspension set up.

Interestingly I was having a chat to Matt, the guy with the ute there, and asked him who made the inserts for them. He refused to divulge who made them for pedders, either that or he didn't know.

I was told that it was Pedders Research and Development Team.

MCHenry, I will go on record right now as stating that if you get a cheap set of coilovers (read: anything under basically 3k) Your car will not only not handle like it should, it'll ride like absolute rubbish.

i wouldnt say 3k but i would agree that he needs the quality, MCHenry, if you have the factory rims put them on wile the coilovers are in, lower it to the point you are happy with, and then put the 22's back on and you will feel how crap it will be, do 'verde' make a 18-20" of that particular wheel?

MCHenry, I will go on record right now as stating that if you get a cheap set of coilovers (read: anything under basically 3k) Your car will not only not handle like it should, it'll ride like absolute rubbish.

Pedders XA coilovers for Commodores cost on average around $1,600 and from what I've read on other forums, they actually ride very well. Who knows? Maybe the price is so low because they can sell allot of units.

Pedders XA coilovers for Commodores cost on average around $1,600 and from what I've read on other forums, they actually ride very well. Who knows? Maybe the price is so low because they can sell allot of units.

There are exceptions to the rule, it's just what I've experienced. Dudes with Silvias and 180sx's with Tein coilovers - MY GOD they ride like a busted nutsack.

MCHenry, check out some Bilstein shocks man with some lowered springs. Bilstein are a high quality german made shock.

There are exceptions to the rule, it's just what I've experienced. Dudes with Silvias and 180sx's with Tein coilovers - MY GOD they ride like a busted nutsack.

Well it's because they have them low, and the spring rate's are then higher, tein arn't to bad, most harshest coilover's ive come across are apexi, cousin had them in his chaser, they ride like a busted nutsack, what's in your Evo mate, If you don't mind me asking?

Well it's because they have them low, and the spring rate's are then higher, tein arn't to bad, most harshest coilover's ive come across are apexi, cousin had them in his chaser, they ride like a busted nutsack, what's in your Evo mate, If you don't mind me asking?

My car came standard with Bilsteins (:P) and it already had HKS lowered springs in it when I bought it. It sits pretty low, but it's really compliant. Put it this way, Ffeeky's KJ Verada with lowered springs and shocks rides worse than my car.

yeah japanese springs arnt as harsh as King, Lovell or pedders...
HKS make some decent coilovers.....might be a good investment disciple :P

yeah japanese springs arnt as harsh as King, Lovell or pedders...
HKS make some decent coilovers.....might be a good investment disciple :P

If I was to ever get coilovers it'd be something like Ohlin Flag L's (read: about $7k) No need for a street car, it already sticks like shit to a blanket.

Back on topic... Let us know how you go MCHenry.

If I was to ever get coilovers it'd be something like Ohlin Flag L's (read: about $7k) No need for a street car, it already sticks like shit to a blanket.

Back on topic... Let us know how you go MCHenry.

7K suspension on a Magna!! Why bother? If you are that serious about handling get a better platform to start with. I am not knocking Magnas but they were never intended to be a sports car. The awd variant Ralliart may be the only exception, may.... Yes I know I am in the AMC forum but seriously lets not fool ourselves too much eh?
Edit: Unless you are talking about putting it on the EVO, then that is different, but a magna or 380, overkill me thinks!!

7K suspension on a Magna!! Why bother? If you are that serious about handling get a better platform to start with. I am not knocking Magnas but they were never intended to be a sports car. The awd variant Ralliart may be the only exception, may.... Yes I know I am in the AMC forum but seriously lets not fool ourselves too much eh?
Edit: Unless you are talking about putting it on the EVO, then that is different, but a magna or 380, overkill me thinks!!

I was asked about the Evo, so yeah... Agree with a 380 or Magna tho. Too expensive. Like I said, overkill for street use anyway.

TMR spent a fair bit of time and money on the suspension for the TMR380.

The reported result is better traction (needed for a FWD), racing car handling with street car comfort.

If it was me, I would ask them for a shopping list, of what they used, or get a kit that is proven to work from them.

TMR spent a fair bit of time and money on the suspension for the TMR380.

The reported result is better traction (needed for a FWD), racing car handling with street car comfort.

If it was me, I would ask them for a shopping list, of what they used, or get a kit that is proven to work from them.

Koni coilovers were used from memory, but they were probably adapted ones.

Well today didnt go at all to plan!

Had a chat to some of the guys on the MM09 Cruise yday (in particular QMD///801) and made up my mind that going coilovers maybe a waste of time and money. Was a passenger in Pete's car for a while and although I must say its a DAMN SWEET ride, I dont think having coilovers would benefit me. So my mind was made up to go for a bag kit....just seems more practical as I wont be doing any track work with 22's on and with our car SLOWLY taking the "looky looky" path. I drove to Gold Coast Customs today only to find that they are EMPTY....hmmm....oh well, off to find someone else!

Sorry for all those guys that were wanting more information. For those that are still interested shoot me a PM and I will forward the number and name that needs to be called.

