California CUSTOM GROUP BUY?

[elwesso]

I've been getting some emails.. and inquiries on when the next GB on the cali customs are gonna be...

I just need 5 people to sell them at $206 shipped...

Anyone???

[PopPop]

Put me in for a set Wes! Also want a set of those special front and rear Nitrogen Filled Lowering Struts.

[erbe]

I'm in

[66mgb]

You know I'm in!

[maxwell867]

Count me in for a set. Ready to drop this 96q.

[elwesso]

I think we'll easily have 5, i need to send a few emails

[tkd_q45]

I'm in.

[elwesso]

Alright, we're looking really close..... plus it'd be nice if we could save Tom $50

I will send some emails and have a deadline by the first of the week.

[tkd_q45]

Thanks Wes, appreciate the timeliness of this group buy!

[OneOctaveUp]

count me in as well please

[Clyons0203]

what size rims are you guys running with these?? 18-20s??

[elwesso]

As long as you run close to a stock size diamter (26.1in) you should be fine....

[tkd_q45]

I'm running 245/45/18's on 2002 Q45 rims. W/my active sensors in the lowest position I do not have any fender rub. Looks to me to be just about the same as CA custom lowering (see pic of my car in G50 check-in).

[litlchi]

Count me in for a new set of springs. Just tell me when and where to paypal the money to.

[elwesso]

Well we for sure have enough...

For those who want them, please paypal me at [email protected]. $206.

IF YOU DO NOT LIVE IN THE CONTINENTAL 48 STATES PLEASE ARRANGE SHIPPING WITH ME FIRST..

The deadline on the GB will be on sunday, april 23 2006 and I will send the payment the 24th.. This give guys a week to do the GB...

If for some ODD reason we dont get 4 people (if we get 4 i will buy one set to make 5) i will refund all the money no problem, so either you get springs or you get your money back....

[litlchi]

Hey Wes, Money has been sent. Also, do you happen to have the pages in the FSM for how to change the suspension? Going to get the Tokico Blue's on all four and am considering doing the install myself later this year when I have time. Also, how far off will this spring/shock throw off my camber? Do I need to replace anything else while I'm down there? I'm not really looking for ultra-high performance, just want to get the springs/shocks changed so my front tires will stop hitting the bumpstop above it. Don't know when the last owner changed these out.

[elwesso]

I would suggest downloading the FSM, email me and ill send it to you.. I got your money:)

It will throw your camberout of spec (I tink like -1.4 or so) but imo thats not too much... I am currently running that.... I would just get the toe readjusted and be fine with it...

[Q45tech]

It will throw your camberout of spec (I tink like -1.4 or so) but imo thats not too much... I am currently running that.

Wear depends on how much out of spec [-0.7 degees +- 0.1] the Q was before the lowering. 1" front drop usually increases negative camber by 0.83 degrees +- a few tenths.

Braking distance increases are measurable when the tires go beyond NEGATIVE 1.1 degrees but they are minor [probably 5 feet or so depending on toe setting and tire brands..........all tires react the same way unless they are designed for extra preload negative camber........as the front drops 2" below static and camber increases further.

[Meaux]

OK, I'm interested but I won't be doing the "all four corner" job for awhile. I take it that once these are gone, they're gone and won't be anymore made? If thats the case, I can sit on em' for awhile...

What effect does the drop have on the rears? At this point in time the rear is what I'd like to drop the most...It's the "look" that bugs me...This is the 94 in question, and I'm sure ya'll know what kind of wheels these are...18X8 w/245/45 Avons. I'm also concerned about possible rubbing on the rear...



As luck would have it, I just bought the front stock upper links, and getting ready to buy the shocks...I'll bet adjustables would be too expensive, for me anyway, because I only drive on the street and don't do any racin'.

Do I need Tokina(S) part numbers to shop for the "Blues"...? Whats the recommended shock? Are all "blues" for the 94Q the same?

Thanks...

[elwesso]

thats correct... Technically, california custom doesnt make anything anymore.... They went out of business years ago (like 1999 or so) and their warehouse was bought by Traders 2000, an aftermarket supplier/retailer for trucks......

When they bought the merchandise they had a few skids of springs... So it goes without saying, once these springs are gone, theyre GONE... Gone forever... I will probably buy an extra set to keep in my attic for nostalgia..

just look at the pictures of my car to see how the drop effects it..... looks great!

[MJC]

I'm sure this question is answered somewhere else, but I figured it may be good information to have in the thread anyways. Do you know the spring rate of these springs? If possible, do you know the spring rate of the Eibach's as well?

I always thought the Q looked a little higher in the rear than the front, do these springs appear even on a dropped car or do you need to have a slightly larger rear tire for that impression? (not a problem if that's the case)

Good to know what your 265/40's fit, that's what I was looking to go to.

Regards,

Mark

[elwesso]

I'm sure this question is answered somewhere else, but I figured it may be good information to have in the thread anyways. Do you know the spring rate of these springs? If possible, do you know the spring rate of the Eibach's as well?

