Wanted to post about how happy I am with my Strano Springs (with crappy pictures now)
03-07-2010, 06:24 PM
#1
Wanted to post about how happy I am with my Strano Springs (with crappy pictures now) I put my snowtires away earlier in the week and brought my 17's back out. I run 275/40/17's front and rear on 17x9.5" wheels. I had overhauled my cars suspension last november...but as winter was starting, I already had the snowtires on the car. I could tell there was a pretty decent improvement, but I suffered through the winter on 16's with very crappy traction anyways...I had the car alligned a few days of driving after the overhaul...had it setup with 1 degree of negative camber in the front end as well.
Anyways, I went with Koni 4/4 single adjustable shocks and Sam's springs, and now that I have good tires on the car, it is AMAZING. I can tell that it needs bigger sway bars (stock Z28 bars still) which I'm planning to go with Sam's bars as well...but for a car with stock bars, it's really really nice in the corners. With the sticky real tires on the car again I've been adjusting the shocks a little bit (VERY VERY glad I went with the 4th gen rears for this)...very minor adjustments just trying to tweak them in where I like them...and I think I'm there...probably won't adjust them again until I chang the swaybars, but if anyone is on the fence about Sam's springs and Koni's...go for it.
Like I said, just wanted to post my experience, he was a great vendor to work with, he sold me a great product, and I'm very very happy with the results...the car rides really nicely, doesn't feel harsh over bumps at all, and has great charateristics in corners now. I'd buy the swaybars right now, but the mod fund is investing in parts for me to build my stainless true dual system...soon though.
Anyways, I went with Koni 4/4 single adjustable shocks and Sam's springs, and now that I have good tires on the car, it is AMAZING. I can tell that it needs bigger sway bars (stock Z28 bars still) which I'm planning to go with Sam's bars as well...but for a car with stock bars, it's really really nice in the corners. With the sticky real tires on the car again I've been adjusting the shocks a little bit (VERY VERY glad I went with the 4th gen rears for this)...very minor adjustments just trying to tweak them in where I like them...and I think I'm there...probably won't adjust them again until I chang the swaybars, but if anyone is on the fence about Sam's springs and Koni's...go for it.
Like I said, just wanted to post my experience, he was a great vendor to work with, he sold me a great product, and I'm very very happy with the results...the car rides really nicely, doesn't feel harsh over bumps at all, and has great charateristics in corners now. I'd buy the swaybars right now, but the mod fund is investing in parts for me to build my stainless true dual system...soon though.
Last edited by Mike454SS; 03-08-2010 at 01:10 PM. Reason: added crappy cell phone pictures to the thread
03-08-2010, 09:38 AM
#4
I'm going to try to take a few crappy cell phone pictures at my lunch break of the cars stance now...best comparison I guess will be to my signature picture as that was almost 2 years ago at a car show, when the car only had like 90k miles on it, and a completely stock suspension...it's not a LOT lower...but it is lower, I notice it mostly getting in and out of the car, I don't mind it at all...and it has 185K miles on it now lol.
I have scraped the plastic airdam 2 times since I lowered it in November...but if I'm careful to enter/exit gas stations and whatnot at an angle, it's not a problem.
I have scraped the plastic airdam 2 times since I lowered it in November...but if I'm careful to enter/exit gas stations and whatnot at an angle, it's not a problem.
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03-09-2010, 10:35 AM
#8
You guys are both going to love the cars all over again with this setup. Mine had 87K on it when I bought it, and I remember thinking "it rides ok, but I think the rear shocks are tired"...then life/work (trying to work as hard as I can during the worst recession my industry ever saw so I could keep my job and continue to grow in it) got in the way and I proceeded to drive it for 2 years anyways without touching the springs and shocks...and thinking to myself how much I'd like to have a better setup under it...so...85K or so miles later when I FINALLY was able to do it...I'm happy I went with these parts. I've been driving on it for 10K miles with the new setup, so I'm pretty sure it's settled into it's final ride height...it really only took a day or 2 to come down anyways as I drive so much...I'm probably going to get another allignment maybe in a week or 2 as the steering wheel is a little crooked when I drive straight (only a little, allignment will fix it), and I want to check everything now that it's riding on the expensive tires again...I don't really care about poor tire wear on the winter tires...I spend a lot of time spinning them and going sideways anyways...something that I do MUCH LESS often on the summer tires...though I will say, the car is a lot more controllable when it's not tracking straight than it used to be on the same tires 
03-10-2010, 05:59 PM
#11
"Mike454", I'm a little curious, as I recently installed a Koni/Strano package on my car... Would you know, off hand, what the measurement is, on your car, from the ground to the top of the wheel opening?
