Ford Falcon BA-FG Coilovers

[Shockworks]

Hi FPV8U,

At this time, we have been doing the Ford installs as as we are new to the market have limited dealers in Victoria still. Also busy in Korea tuning race and road cars for our partners. Our current dealers are Import Monster and Forced motor works for the Japanese range and Wheeltech in Dandenong that sell all the range and have a good fitting service. Apart from that we need to get interstate to make new friends haha. Many people order from interstate and fit themselves but really need to increase our dealer range for us to keep growing. I have been a chassis engineer for many years but still learning all about what it takes to run and increase the sales side of things. Travelling overseas so much doesn't help but the money is great to put into the development costs so we can keep building the range.
Any idea's are always welcome!!
Cheers

[FPV8U]

I live in Traralgon and have Grandparents in Montrose so not that far from your shop.

It would be great if you could do a build thread of a Falcon getting a fit up, I talked to my local suspension shop (Fulcrum/Tein dealer) about you guys but he had little to no information and there isn't a lot of detail to talk to him about from what's on the website.

[Shockworks]

Thanks FPVU8,
Must be the air in China but I forgot about Nispro and Herrod so I hope they are not reading haha. In the middle of a huge subjective evaluation report so the brain is a bit dead. About 40 different things to rate on the ride and handling
Next time we are installing a set of Ford dampers, I will give you a call through the forum and you are more than welcome to see how we install our damper kit.
we have sold many sets but only one to a forum member direct and installed for him so hope to get some more business from the guys in the threads.
Thanks and look forward to meeting you one day.
Cheers
Brett

[Whitey-AMG]

Originally Posted by FPV8U

I live in Traralgon and have Grandparents in Montrose so not that far from your shop.

It would be great if you could do a build thread of a Falcon getting a fit up, I talked to my local suspension shop (Fulcrum/Tein dealer) about you guys but he had little to no information and there isn't a lot of detail to talk to him about from what's on the website.

If you were closer to my side of town - I'd take you for a spin in the GT so you can check the ride etc. So far - no issues and the ride is still very good. The stance is exactly what I always hoped for....low.......but not dragging its guts. The look of the car now is such a bonus. The ride is still compliant - so its not just a 1 week feels good and then its gone to hell scenario.

Again - depends on what you want in the car and how prepared you are to put up with a little bit of rough and tumble when the roads are bad - but this set up is very close to the factory feel in terms of damping.

PM me if you wanna talk more.

[Pepscobra]

Originally Posted by ESP

If you were closer to my side of town - I'd take you for a spin in the GT so you can check the ride etc. So far - no issues and the ride is still very good. The stance is exactly what I always hoped for....low.......but not dragging its guts. The look of the car now is such a bonus. The ride is still compliant - so its not just a 1 week feels good and then its gone to hell scenario.

Again - depends on what you want in the car and how prepared you are to put up with a little bit of rough and tumble when the roads are bad - but this set up is very close to the factory feel in terms of damping.

PM me if you wanna talk more.

Mate, your car looks great riding on the new setup... What height did you (HTG) did you set it at?

Cheers.

[FPV8U]

Thanks for the response Brett, looking forward to seeing some more feedback on these kits.

[dingdong555]

These look/sound like the ducks nuts. Willing to buy my pedders coilovers and put in a set of these?

(haha)

[twr7cx]

I thought since pictures are a bit sparse in this thread I would throw a few up that I took when unboxing my front coil overs.

[Whitey-AMG]

^^^

They look exactly like mine.....lol

They are nice well made unit.

Had my set in the GT for a while. Nothing but positive things too say at this stage. Very happy.

[Benno73]

They do look great as far as sruts go.

Am i to assume that coilovers are legal on road cars?

Just thought i'd ask as my brother in-law has got cold feet in regards to fitting them to his VZ Dunnydore so he can put 40series tyres on his 19's.

[old_mate]

I did read in new Codes of Practise adopted recently in QLD they did mention coilovers are now illegal.