I always thought the Q looked a little higher in the rear than the front, do these springs appear even on a dropped car or do you need to have a slightly larger rear tire for that impression? (not a problem if that's the case)

Good to know what your 265/40's fit, that's what I was looking to go to.

Regards,

Mark

I dont have the spring rates for these (according to cali customs they were never tested) but i can say they are better than the eibahcs. The eibach springs were progressive in the rear and non progressive up front. These are progressive all the way around..... They help to control body lean all the way around, and also provide a much better ride than the eibachs...

Mark so you know the 265s do rub with my wheels, im going to 255s to remedy the situaiton.

The car sits very level.

[Q45tech]

Progressives are a trick to yield near stock ride in the first 1" -1.5" of movement.......they typically do nothing for body sway over that range since they are aproximately oem stiff.........then whamo the stiffness increases. So it is only fair to say they reduce middle to extreme G sway.

The shock rebound control rate and sway bars if you have them reduce/slow the low to middle G sway/roll rate.

Would be nice if someone took the spring shock assembly to a tester to measure the rate for future calculations optimizations.

[Meaux]

Wes, Just did the PayPal thing.....

[elwesso]

Point taken Tech.. Maybe if i can find a tester ill take them out somewhere

Anyway, it certainly seems to me the car does not pitch as it did with the eibachs.. I certainly do like them!

Meaux, got your paypal!!

[Q45tech]

Very possible since spring manufacturers rarely test every spring rate on every car they make springs for. Just as aftermarket brake pad manufacturers don't test pads that they make on real cars.

Just as tire rack uses 1 or 2 light weight cars to characterize a tire. Same with sway bars and shocks.

All the real development work is done by oem and vehicle manufacturers then they just copy and tweak the design to kinda fit the application [sometimes successfully and many times not].

The odds are that sometimes they create an accidental winner that may appeal to a different segment set than oem chose to proritize.

Why all aftermarket shocks are initially 15% stiffer than oem so buyers can surely feel the difference and complain less about spending the money. The use the mumbojumbo of stiffer due to bushing wear?

Measure an oem jack it up 15% and call it a performance shock, use cheaper valving seals so it fails faster to resell more shocks and stay in business..........budget for a 4 year cycle instead of oem 6 year.

[elwesso]

i am fairly interested how these springs work.. We know how they work in the real world (very well in my and others experiences) but we dont really have any quantitative data... I may last minute buy a set of springs and we could use them for testing...

Any idea on what kind of places would have the equipment to accurately measure the spring rate?

[MJC]

Thanks for the reply. I also just paypal'd you the money.

I figured that the 'entry cornering' (intantaneous g's) would be difficult for the spring to handle, especially by itself on a big car like the Q. I was planning on getting whatever I could for suspension to link the the car together (FSTB, tension rods, UCA's, active rear sway, etc...) I was just wondering if anything quantitative was known about the springs. No worries.

I love taking corners in this big land yacht, it handles remarkably well for something of it's weight, especially being a stock 12 year old suspension'd touring model. So I figure anything will just make me have a bigger smile.

As for your 265/40's...do you think that it could be at all due to the offset of the wheels you're running? does it rub inside or at the lip? Do you have your fenders rolled? I'd love to see some pictures of your car if that was at all possible. Sorry for so many questions, I just remembered seeing one member was running 275/35's so it makes me believe that the 265/40's have a prayer of fitting if some careful offset measuring was taken into consideration.

Let me know if you got the paypal.

Regards,

Mark

[66mgb]

Wes - paypal sent the other day...

So all I need to do after installation is adjust the toe?

Please let me know what alignment adjustments need to be made both for the front and rear.

Thanks!

[elwesso]

Thanks for the reply. I also just paypal'd you the money.

I figured that the 'entry cornering' (intantaneous g's) would be difficult for the spring to handle, especially by itself on a big car like the Q. I was planning on getting whatever I could for suspension to link the the car together (FSTB, tension rods, UCA's, active rear sway, etc...) I was just wondering if anything quantitative was known about the springs. No worries.

I love taking corners in this big land yacht, it handles remarkably well for something of it's weight, especially being a stock 12 year old suspension'd touring model. So I figure anything will just make me have a bigger smile.

As for your 265/40's...do you think that it could be at all due to the offset of the wheels you're running? does it rub inside or at the lip? Do you have your fenders rolled? I'd love to see some pictures of your car if that was at all possible. Sorry for so many questions, I just remembered seeing one member was running 275/35's so it makes me believe that the 265/40's have a prayer of fitting if some careful offset measuring was taken into consideration.

Let me know if you got the paypal.

Regards,

Mark

Got your paypal...

Yes mark, you can easily run 265, 275s, MAYBE 285s in the rear of the Q with the right offset... With only 33mm offset, thats surely not enough for a tire this wide in a 26.7 OD.... however, with -3 rear camber it was fine... Little too much camber for my tastes and handling needs but it could be done.. You could run a 9.5 in the rear with like 40ish mm of offset.. Theres loads of room in the back and with my 8.5 ET33, i still have plenty of room to grow!