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Can you make a Mark VIII handle as good as...

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Posted by: 98LSC32V

I was wondering if you can make a Mark VIII handle as good as a G35? I drove my friend's 05 G35 Sedan a few weeks ago and it handled like it was on rails with the stock suspension it had. If I put on front and rear sway bars, polyurethane rear spindle bushings, rear torsional load brace and Falken max performance summer tires all around on the stock 16's, will it be comparable?

Posted by: MarkOfDeath

the super coupe will out hander that, so lower your car with springs and do all of the above

Posted by: Dern Humpus

Quote:

Originally Posted by MarkOfDeath

the super coupe will out hander that, so lower your car with springs and do all of the above

You Sir, are smoking crack.

Posted by: poniesviii

Falkens are junk. Twice I've seen split sidewalls on mark viii's. all four tires, one set were mine after less than 5k miles.

I'll tell everybody forever cause I was pissed I bought such junk.

Plus they're over rated. You buy a 275 it's going to be an inch wide.

JUNK.

Posted by: brentalan

I've got 275 Eagle F1 tires all the way around and that made a dramatic difference in handling. I have never driven a G35 but more rubber always helps

Posted by: 98LSC32V

I have the Falken GR Beta FK451's on the rear and they are the best tire i've ever had, super sticky max performance summer. The thread design is killer too... Now I just need to get them for the fronts...

Posted by: KainDTE

The Falken tires I had were 225 and gripped like no other 225 tire I had ever used...

Posted by: Dominus

Eagle F1 GS-D3

There is nothing that compares.

Posted by: brentalan

Posted by: MarkOfDeath

Quote:

Originally Posted by Dern Humpus

You Sir, are smoking crack.

Ya thats true, but thats a different topic, anyways I have driven both cars the g35 does handle better but not much more then the supercoupe and it more of a size and weight thing, If you get bigger sway bars on, low profile tires 245 or wider, got lower springs and poly bushings on every suspension part possible it would feel like its on rails no problem

Dont believe me then dont worry cause most of you dont every mod your cars just talk about it, but if someone drops down a little cash they will see what Im talking about

Posted by: MediumD

Quote:

Originally Posted by Dominus

Eagle F1 GS-D3

There is nothing that compares.

+1, I have those on my ETC (which handles better than the Mark even though it's FWD) and they're pretty damn good for a regular street tire.

Posted by: m_maker

Traction from a Falken GR Beta FK451 ? That's a good joke.

Don't put them on the front, they tramline like a little biatch.

Posted by: 95sc

Quote:

Originally Posted by MarkOfDeath

When I bought my super coupe it had 245 tires all around and car handled like crazy specially when you set suspension on firm.I never tought that 4000 lbs car can handle like that. Car has 255 drag radials and it's lowered now,You wouldn't belive how it handles now.

Posted by: Frogman

Quote:

Originally Posted by MarkOfDeath

I agree with MoD. I had front and rear Addco swaybars on my supercoupe, and polyurethane all the way around. The car rode a bit stiffer, yes. But boy did it handle! Especially for it's weight. This was at stock height suspension.

The Mark VIII with a 1 1/4 or was it 1 1/8??? swaybar, real polyurethane Cobra shocks, and lower profile tires will handle a hell of a lot better than a stock mark.

I do have a 1.5" Front swaybar, and new polyurethane on the front as well now. Can't say how it handles yet, as the engine is still out of the car. (long story). But I'm willing to bet it will handle even better than with just the rear work. This will be with Eagle F1 tires as well. I've never ran F1's, but I've heard good things about them.

Posted by: poniesviii

Quote:

Originally Posted by Dominus

Eagle F1 GS-D3

There is nothing that compares.

That's a simple minded statement. Try the BF goodrich G force KDW's, you'll reconsider.

Urethane bushings, swaybars, 18's with good tires, larger brakes (front at least), a 2" sensor lower, new front air struts, an alignment, and the right chip including changing out shift points, and that G35 will be in the dust. You'll be surprised, and wonder why you didn't do it sooner.

Posted by: vr4

Quote:

Originally Posted by Dern Humpus

You Sir, are smoking crack.

considering ive driven both id have to agree.

also....the GSD3s are crap. got them on the cobra. traction sucks and handling is mediocre. the kumho MX is actually a better tire all around. for half the price too.

while you can MAKE the car shandle decently.....its still very flimsy and a large heavy car. the G will always be more tossable/controllable at the limit.

Posted by: poniesviii

How much does the G weigh?

With a lowered mark you lower your center of gravity excessively, so essentially as long as your tires stick the extra weight doesn't mean anything.

I'm not saying this because I have a mark and need to stick up for it. I say it because I take 5mph 90deg turns in my car everytime I come home at 20 and the only effect it has is shoving me against my door. It doesn't even push, and I don't slow down at all either. I'd like to see a G do it. I've never been in one but they look like you could lower them a foot and still have your ass as high as in an F250.

I think some of you would appreciate a ride in my car in the handling aspect, not to sound conceited but because you would.

Also, with unibody or subframe connectors after a drop, the car isn't flimsy hardly at all.

