[rwalker]

intro
The F-series is a great car, but in aggressive street driving and track work it has a voracious appetite for front tire shoulders. More negative camber would help, but the chassis has no provision for camber adjustment. F8x lower control arms and tension struts offer some help, but what we're all looking for is a street-able camber plate.

I've anticipated delivery of this product for more than a year, and it has arrived just in time for O'fest. w00t!

unboxing, inspection, features
These are stout parts. The spherical bearing is huge. The spring perch and bearing are imperturbable unless you're asking for radial movement, which is super smooth.

installation
Vorshlag includes everything you need. The plates have upward pointing bolts, mounted from under the plates, which ease alignment for installation. The stud to which the strut tower brace mounts is a little short, but this is addressable with omission of the washer. Vorshlag is looking into a better solution.

The main thing to note in installation is that the stock spring isolator/dust boot is eliminated by these plates. The aluminum perch is machined to the exact diameter of the top spring loop.

noise? driving?
Elimination of the rubber between the spring and the perch introduces a little binding noise when the suspension is first loaded. On initial drive off there was a bit more of the crunk/twang of the spring twisting/binding against the perch, but it cleared up after a corner or two.

There is, as yet, none of the clunk of an interference fit, loose heim joint, or failed bearing carrier. My "stress test", comprising a drive around my parking garage at ~10mph yielded the same results as a fresh set of Dinan sliders: silence. I hope and predict this will stick, given the oversizing of the spherical bearing compared to other plates I've tried (all of 'em ).

The sealed spring perch bearings make for great steering feel.

verdict
These are pricey, and late to market, but as far as I can tell, worth it anyway. I'll have more to offer in 3 weeks.

note
The last pic is a "don't do"

[allthatisntnow]

Thanks for the initial impressions! They do look like very high quality items, so I'm hoping it was money well spent. Mine have arrived in the country. Just need to pay HMRC their share then ill be able to get them

[HP Autosport]

Excellent initial review

[Liquidpaper]

rwalker

Question for you -- do you not use the spring boot (rubber piece) in your last pic once the vorshlag plates have gone in? I can't tell.

EDIT:

Nevermind -- you mentioned in your post that the boot/cover/whatever is removed and the spring sits directly on the radial bearing.

[XutvJet]

Damn, you can't use the OEM upper spring isolator or the dust boot. Not exactly a street friendly setup for folks that cherish NVH and have to drive in salty winter conditions. I suppose that you could get creative with making you're own dust boot. Too bad they didn't machine the lower perch to accept the OEM upper spring isolator. Seems like an easy thing to do. I suppose you could find a thin 1/8" or thick rubber/urethane seal at a plumbing/hardware store to place between the spring and upper perch.

With all the said, this would be the only way I'd go with addressing camber if I were tracking my M235. Looks very stout.

[Liquidpaper]

Originally Posted by XutvJet

Damn, you can't use the OEM upper spring isolator or the dust boot. Not exactly a street friendly setup for folks that cherish NVH and have to drive in salty winter conditions. I suppose that you could get creative with making you're own dust boot. Too bad they didn't machine the lower perch to accept the OEM upper spring isolator. Seems like an easy thing to do. I suppose you could find a thin 1/8" or thick rubber/urethane seal at a plumbing/hardware store to place between the spring and upper perch.

With all the said, this would be the only way I'd go with addressing camber if I were tracking my M235. Looks very stout.

Lets get real -- if you're getting camber plates, NVH isolation is not high on your list of priorities. All the rubber in the OEM top mounts is out the window. Also, Coils don't have that rubber boot, so whatever. It's a nice bonus, but definitely not necessary.

I've had the Ground Control plates in my car for over a year. They have issues, but they basically work. I'm trading them out for the Vorshlag plates, but I expect they will make some noise too. They have to -- there is no rubber to absorb the NVH. But, tuning is compromise. You don't get "race parts" without giving up some comfort.

[modernbeat]

We've installed them both with and without the rubber isolator. I prefer it without, as we designed it to be used without. But if you want to try to keep it, you can pull it over the perch and use it.

[rwalker]

Originally Posted by Liquidpaper

Coils don't have that rubber boot, so whatever.

coilovers usually have a flat top and more coils, or an extra, smaller isolator spring

a plate designed for the stock spring and strut should be biased against NVH

IMHO, this is an interesting design choice, one I'm going to work around with friction tape for now

[XutvJet]

Originally Posted by Liquidpaper

But, tuning is compromise. You don't get "race parts" without giving up some comfort.

I totally agree with this and I tell my car friends this all the time when they're thinking about a particular modification. Short of the OEM upper isolator, what else is there that's really missing from the OEM design in terms of controlling NVH? If there really that much difference felt running it without an isolator in comparison to the extra NVH. I'm thinking in terms of people that drive almost entirely on the street. Either way, it looks like there is an option to use the isolator if you want.

As for the dust boots, I'd definitely try and find something that can provide some protection to the exposed strut if you live somewhere where salt is used for snow/ice treatment. From my Subaru days, I've many Bilsteins and other exposed coilover struts that have rust on the exposed strut because the salt eats quickly through the chrome finish. That's not good for the internal valving, especially on a non-inverted strut.

[ICTZHP]

Originally Posted by modernbeat

We've installed them both with and without the rubber isolator. I prefer it without, as we designed it to be used without. But if you want to try to keep it, you can pull it over the perch and use it.

So the spring perch will accommodate the rubber isolator and spring? The photo above looks otherwise? Since I live in Kansas where we get some foul weather, not having the boot over the strut shaft gives me serious pause and I do like the idea of some rubber between the spring and perch for the little bit of NVH alleviation, as minimal as it may be. So, what do you prefer about not having the rubber isolator in the assembly?

