V1 Matt C's Street Goblin - Extended Frame #355 - 06 LS Donor

[Matt C]

View attachment 31437

This is how it should look when tight.

Thanks Lonnie! Looks like very similar to mine. I was thinking more of the threads needed to be showing above the nut. Does the angle of the hat matter? Mine looks to be angled different. Maybe because of the how the springs sits on the strut.

 

[Lonny]

The stock struts have threads all the way to the end and lock into the nylon. It looks like yours may not. I would be concerned.

 

[Waterdriver]

Did you modify the spring at all, or just keep the stock spring height?

Yeah, both times. Lol
First time a full coil cut off. Handled pretty good but was too low.
2nd time a half of a coil and 1 and 1/2 bumpstop. Corners a little better being higher, transferring weight better to the outside tire. Increased rear ride height and rake for rear diffuser.

 

[Matt C]

The stock struts have threads all the way to the end and lock into the nylon. It looks like yours may not. I would be concerned.

No, they don't. It has a hex head instead of a socket torx like yours. I'll play around with it and see if I can get more of the threads to engage.

 

[Gtstorey]

Mine had the hex also and stuck out more. The struts where the only thing on mine that looked like had been replaced. If you don’t have it figured out by the weekend I can dig through my storage and measure the thread length so you can compare.

 

[Matt C]

Success! The aluminum spacer wasn't sitting right on the strut shaft. It needed to be pressed on about another 1/2 inch. The other side went on in about 5 minutes. I guess I started with the trouble one first.

 

[Matt C]

So, I'm having to rethink my tire/wheel combination that I had originally selected. Was going to go with the Vors LP1 18x8.5 in the front and 18x9.5 in the rear, which 275 tires in the back. After putting the rear shocks on and doing some rough measurements, I think that tire might come in contact with the spring seat of the stock struts. Now I'm not exactly sure what will fit in the rear with the stock struts. Not really sure if the Vors would still work, but run a narrower tire like a 245. I'd still like a wider stance in the rear, but afraid of having to try different tire/wheel/spacer combos, and having to return a bunch of stuff. I also have the 5x110 hubs, which reduce my options a bit. Looks like I have a bunch of measuring and research to do.

Anyone else run a 17 or 18" wheel with a wide tire? What happened to have worked for you?

 

[Trail_Creeper]

Do they offer the wheel in a different offset?

 

[Matt C]

Do they offer the wheel in a different offset?

No, they only offer it in a 35mm offset. Probably going to find an different wheel to go with.

 

[r3drckt]

You can always do a 5x110 to 5x114.3 spacer/adapter to get the wide stance you’re after. I’m running 295s at all 4 corners. Though I have the rear coilover upgrades, I’m running a 24mm spacer/adapter to make the rears fit.

 

[SmsDetroit]

I am running the Vors wheels with 275 out back. I had to put a 5/8” spacer to clear my coil overs but I think it made the stance look even better since the rear is 2” narrower than the front

 

[Desert Sasqwatch]

So, I'm having to rethink my tire/wheel combination that I had originally selected. Was going to go with the Vors LP1 18x8.5 in the front and 18x9.5 in the rear, which 275 tires in the back. After putting the rear shocks on and doing some rough measurements, I think that tire might come in contact with the spring seat of the stock struts. Now I'm not exactly sure what will fit in the rear with the stock struts. Not really sure if the Vors would still work, but run a narrower tire like a 245. I'd still like a wider stance in the rear, but afraid of having to try different tire/wheel/spacer combos, and having to return a bunch of stuff. I also have the 5x110 hubs, which reduce my options a bit. Looks like I have a bunch of measuring and research to do.

Anyone else run a 17 or 18" wheel with a wide tire? What happened to have worked for you?

Assume the Vors are 5x110 bolt pattern. There are 1 inch 5x110 - 5x110 hub centric spacers available that will allow the wheel and tire combo you ordered to work properly. Don't sell those shoes!

 

[Gtstorey]

I’m running Vors TR4 17x9 with 275-40x17 all around. I have the coil overs now and they clear by about 3/8”. I think I had them on with the stock struts but no totally sure about that.

 

[SmsDetroit]

I ordered my spacers from here. They were able to make the hub centric for the hub side and wheel side different so I didn’t have to run rings that came with the wheels.

Wheel Adapters, Wheel Spacers, Hub Rings, and much more! | Motorsport Tech

Motorsport Tech is your absolute number one source for wheel adapters, wheel spacers, and hub centric rings. We manufacture the finest adapters in the world, and we do wheel polishing, chroming, powder coating, and color matching, as well as sell wheels and tires at WHOLESALE PRICES.

www.motorsport-tech.com

 

[Desert Sasqwatch]

Assume the Vors are 5x110 bolt pattern. There are 1 inch 5x110 - 5x110 hub centric spacers available that will allow the wheel and tire combo you ordered to work properly. Don't sell those shoes!

I’m running Vors TR4 17x9 with 275-40x17 all around. I have the coil overs now and they clear by about 3/8”. I think I had them on with the stock struts but no totally sure about that.

I also have the Vors TR4s with 25mm backspacing and will clear the BC or aftermarket struts. It sounds like the LP1s have 35mm backspacing and will need a wheel spacer to clear the stock Cobalt struts.

 

[Matt C]

Wow, I step away for a couple hours and didn't expect this many comments. Thanks!

I had the TR4's as a backup wheel option. I really like that one too. After doing some guestamation and very precise eyeballing with my square and tape and some cardboard cutouts, it looks like 18" wheels along with a 275/40R-18 might be just too big in tire diameter to clear the spring seat even with spacers. The 17" wheels might work, but maybe run a narrower 255 or something rather than 275. Too bad you can't rent different tire/wheel combos to try it out before dumping a small fortune on rubber.

 

[Ross]

You can get rid of those big 5" stock spring and replace with smaller ones to accomodate your wheels.

 

[Rttoys]

Ditching the stock struts/springs will gain you much better clearance.

I got tired of trying to find a wheel I wanted in 5x110, so I had some made. Fordgestar will make wheels to your specs. A little pricey, but I had 17x9 on 5x110 and +10 backspace that put me 1” from the strut with 275s on the rear. I chose 17x9 because I can run 245s up front and 275s in rear and still be within width specs for the tires.

 

[Matt C]

So, as I wait for my wheels to come, I decided to run the shift cables up an place them in the mounts on the transmission. I'm running the new DF shifter (which is pretty awesome). I noticed that there is a lot of slack underneath the engine. Is that normal? I can tie it up, but didn't know if everyone else has that as well. I'm assuming it's normal since the new DF shifter connects the cables in the back rather than the front of the assembly.

Also, are there different size shifter cables that DF supplies? After mounting the cables on in the bracket on the transmission, it looks like they're way to long. I've got the F23 transmission.

 

[jirwin]

It must be normal because I just went from the group buy shifter to the DF one and I have a ton more slack. I also have an F23 but my cables were able to attach on both ends fine. Granted I haven't "tuned" mine yet because its currently 30 degrees