Ford Falcon BA-FG Coilovers

[Shockworks]

Originally Posted by old_mate

Could you possibly describe the benefits of coilovers to say a decent set of shocks (like the ones you also sell)? Googling seems to point towards coilovers being fully hectic, I guess i'm after an opinion from someone in the know why doubling the spend is a good idea.

FYI my G6ET is my daily, often sees fairly choppy roads, not real interested in a slammed ride height, just want the thing to ride and steer a little better (currently sits on King SL front and SSL rears, stock stuffed factory shocks)

Hi Old Mate,
I am not sure if I can talk for other coilover brands as we have benchmarked many with not such good results so will just describe what we think are the benefits over normal twin tube dampers.

Most of all, I like the adjustment range that we have for the car over a damper that is set. On full soft, the car gives an OE ride quality while having much better response in corners. With R Spec tyres, being able to take advantage of the increase in damping forces and to be able to adjust or change the balance of the car. Most coilovers we have seen tend to reduce the total travel of the damper which has a large effect on rough road as the car can top out over events or bottom out easier. Being able to set the heights all round is another plus to get the right stance for some customers or to have the ability to corner weight the car. The top mounts transform the off centre steering response with a level of connection feel, the factory mounts can not achieve.
I think the G6ET will deliver better control on the worst of roads while maintaining a very good level of ride quality. The handling of the Shockworks kit over the standard setup is much better and can deliver v ery high levels of grip in the wet in which we tested heavily in the Mt Dandenong ranges during the Winter periods.
Our standard OE replacements offer all the same level of ride quality and almost the same level of handling that the coilover kit has on full soft but without the other features described above.
I hope this helps mate.
Cheers
Brett

[old_mate]

Brett I really appreciate the response.

Looks like I can't really go wrong with either product being the OE replacement shocks or the coilovers; in reality the car will never ever be something I punt around the racetrack in earnest (i do take it out to Queensland Raceway occasionally but that's mostly about destroying rear tyres down the straights rather than chasing laptimes)

Only other option I have is looking at a cheaper set of coilovers out of Asia (say XYZ's for example) - understand they probably aren't anywhere near the same league as your products in terms of design. Having said that, if they offer an acceptable ride and handling characteristic at a price point around you're OE shock package and also do give some of the adjustability you described I can't rule them out (bearing in mind the saying the poor man pays twice!)

Again, thanks for taking the time to respond to my question

[900dukess]

Hi 'Old_mate', just a quick note.
I went with Brett's package for my FPV GT.
I have also driven a XR8 sedan, with a cheaper coil over package.
They shockworks package offers a much better ride in terms of feel and steering response.
So I would highly recommend their package.

[FPV8U]

What model XR8 & GT are you referencing?

Shockworks are on my shopping list, I've decided if I'm making the proper handling investment, I'm getting the best.

[900dukess]

Hi FPV8U
BA MK II GT
and the XR8 was a BA MKI
You wont be disappointed with the shockworks package.
Fantastic looking product that performs great.
Also great after sales service and Brett sounds like he knows his stuff.
Give him a call and he will gladly have a chat to you, or send him a PM.

[mr_xlr8]

Originally Posted by Shockworks

The full kit for sedan is still $2000 old mate.
Cheers
Brett

Wil this help me with axle tramping? It's killing me on my GTP. AXLE TRAMPS A LOT WHEN I TAKE OF DOWNER THE QTR.

[Shockworks]

Originally Posted by mr_xlr8

Wil this help me with axle tramping? It's killing me on my GTP. AXLE TRAMPS A LOT WHEN I TAKE OF DOWNER THE QTR.

Hey,
We have made some great improvements to the tramp on the GT's. Very hard to remove all with just the damper tune but the cycle time is much reduced. This with the outer diff bush seems to be the best combo to help the launch.
Cheers

[dragons90]

Any info on your brake kits

Thanks Gerard

[Shockworks]

Hi Gerard,

The Ford brake testing has finished for the front with great results. We first tested the 4 pot Brembo and then our new Mando 4 pot caliper. To say I was surprised with the results would be right!!. We found our new caliper to withstand some severe abuse with repeated very high speed stops in 40 degrees. We could not be happier with the performance and the front upgrade is being manufactured now at our plant in Korea.
We have not finished the rear disc testing but the fronts are a go for us now. The full front upgrade with fixed 355mm disc is $1800 and for floating type is$2000. We offer a street or street/track pad with the kit. The testing we did was with the track pad and found them great for daily driving and when cold not so bad.
You can check out our Facebook page on Feb 6 for some photos. I will arrange to get some photos up here later today.
If you go back to April last year on our page, you will see the brakes we supply to the Korean V8 supercars are the same.

