Im lost about suspension.........

[Mbump00]

Ok everyone,

I have read about so many different combonations that have to do with suspension. What would be the ideal set up if i wanted to lower it or what would be the ideal set up if I wanted to keep the stock hight. I would also like to add sway bars,strut tower brace, etc. What companies are the best or what companies have people had the best experience with. I know these types of posts are a pain in the butt but im totally clueless when it comes to this stuff and I dont want to just spend a bunch of money and throw something together.

[V6Bob]

"I know these types of posts are a pain in the butt but im totally clueless when it comes to this stuff"

It's not that you're a pain in the butt, it's that your question has no good answer. There is no "best" setup.

What do you want your car to do? Do you want to compete in some organized way? What is your budget? How much of a rough ride are you willing to put up with? How much do you care that your mods look cool?

You'll get a lot of different answers from people here. Some know what they're doing, some don't, some want to justify what they've done, some want to sell you something, some want to show how smart they are (Hey, I resemble that remark :D ).

If you're clueless, how can you tell the quality of the info you're getting? How can you be sure you're not just spending money and throwing something together?

All that said, a shock/strut tower brace and subframe connectors are relatively noncontroversial mods that will improve your handling. Most all of them are good. BMR, Kenny Brown, and Global West generally get good reviews. A phonecall to Global West or SLP might get you good information. Best idea is to research, read, and get a clue :D .

[C.Palmer]

V6 bob has said it all! But he did leave out one thing...

If you're planning on lowering your car, make sure you do the whole package and not just springs. Replace your struts/shocks, throw in an adjustable Pan hard rod to make sure your car sits level once it's dropped (our cars have a tendancy to lean to one side for some reason). Get aligned and have your camber checked as well to be safe. You can't go wrong with an STB or subframe connectors.

I'll tell you the same thing I told my friend about things like shocks and whatnot... each shock will ride different then the next. A shock made for ripping around corners will probably be pretty brutal over bumps and vise versa. You need to decide exactly what type of ride you're going for. Style, performance, caddy-like ride, kill body roll.... there's a lot of reasons why you would mess with the suspension. Then it's up to you to do your homework on the brands. Don't give up... we've all been there!

[Patrick Javert]

the three most basic and worth-while mods you can do to a stock f-body is stb, sfc's and swaybars. Most people suggest the 1LE's because they are set up for more road racing, but work well for drag too. the stb and sfc's stiffen everything up and make it so the suspension is the only parts moving, not the body itself. just to be safe, I'm gonna get a adjustable coil-over kit for my car, and then try different lowering settings to make sure the car is level.

[V6Bob]

"I'm gonna get a adjustable coil-over kit for my car, and then try different lowering settings to make sure the car is level."

If you're concerned about handling it's more important to get the weight at each wheel right than it is to get the car level. That's the real purpose of the adjustables. The book "How to Make Your Car Handle" has details on exactly how to do that.

MBump00: As far as the 1LE sway bars go, see the thread "Sway Bars? Shocks?" below. Some of us disagree with that recommendation, especially with stock 98+ V6 springs. FWIW, in my personal opinion, you'd probably be happy with just a bigger front bar. That's what GM and SLP (and others) use in their handling packages. You _need_ to understand sway bars before you make a serious change.

[ May 31, 2002: Message edited by: V6Bob ]</p>