Hey All,
Well, here is the gig. I got to drive Dave's Sunfire that is sporting the Gravana coilovers back to Gravana's shop and the ride was more enjoyable than a trip to Lenko's garage on Canada Day with a six pack of Kokanee.... well, okay, maybe its a tie. Regardless, I was rather impressed.
I have had a lot of suspension setups on my car, from heated springs, to basic lowering springs, to sleeve-style coilovers, so I was interested to see what the results were like. Dave and I put a lot of time into getting parts R&D'd for the J-Body and working with guys like Jim at Gravana make it all the more fun. With other kits on the market, such as the TEIN and RKSport setup, its cool to see the aftermarket stepping up the high-end suspensions for the J. The Gravana kit is a firm ride on the freeway, at times stiff, but not near as jolting as other types of suspension setups most J-Body owners are accustomed to. The car took the bumps well, with a bit of travel, and was not bouncy or harsh. It felt like a race suspension, with a softer rebound. I never once got close to dropping my latte while listening to Dennis Leary on Dave's XM Radio (which should also be on all of your "wish lists"). On city streets it was smooth and really a lot of fun. I would like to drop it to the lowest setting and see how the suspension reacts on a track.
Either way, for those in the GP, I can assure you that you will be more than satisfied, be it driving on the street or for the track, because the Sunfire was low, but far from slammed. Buyers should keep in mind the versatility of the Gravana kit. 32-way adjustable is pretty sick, and based on my time in the car, I would have made a few minor adjustments. Jim from Gravana also said that the production kit will be 5-10% softer, due to re-valving in the struts.
Just figured I would give my 2 cents for those in the GP and interested in buying. It is a worthwhile purchase for the GP price. It is just wise to keep in mind where, how often and when you drive your car always makes a difference with suspension, but highly versatile coilovers can adapt as well. Now, for me, back to watching my Family Guy Season 2 DVD..... "OH YEAH!"
-Teske
what settings did dave have them set at ???
i never got to drive it after jim sent him the 2nd version
and dave had stock 16's on it and the tires were crappy , they squealed around every corner , even going slow , lol
i was impressed with the 1st version
He has 18s on it now... I think they are 18s. Dave had the valves set to softest and it was lowered roughly 1.75 inches all the way around.
-Teske
yeah i forgot to put that he has 18's on it now
dam the softest setting ???
lol
guess they need to be alittle softer then , gotta ride like a caddie in soft mode , LOL
[quote=97cavie24ls(JDM cav sedan™)]yeah i forgot to put that he has 18's on it now
dam the softest setting ???
lol
guess they need to be alittle softer then , gotta ride like a caddie in soft mode , LOL
Caddie? They do ride like a Caddie...... A CTS-V!
Gravana Jim wrote:[quote=97cavie24ls(JDM cav sedan™)]yeah i forgot to put that he has 18's on it now
dam the softest setting ???
lol
guess they need to be alittle softer then , gotta ride like a caddie in soft mode , LOL
Caddie? They do ride like a Caddie...... A CTS-V!
i want a sedan deville ride on full soft ,
and rock hard on the high setting , so i can use a kidney belt , LOL
wish i could drive a CTS-V
Matt Teske wrote:I got to drive Dave's Sunfire that is sporting the Gravana coilovers back to Gravana's shop and the ride was more enjoyable than a trip to Lenko's garage on Canada Day with a six pack of Kokanee.... well, okay, maybe its a tie. Regardless, I was rather impressed.
Hey!! You've never been to my garage on Canada Day!!
I'd like to get my hands on a set of these coilovers... now to see what I can do to make them work with the alero IRS... hmm.....
<a href="http://www.lenkorules.com/"><img src="http://s93165229.onlinehome.us/images/zm/sig/LRDCsig3.jpg"></a>
Teske....you can drive a 5spd??? J/K
Nice review. I may consider them if I can sell my Mantapart coilovers
Jason
99 Z24
#25 to register on the Org !!
