kahmann Posted March 5, 2009 Report Share Posted March 5, 2009 I just placed an order with Griggs for the following parts to start off with. Koni street rear coil over kit and springs road race/drag race adjustable rear lower control arms severe duty panhard bar torque arm axle & shocks support bracket kits TA diff stud kit Hopefully I can get this stuff put in before the track day at Thunderhill next month! The reason for this post is to find out who else is using Griggs stuff in their Shelby. How do you like what you have? Any plans on upgrading to something different that they sell and why? Thanks for any info. I'm a suspension newb and digging for any and all information, especially related to the Griggs products. Colin is a huge help explaining the technical stuff to a lacky like me FYI. Ken Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ingram4868 Posted March 6, 2009 Report Share Posted March 6, 2009 Thunderhill is a great track. Not much to hit when you go sightseeing :car: Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
kahmann Posted March 6, 2009 Author Report Share Posted March 6, 2009 Thunderhill is a great track. Not much to hit when you go sightseeing :car: LOL ya that's a good point.. It's a really fun track, especially turn 5-5a.. But you're right, it's nice not having to worry so much about piling it up around every corner. Ken Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
sportscars Posted March 6, 2009 Report Share Posted March 6, 2009 I pm'd Colin several times asking questions and never got a response. I guess I need to call but I just thought that a PM seemed easier as they were more general questions. I know Rick in Austin (spr snk) swears by Griggs and is having his car done to the max. Congrats on the mods. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
kahmann Posted March 6, 2009 Author Report Share Posted March 6, 2009 I pm'd Colin several times asking questions and never got a response. I guess I need to call but I just thought that a PM seemed easier as they were more general questions. I know Rick in Austin (spr snk) swears by Griggs and is having his car done to the max. Congrats on the mods. He missed a couple of my PM's too, so I'm sure he's just busy. Definitely do give him a call with any questions though. He's really helpful. The guy stayed on the phone with me till past midnight last night answering all my bone-headed questions. lol I'll have to ask Rick what he's installed and what his plans are for any future modification to his setup. Thanks for the heads up. Ken Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
idrathergolf Posted March 6, 2009 Report Share Posted March 6, 2009 Ken, I have the Griggs in my car. It is really a night and day difference in the handling. I can actually control the rear end which I couldn't do so before. Dana Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Torch40 Posted March 6, 2009 Report Share Posted March 6, 2009 I just placed an order with Griggs for the following parts to start off with. Koni street rear coil over kit and springs road race/drag race adjustable rear lower control arms severe duty panhard bar axle & shocks support bracket kits TA cover & diff stud kit Hopefully I can get this stuff put in before the track day at Thunderhill next month! The reason for this post is to find out who else is using Griggs stuff in their Shelby. How do you like what you have? Any plans on upgrading to something different that they sell and why? Thanks for any info. I'm a suspension newb and digging for any and all information, especially related to the Griggs products. Colin is a huge help explaining the technical stuff to a lacky like me FYI. Ken I knew that little Nor-Cal trip was going to cost somebody some money :P Good luck with the mods, I won't be very far behind you in ordering mine. Andy Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Torch40 Posted March 6, 2009 Report Share Posted March 6, 2009 Ken, I have the Griggs in my car. It is really a night and day difference in the handling. I can actually control the rear end which I couldn't do so before. Dana With what you have under the hood, it's amazing your rear end even stays on the ground at all. Andy Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
kahmann Posted March 6, 2009 Author Report Share Posted March 6, 2009 Ken, I have the Griggs in my car. It is really a night and day difference in the handling. I can actually control the rear end which I couldn't do so before. Dana Thanks for the input Dana. That is definitely what I wanted to hear! I knew that little Nor-Cal trip was going to cost somebody some money :P Good luck with the mods, I won't be very far behind you in ordering mine. Andy LOL ya no kidding, huh? It was bound to happen I guess. That 40th of yours will be killer with the GR setup, I'm sure! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
GR40Freak Posted March 6, 2009 Report Share Posted March 6, 2009 My apologizes for not keeping up with the PMs. I have a hard time keep track of them. My box filled up and I have missed a few also. Please feel free to write me at colin@grigg ing.com or call (707)939-2244 ext. 204. Make sure to leave a message as I'm on the phone a LOT! Colin Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
idrathergolf Posted March 6, 2009 Report Share Posted March 6, 2009 With what you have under the hood, it's amazing your rear end even stays on the ground at all.Andy It is an issue. That is why I'm going to swap out the throttle with something that will be more restrictive. That Whipple monoblade is too sensitive (too much air in the initial stages) and I need more control in the rear. For now I think I'm just going to put the stock throttle back in. This should make the car a piece of cake to control. I'll have less HP and torque but it should still be well above 600. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
