223HAWK

iTrader: (11)

Its time to make my car corner a bit better. Iv got a 2000 Firehawk, Iv done some stuff to the rear of the car but now I want it to drive and handle really good. Iv done all UMI stuff.. Adj. Trq Arm, Adj Panhard bar, Control Arms w/relocation brackets. SFCs, STB..wider wheels..

I also own an 87 GTA Trans Am and it would walk all over my Hawk in corners and Id feel safe doing so. The Firehawk seems slugish and leans a bit.

Im sure I will get Strano Springs to lower it. How much will these help? Whats a good shock package to go with?

Anything Else Im all ears..

mediocrels1

ive got stranos and kyb agx. handlings been much improved over stock.

get swaybars.

cookba

iTrader: (10)

Strano springs and sway bars, with a set of Koni shocks and you'll wonder why you didnt do them as your first mod!

Wesmanw02

iTrader: (4)

Here is some upgrades that will really improve handling:

Strano Springs
Bilstein Struts & Shocks
Suspension Techniques Sway Bars (35mm/25mm)

Those three things will make a huge difference in cornering.

transwiz

iTrader: (26)

Get a really great set of shocks first.Koni sa shocks.Second get a set of strano hollow sway bars.You could run the koni's on the lower perch and do the heater hose mod.3/4" drop in front and 1/2" drop in the rear on the stock springs.If that's not low enough for you get the Strano lowering springs(1.2" drop).You would be supprised what a difference a set of shocks will make.

223HAWK

iTrader: (11)

Would the SLP Bilsteins be a good set of shocks/struts? How much difference is there in Stranos Sway Bars over the ones on my Firehawk?

therealcreeper

iTrader: (37)

ehhh. you'll want a different swaybar setup. 25mm rear is way too big IMO unless you're running it as a drag bar. also, if you're referring to bilstein HD's, they're meant for stock height. if you mean SLP Bilsteins, they're meant for SLP's eibachs. and if you mean revalves, they're getting harder to find.

those are pretty good middle of the road struts/shocks. a decent balance for price/street manners/performance. koni's are definitely better overall though.

swaybars will make a huge difference. 35/21 or 35/22 is generally considered the perfect balance. besides shocks probably the biggest improvement suspension-wise in terms of handling, even coming from a 32mm front bar already.

teke184

iTrader: (5)

sway bars were a HUGE improvment in my car's cornering ability.

have BMR springs in the closet, and Koni's in the mail

UMI Sales

iTrader: (1)

Hello
Thanks for the business! I just wanted to suggest to you that we also offer both front and rear sway bars as well to help with your corner carving. Below is a link to show you what all we have to offer.

http://www.umiperformance.com/catalo...64kodqud3kojr4

If you have any other questions feel free to ask and I will be more than glad to help!
Thanks
Brad

223HAWK

iTrader: (11)

I like how cheap the UMI sway bars are..always been happy with the stuff Iv put on my other cars. Anyone had a chance to put a set on their car?

therealcreeper

iTrader: (37)

i have UMI's front bar with a GM 1LE rear bar. great quality stuff, can't beat the price. it's pretty heavy but i'm not building an all out racecar so i don't mind the extra weight that much. makes the car a lot more fun to drive. when you turn the wheel it just goes. much more responsive and way less roll. best part is i got both bars for $225.

also, another option for a rear bar would be a used 3rd gen rear swaybar. some models came with 21mm solid rears which are a perfect match for a 35 front, plus you can find them dirt cheap.

223HAWK

iTrader: (11)

I just gave away my sway bar off my my GTA..

Sam Strano

iTrader: (41)

You have Koni's in the mail? I don't recall seeing an order for any.
I hope you weren't just using my time for free with the PM's. Seems to be happening a lot lately.

If you think a 32/21 combo was good, you ought to see what a lighter, and 3mm bigger 35mm bar and a lighter 22mm rear bar can do...

Stock bars on SS's and WS6's are 32 hollow/19 solid. I keep the relative balance, moving slightly stiffer in the rear with my 35/22 hollow bars, and as a set save about 5 pounds vs. stock too. Compared to solid bars, I my bars save as much as 20+ pounds per set.

Sam Strano

iTrader: (41)

You can use a 3rd gen bar, if you can find an appropriate sized one. More cars than not had 23 and 24mm bars, not 21's.

FWIW, there are other differences between bars other than weight. For example. Some don't fit around the tabs on convertible k-members correctly and hit when the suspension compresses. The hardware can vary greatly, the bends of the bars can vary greatly too. In fact one of the reasons I changed suppliers was due to to much variability in the bending which causes some bars to fit tighter than others. I went to a vendor with CNC bending equipment so all the bars are exactly alike and allowed me to address the issue with the convertible k-member bracing too.

Does weight matter? To some, no. But they'll spend money looking for power when power that's there is being wasted to drag mass around that isn't needed. Also, it should be remembered that the stock front bar is hollow, so any solid bar is adding a ton of weight to start with. Anyone who has bought Chrome-Moly parts to save weight should consider that, as should anyone who opted say for 2-pt SFC's over 3's. At least the weight on a 3-pt SFC is adding rigidity to the car, not useless mass you are pulling around for no reason.

TX_Stang4lunch

iTrader: (1)

Doesnt the firehawk's have a good Stock sway bar setup from SLP ?? Im not sure what size but im sure you could do some research... I noticed no difference when i swapped mine.

TX_Stang4lunch

iTrader: (1)

Camaro SS and Firehawk sway bars are 35/21 solid ( heavy ..... but a nice stock setup)

therealcreeper

iTrader: (37)

yeah i thought it'd be a snap to find one, but it wasn't. after a week of searching i was lucky enough to find a 1le bar locally. if you have time to look around it's worth a try since they're so cheap.

they're 32mm front

TX_Stang4lunch

iTrader: (1)

Go here ... to order your OEM #35MM SLP sway bar for the camaro ss or firehawk....



Or see this site for the Firehawk Options list....

http://www.firehawkowners.com/option...l/1835135.html

and i was wrong ....it is a hollow 35mm not a solid bar and his car doesn't have this option b/c its a 2000 model.

therealcreeper

iTrader: (37)

very interesting

Sam Strano

iTrader: (41)

Whoa, whoa, whoa....

First of all, most SS and WS6's do NOT have 35/21 bars. It was a option on Bilstein Ultra Suspension cars. Very few, very few cars have those. On the cars that did, they did use a 35mm hollow front, and a 21mm solid rear. Go ahead, follow the link... you'll see that 35mm front bar is a lot more expensive than a Strano Performance front bar is, and my bars come with better endlinks (and come included in the sales price). Then the rear bar. Yep, you can get a 21mm solid for a good bit less than my Hollow 22mm bar. You also drag around extra weight, slung off the axle (unsprung weight). And as a kit, you'll see that you can do my pair of bars for LESS than doing what TX_Stang4lunch is recommending--and, not only do you pay more, you carry more weight.

I agree that a 35/21 solid combo is excellent, which is why my bars are 35/22 hollow at both ends. But I can do it cheaper and better. I also agree that the 32/19 combo that comes stock on most SS/WS6's is well balanced when the rest of the setup is good, just not enough roll control.

My bars can be found here: BOTH are tubular/hollow, not just the front. Both come with all new hardware and bushings. The bushings are very stiff urethane (durometer 88 +/- 3 points).
http://www.stranoparts.com/partdetai...=126&ModelID=7