My car is 26.75" in the front, and a hair under 27" in the back. This is a fair amount lower than the 4x4 look that my '96 Z-28 had when brand new, but about 1/4-3/8" higher than the Eibach ProKit/Blistein that I just took out. Technically, my car is still in "winter storage", with no insurance on it, so I can't legally drive it, but I took it around the block a couple of times today, just to give it an opportunity to "settle" before I measured it.
Unfortunately, I wasn't able to get an accurate measurement of the exact height before I did the swap, as the car was on ramps to allow for some under car maintenance, and the shock/spring swap was sort of a spur of the moment thing.....
My car is 26.75" in the front, and a hair under 27" in the back. This is a fair amount lower than the 4x4 look that my '96 Z-28 had when brand new, but about 1/4-3/8" higher than the Eibach ProKit/Blistein that I just took out. Technically, my car is still in "winter storage", with no insurance on it, so I can't legally drive it, but I took it around the block a couple of times today, just to give it an opportunity to "settle" before I measured it.
Unfortunately, I wasn't able to get an accurate measurement of the exact height before I did the swap, as the car was on ramps to allow for some under car maintenance, and the shock/spring swap was sort of a spur of the moment thing.....
03-11-2010, 01:40 PM
#12
I'll measure when I get home from work. No tape measure here. For what it's worth, measuring from ground to wheel well isn't a good way to gauge it, as tire height affects that...it's better to measure from center of the wheel to fender...but I'll do ground to fenders, and I'll also note that I'm 275/40/17 tires...should be home around 6, I'll measure then and post up for you.
03-11-2010, 04:47 PM
#13
I'll measure when I get home from work. No tape measure here. For what it's worth, measuring from ground to wheel well isn't a good way to gauge it, as tire height affects that...it's better to measure from center of the wheel to fender...but I'll do ground to fenders, and I'll also note that I'm 275/40/17 tires...should be home around 6, I'll measure then and post up for you.
Thanks!!
03-12-2010, 10:18 AM
#14
Sorry...I forgot last night, just measured now.
26.75" to the highest point of the wheel arch in front, 26.25" in rear...I do wish the rear was a TINY bit higher as the car doesn't QUITE look even...but oh well...it's close enough. This is with stock (new ones though) isolators in rear, no heater hose mod or any of that bullshit, and the koni's are on the perch that makes the car sit higher in front...putting them on the lower perch would definitely be too low in the front...
26.75" to the highest point of the wheel arch in front, 26.25" in rear...I do wish the rear was a TINY bit higher as the car doesn't QUITE look even...but oh well...it's close enough. This is with stock (new ones though) isolators in rear, no heater hose mod or any of that bullshit, and the koni's are on the perch that makes the car sit higher in front...putting them on the lower perch would definitely be too low in the front...
03-12-2010, 02:49 PM
#15
Sorry...I forgot last night, just measured now.
26.75" to the highest point of the wheel arch in front, 26.25" in rear...I do wish the rear was a TINY bit higher as the car doesn't QUITE look even...but oh well...it's close enough. This is with stock (new ones though) isolators in rear, no heater hose mod or any of that bullshit, and the koni's are on the perch that makes the car sit higher in front...putting them on the lower perch would definitely be too low in the front...
26.75" to the highest point of the wheel arch in front, 26.25" in rear...I do wish the rear was a TINY bit higher as the car doesn't QUITE look even...but oh well...it's close enough. This is with stock (new ones though) isolators in rear, no heater hose mod or any of that bullshit, and the koni's are on the perch that makes the car sit higher in front...putting them on the lower perch would definitely be too low in the front...
Mike, thanks for the info!
Actually, if you sight along your rocker panels, the distance to the ground from the body looks pretty even.....