So what do they want to bag the car $$?

Iv got to find someone that will do a custom kit for the 380....doing a little bit of ringing around, especially in Sydney and Melbourne.

Ok been ringing around pretty much all avo and price for bagging the 380 will cost between $7500 - $8500 for the kit, self leveling kit, custom housings, engineers cert and install. Mind you this will be a LEGAL engineered approved and state road regulation approved modification. Expensive I know but that is what needs to be spend in order to have a safe and legal car! With this being the 'going' price, I will definitely have to do more saving or reevaluate my options.

Iv got to find someone that will do a custom kit for the 380....doing a little bit of ringing around, especially in Sydney and Melbourne.

Ok been ringing around pretty much all avo and price for bagging the 380 will cost between $7500 - $8500 for the kit, self leveling kit, custom housings, engineers cert and install. Mind you this will be a LEGAL engineered approved and state road regulation approved modification. Expensive I know but that is what needs to be spend in order to have a safe and legal car! With this being the 'going' price, I will definitely have to do more saving or reevaluate my options.
Gulp! :eeek: That is about half the price of the car!!:wtf: You must be soo over it all by now!! Just get the lowered springs and suss out a good set of adjustable dampers! I know that I am going to shot down for saying this but.... it is only a 380! (I like 380's but let us not kid ourselves too much eh). OK cut loose!!:rocket:

Gulp! :eeek: That is about half the price of the car!!:wtf: You must be soo over it all by now!! Just get the lowered springs and suss out a good set of adjustable dampers! I know that I am going to shot down for saying this but.... it is only a 380! (I like 380's but let us not kid ourselves too much eh). OK cut loose!!:rocket:

Can of worms mate!!

LOL...my sister drives a $500 volvo.

It costs more to service it than it's worth.

Should she buy a $25,000 car so that her costs are a smaller function of the car's value?

The service costs the same, the new parts cost the same.

The way i would look at it is if you ever sell the car, put all the stock bits on.

I've seen some 380's for under 10k (with a zillion k's of course), but often thought, wonder what all the bits are worth as spares?

LOL...my sister drives a $500 volvo.

It costs more to service it than it's worth.

Should she buy a $25,000 car so that her costs are a smaller function of the car's value?

The service costs the same, the new parts cost the same.

The way i would look at it is if you ever sell the car, put all the stock bits on.

I've seen some 380's for under 10k (with a zillion k's of course), but often thought, wonder what all the bits are worth as spares?

Really good point Blackie!! You never get back all you spend on the extras on a car, and if you are going to sink mega bucks on a suspension set up, make sure you keep the original so that you can put it back in and flog the others off later. I think all that Matt has been through trying to find the right suspension setup has helped me heaps. I am def going to suss out the adjustable dampers instead of the coilovers. Being a tow vehicle I dont want it any lower as the camper trailer is a 4x4 one!!

Right....MORE GOOD NEWS....hopefully.

Went to see WRS at Upper Coomera to find out about a Evo-Brembo set up for the 380, which ended up being bad news for me on that one, but I digress...they had sitting there 3 Evo's (VI, IX & X), ended up also having a chat to them about our coilover dilemma. The Evo IX had just a Greddy Coilover set up installed and they had the original Bilstein's sitting to one side, 'old mate' ended up looking at the 380 front suspension/strut set up and came to the conclusion that the 380 and Evo IX front suspension set up are both NEARLY identical. THe rear unfortunately doesnt look like it is going to fit as the Evo IX rear extends up in to the boot, where as the 380 is A LOT shorter. Im asking them to look into it a little bit more for me as I am EXTREAMLY interested in this if at all possible.

So for the front it looks like Greddy the front and for the rears it looks like I may follow Disciple's opinion and then go the Bilstein rear.

And the saga continues... Sounds like a good score that. Will be interested to see how it pans out. Are the bilsteins adjustable?

And the saga continues... Sounds like a good score that. Will be interested to see how it pans out. Are the bilsteins adjustable?

Bloody oath...I was well chuffed! If I went the above option then I would probably just go for a stiffer set up and upgrade the rear sway bar to stop the body roll. Im hoping that Bilstein do a shock for the 380 but WRS will be getting back to me about this also.

Bloody oath...I was well chuffed! If I went the above option then I would probably just go for a stiffer set up and upgrade the rear sway bar to stop the body roll. Im hoping that Bilstein do a shock for the 380 but WRS will be getting back to me about this also.

You've been a busy boy, I'm interested in some better shocks if they can find something to fit.

You've been a busy boy, I'm interested in some better shocks if they can find something to fit.

Mate they have PLENTY of ideas if all you want is shocks.

I love my Bilstiens in the Rolla

Matt you are a trooper with all the groundwork you have put in to this!

I love my Bilstiens in the Rolla

Matt you are a trooper with all the groundwork you have put in to this!

Still doing more. Some people on galant forums have said that their Gen 9 Galant suspension is the same set-up as their Gen 4 Eclipse...trying to get some specs on the suspension, or maybe a blueprint or something.