kahmann Posted March 20, 2009 Author Report Share Posted March 20, 2009 Well I just got home about an hour ago from Griggs Racing in Petaluma. My wife and I spent the whole day there, while my new suspension was getting installed. I'm sunburned, exhausted, and ecstatic. I really don't know where to begin, so I'll start with a simple list of new things learned: 1) Colin is a maniac, rightfully confident in his product, and a hell of a driver. 2) The FRPP handling pack that came with my car was NOT built for the track, nor the way I like to drive on the empty street. 3) There isn't any good sushi in Sonoma County. 4) Most importantly, my Shelby GT has been transformed into a serious handling machine, thanks to Griggs. Now let me explain a bit. For starters, Colin may not be certifiably nuts, but his driving had me thinking anyway. Immediately after my car was finished, he asked me to hop in the passenger's seat. My wife crawled in the back, with great anticipation. She's an awfully cool chick, FYI. Anyway, he began rattling off some of the characteristics of my new parts, what to listen for, what to feel for, and lots of other important info I'm sure. Being the suspension know nothing that I am, I pretended to understand what he was talking about. He told me that I needed to feel the difference from the passenger's seat, but I think he was mostly just enjoying one of the best parts of his job - the test drive. Seriously though, he drove us a few miles outside of town, up into the winding, hilly roads of wine country. Once traffic passed, he told my wife to find something to hang on to, then punched it. 2nd and 3rd were gone in a hurry and I was firmly planted up against my own headrest. As the first corner neared, I felt the urge to yell at him, slap his hand, squeal like a girl (you get the idea) in order to warn him of the impending danger that lie ahead. I withheld that urge, however, and assumed that he was the pro in the car. Luckily, I was right. He pushed my little blue show car through the highway hills and two-laned twists harder than I ever had at any track. To my surprise and laughter, my car did the opposite of what it always had. The tires were planted to the pavement like they had roots under the sidewalls. The rear end followed the front end without complaint. And my stock tires didn't scream bloody murder, as they always had. He pointed the car in the direction of the turn and the car pushed it's way through it, solid and safe. No matter what I did on the long ride home, I couldn't get that rear end to float, as it always had. My cornering speed instantly doubled. More importantly, my own confidence in my car has been multiplied by an immeasurable amount. I was begging for a Porsche or Evo to appear at each on ramp all the way home. I could ramble on for days about how much different and how much better this car is now, but I'll try to keep it short. I only have one more thing to say about the Griggs stuff. If you think you can't afford it, you're probably wrong. I was always under the impression that the GR40 parts were way out of my league. Price the stuff for yourself or call Colin. You'll be surprised at what you find. Regardless, this is above and beyond the best mod I've done. I can't wait to get the fronts done next! Ken Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
greaser Posted March 20, 2009 Report Share Posted March 20, 2009 just a question not saying anything bad about youre set up but why not go with a watts link rear? ps and congrats on the mods youre car must be insane now cause mine will take 45mph s curves at a buck 10 to a buck 20 depending on the condition of the road. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
kahmann Posted March 20, 2009 Author Report Share Posted March 20, 2009 just a question not saying anything bad about youre set up but why not go with a watts link rear? ps and congrats on the mods youre car must be insane now cause mine will take 45mph s curves at a buck 10 to a buck 20 depending on the condition of the road. Again, I'm a suspension doofus. Basically, I was told that the watts link is not necessary for my or most people's applications and that the panhard rod is more than enough. I was also told that the torque arm is a really huge chunk of the difference. I'm uploading pics to photobucket now FYI. Ken Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
kahmann Posted March 20, 2009 Author Report Share Posted March 20, 2009 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
kahmann Posted March 20, 2009 Author Report Share Posted March 20, 2009 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
kahmann Posted March 20, 2009 Author Report Share Posted March 20, 2009 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dave c Posted March 20, 2009 Report Share Posted March 20, 2009 Wow, you're really going to town on this rig. So does the wifey know about all this? Really looking forward to seeing this car. You'll probably have a new motor in it by the time we get to Grabbers. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
greaser Posted March 20, 2009 Report Share Posted March 20, 2009 wow thats a realy nice set up looks like youre good to go. i have just heard that a watts link is more linear and less likley to bind but youre set up seems realy well engineered so perhaps the watts link isnt nessisary Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
GR40Freak Posted March 20, 2009 Report Share Posted March 20, 2009 wow thats a realy nice set up looks like youre good to go. i have just heard that a watts link is more linear and less likley to bind but youre set up seems realy well engineered so perhaps the watts link isnt nessisary You do not need a Watts Link for the street, no matter who makes it. Its just not necessary and its benefits will not be felt in normal or aggressive street driving. We make arguably the best Watts Link available and I don't recommend you use one for just street driving. An adjustable Panhard bar with a heim joint on at least one end is more than sufficient to do the job and will save you money. Anyone who says differently is just trying to sell you something. Colin Sebern Griggs Racing Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
