XV Suspension Kit LV 1 Worth The Cost?

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    Author Topic: XV Suspension Kit LV 1 Worth The Cost?  (Read 8589 times)

    Offline HP2

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    Re: XV Suspension Kit LV 1 Worth The Cost?
    « Reply #30 on: August 22, 2007 - 04:58:22 PM »
    I've always had to laugh at the MP explanation of t-bar sizes; solo, HD solo, oval track. That is akin to call their crate engines as street, light duty track, HD track, super HD track. It just doesn't capture the true essence of the application like horsepower rating does.
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    Offline HP2

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    Re: XV Suspension Kit LV 1 Worth The Cost?
    « Reply #31 on: August 27, 2007 - 07:18:24 AM »
    Just to give everyone a glimpse at how well designed the stock mopar stuff is and how well thought the XV Level 1 kit is, check out the October issue of Popular Hot Rodding. Inside it is a beautifully built pro touring with a dragstrip flair 69 Camaro. This thing has all the tricks; coil over suspension, tubular chassis, 295 and 335 x 18" tires, 572 big block, professionally built to the tune of over $300,000. When run through their test regime, it managed to pull a whopping .87 g lateral acceleration and an increadible 11.70 e.t. on the strip.   

     :wow:


    ...not!

    « Last Edit: August 27, 2007 - 09:08:06 AM by HP2 »
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    Offline Carlwalski

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    Re: XV Suspension Kit LV 1 Worth The Cost?
    « Reply #32 on: August 27, 2007 - 07:37:31 AM »


    That's bad isn't it?  :clueless: The XV 1 kit can do that for $2,400 :lol2: :dunno: I'm gathering you're being sarcastic but it's so hard to tell on forums sometimes. :icon16: 572ci should be doing better than 11.70s as well. Would have thought high 10s, possibly mid 10s with an engine of that size and a properly tuned & dialed car.

    :wave:
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    1970 Dodge Challenger R/T
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    Offline HP2

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    Re: XV Suspension Kit LV 1 Worth The Cost?
    « Reply #33 on: August 27, 2007 - 09:27:57 AM »
    Yes, that is very sarcastic. I updated the post to better reflect that.

    Granted, this car is gorgeous to look at and probably sounds awesome and is a dream to sit in. But to spend that much for so little actual performance...well, the shop did say they haven't dialed in all the spring rates yet, but still, they should be better than that out of the box.

    I've noticed since PHR started focusing on pro-touring type builds, they try to run any feature cars through a slalom, skid pad, and drag strip testing, providing the owners agree to it. I find it amusing that 1st, many of the guys do not agree to the testing. 2nd, one of the fastest combined scores of any feature car they have done recently was a 76 Mustang 2 built for under $10k running 15" tires with a small block Ford. It certainly did not have the fastest drag times, but it smoked the slalom and skid pad numbers to such an extent, the strip times weren't a detriment.
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    Offline 1BADFISH™

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    Re: XV Suspension Kit LV 1 Worth The Cost?
    « Reply #34 on: August 27, 2007 - 03:48:13 PM »
    I'm not sure how hard it is to achieve 1G, but I watched a show on the discovery channel where a Z06 went heads up agains a Ferrari and the Vette only pulled 1.1G on a skid pad.  If a $2400 suspension kit will make an E body do the same, I'd buy one.   :2thumbs:
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    Dave
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    Offline amcmike

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    Re: XV Suspension Kit LV 1 Worth The Cost?
    « Reply #35 on: August 27, 2007 - 04:48:03 PM »
    Quote from: 1BADFISH on August 27, 2007 - 03:48:13 PM
    I'm not sure how hard it is to achieve 1G, but I watched a show on the discovery channel where a Z06 went heads up agains a Ferrari and the Vette only pulled 1.1G on a skid pad.  If a $2400 suspension kit will make an E body do the same, I'd buy one.   :2thumbs:

    It won't.   :'( You need some really good tires and rims which can easily double that investment.  Plus, I think the Stage II kit is required for that level Gs ($7500)  and the stiffening kit ($650), which is not included.  So figure on about $11,000-$12000 and you still haven't touched the brakes.  However I'd rather spend the money upgrading an E-body than buying a new Vette.

    BTW, did you mean to say "only" 1.1G?  That's pretty friggen good for a production street car.
    « Last Edit: August 27, 2007 - 05:00:52 PM by amcmike »
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    Mike
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    Offline 1BADFISH™

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    Re: XV Suspension Kit LV 1 Worth The Cost?
    « Reply #36 on: August 27, 2007 - 05:39:21 PM »
    Quote from: amcmike on August 27, 2007 - 04:48:03 PM
    It won't.   :'( You need some really good tires and rims which can easily double that investment.  Plus, I think the Stage II kit is required for that level Gs ($7500)  and the stiffening kit ($650), which is not included.  So figure on about $11,000-$12000 and you still haven't touched the brakes.  However I'd rather spend the money upgrading an E-body than buying a new Vette.

