C6 Coilover Suspension - Coiled To Strike

If you remember way back to the beginning of the Daytona 600 project, the very first thing I did was lower the car. This was both a good thing and a bad thing. The good part was that I was able to get the car's stance really low, just how I like it. Done properly, lowering a car enhances its handling by lowering the center of gravity and reducing the tendency for body roll. Aerodynamics are also marginally improved. And did I mention how much better it looks?

The bad news came when I discovered autocross, a venue in which I quickly learned the importance of maintaining lateral traction through transitions and applying power upon corner exit. More-advanced enthusiasts know that C5s and C6s handle best with the stock springs when lowered only slightly from factory ride height. The suspension simply doesn't work as well when radically lowered, due to lessened spring tension and changes in suspension geometry. The suspension also bottoms more easily, further exacerbating traction problems. If you want to improve the car's handling and lower it to the extreme, as I did, there is really only one thing to do: install a coilovershock package.

Coilovers have long been the choice of racers of all disciplines due to their unequalled flexibility in selecting spring rates, compression and rebound damping, and, of course, ride height. The downside is cost. No coilover setup worth having is cheap, and some of the ultra-high-end offerings (the Penske and Moton systems come to mind) are downright exorbitant. Thankfully, there are a few brilliant choices priced for us mere working stiffs.

One of those choices is the LG Motorsports coilover package. LG's setup utilizes the same Bilstein shocks and Hyperco springs that company namesake and World Challenge institution Lou Gigliotti has been using successfully in his race car for years. The beauty of the LG package is that it's completely customizable for your particular application. You need not put up with excessively stiff race springs if you're more interested in longdistance comfort.

LG uses aluminum-bodied Bilstein shocks for their light weight and excellent durability. These shocks utilize a separate, nitrogen-filled chamber to prevent aeration of the shock oil. Air bubbles in the oil compromise the shock's effectiveness with each compression-and-rebound cycle.

"We have used these shocks as the core of our coilover package on the race car for years," says Gigliotti. "We have nurtured our racing contacts to be able to carry that technology into the street products we build. The valving was dialed in by me and a Bilstein shock engineer on track."

A quick inspection of the LG coilovers will show no evidence of adjustment knobs. Asked about this apparent omission, Gigliotti offers the following explanation:"Adjustable shocks work well for drag racing because you need a 90/10 shock for the front and a 50/50 for the rear to promote weight transfer. But for all other applications, you need a tuned and balanced shock-and-spring package that works in harmony.

"The knobs on the shock work well when you change your spring rate, but if your springs are already correctly matched to the shock, adjusting the shock valving will simply move the shock out of the range of the spring. In other words, the rebound of the shock is determined by the spring rate. The rebound rate is what is acting against the spring pressure. If you change the spring rate, you must change the rebound rate of the shock, because a heavier spring rate will push the shock open more quickly. Similarly, a lighter spring will not be able to overcome the rebound in the shock and will tend to 'hang' the wheel up and reduce the tire contact time.