GR40Freak Posted March 20, 2009 Report Share Posted March 20, 2009 Ken, You didn't even turn green or anything You are in for quite a ride on Saturday. Your car is very capable now so I imagine it was quite a surprise, I'm glad you like it. See you Saturday. Colin Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
kahmann Posted March 20, 2009 Author Report Share Posted March 20, 2009 Ken, You didn't even turn green or anything You are in for quite a ride on Saturday. Your car is very capable now so I imagine it was quite a surprise, I'm glad you like it. See you Saturday. Colin LOL I was just giving you a hard time dude! I loved the ride. I need to learn how to DRIVE this thing apparently. My wife has been talking about it all night too. Anyway, thanks again for all of your help. See ya Saturday! Ken Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Torch40 Posted March 20, 2009 Report Share Posted March 20, 2009 LOL I was just giving you a hard time dude! I loved the ride. I need to learn how to DRIVE this thing apparently. My wife has been talking about it all night too. Anyway, thanks again for all of your help. See ya Saturday! Ken It's nice to have the wife on board. Sounds like you're having fun. How is the ride as far as sound, bumps, harshness, etc. ? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
greaser Posted March 20, 2009 Report Share Posted March 20, 2009 You do not need a Watts Link for the street, no matter who makes it. Its just not necessary and its benefits will not be felt in normal or aggressive street driving. We make arguably the best Watts Link available and I don't recommend you use one for just street driving. An adjustable Panhard bar with a heim joint on at least one end is more than sufficient to do the job and will save you money. Anyone who says differently is just trying to sell you something. Colin Sebern Griggs Racing sounds good thanks for the info you guys realy do a great job and have a quality product. its to bad all the quality shops are across the country from me lol. thanks for the info and sorry for hijacking the thread kahmann. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
kahmann Posted March 20, 2009 Author Report Share Posted March 20, 2009 It's nice to have the wife on board. Sounds like you're having fun.How is the ride as far as sound, bumps, harshness, etc. ? Believe it or not, but the ride on the street is noticeably better than it was stock. That's the first thing I said to him. It seems a little counter intuitive to invest in a race suspension and end up with a nicer ride on the street. I noticed a bit of gear hum, which I never noticed before. I think the torque arm can account for that, but it's nothing worth noting really. All of the noise I had in the stock rear is gone, so maybe I'm just noticing something now that was there the whole time? I'm supposed to bring it back in 500 miles for a check up. I'll let you know how that goes. All in all, I'm as shocked with the street comfort as I am with the handling ability. sounds good thanks for the info you guys realy do a great job and have a quality product. its to bad all the quality shops are across the country from me lol. thanks for the info and sorry for hijacking the thread kahmann. Hey man no sweat. I know a few guys on here have found authorized install shops in other states, so that might be something worth checking out. Good luck! Ken Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
idrathergolf Posted March 20, 2009 Report Share Posted March 20, 2009 Ken, congrats on the new rear suspension. Didn't I tell you that you there was going to be a night and day difference? Unbelievable, isn't it? We need to get our cars on the track together someday. Hey, did I get a post right that you were going to Grabber's annual "get together" in WA? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
kahmann Posted March 20, 2009 Author Report Share Posted March 20, 2009 Ken, congrats on the new rear suspension. Didn't I tell you that you there was going to be a night and day difference? Unbelievable, isn't it? We need to get our cars on the track together someday. Hey, did I get a post right that you were going to Grabber's annual "get together" in WA? Yeah Dana you were dead on! Thanks for all the info you gave me. Now I know how tough the difference really is to describe. And yes I'll be at Grabber's get together. Are you going too? A caravan up would be awesome! Ken Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
fatboy Posted May 5, 2009 Report Share Posted May 5, 2009 what happened to the tortion bar? does it not need it anymore? hows it effect body roll? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Stalwart Posted May 5, 2009 Report Share Posted May 5, 2009 Yeah Dana you were dead on! Thanks for all the info you gave me. Now I know how tough the difference really is to describe.And yes I'll be at Grabber's get together. Are you going too? A caravan up would be awesome! Ken Wow Ken, I'm looking forward to seeing your car at Grabber's and hearing specifics on the handling of the new suspension. I think my KR needs to go Griggs as well. :happy feet: Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
39Mustang Posted May 5, 2009 Report Share Posted May 5, 2009 I just placed an order with Griggs for the following parts to start off with. Koni street rear coil over kit and springs road race/drag race adjustable rear lower control arms severe duty panhard bar torque arm axle & shocks support bracket kits TA diff stud kit Hopefully I can get this stuff put in before the track day at Thunderhill next month! The reason for this post is to find out who else is using Griggs stuff in their Shelby. How do you like what you have? Any plans on upgrading to something different that they sell and why? Thanks for any info. I'm a suspension newb and digging for any and all information, especially related to the Griggs products. Colin is a huge help explaining the technical stuff to a lacky like me FYI. Ken Send me a PM once its all installed as thinking of doing the same just don't have the time right now. Not happy with the current Shelby GT/SC ride as too bouncy for my taste. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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