94LS1B4C

iTrader: (3)

Which would you go with on a 2001 trans am street car?

MertezWS6

iTrader: (8)

KONI... make sure everything is adjustable

Furious1

iTrader: (1)

I'm doing mine on a budget this spring...Bilstein/BMR for me. Already bought the springs while they were on sale, will buy the shocks and adjustable PHB soon.

lees02WS6

iTrader: (5)

Koni/Stock springs
Bilstein/Stock springs
Bilstein/SLP Eibach springs
Koni/Strano

On a street car, ride and handling are much higher priorities for. AFCO, Strange, QA1, are all drag shocks, and not good for a street car.

I also wouldn't get caught up in the "aftermarket control arm" thing, especially for a street car. The stock parts are actually much better at absorbing hard road use than the aftermarket stuff.

94LS1B4C

iTrader: (3)

This past summer at the goodguy's autocross vendor section, QA1 was marketing there F body coil-overs with springs matched to what you intend to do with the car.

http://www.qa1.net/qa1_motorsports/d...l-systems.html

I don't mind if the ride is a little firm, but I would like the adjustability of ride height and maybe the struts and shocks. I purchased the bilstein/SLP Eibach spring package but have not installed them yet. I just didn't know if I should go with a coil-over setup?

Camaraderie

Are you saying aftermarket lower control arms aren't worth getting ? I thought they helped put power better on the ground and improved ride ?

KissMyTushZ28

iTrader: (4)

I'm assuming with the qa1 coilovers the conversion kit will be needed.?

Blackpanther99

iTrader: (8)

Koni ftw

lees02WS6

iTrader: (5)

If you're into drag racing they might help get power to the ground. They definitely positively do NOT improve ride quality. They will make it worse.

Sam Strano

iTrader: (41)

Koni's rock... but I'm not sure this fellow needs them or is after that level of setup. Of course, who knows what he's after because all he asked is what you would do which isn't very helpful.

I would guess he wants to lower the car given the options he listed in his poll, but he also might assume he has to lower it to make it handle a lot better (not true, good shocks and sway bars will do wonders even with stock springs). Lowering can help, but it can also hurt if you pick the wrong springs or lower the car too far.

I'd say the most popular thing I sell is my HP2 kit which are Bilstein's and Strano Springs. $620 gets you both and many folks are pretty happy with it. I'm more shock picky and I like more rebound control so I personally use Koni's. I'd skip Eibach, though I sell them too, and in fact have a used set in the building if you want 'em they'd be cheaper... but they are here because they were replaced with mine on a customer's car.

Camaraderie

I didn't know that . I was misinformed thanks for clearing it up

BMR Tech2

iTrader: (5)

If you're asking about a street setup, avoid the Strange and QA1 shocks. I would stick with Bilsteins since they're an awesome performing street shock. Eibach springs are known to drop cars low and continue to drop lower as they begin sagging over time. Our springs come with a lifetime warranty against sag. Bilsteins w/BMR is my vote! haha

94LS1B4C

iTrader: (3)

(The car is going to be a street car and not be driven much, will not see the drag strip) But am building it to be a pretty radical street car, and it will have some of the characteristics of a "road race" car.

Question for both... I know this has probably been covered before but since you both responded.. Sam, how does the Eibach prokit compare to your spring? what are the differences? I am in fact looking to lower the car and liked the idea of having adjustable ride height which is why I mentioned the QA1's and Strange coil-overs but it is not a necessity. I am able to get the Eibach springs new for a hell of a price with my employee discount.

Kevin @ BMR, I have used some of the BMR components which we sell and I love the quality of your products... so same question goes to you about the springs?

Sam Strano

iTrader: (41)

The Eibach's are 400 front, 80-137 rear. Mine are 550 front, 100-150 rear (in both cases the soft rate is only a tender or "take up" rate and the higher rate is the working rate).

I developed my springs starting in 2004, finalizing the rates and all and starting production in 2006 after using the critical specs to win 2 of my then 3 (now a lot more) National Championship. They've been around for while with a proven track record, literally and figuratively. I have somewhere over 2000 sets all with the same spring rates and all out there. I get about 120 sets at a time, do that 3-4 times a year, for more than 6 years. I always run out at some point so I must not be doing too badly. While others have "made springs" longer than I have, mine have not changed... others have in both design and rate in the last few years. And those others have gone from progressive fronts to linear fronts (like mine), and cut the rear rates down to be closer to mine from what their previous versions were.

Also if you ask me, I'm very happy to fill you in on who makes the springs for me (neither of the companies here make them in house) and why. And that has changed a bit because I finally found something here I could get the quality control and weights I wanted. So for the last 2 years and about 800 sets.. they've been made in the USA to my spec by Hyperco in Logansport IN. I never felt the need to do the flag waving because I think the product speaks for itself and I only ever wanted the best product. Just so happens I could make this work, and like Apple, it cost me more to move the production here to a well known company and get the material I needed.

Eibach's don't have enough spring rate to support the amount of drop, and the rears don't get into the higher rate, fast enough. That 137 vs. 150 rate difference is on the order of 10% different, 10% matters. I not only have a little more rate without going too stiff (too much is as bad in other ways as not enough), but I get into that rate immediately when the car is on the ground. Eibachs still are transitioning meaning you dynamically have less spring early on than the 137 rate... That combined with a lack of quality damping means you have faster and common interfaces with the bumpstop. Now, you're gonna hit them... the trick is when you do the transition isn't nasty, and if you get a huge spike in rate change (which happens with too soft springs) it's not fun. And if the shocks don't damp the movement properly, which is their job after all, you again get impact harshness you don't want. The ride suffers, and the control of the car, the planted feel isn't there either.

I answered first, at least as I typed this. I don't have the benefit of knowing how anyone will counter, so I was as specific as I could be without, I hope, boring you to death.

UMI Sales

iTrader: (1)

I voted Other. Other being Strano springs, whichever damper he recommends for your budget, and any UMI support equipment you may need.

94LS1B4C

iTrader: (3)

Sam, how is the ride height with your spring? It sounds like you have the spring I am looking for... just would like to know how it sits. I had the Eibachs in there before and I had to had helper bags in the back because the springs were so weak, so I've been making a new setup for 2013, and so far have the bilstein shocks/struts. Do those shocks/struts work well with your springs?

KissMyTushZ28

iTrader: (4)

Hey man, on stranos site, I believe they have pics of their springs installed on a few F-bodies to give examples of height and stance. I'm pretty sure I'll be going with the Bilstein/Koni package for my T/A.

94LT1TA6spd

I am leaning towards Strano springs with Koni adjustable shocks... seems like a good combo to me...

94LS1B4C

iTrader: (3)

I think I am going to return my Eibach springs and get the Strano springs. Does anyone have any pictures of Strano springs with the rear spring isolator delete? It seems like some cars with Strano springs tend to sit higher than others.

LilJayV10

iTrader: (39)

There's a reason that combo is so popular. It's been proven time and time again.

I run Sam's springs, bars, Koni's, Watt's and a bunch of UMI stuff.

Sometimes it seems that people refuse to use the strano/koni setup. i don't know if it's because some people just want to be different or are new to the boards.