Cheers
Brett

[Wolfinsheepsclothing]

hi mate do you have a supplier in NZ?

[Shockworks]

Originally Posted by Wolfinsheepsclothing

hi mate do you have a supplier in NZ?

Hi wolf,
At this time, we don't have anyone in NZ that sells our product. Would be good though. If you have any ideas mate would love to hear!!
Cheers

[SIRGTP]

where are the pics of these on a car with suspension as low as can go... ie. 345mm hub to guard?

[Shockworks]

Originally Posted by xr6tonboost

where are the pics of these on a car with suspension as low as can go... ie. 345mm hub to guard?

Hi Xr6onboost,
I am currently in Korea testing so will get some photo's up when I return.

Cheers
Brett

[furiousgibbon]

!!!!!! < this was me 15 minutes ago

First mod to my F6, I've done 5000km which is enough to appreciate that the stock suspension setup, while very comfortable, is the weakest part of the car. One word to describe the car's cornering attitude is 'aloof'. After a fairly responsive initial turn-in, the front end would pitch in and be followed by excessive body roll, which created a feeling of lag. Everything felt distant, like I was playing a video game. I never felt a sense of connection with the car or the road, and as such never felt confident in corners.

These coilovers have completely transformed the car, I can't think of a better first mod than this. My first drive was with them set to 3 clicks from fully soft, and even though the weather was dire and I wasn't able to really test them, the ride was still perfectly damped (would have been acceptable OE setup) and the cornering response was markedly improved even at mild speeds.

Tonight I set them to half way. I can now feel every change in the road surface, I wouldn't call it entirely comfortable but ride quality is basically on par with my stock mk6 GTI (non-ACC) but still with more progressive damping which smooths out some of the more severe undulations.

The handling now belies the near 1800kg kerb weight. The car feels completely in contact with the road, no more sensation of floating. Turn in is much more direct, mid corner changes result in an immediate response, and the level of body roll is significantly reduced. The car remains composed through quick direction changes, and the stiffer rear end means less squat when powering out. I can't say I've got an adrenaline rush from this car yet, until now. Bloody awesome. The real test will be at the next Rallysprint in July, but I don't think I'll be disappointed!

[Nish1980]

Hi Brett,

Just wanted to say thanks for the help in setting up my fg ute. Peter at WA suspensions was really impressed by the quality of the kit and the initial handling when he installed it.

Now that I've had it on the road for a couple of months I still can't believe how much better it handles over stock. Doesn't bounce any more and doesn't have any body roll.

[OCTANEBOSS]

Thanks Brett & the Shockworks team. The new suspension set up is spot on. Anyone wanting to upgrade there factory set up should seriously consider these .
cheers Dean

[Benno73]

Originally Posted by redloamrules

Thanks Brett & the Shockworks team. The new suspension set up is spot on. Anyone wanting to upgrade there factory set up should seriously consider these .
cheers Dean

Originally Posted by furiousgibbon

!!!!!! < this was me 15 minutes ago

First mod to my F6, I've done 5000km which is enough to appreciate that the stock suspension setup, while very comfortable, is the weakest part of the car. One word to describe the car's cornering attitude is 'aloof'. After a fairly responsive initial turn-in, the front end would pitch in and be followed by excessive body roll, which created a feeling of lag. Everything felt distant, like I was playing a video game. I never felt a sense of connection with the car or the road, and as such never felt confident in corners.

These coilovers have completely transformed the car, I can't think of a better first mod than this. My first drive was with them set to 3 clicks from fully soft, and even though the weather was dire and I wasn't able to really test them, the ride was still perfectly damped (would have been acceptable OE setup) and the cornering response was markedly improved even at mild speeds.

Tonight I set them to half way. I can now feel every change in the road surface, I wouldn't call it entirely comfortable but ride quality is basically on par with my stock mk6 GTI (non-ACC) but still with more progressive damping which smooths out some of the more severe undulations.