Not exactly sure as yet what that means (if a authorised person can engineer it or not) but I intend to find out. Tax time means new shocks.



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[twr7cx]

I poked around yesterday on the shock and I can feel the bump stop there underneath the dust boot cover.

Originally Posted by Benno73

Am i to assume that coilovers are legal on road cars?

Just thought i'd ask as my brother in-law has got cold feet in regards to fitting them to his VZ Dunnydore so he can put 40series tyres on his 19's.

Originally Posted by old_mate

I did read in new Codes of Practise adopted recently in QLD they did mention coilovers are now illegal.

Not exactly sure as yet what that means (if a authorised person can engineer it or not) but I intend to find out. Tax time means new shocks.

Do you have a link for the Queensland Code of Practice that has been recently adopted? I have found the 'Department of Transport and Main Roads Queensland Code of Practice Vehicle Modifications Version 1.0 November 2012' < http://www.tmr.qld.gov.au/~/media/sa...ations1112.pdf >, but it does not mention coilovers anywhere.

I did however, find this on the Queensland Department of Transport and Main Roads' website < http://www.tmr.qld.gov.au/Safety/Veh...fications.aspx > which indicates that Queensland now follow the National Code of Practice (NCOP) for Light Vehicle Construction and Modification - see my next paragraph for this documents relevancy.

I believe all States are now following the National Code of Practice (NCOP) for Light Vehicle Construction and Modification Vehicle Standards Bulletin (VSB) 14 ( http://www.infrastructure.gov.au/roa.../vsb_ncop.aspx )
In this case is it probably NCOP11 Section LS Suspension and Steering V2 01Jan2011 that is most relevant. Section 1.1 titled '1.1 BASIC MODIFICATIONS NOT REQUIRING CERTIFICATION' describes the "...following modifications may be performed without certification if they are carried out in
accordance with sub-section 2 General Requirements and the total change in vehicle height resulting from all modifications performed, does not exceed 50mm." (p. 6):
 Shock absorber substitution;
 Spring and sway bar substitution

Also of note is 1.2 MODIFICATIONS REQUIRING CERTIFICATION UNDER SECTION LS (p. 6) and 1.3 MODIFICATIONS NOT COVERED UNDER SECTION LS (pp. 6 - 7), however, coilovers aren't specifically listed in either of these, so we can continue (if the vehicle has ESC however, then this document doesn't strictly apply as ESC vehicles are a whole different bag of tricks apparently):

Reference then to sub-section 2 General Requirements (pp. 7 to 17) which covers the topics of Driveability, Strength and Flexibility, Fabrication, Steering and Suspension Terminology, Relevant Publications, Modifications to Vehicles Equipped with ESC, Safety Issues Associated with Raising or Lowering a Vehicle - skimming through these I don't see anything relating to coilovers.

The easiest way to find out if they are legal in your state is to just phone or e-mail the road transport agency's technical department. I have done this a few times here in Tasmania for information.

Considering the standard setup in the front of the Falcons is a coil over the strut I would assume at least for the front of a Falcon the coilovers are legal as the only difference is the spring base can now be adjusted for height purposes.

I would also be suprised if large National chains like Fulcrum Suspension (retailer of Tein) and Pedders would be selling coilovers if they were illegal. The legal ramifications to them would be too great in regards to their duty of care.

There's so many myths and BS floating around on online forums with no references to back them up. Find the source of the rules and read them and usually that will provide you with at least 90% of your answer.

[kempy311]

Illegal in WA unless engineered.

[twr7cx]

Originally Posted by kempy311

Illegal in WA unless engineered.

Got any more details on that such as a reference? As I note that WA also has adopted the NCOP ( http://www.transport.wa.gov.au/media...htVehicles.pdf ).

[kempy311]

Originally Posted by twr7cx

Got any more details on that such as a reference? As I note that WA also has adopted the NCOP ( http://www.transport.wa.gov.au/media...htVehicles.pdf ).

