What would you recommend first?

[Sean37]

I'm thinking about doing some upgrades to the suspension of my car, but I don't really know what I should get first. I don't know about lowering my car because the gfx/air deflector will probably scrape too much. If I do drop it I don't think I'd go more than 1" or so. So other than that what would you recommend first?

It's a daily driver and I don't race it or autox or anything, I just want to make it ride smoother (it gets bouncy sometimes on the freeway) and handle turns better.

[ October 15, 2003: Message edited by: Sean37 ]</p>

[V6Bob]

"It's a daily driver and I don't race it or autox or anything, I just want to make it ride smoother (it gets bouncy sometimes on the freeway) and handle turns better."

This actually screams "shocks". Quality ones, like Bilsteins. I think just that one change would make you very happy. No big flash value, just function.

My advice is to call Sam Strano, tell him what you want and take his recommendation.

[ October 15, 2003: Message edited by: V6Bob ]</p>

[slomaro]

v6bob is the man on suspension listen to him

[Timbo1969]

<blockquote>quote:</font><hr>Originally posted by Sean37:
I'm thinking about doing some upgrades to the suspension of my car, but I don't really know what I should get first. I don't know about lowering my car because the gfx/air deflector will probably scrape too much. If I do drop it I don't think I'd go more than 1" or so. So other than that what would you recommend first?

It's a daily driver and I don't race it or autox or anything, I just want to make it ride smoother (it gets bouncy sometimes on the freeway) and handle turns better.

[ October 15, 2003: Message edited by: Sean37 ]<hr></blockquote>
Shocks, springs, and subframe connectors

[V6Bob]

Subframe connectors will help a little. A lot if you have a convertible.

The stock springs are a decent compromise for ride and handling on a street car. Stiffer springs will improve handling some but hurt the ride.

[ October 15, 2003: Message edited by: V6Bob ]</p>

[Sean37]

ok I'll look into getting some Bilstein's and maybe some Eibach springs for a 1" drop. My car is a hardtop so I guess subframes wouldn't help that much, maybe if I had t-tops or a vert they would be worth it. Where would be the best place to find some of this stuff cheap? I'll keep an eye on ebay. What else? Thanks.

[Sean37]

I found the Eibach Pro Kit on Ebay for $185. Will I need to upgrade my sway bars for a 1" drop? The Bilsteins are $485 at Tbyrne and $545 at RKSport. Thunder racing sells fronts for $99 and rears for $85 (each), so that's $370 for the set as long as I don't need anything else.

[ October 16, 2003: Message edited by: Sean37 ]</p>

[Ian]

there are two different kind of bilsteins for our cars, the SLP takeoff ones, and the actual Bilsteins.


from what ive heard, the SLP takeoff ones are less agressive than the actual bilstein ones, but are also cheaper. so if you want like really good handeling, go with the true bilsteins. and if you want upgraded handeling, go with the SLP takeoff.


either way, bilsteins will give you a nice smooth ride on regular roads, but when you need them for cornering, they will be there for you.

[Sean37]

Yeah I definitely want the real Bilstein's and not the SLP takeoffs. The individual ones they sell at Thunder say Bilstein and don't mention SLP anywhere, has anyone ordered from them and can verify they are true Bilstein's?

[00swartz]

There is some real good information on the technical archive section "Sam Strano on 4th Gen suspension" -read this and you will be enlightened!

[ October 16, 2003: Message edited by: 00swartz ]</p>

[Sean37]

OK I just placed the orders. I got the springs on Ebay for $230 after tax/shipping and I bought the Bilsteins from stranoparts.com for $329. Thanks for the help everybody.

[Loochy88]

i went with some slp takeoff shocks. i did this mainly cause the car got really wobbly on bumpy roads. it would bottom out on the air dam like crazy. the cheap slp takeoffs made a huge difference. i didnt know if they would do anything, but the difference between them and my stock 96 shocks was impressive. the car is much more firm now and handles noticeably better.

[Ian]

sean37, do me a huge favor and either IM me on AIM at Hedzilla, or drop me an email at i_thornton@yahoo.com to let me know how these work out, and if they are the actual bilsteins. i am looking for the same setup, and wanted to hear the results from someone who has it installed. thanks man.

[Sean37]

Well I decided to install them myself with the help of a knowledgable friend (shop wanted $360), and it was a biatch, but we got it done. It took somewhere around 11-12 hours over the course of a few days, most of that time was spent on the front. The back only took less than 2 hours.

I am very happy with the way the car looks lowered with the ground effects it just looks so sweet. I have scraped a couple times, but only slightly, it's really not too bad, but I have to be more careful. The whole car feels more firm and stuck to the ground, and I think it even gets off the line a little bit quicker, but that could just be my imagination.

[ November 13, 2003: Message edited by: Sean37 ]</p>

[F1GT]

Did you get an adjustable panhard rod?