The handling now belies the near 1800kg kerb weight. The car feels completely in contact with the road, no more sensation of floating. Turn in is much more direct, mid corner changes result in an immediate response, and the level of body roll is significantly reduced. The car remains composed through quick direction changes, and the stiffer rear end means less squat when powering out. I can't say I've got an adrenaline rush from this car yet, until now. Bloody awesome. The real test will be at the next Rallysprint in July, but I don't think I'll be disappointed!

Originally Posted by Nish1980

Hi Brett,

Just wanted to say thanks for the help in setting up my fg ute. Peter at WA suspensions was really impressed by the quality of the kit and the initial handling when he installed it.

Now that I've had it on the road for a couple of months I still can't believe how much better it handles over stock. Doesn't bounce any more and doesn't have any body roll.

This is awesome news boys, it's great to hear the after story.
I've for a long while wondered if the expensive gear was the bee's knees, as I've seen a few setups that have had all this money thrown at em and ride really harse, handle like a pig because they no longer have any give.
I'm reading, if I'm correct, that this is not the case here and that the car feels comfortable to drive but yet planted and connected when pushing it?
To anyone else with these, keep the feedback coming.
Ben

[Whitey-AMG]

I've had my set for @12 months now.
My BFGT is a daily so I've had plenty of time to experience how this product fares over time. All I can say is that this is good gear. I've used bilsteins , konis in red and yellow and monroes in previous cars and the shockworks gear is equal to anything that bilstein or koni have on offer. Its the control and compliance that hasnt faded over time that proves to me the quality of the internals. BFGT is a heavy pig so its testament to the shockworks gear that they are continuing to perform. Brett is a good bloke to boot with so much knowledge. So refreshing to talk to someome so passionate about their product and with solid tech knowledge and experience, not just some sales goon trying to sell you bull....

[natedog]

Originally Posted by Benno73

This is awesome news boys, it's great to hear the after story.
I've for a long while wondered if the expensive gear was the bee's knees, as I've seen a few setups that have had all this money thrown at em and ride really harse, handle like a pig because they no longer have any give.
I'm reading, if I'm correct, that this is not the case here and that the car feels comfortable to drive but yet planted and connected when pushing it?
To anyone else with these, keep the feedback coming.
Ben

I've had it in for 3 months and the best way to describe it is that the car feels "planted" especially at higher speeds.

It is my every day driver and I like to roll around with 1 click up from soft to the front and rear at full soft, this seemed to work well with the crap rear tyres I had on.

At the track I've played around with the settings a bit, but crap tyres were the weak point.

Now I've upgraded the rears tyres to some pilot super sports the grip is ridiculous so I will have to play around with maybe stiffening the back a little more.

But that is also what's awesome, you can adjust to suit your exact requirements....and it's just a click, click...done

I love my car......

[Shockworks]

Originally Posted by natedog

I've had it in for 3 months and the best way to describe it is that the car feels "planted" especially at higher speeds.

It is my every day driver and I like to roll around with 1 click up from soft to the front and rear at full soft, this seemed to work well with the crap rear tyres I had on.

At the track I've played around with the settings a bit, but crap tyres were the weak point.

Now I've upgraded the rears tyres to some pilot super sports the grip is ridiculous so I will have to play around with maybe stiffening the back a little more.

But that is also what's awesome, you can adjust to suit your exact requirements....and it's just a click, click...done

I love my car......

Thanks natedog and to all our customers for the wonderful feedback. We so much appreciate the words of support. When we started Shockworks, no one knew us and it was my first priority to make a package for the Ford that made a big difference to the ride and handling. So many years testing for the big guy's but could never quite get the car to feel the way I wanted with the factory parts and management driving the direction of the feel. Now I have so many options for the tuning and could decide for myself what I wanted to car handle and ride like. Thanks also go to Prodrive for lending us there big HP test car for an extended period until we were completely happy!
Thanks again guy's
Cheers
Brett

[marcyeo]

Do you have any workshop in Brisbane that can fit your coilovers Brett?

[Shockworks]

Originally Posted by marcyeo

Do you have any workshop in Brisbane that can fit your coilovers Brett?

Hi Marcyeo,

We don't have a dealer in Brisbane yet mate, sorry. We will be travelling up North in the next few months to find some good companies to support the fitting and sales for the Shockworks dampers.
If you do decide to install our dampers, would be much better to remove the heavy bars and install the factory bars as they will not be required with our kit and will only reduce the grip mate.
Cheers
Brett

[Struggo]

Installed Shockworks Coilovers in my G6ET.