    BTW, did you mean to say "only" 1.1G?  That's pretty friggen good for a production street car.

    Haha, well I didn't mean "only" 1.1G, but I guess I was considering it to be OK compared to a 35 year old car with a $2400 kit pulling the same numbers. Obviously the kit alone will not achieve those numbers.
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    Dave
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    Offline HP2

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    Re: XV Suspension Kit LV 1 Worth The Cost?
    « Reply #37 on: August 31, 2007 - 02:12:17 PM »
    Quote from: amcmike on August 27, 2007 - 04:48:03 PM
    It won't.   You need some really good tires and rims which can easily double that investment.  Plus, I think the Stage II kit is required for that level Gs ($7500)  and the stiffening kit ($650), which is not included.  So figure on about $11,000-$12000 and you still haven't touched the brakes.  However I'd rather spend the money upgrading an E-body than buying a new Vette.

    Well, sorta. XV does claim 1 g sustained cornering with their level 1 kit and stiffening package, albeit it was on 17" 35 series rubber. They have done some level 1 kits on 15" tired cars, but they have never posted figures for those. On 15" slicks, I'd bet it could easily pull over 1 sustained. Even in plain old Generals or BFGs, their level 1 kit is still an increadible step up compared to an original heavy duty suspension. It is also worth noting that the XV kit is designed as the best reasonble compromise between good handling and ride comfort. You can step these suspensions up even further with some compromise in ride comfort.
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    Offline Born_Fast

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    Re: XV Suspension Kit LV 1 Worth The Cost?
    « Reply #38 on: December 21, 2007 - 05:01:38 AM »
    I'm also considering to get this level I kit for my Challenger 383.

    Does anone have pictures of an E-body that is actually running this kit on 15" wheels?
    Cause i'm a bit concerned about the height and stance of my ride after installing this setup. I'm looking for a nice low stance with mild rake.

    If it will be too high with this kit - especially on the front - i would rather look for alternatives.
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    Offline FM3V6M

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    Re: XV Suspension Kit LV 1 Worth The Cost?
    « Reply #39 on: December 22, 2007 - 09:02:09 PM »
    Dreamcruiser, I got the the level I for mine, they said it would sit about an inch lower than stock when installed. The shop said they had some issues with the install and required some tweeking. I'll post pics in the near future...
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    Offline Mt.St.BigBlock

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    Re: XV Suspension Kit LV 1 Worth The Cost?
    « Reply #40 on: December 23, 2007 - 04:30:06 PM »
    Quote from: FM3V6M on December 22, 2007 - 09:02:09 PM
    Dreamcruiser, I got the the level I for mine, they said it would sit about an inch lower than stock when installed. The shop said they had some issues with the install and required some tweeking. I'll post pics in the near future...

     :popcorn:
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    71 cuda 383 3spd manual gy9

    Offline HP2

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    Re: XV Suspension Kit LV 1 Worth The Cost?
    « Reply #41 on: December 23, 2007 - 06:04:24 PM »
    They all sit the same regardless of rim size as the 17" tire set up XV uses is still around 26.5" tall, which is comparable to many 60/50 series 15" tires. Plus with the torsion bar front end, height is adjustable anyway. Or  you can go to their web site and check it out. They have done build ups for 15" tired cars as not every one wants 17" rims. Or do a search on here for posts from user DQHEMI. He is the front man at XV and posts here semi-regularly. At their recent Pocono event there was an original Challenger TA with their Stage 1 system running 15" T/As in the rain. There are photos of it here on the site.
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    Offline Chryco Psycho

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    Re: XV Suspension Kit LV 1 Worth The Cost?
    « Reply #42 on: December 24, 2007 - 10:43:08 PM »
    I actually asked XV what % of the gain was from tires & what was suspension , they told me about 50% each
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    Challenger - You`ll wish You Hadn`t

    Offline HP2

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    Re: XV Suspension Kit LV 1 Worth The Cost?
    « Reply #43 on: December 29, 2007 - 05:05:14 PM »
    That is probably true against their baseline vehicle. Remember, the base line was an original , un-restored, bias ply tired Challenger TA. Change the wheels, tires, and alignment and there is an easy 50% improvement.

    Check this thread for a TA with the level 1 kit and 15" wheels.
    http://www.cuda-challenger.com/cc/index.php?topic=39029.msg390829#msg390829
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