Thanks,
John

[allthatisntnow]

Any info on torque specs for the bolts, strut top nut, allen head adjustment bolts etc? I can't imagine them being too high. Just don't want anything over tightened. Or under for that matter.

[Liquidpaper]

Sort of off topic, but Vorshlag just did a write up of their tear-down/testing/impressions with the Focus RS -- they were not kind (nor should they have been to be honest):

http://www.vorshlag.com/forums/showt...8381#post58381

And I was complaining about needing camber plates and sway bars that require a subframe drop. Just remember, it could always be worse . . .

[Dylan86]

Very nice. Good work! Should be grabbing a set of these soon if available..

[DVC]

Originally Posted by Liquidpaper

...Coils don't have that rubber boot, so whatever...

I've had the Ground Control plates in my car for over a year. They have issues, but they basically work. I'm trading them out for the Vorshlag plates, but I expect they will make some noise too. They have to -- there is no rubber to absorb the NVH...

Looking forward to getting my Vorshlag plates on Monday. I've had a love/hate relationship with my GC plates for a couple of years now... love the camber, hate the noise. I am perfectly fine with additional NVH that comes with eliminating suspension/steering compliance (as it seems to translate to improved feedback, responsiveness and precision on track), so a little clunking over low speed bumps is certainly livable for me - but at times, the GC plates grind, clunk and spring-bind so bad that unsuspecting passengers ask me what's wrong with the car.
I have Öhlins R/T coil overs now, which means my Vorshlag plates will be set up with 65mm spring perches and single row radial bearings, so I'm optimistic for a simple and robust fit. A couple things I'm still not clear about, though... maybe Jason / modernbeat , Harold / HP Autosport or rwalker can help clarify:

• What additional piece comes with the kit for OEM dampers, and why wouldn't it be necessary for the coil over kit?
• Would use of Swift thrust sheets help further alleviate spring bind on the perches?

[rwalker]

Originally Posted by DVC

What additional piece comes with the kit for OEM dampers, and why wouldn't it be necessary for the coil over kit?

I don't think the bits are "additional", I think it's just a product SKU. Vorshlag varies the perch diameter and the top nut for each spring/strut combo. The perch on the Vorshlag isn't detach-able like on Dinan, GC, TCK, or KMAC, and the top nut is a special design that permits the use of the huge spherical bearing.

Originally Posted by DVC

Would use of Swift thrust sheets help further alleviate spring bind on the perches?

I dunno. Those look useful if the spring sits flat on the perch and needs to move around a little. In this case the spring touches the perch on the top and around to the inside, sorta curled up all cozy-like.

[rwalker]

Here are a couple more pics of what it looks like with the isolator in place (which Vorshlag has recommended against). The spring end is properly seated at the notch, but because of the perch diameter, the notch is the only place that the spring can be properly seated.

[DVC]

Originally Posted by rwalker

I don't think the bits are "additional", I think it's just a product SKU. Vorshlag varies the perch diameter and the top nut for each spring/strut combo. The perch on the Vorshlag isn't detach-able like on Dinan, GC, TCK, or KMAC, and the top nut is a special design that permits the use of the huge spherical bearing...

That was my thought too, but the kit for 60/65mm springs for coil overs is $90 cheaper, so I figured there must be fewer parts.

EDIT: here's some more info on what's different with the coil over kit <link>

[allthatisntnow]

Arrived today! So nice just to look at and they feel incredibly solid.








As much as i like trying to DIY all i can, i think I'm going to get a shop to fit these in conjunction with the M4 LCAs and Tension struts. Means they can be fitted and aligned all in one go and lessens the chances of me cocking something up. Downside is, it'll probably be a 3 week wait. After doing a little research found the torque spec for the mounting bolts to be around 17 ft-lbs (23nm).

[modernbeat]

Originally Posted by DVC

Looking forward to getting my Vorshlag plates on Monday...

• What additional piece comes with the kit for OEM dampers, and why wouldn't it be necessary for the coil over kit?
• Would use of Swift thrust sheets help further alleviate spring bind on the perches?

The OEM style requires two bearing holders per side, a larger lower bearing than we normally use in the spring perch, a spring perch that requires more material and more machine time, and a couple extra bolts, but skips the binary washers. The Bearing holders and to a lesser extent the spring perch are the real extra costs. Those bearing holders have a couple very tight tolerances and take some care to make them correctly.

On the thrust sheets, there is absolutely no need. The bearing in the spring perch absorbs any "twisting" forces from the spring.

[DVC]

Originally Posted by modernbeat

The OEM style requires two bearing holders per side, a larger lower bearing than we normally use in the spring perch, a spring perch that requires more material and more machine time, and a couple extra bolts, but skips the binary washers. The Bearing holders and to a lesser extent the spring perch are the real extra costs. Those bearing holders have a couple very tight tolerances and take some care to make them correctly.

On the thrust sheets, there is absolutely no need. The bearing in the spring perch absorbs any "twisting" forces from the spring.

Thanks Jason. I received the plates yesterday, and they look great!

allthatisntnow noted above that he found the torque spec for the mounting nuts to be 17 ft-lbs... can you confirm this? Also, is there a spec for the 4 slider adjustment bolts?

[allthatisntnow]

Originally Posted by DVC

Thanks Jason. I received the plates yesterday, and they look great!

allthatisntnow noted above that he found the torque spec for the mounting nuts to be 17 ft-lbs... can you confirm this? Also, is there a spec for the 4 slider adjustment bolts?

Thats what i found for the OEM attachment on previous models. Id expect between 15-18 ft-lbs to be the case, but yes confirmation would be greatly appreciated.

[HP Autosport]

5 bolt version up close.