One word "WOW"

[raband]

Had a set installed at Pitlane today and thought I'd share my first impressions.

Would first like to thank Brett for both his product, and also for his knowledge and customer support/feedback. Not only did he hand deliver the kit to Mick last week (who also has my thanks for his unending support and help) but also visited them again this morning prior to my installation to ensure it all went smoothly. (he probably left knowing his product was already in great hands, but glad he made the visit )

(I've copied this post from the other forum I frequent - I figure Brett and Shockworks are a bit more visible here)

.............

Well.... Just back from a cruise down the Peninsula - This setup should come stock - or at least as a factory option on our cars.

It took the roads out the back of Dromana, Red Hill, Balnarring etc as if they were freshly laid, not potholed, lumpy bits or tar.

I swear - they have also straightened and smoothed out the corners up Arthurs Seat since I was there last - the car now just steers through them and stays flat the whole way.

The extra grip coming out of corners I've now got isn't small either - couple of roundabouts that used to give my tail a decent kick out are now just taken smoothly with the same power down.

Ride isn't any less comfortable than stock - just a little different. Found myself flinching/clenching like I usually do when going over the usual railway tracks but they may as well have not been there. You still feel the bumps, but the car doesn’t.

Haven't played with the dampening at all yet – still on the soft settings setup/recommended by Brett – even on soft – wow – light and day difference in the handling from stock.

Gone is the wallow.
Steering - it no longer feels as if the rear is trailing the front with a bit of lag - feels as if the gap between the front and rear wheels has been shortened
Braking into a corner - so much more balanced - so much less weight transfer. Like the railway crossings - I'd be prepared/waiting for the cars usual behavior - it didn't do it, just stayed flat and composed. the dropping of the front/loading on the inner tyre wasn't there.

Note - I wasn't driving at 10/10ths, just having a bit of a spurt over different conditions - getting a feel of the differences the new coilovers have made. Call it 6 or 7/10ths, but with the old shocks/springs it a few of the corners would have felt more like a high 8/10ths ;)

Am so glad to have found this product at the right time - I was probably 60% headed towards getting a "best bang for the buck" set of shocks for the car, 20% headed towards higher level shocks/spring setup and 20% towards a set of coilovers (probably Tein). I stumbled across some reviews and posts of Brett's a few weeks ago that probably sent me thinking 60% shocks only, 40% Shockworks Coilovers. A quick chat with Mick a few weeks ago (and him suggesting Shockworks) flipped it to 60/40 in favour of Bretts product. Speaking to Brett sealed it at 100% last thursday. Today they are on the car and I'm a very happy customer

[Struggo]

Originally Posted by Struggo

Installed Shockworks Coilovers in my G6ET.

One word "WOW"

Here are a couple of shots I took with my mobile, please forgive the dirty girl

Hub to guard = 360mm

[kanos.79]

She looks good mate. Im thinking of getting these coilovers for my GTE. They look great . Also some really good reviews of this product.

[marcyeo]

Originally Posted by Shockworks

Hi Marcyeo,

We don't have a dealer in Brisbane yet mate, sorry. We will be travelling up North in the next few months to find some good companies to support the fitting and sales for the Shockworks dampers.
If you do decide to install our dampers, would be much better to remove the heavy bars and install the factory bars as they will not be required with our kit and will only reduce the grip mate.
Cheers
Brett

Hey Brett - by heavier bars did you mean the front & rear Whiteline swaybars? If so unfortunately that was on the old F6 which has gone to car heaven and I'm currently in the GT.

I was thinking of upgrading the front swaybar's to Whiteline again as a cheapo upgrade before getting the coin for your coilovers, but you reckon don't bother with the swaybars as they interfere with grip?

[raband]

Brett

Mate

Any chance of a discount on a second set of coilovers?

I want the one set on the car and another set to cuddle at night.
I swear - if these things could brew hot coffee in the morning I'd marry them.

As good as they were on my first impression - tonight I was blown away again.

Had to take the kids up to Yea from Frankston - up through Toolangi etc (not the best/smoothest road at the best of times) - and the conditions were totally horrendous. We're talking wipers on max constantly, large puddles of standing water, rivers flowing across the road, maybe 10-20m visibility at times and rain covering the road so the surface was a mystery - that sort of stuff.

