[phoenix64]

http://ls1tech.com/forums/suspension-brake...ml#post16397439
Long story of my experience so far.

Right now I'm leaning toward stock brakes or possibly putting the C5 brackets back on with 17in wheels and 315/35 tires.

I'm also tempted to stay with the 16in wheels, and get some 255 slicks, just cause the car steers/tracks/rides so well with the lighter 16in wheels.

Any thoughts? Is there a calculator some where that lets you compare grip with 255 vs 315 tires?

Also any suggestions on seats or steering wheels would be appreciated.

[Blainefab]

Nice read - Thanks for the all the detail, it helps figure out what advise to offer.

Tire pressures were way too high - the general rule of thumb is to lower pressure on the end that slides first. Start with 32F/32R on street tires, run a session, drop 2psi from the end that slides first. Evaluate your balance in steady state cornering, do not confuse balance with power on or trail braking oversteer. Your car will push (aka understeer = front slides first).

Check for bottoming in the rear - riding on the bump stops can cause oversteer. If you have bump stop extenders, toss them. Use the OEM bump stops, and adjust the rake for 1/2" higher in the rear than the front, measured at the LCA bolts. Use spacers on top of the rear spring perch to raise the rear.

Stick with street tires till you get proficient tuning and driving the car. You need to understand the cause and effect of changes in setup and technique before raising the grip level. A high performance summer tire will stay cooler than an all season.

245 is not enough rubber for our cars - I recommend 275 on 17x9.5" 01-04 Corvette Z06 front wheels, They ideal for the Fbody, are lightweight and inexpensive. Moderate spacers with ARP studs will get them off the fenderwells, you may need to roll the outer fenders. The Pontiac is wider here than the Chev.

Don't use 315s on 11 rims - you would need to do extensive fenderwell adjustments and relocate the bumpstops to fit them without rubbing, and upgrade your LCA/PH to rodends, or use a Watts. The 11's will hang up on the bump stops at full droop - this can happen when the car gets light - the last thing you want when you are flying over over a rise at 130mph is to have the rear wheels lock up on the bumps stops.

Get a spec alignment - With a stock front suspension you can get about -1deg camber, equal both sides, and as much caster as you can get, also equal both sides. Toe zero to 1/16" out. Find a shop that will align to your specs, not just light up the green lights.

The C5 brakes should be adequate, use a good pad and fluid. You'll want a medium grip pad front and rear - too much pad will overpower a street tire. Street pads can overheat quickly and fade. Finding the right pad compounds front and rear will be your biggest challenge.

[pharmd]

Nice read - Thanks for the all the detail, it helps figure out what advise to offer.

Tire pressures were way too high - the general rule of thumb is to lower pressure on the end that slides first. Start with 32F/32R on street tires, run a session, drop 2psi from the end that slides first. Evaluate your balance in steady state cornering, do not confuse balance with power on or trail braking oversteer. Your car will push (aka understeer = front slides first).

Check for bottoming in the rear - riding on the bump stops can cause oversteer. If you have bump stop extenders, toss them. Use the OEM bump stops, and adjust the rake for 1/2" higher in the rear than the front, measured at the LCA bolts. Use spacers on top of the rear spring perch to raise the rear.

Stick with street tires till you get proficient tuning and driving the car. You need to understand the cause and effect of changes in setup and technique before raising the grip level. A high performance summer tire will stay cooler than an all season.

245 is not enough rubber for our cars - I recommend 275 on 17x9.5" 01-04 Corvette Z06 front wheels, They ideal for the Fbody, are lightweight and inexpensive. Moderate spacers with ARP studs will get them off the fenderwells, you may need to roll the outer fenders. The Pontiac is wider here than the Chev.

Don't use 315s on 11 rims - you would need to do extensive fenderwell adjustments and relocate the bumpstops to fit them without rubbing, and upgrade your LCA/PH to rodends, or use a Watts. The 11's will hang up on the bump stops at full droop - this can happen when the car gets light - the last thing you want when you are flying over over a rise at 130mph is to have the rear wheels lock up on the bumps stops.

Get a spec alignment - With a stock front suspension you can get about -1deg camber, equal both sides, and as much caster as you can get, also equal both sides. Toe zero to 1/16" out. Find a shop that will align to your specs, not just light up the green lights.

The C5 brakes should be adequate, use a good pad and fluid. You'll want a medium grip pad front and rear - too much pad will overpower a street tire. Street pads can overheat quickly and fade. Finding the right pad compounds front and rear will be your biggest challenge.

Alan, do you recommend no 315 rear as a general rule? Alot of folks including some hard core racers are running this setup, so I wonder if their is an amiable solution that allows us to run it (via modification). Would going with a more custom wheel with correct offset avoid this issue (what backpacking would u recommend)?