Racers Edge
Johnny Mack Turbo Systems
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Yeah, I've had my eye on these for a while now. Just don't have the $$$ at the moment. Would be nice to grab a set of these and then throw my Konis on the the beater. There has been some nice time put into the R&D so I know they will be a quality product.
__________________________________________________________________
Performance cars do not win car shows and show cars do not win races.
It's up to you to decide which you'd rather win.
Jim lent me a set of the fronts to mess around with and get my opinion on. I'm flabbergasted how well these ride. I took a 2 hour trip, one way, on the highway (are roads suck butt), and it was a joy with them. Adjustments go 0-32 with 32 being the stiffest. I was riding around on 8 and it was nice. Not bouncy at all and the ride was very smooth, taking corners was a freaking blast and the only sway bar I have on the car is the OEM front FE1. I also have them pretty much slammed, probably 1/2"-3/4" fender gap in the front. There is a TON of adjustibilty in these. Being that you can height adjust where it bolts to the knuckle allows you to drop it and still get full travel of the suspension. I'm very pleased and I think it might take a court order for Jim to get them back.
Either that, or he's going to need to hire some big dudes for some midnight auto repo.
My trip was to California Dragway. Once there they were set on 32. I def didn't notice anything out of the ordinary cruising around the pits, staging, and the bumpy ass return road. The setup is very quiet and an absolute joy to play with. I can't wait to mess around with them a little more and play with the preload tension on the springs.
omg i want these soooooooo bad
for some reason it seems NO ONE is paying up in the GP....
i wonder if dave would go out of his way, break the rules and put the GP and the top of the general forum or something, some place where ALOT more people would notice it
Well I had to wait a month and a half for them to be ready for the money so I became impatient and spent on other projects now they are going to have to wait
1989 Turbo Trans Am #82, 2007 Cobalt SS G85
Not to threadjack... but I was paid up, and now am going to talk to jim about the possibility of a credit... I just can't afford to wait another 2 months, and have already paid for the coilovers.... paying for a product I might never get just doesn't make any sense to me...
On the up side... I will most certainly pay when I now that I will get them within that month.
Aric I feel your pain on prepaying for something, but this is going to cost Jim a @!#$-ton of money out of pocket to get going. All those prepaying are helping to soften the blow on Jim's wallet and getting these to market sooner. With the discount being offered to the first 25 people to prepay you are saving a ton of money from what the normal price will be. If you can swing it you will come out ahead in the long run.
True... I just need to hear from Jim... I know he is moving offices and all... but I just can't seem to ever get ahold of him. I guess all I am really looking for, is the reassurance that at the very least, I am guaranteed to have these by the end of June, regardless of the status of anyone else having paid. I really don't mind prepaying,and I do have the money for these, and I know that Jim is a man of his word, but I don't want the hassle of a credit to my card later if this falls through in anyway.
Im thinking about getting these for mine, is there anyway to still get in on the GP price???
Mike
1992 GMC Sonoma GT #492. Oh, Its just a stock V6!
1999 Cavalier Coupe, daily driver, 2200/M5. Mods and pics are in my registry.
Sombody Needs to Make me a cool Sig, Because im Sig Challenged!
Support the site that supports your habit, Go Premium.
Im premium since January, but why doesnt it say that?????
The only way to get in on the GP price is to be one of the 25 prepaid orders.
Any word on when Jim might be able to get us an update? Computers up or anything?... It isn't a big deal, but I've got a few emails to him waiting to be answered from the last few days.
I talked to him a few minutes ago. SBC was out last night to install everything, no phones or internet, this morning a tech was out and couldn't fix the problems, so still no phone or net. Not sure what the next step will be with SBC.
i know it might kill him but i wonder if he would promise to have them out by the end of june, 25 people or not......if he did id pay up in a sec
but i doubt hes gonna take the risk, although i bet these are gonna sell well in the long run
Sweet...my buddy wants these coils badly...
sorry if I'm off topic with this but....
What the hell are you doing with your Cav Matt? LOL
APlusperformance.com January 2005 Ride Of The Month
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just spent 6000 on a supercharger and brakes and rims
1989 Turbo Trans Am #82, 2007 Cobalt SS G85