Not sure where the references are but when taking the car over for inspection they had to be removed before it was passed. Also on most boxes that coil overs come in they say for off road use etc.

[Whitey-AMG]

Not illegal in Victoria

Section 13.2 VSB 14 lists that you can substitute suspension components without certification - provided amongst other things it is not raised or lowered by more than 1/3 of its initial suspension travel. No mention of coilovers as exclusions.

Cars with ESC may be different - as lowering or raising may affect the way the ECU responds to its set programming ? This is more to do with parameter alterations than hardware change - so it would apply to lowering / raising the vehicle regardless of coilovers or using lowering springs.

This doesnt stop the boys in BLUE questioning anything they want to question - just means you are obliged to prove what you have modified is within the rules legislated by your state.

[Shockworks]

Hi Guy's,

I have been going over the regulations, and from what I see we comply with all of the reg's under the vehicle standards rules. With the Ford we have retain all the of the Factory rod travel and just a little shorter in the rear by about 12mm from memory but fall way inside the 2/3rd's rule for travel. We have also extensively tested the car's performance with the stability system with no reduced effects on performance. Section 4.4 outlines compatible mountings which we have the same dimensions as factory but the Ford lower clevis bracket for BA-BF is 2.5mm thickness and our brackets are 5mm thickness to make sure we have super strong mountings.
From what I see we are all good but will keep going over as now I am interested to read this material.
Cheers

[Whitey-AMG]

Originally Posted by Shockworks

Hi Guy's,

I have been going over the regulations, and from what I see we comply with all of the reg's under the vehicle standards rules. With the Ford we have retain all the of the Factory rod travel and just a little shorter in the rear by about 12mm from memory but fall way inside the 2/3rd's rule for travel. We have also extensively tested the car's performance with the stability system with no reduced effects on performance. Section 4.4 outlines compatible mountings which we have the same dimensions as factory but the Ford lower clevis bracket for BA-BF is 2.5mm thickness and our brackets are 5mm thickness to make sure we have super strong mountings.
From what I see we are all good but will keep going over as now I am interested to read this material.
Cheers

Brett - Isnt the factory unit on the front of the Au and B series and FG series a "coilover" unit anyways ? It is not a separate spring / shock.

The only difference with the shockworks stuff / pedders / tein etc is that they are "adjustable". In fact the Tein with the EDFC may be an issue as it has the potential to be "manually" adjusted whilst driving ?? Not sure on the technicality of that.

The rear units are a separate shock and spring - like the factory units as well - so there is no modification per se.....its more in line with the substitution rule. Now adding a complete coiolver kit to an XE falcon may be an issue as the body of the vehicle may need to be modified to suit.

This is an interesting area and probably comes down to interpretation of the regs. I'm sure there would be roadworthy testing centres out there in all states that would not pass on these sorts of mods out of pure confusion and caution. Then again - there would be plenty that would based on the substitution ruling.

[twr7cx]

Well my front coilovers are installed! The installation was the easy bit. They are significantly lighter than the old KYB AGX and King Spring combination that I removed which made fitting the Shockwork units a breeze!

It was perfecting the height (I wanted a centre of hub to guard measurement of 375mm) and ensuring that it was even left and right that took me the longest (adjust it, lower the vehicle off the jack so that I can check, raise back up, adjust and repeat).

It's going to the wheel/tyre shop tomorrow morning for a wheel alignment.

[old_mate]

Ill dig up the documents I was reading and report back.

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[twr7cx]

A couple of installation pictures:








I found that after installing them and adjusting them to the desired height they sagged 7mm after I actually drove the vehicle out of the driveway. I realised this on Friday morning when I was about to take it to get the wheel alignment done. So I readjusted them 7mm higher and they were perfect when they sagged again. The wheel alignment will be on Monday now then I'll be able to test them out and comment on the actual performance of them.