Hit my first "water hazard" just after Yarra Glen - one of those puddles that cover about half the road - only the left hand tyre track ones. Mate - the car reacted about as much as a Sherman Tank would have. Seriously - I was expecting the usual "grab" and steering response from the LH front but there was ABSOLUTELY nothing. I'm not talking "ooh - that was heaps better than before". I'm saying ZERO effect on the car, the steering or the handling.

This continued the whole way there and back.

Next one that opened my eyes was a part where 2 roads and a side road meet. Imagine a 10m stretch where 3 different layers of asphalt (1 from each road) meet, never smoothed down, potholes, divots, lines scored in the road etc. This part has always unsettled the car - even at 80km/h in the dry. Tonght, at 100km/h and in the wet (same standing water as mentioned above) it may as well have been freshly paved. I felt the surface changes - my passengers felt the surface changes, but the car just laughed at them and shrugged them off.

With those mentioned I thought I was done with being impressed for the night.

Nup - not at all.

On the way back (after dropping the kids off) there's a nice, 2 lane roundabout where I often use the outside lane to sneak past some slower moving vehicles when turning right (both lanes can turn right - the last roundabout on the Yarra Glenn bypass for those who know the area). You sort of hook left then sweep right to get through this roundabout - ideally with a bit more speed than the cars in the inside lane, so you can exit the roundabout ahead of them where the lanes merge.
Here I was, waiting for the body roll and awkwardness on the change of direction from the left hook and into the right sweep as it's always given me..... Nup. Not tonight. There was no body roll, no shifting of weight and absolutely no awkwardness - this was like going through the "S"'s in a go-kart instead of a rollercoaster in a boat compared to how it was before. I almost turned around and did it again it was such a different experience.

Shortly after this roundabout you get the sharp left over train tracks - even at 20km/h the rear would jump around, chatter and argue over them. Tonight it was as if there wasn't even 2 rear wheels on the car. Not only did the car not react at all to the tracks - I didn't even feel the slightest bump.

The confidence these coilover give me and the car is unbelievable. I'm not talking "Awesome, I can take this corner 20km/h faster than I could before" gusto type confidence. I'm talking one hand on the wheel, relaxed, enjoying the drive rather than two hand gripping, white knuckles, bloodshot eyes peering into the pelting rain trying to see what the roads like ahead type confidence. 2 hours up, 2 hours back in some really terrible driving conditions and stepping out of the car feeling rested type confidence.

AAA+++ would buy again type confidence ;)

All that said - I will disclose that I'm coming from a stock suspension setup with no experience of any other solutions that are out there, but I can honestly say I'd be very surprised if any other combination of shocks, swaybars, springs, bushes etc could possibly have been a better setup for me. I am blown away by how stiff and flat my car now handles, yet how compliant and comfortable the suspension is. On absolutely everything that's been thrown at it so far.

And I've only done 300km's on them between picking the car up, my 1st impression cruise and getting home tonight - could not have imagined a better, short test if I'd been asked to.

Am still hoping to see how they go on a couple of dirt roads with different surfaces and also after I've had a play with the dampening and found a few places to attack with a bit of anger, but they have already paid for themselves with the differences I've noticed in even this short time. Hopefully I can get to the other environments while the stock setup is still fresh in my mind so the comparisons will be apparent.

Again Brett - can I have another set. Preferably in a nice sheer teddy? :P

[raband]

edit (too late to do it in the post): ooh - forgot to mention. Gave the car a wash (touchfree pressure washer) when I got back to Frankston tonight. Without fail - when leaving the traction control light goes crazy as the wet tyres argue with grip on the exit road. Not tonight - not a murmur of complaint - either I took off a lot slower than I normally do or the rear end is grippier than it used to be. Add the strip to another environment for me to try the new setup at. I know around where I was losing traction off the line last time - will be interesting next time.

[Shockworks]

Originally Posted by marcyeo

Hey Brett - by heavier bars did you mean the front & rear Whiteline swaybars? If so unfortunately that was on the old F6 which has gone to car heaven and I'm currently in the GT.

I was thinking of upgrading the front swaybar's to Whiteline again as a cheapo upgrade before getting the coin for your coilovers, but you reckon don't bother with the swaybars as they interfere with grip?

Hi Marcyeo,
From our experience, we have found that when we have install our kit in cars with the bigger bars, the balance and corner response is reduced. We performed all the mid corner balance work with the springs and find on our bad roads, the big bars reduce the suppleness and pull the car around too much. The bars by themselves may be OK but with our kit load the tyre too quickly.
Cheers
Brett