Posted by: Dominus

Quote:

Originally Posted by poniesviii

Tried them. They're nothing compared to the GSD3s. It takes at least the KD to pose any sort of competition to the GS-D3. And the KD, although pretty much equal to the F1 in the dry, it is vastly inferior in the wet.

I don't make simple minded statements. Just statements from experience. I've probably used every max performance summer tire that there is out there, from the S-03, to the SP9000, to most of the higher end of the Pzero line (including Asimetrico), and the list goes on and on.

Posted by: Dominus

Oh, and Kumho MX's are garbage. Don't take my word for it. They continually place low or last in every tire comparison done.

The handling problems you are having with your Cobra are likely just that it is a Cobra. Seriously. I've driven those things on several compounds, including race compounds, and it never felt like an awe inspiring drive.

Put a decent suspension under there and everything goes out the window, but for a stock or near stock suspension, it's not going to produce any major efforts.

Not to mention that they flat out suck in the rain compared to anything. The tread pattern is old. Plain and simply. It looks like something that BF Goodrich would have made in the mid 1980's and shows their lack of compund development. To make up for the lack of development, they simply reduced the tread count and width (and apparently depth) in order to get grip. The result is a tire that performs "well", and gives up a lot of grip in the wet. It's still a much better tire than just about any all-season out there, but it's nowhere near the KD or GS-D3.

Posted by: MarkOfDeath

None of you think you can make a mark, hell even a super coupe match the handle of a stock G35

Posted by: 98LSC32V

The G35 Sedan weighs around 3400lbs as does the coupe for some reason.

Posted by: Dern Humpus

I said that a mark on lowered spring suspension wouldnt fit the bill. I didnt say you couldnt do it.

Why do I know? I have the 2" lowered spring conversion, and it still handles like ass.

Posted by: Frogman

Dern, How old are your suspension components? I'll bet if you pull them out and look at the rubber bushings, they will be toast. Bushings like the Lower Control arms, upper control arms, strut rods, etc.

Just putting new struts/shocks/springs on a car is not going to turn said car into a better handling car. It will help over how it handles before the new shocks/springs, but you also need to adress supporting components as listed above.

Posted by: 98LSC32V

Quote:

Originally Posted by Dern Humpus

I said that a mark on lowered spring suspension wouldnt fit the bill. I didnt say you couldnt do it.

Why do I know? I have the 2" lowered spring conversion, and it still handles like ass.

Where can you get a 2 inch lowered spring conversion kit? I know American Air suspension only sells the 1.5 inch drop kit conversion.

Posted by: Dern Humpus

It lowered it more like 2 inches.

Posted by: poniesviii

Quote:

Originally Posted by Dominus

KDW, Not KD. BF has all kinds of KD's. I'm talking about the one that allows me to drive 100 in the pouring rain on the beltway in Houston, [[[[in an 11.5" 275]]]] is quiet, wears so evenly you don't even notice, and has the perfect sidewall and compound to be predictive.

You can't have tried every tire. Via simple minded.

Posted by: Calabrio

The single best change I've made to my Mark VIII has been the larger rear sway bar. That simple change has changed the feel of the Mark VIII more profoundly than anything else.

No longer does it have that troubling understear, it now has just a faint touch of overstear making it much more responsive and enjoyable in the curves.

Posted by: Dern Humpus

What size sway bar did you go with? I have been toying around with the idea to purchase one for myself.

Posted by: cavemansmarkviii

It's a free? country folks. Make your tire choices and if someone else thinks your choice sucks, so be it. Opinions are like a$$holes .....

Posted by: 98LSC32V

Here's a pic of the Falken GR Beta FK451 tire on my car, like I said they are very sticky...

Posted by: Calabrio

In regards to the rear sway bar,
all I did was find one from a '91 SuperCoupe.

It's just a little bit bigger and it's solid, unlike the hollow one found on our Mark VIIIs. Now I have a faint bit of overstear and I love it.

Doing it like this only cost about $20 at the U-pull-it.

Posted by: Dern Humpus

http://www.tccoa.com/articles/addco/

Whose had any experience with the different options from addco?

Posted by: cavemansmarkviii

Dern, see thread http://www.lincolnvscadillac.com/showthread.php?t=26315

Posted by: Dominus

Quote:

Originally Posted by poniesviii

I know the difference between a KD and a KDW. The KD is their ultimate dry performance tire, and the KDW incorporates wet handling characteristics (at the expense of dry performance).

The KD is superior to the KDW in the dry, and even it is nearly a GS-D3 competitor, but not as good. The KDW just isn't even in the same league.

I know exactly what you are talking about, I used both sets upon their introduction, the KD's first because they were supposed to be the best dry tire at the time, and then the KDW's because I got sick of being afraid of puddles at high speed, and I was not satisfied with either tire. Like I said, the KD's did great in the dry and blew in the wet, and the KDWs did great in the wet, but left me with a sense of loss in the dry. It was a compromise tiher way. Something I don't get witht he GS-D3s.

Quote:

You can't have tried every tire. Via simple minded.

I never said every tire. I said most of them. Most tires out there are a few years old, and I have had 6-8 cars at any given time just belonging to myself, and I drive most of them frequently.

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