lowering my car - NJFBOA - Home of New Jersey's Camaros and Firebirds

transmaro93 · 01-18-2006, 06:27 PM

hey guys... i am going to buy some new struts and springs for my car lower it maybe 1 to 1 1/5 inches at the most... just for a stiffer ride and more agressive look.... but i wanted to do subframe connectors too but i cant do them now... do you think my t-tops are more likely to leak because of the stiffer ride or my chassis twist... any help is greatly appreciated... thankx

qwikz28 · 01-18-2006, 07:59 PM

you will need at least springs. you will want shocks, relo brackets, SFCs, and a panhard rod. talk to a fela named sam strano. he's a 4th gen suspension expert.

http://www.stranoparts.com/index.php

ar0ck · 01-18-2006, 08:26 PM

If the car is a 4th gen you really dont have to worry about the chassis twisting unless your running big hp numbers. But that doesn't mean dont do them! I would suggest getting subframes, relocation brackets with LCA's and a matched shocks & spring package.

On my 95' Im running Spohn Tubular Subframes, Spohn Tubular LCA's, Spohn Relocation Brackets, Bilstien HD shocks & Eibach Pro-Kit. The ride isn't horrible at all. My old 3rd gen handled worse and drove worse with a stock suspension then my 95'. Its defenitly tollerable.

bad64chevelle · 01-19-2006, 10:53 AM

Alex I disagree with your statement of the car not twisting without making big HP numbers. My LT1 isnt making any kind of show stopping power and you should have seen when we did the sfcs and got a good look at the car how the thing is twisted around a little. We had the exact same problems with Jakes car. The only car that wasnt twisted was Goofys V6 car.

transmaro93 · 01-19-2006, 05:45 PM

well i plann on doing all that stuff... but i wanna do the springs and shocks first because i wanna get rims before spring and i wanna see how low its gonna be and i want the aggressive look i just didnt know if the stiffer ride was gonna cause problems without the subframe connectors... but i plan on doing all that good stuff u guys said its just a matter of time and funds

V · 01-19-2006, 06:00 PM

just stay away from INTRAX

transmaro93 · 01-19-2006, 06:32 PM

haha yea, well im gonna do KYB AGX adjustable shocks and struts... and i was checking out these german VOGTLAND springs they have the drop i want and they arent extremely expensive so i think im gonna go with that combo...

qwikz28 · 01-19-2006, 11:15 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by transmaro93

haha yea, well im gonna do KYB AGX adjustable shocks and struts... and i was checking out these german VOGTLAND springs they have the drop i want and they arent extremely expensive so i think im gonna go with that combo...

yeah that a ****** idea. i've heard the absolute worst about those shocks and i never even heard of those springs. if your a risk taker then do it, if not, do it right the first time and be happy.

ps- sam strano is your friend

V · 01-20-2006, 04:52 PM

yeah, i agree, i wouldnt go with springs that arent well known, good ones are eibach and hotchkis

transmaro93 · 01-20-2006, 06:31 PM

i talked to my freind who said those springs are alright... nothing bad about em.... and i havent heard anything bad about those shocks... whats so bad about them??

Mike · 01-23-2006, 07:29 PM

pm me im considering taking everything i have on my car off and selling it as seperate pieces or a package.....i ask for pm's because this is not the classifides and dont want your thread to be locked or moved

spohn adjustable lca's
spohn adjustable panhard bar
bilstein hd's
h&r lowering springs
spohn driveshaft loop

NJSPEEDER · 01-23-2006, 08:30 PM

eibach pro kit + bilstein heavy duty fronts and bilstein "race" rears. drop the car an inch or so and have it on rails.
subframes will signifcantly reduce the chances of your t-tops developing leaks.
quikz28 is right about talking to strano. he is a cool guy, super knowledgable, and a great driver. he is also one hell of an instructor, he taught me when i did the evolution driving schools years ago.

198esp1 · 01-23-2006, 09:51 PM

Do talk to Sammy. Great guy What do you want the car to do just look good ? or handle Thats the big ? Either way sam can get you pointed in the right direction. I Get 90% of my suspension stuff from him.

