99ViperACR

I'm going to be lowering my car next week and am deciding on the parts to use. I'm considering the Bilstein heavy duty shocks.

Question 1) Bilstein HD's good shocks for lowering car?
Question 2) What springs should I use (are eibach sportline springs good?)?
Question 3) What else do I need to do to lower my car, what other parts do I need?

Thanks for your help

Jeffs99SS

1. I don't have much info on shocks. I resused my SLP Bilsteins and was happy with the results.

2. Sportlines are going to be VERY low. It is generally accepted that they are more for show than performance. I had the Prokit on my car for about 2 years. I was happy with the stance until the rears started to sag (common problem with these). May want to search on a few companies and see what people have to say (try hotchkis, DMS, LG, and BMR).

3. You don't NEED anything else. It is a good idea to get relocation brackets for the lower control arms to correct the geometry. An adjustable panhard rod is also recommended to recenter the rearend. When you lower the car, the rear will shift to one side.

Happy lowering
Jeff

evil02z

I have the Eibach Sportlines on my Z. It gives the car an awesome look. But rides like sh*t. My passenger side rear spring doesn't have enough spring rate so that tire always rubs over sharp bumps. If you live in the country you may have clearance issues with your exhaust. Get good shocks with more precise valving. Get the LCA relocation brackets. Don't forget to get it aligned.

unit213

I'd go with an adjustable panhard bar and LCA relocation brackets.

Nine Ball

iTrader: (38)

Eibach springs ride like crap. If you want to keep a smooth (near stock) ride, get the Hotchkis springs. I've had 3 different brands before but the Hotchkis are much better than the others.

Adjustable panhard is necessary if you want to center your rearend properly after lowering it. When we lower our cars, the rear tends to push out more on the driver's side due to the factory panhard being a bit too long when lowered. The lower control arm relocators will help you get your suspension geometry back after lowering. Helps reduce wheelhop.

Tony

2001 White Ws6

iTrader: (1)

I lowered my car about a week ago. Swapped out my stock springs for LG G2 Super Springs. The car has an awesome stance and love it. The ride is a bit rough and bouncy on some roads. I will probably get revalved bilsteins once i get the money for them.

My rearend doesn't look like it shifted at all. I have an adj. panhard rod and weld on relocation brackets to install.

JZ'sTA

iTrader: (23)

Whatch out for speedbumbs, rocks, and everything else if you have headers.

tuffluck

iTrader: (4)

although a linear spring (like the pro-kit or g2's) will be better performance-wise, progressive springs (hotchkis, dms) will ride much better. progressive means the spring stiffens the more it is compressed; linear means the spring always stays at the same level of stiffness, no matter how much you compress it. if you don't plan to a-cross your car or anything like that, progressive springs will be just fine. one thing to keep in mind: shocks and springs are the #1 priority here. don't even waste your time trying to get an adj. panhard and lca's (and definitely not the relo brackets), because you may not need any of this. my car is lowered around 1.5" and i don't have any tire wearing issues or traction issues and i don't have one aftermarket suspension part besides the shocks and the springs either.

if you have problems in the future with unusual tire wear or traction problems, then buy the adj. panhard, the lca's, and MAYBE the relos (i don't ever really think these are necessary for just a daily driven car). in the meantime, just get springs and shocks. you don't HAVE to get the shocks, but you'll be wishing you had down the road. and btw, no matter what anyone tells you, unless you've got a money tree in your backyard or are planning to be a pro autocross racer, just buy regular ole bilstein HD's. they are the cheapest and best shock (for that money) you can buy.

as far as hitting everything - i have a cutout that sits 2 inches at most off of the ground. i only scrape on speedbumps and that's ONLY when i have a passenger riding. otherwise, i don't hit a thing. being low isn't nearly as bad as everyone will tell you it is. most of the time they just don't have their car lowered, or have to drive in areas with really steep driveways and etc. just don't buy slp lt's, because even a non-dropped car will scrape with those. the only thing you need to watch out for is parking in parking lots with curbs and pulling up too far. sometimes those curbs sit pretty high and can damage your front end if you aren't paying attention.

FstBlkz28

iTrader: (13)

I have had G2's w/ stock shocks and the shocks died w/in months of install of G2's. The ride went to hell and I decided to get rid of the G2's when i bought new shocks b/c sam strano said that the G2's rates in the rear are very hard to match w/ shocks b/c they are so stiff (i think thats the right reason he told me)

Anyway, now i have the following setup and could not love it anymore.

-Pro Kit
-Koni SA's (fronts)
-Bilstien HD's (rears)

This setup is GREAT for a daily driver, and has exceptional ride quality (i'm **** about the ride of my car, and this setup is awesome).

As for the Relocatin brackets, they are a must if you race your car. I'm not just saying this, when i lowered my car i put them on right away and never had problems. My freind lowered his SS and did not do reloc. brackets, and he has horrible wheel hop. I think it'd be better to run stock LCA's on Reloc brackets than trying to run poly LCA's at the stock setup. The geometry of a lowered car is off, you need the reloc.'s to realign everything right.

tuffluck

iTrader: (4)

WOW! g2 springs are excellent springs, and VERY rare. i think that's crazy that you sold some of the best f-body springs ever made. mitchnx autocrosses his car with regular old bilstein hd's and g2's and he never let sam strano touch one of his shocks. sometimes you can't always take people's advice, because sometimes they advise you to get rid of some great products. you g2's and bilsteins would have ridden better than your pro-kit with revalves guaranteed.

as far as your friend experiencing wheel hop after a drop - ya, it happens from time to time. some people with a stock car (stock height) cannot get traction and hop everywhere. some do not. don't advise this guy what to do before he's done the drop and seen what becomes of the car's handling abilities. every car is different. i would never advise getting relo's first, and most of the time, unless the situation is very dire, i would never advise purchasing and installing relo's at all. they will also sit very low too.

TTopJohn

I don't think this is accurate - G2 springs are rare? I bet I can order a set from Lou tomorrow if I want. G2 springs are great for certain applications, but they are very stiff. Outside of their element, they are not "the best f-body springs made". Eibach Prokits are much softer, and therefore will ride better than G2 springs, all else held constant.

99CamaroSS_

ill tell you what i think is a good setup.. i have this on my car.. and its outstanding i think.. no bad noises or rattlings.. although you do have to be careful over all the stupid road shizit these days.if you live in an area wit alot of slopes.. and potholes and bad roads DO NOT LOWER YOUR CAR.. but here is what i think is a good setup. has worked great for me.
-Eibach Progressive Sport breaks. 1 1/2in. Drop
-Bilstein Shocks Rear
-Lakewood Subframe connectors
-Lakewood lower control arms
-lower control arm relocation brackets
-Suspenion techniques Rear Sway Bar
-Slp Pan Handrod
-Polyuranthane Bushings all around.

steelsnow

all i can say is that i got slp LT's and i had sportlines and stock shocks. that was bad news. so i swapped to bmr springs, bmr bolt in relos and Bilstein hd shocks and im a lot happier with the ride quality and height.

02blackws679ta

do you have any pics of your car with the BMR springs? ive been wanting to lower my car a tad for a long time now, and im pretty set on the BMR's, i like theyre products alot...but i was just curious if the 1" drop was noticable enough to be worth it?