I also found that a 1mm height increase on the spring base equaled approximately a 2mm height increase from hub to guard measurement.

I have adjusted mine up to standard XR height which matches my rear leaf springs. There's enough adjustment for the spring base to raise the front all the way to standard height (XT/Futura style) if you desired.

The only other thing I noted during the installation is that the included nuts are smaller in their diameter than the original units (you can see the wear on the inner guards paint job in the first picture from the larger OEM nuts). Also the OEM units are nylock while the Shockworks are flanged nuts.

[Pepscobra]

These look great.
Do you adjust the height from the spring seat or the other nut at the bottom of the shock?
Did you do anything with the preload?

[twr7cx]

Originally Posted by Pepscobra

Do you adjust the height from the spring seat or the other nut at the bottom of the shock?

I adjusted the height using the two nuts on the shock absorbers shaft to lift up the spring base.

The lower nut is to lock the base (the fork part which bolts to the lower control arm) to the shock absorber body. Reference my first batch of pictures showing this removed.

I suppose you could unwind the fork from the shock absorber body which would also increase the height, but I didn't do it by this method as my experience with other coil overs is the height adjustment is done by adjusting the spring base. I'm sure Brett will confirm if this is correct.

Originally Posted by Pepscobra

Did you do anything with the preload?

I'm not technically versed, so I don't actually know what preload is or if it's adjustable.

I do however, assume that these are a single rate spring, so even though the spring may be being a bit compressed by me raising the spring base, I would assume the spring rate is still therefore the same? Is that how it works?

I have the shock adjustment set to the softest setting at the moment and I'll play around with it while I drive the car.

[40RDT]

Nice how much were they?

[xexr6t]

Don't adjust height from the spring base. This will affect spring preload and the car will drive like crap. Height adjustment should be done by adjusting the lower shock mount up or down. There should be no preload on the spring. With the coilover out of the car the spring should rotate by hand. This made a massive difference to the ride and handling of my GT and I only had between 5-10mm of preload. Pm me your number if you want and I can give you a ring and explain it beter.

[Pepscobra]

Originally Posted by xexr6t

Don't adjust height from the spring base. This will affect spring preload and the car will drive like crap. Height adjustment should be done by adjusting the lower shock mount up or down. There should be no preload on the spring. With the coilover out of the car the spring should rotate by hand. This made a massive difference to the ride and handling of my GT and I only had between 5-10mm of preload. Pm me your number if you want and I can give you a ring and explain it beter.

That's what I thought actually, but wasn't too sure.
But then does that mean you have to take the bottom mount off to adjust the height each time?
What's the point of having the adjustable spring seat then?

[xexr6t]

You don't need to remove the bottom mount just undo the lower lock nut on the shock body and you can rotate the whole shock body by hand. The shock will spin in the top bearing and raise and lower on the threads in the bottom mount. The adjustable spring seat makes it possible to adjust spring preload. For normal street driving no preload is Brett's recommended setting. Hopefully he sees this thread and can explain it properly.

[twr7cx]

Hmmmm... Looks like I might be redoing them tomorrow then!

[Pepscobra]

Originally Posted by twr7cx

Hmmmm... Looks like I might be redoing them tomorrow then!

Shouldn't be too hard by the looks of it, could probably do it with the wheels on?

I'm really interested in these shocks for my future BA GT track car project, keen to hear from anyone who has done a few anger laps with them.

[Whitey-AMG]

Originally Posted by Pepscobra

Shouldn't be too hard by the looks of it, could probably do it with the wheels on?

I'm really interested in these shocks for my future BA GT track car project, keen to hear from anyone who has done a few anger laps with them.

No track work peps.....but have put a few spirited drives up in the hills now since having them fitted. Even on the softest setting handling is very predictable and sure footed. When pushed really hard..it still understeers but nowhere near as bad as befre fitting these. The pleasant surprise though is the compliance. A bonus is that shockworks will warranty these units for motorsport use......not something that all manufacturers do or stand by.