JL8Jeff · 01-24-2006, 11:16 AM

One thing to think about before lowering is if you ever plan to run longtube headers. That might cause you problems if you go too low. As for improved handling, you don't need to go lower to get better handling. Just look at how much better(and stiffer) the SS cars are compared to a stock Z28. I just put the Pacesetter longtube headers on and it looks like they have a lot of clearance so I don't think they would be too much of a problem on a lowered car. But the number of speed bumps and parking lot curbs I have to deal with, it won't happen with my car.

Pampered-Z · 01-24-2006, 03:53 PM

You should also think about an adjustable panhard rod and LCA relocator brackets installed to get the rear geometry back to where it needs to be.

The panhard rod is needed to get the rear back to center. Lowering the car 1.5" will offset the rear putting ( passenger side? ) tire closer to the fender lip.

The LCA bracket provides the proper angle so the tires plant properly to prevent excessive wheel spin.

Although T-tops could be a problem, on 4th gens what is more common is the fenders will dimple, leaving a quarter sized recess near where the roofline meets the fender when the body flexes.

If your going to run the car hard, sub frame connectors should be a priority.

Mine dimpled when the car was pure stock.

JB

Mike · 01-24-2006, 05:58 PM

mine dimpled bone stock too.....

and before you decide to buy anything from a brand youve never heard of...pm me about this list i posted above....

coldkilla · 01-27-2006, 04:57 PM

Ive read on www.frrax.com that you should stay away from the eibach pro kit (if thats the one that gives the biggest drop) and the lca relocation brackets. with the pro kit you will actually lose suspension travel and bottom out all too easily, they are more of a cosmetic mod and drop the car too low for great handling but if thats your thing. the lca reloc brackets arent needed unless your just conscerned about the drag strip, then get em, otherwise, dont waste your money. you will definitely need an adj phb if you lower the car tho.

qwikz28 · 01-27-2006, 05:07 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by coldkilla

Ive read on www.frrax.com that you should stay away from the eibach pro kit (if thats the one that gives the biggest drop) and the lca relocation brackets. with the pro kit you will actually lose suspension travel and bottom out all too easily, they are more of a cosmetic mod and drop the car too low for great handling but if thats your thing. the lca reloc brackets arent needed unless your just conscerned about the drag strip, then get em, otherwise, dont waste your money. you will definitely need an adj phb if you lower the car tho.

you are thinking sportlines. pro kit sucks as well. hotchkis is arguably the best all around spring for ls1s. i have done much research on this and can explain why i am saying that if you wish. the springs mike is selling are geared towards excellent handling and can feel "rougher" then stock. they are excellent springs though and i would love to put a set of those on my car.
the hotchkis springs offer a nice stance, have OEM ride quality, and improved handling.

shocks are important as well. the best is koni adjustables but revalved bilsteins are a good low cost alternative.

STAY AWAY FROM PROGRESSIVE RATE SPRINGS!!!!!111!!! they mess with the damping of the shocks and hurt more then they help.

those vogtland springs mentioned earlier i hear are big in the mustang market but they never caught on with the fbod crowd. i assume there is a reason for this and once again i think you should stay away from those.

198esp1 · 01-27-2006, 05:42 PM

you can use the stock spring in the rear and just remove the rubber. about 3/4 inch lower than stock.In the front Keep the stock front spring get the koni's and use the lower snap ring groove. about 1 inch lower. If you go any lower wheel travel becomes an issue and also bump steer. Unless you are looking to race keep the soft spings upgrade the sway bars, then shocks.

Frosty · 02-11-2006, 10:20 PM

SFC's are still a must for ANY unibody car putting any type of power to the ground.

As far as the "prokit sucks" comments I disagree. I've been in plenty of Hotchis equipped cars and was less than impressed. Maybe they didn't have the right shocks to go along but IMO the ride was rough and you didn't feel connected to the road. I have the prokit and while it sags a bit in the rear I'd take them over a lot of other springs. I have revalved Bilsteins to control everything.

They seem to work just fine for me.