pushinfreight

If I was to just change the springs on my 01 TA WS6 would that throw anything else out of alignment? Say for product that it was the BMR springs and you end up with approx 1 inch of drop from those springs. In doing this has it compromised any of the other stock suspension parts? The vehicle also has weld in sfc's. It seems that you cannot just change one part in the suspension w/out it having it throw everthing else off in the setup.

Thanks

trackbird

iTrader: (4)

The shocks will be your limiting factor. The Decarbons are terrible at damping the stock spring rate, they have little chance of properly damping a spring with a higher rate (and reduced travel makes it worse). I'd do springs and shocks together. Or, get Koni SA's for the front, use the lower mounting perch (about a 1" drop) and the stock spring and remove the rear rubber isolator from the top of the rear spring for about a 3/4" drop. Use a set of Koni SA's or bilstiens (possibly from a 3rd gen) on the rear.

My thoughts.

Ackattack1

iTrader: (7)

some will say that you need lca relocation brackets and aphb for the rear, but I've found its not really neccessary

pushinfreight

So in changing say the shocks, this will not throw off the rest of the suspension since it was not part of the origanal setup? My train of thought is will it be worth it to change things one at a time or try to do all at once? I am not just looking for an inch drop, I am more interested in if I am going to spend money will it be worth it to me to go slow or wait till I can basically put a complete new suspension setup in the car. This is a daily driver and having it rattle my teeth out is definitely not an option for me. I do not see much 1/4 mile time either.

pushinfreight

ok I just looked to see how much the Koni cost over at Strano and I did not think that new shocks would be that expensive. Could I be looking at the wrong place? 225 a piece for fronts and 150 for the rears?

John95Z28

After you install the lowering springs and the shocks, getting a wheel alignment would be a good idea. But in terms of new shocks & springs throwing the rest of your car out of harmony, I would say no it won't. Keep in mind that GM manufactured some Camaros right from the factory with Koni shocks, 1LE springs, and so forth, and all those cars used the exact same lower control arms, torque arm, front A-arms, etc. that your car has on it right now (although with firmer rubber bushings in the case of 1LE cars). You might want to consider stiffer anti-roll bars to go with the springs and shocks, but it's not essential.

Just because you're changing springs and shocks from what the factory installed, doesn't mean you have to go out and buy a whole new package of suspension hardware. Hope that answers your question.

trackbird

iTrader: (4)

That's probably about right. That is why I was trying to save you some money (you don't need to buy springs to lower it as I described) on springs to buy better shocks. Then, you can add springs later if you want it lower. But, it was just a suggestion that gives decent ride, better handling and performance. You can go the standard spring/shock route and look at something like the Bilstein HD (not perfect, but better than most) or revalves from Sam Strano (depending on budget, expected performance and your level of insanity).

Shocks can be the (or one of) most important part of your handling package. This is where the money needs to go (up to a point. $39 shocks will not do the trick). But there are several ways to do what you want. What is the budget for this project?

And, no, you won't "throw your suspension out of whack" to do the springs and shocks. You don't have to do the whole package at once. Build it as you can afford it, it will be just fine.

pushinfreight

I guess I am trying to find my spending threshold on this because I do not want to go and spend the money on new parts that are only giving me minimal change from what came from the factory. If I can get actual improvement in the handling that I could notice by just changing the shocks then that will be worth it to me. But I do not need to hav especial valving or more money in shocks than I do in tires at the corners. It sounds like to me that the shcoks are the weaker link between them and the springs that come stock. So at this point I am of the opinion that the shocks should be my first change. If I am wrong please let me know. I am going to do one or the other but not both right now. The engine needs some love too.

pushinfreight

Budget, this is the 64k question. I was hoping for 600 would get the job done but it does not look like that will be enough. I have not really set an actual number but knowing what it is actually going to take get improvement but not make it so stiff that even I would not want to ride in it. Price range please.

trackbird

iTrader: (4)

The "stepped" approach (to me) would be to do the Koni SA's and lower it as I described. The improvement will be suprising. Then, you can change springs and sway bars as a package at a later time (you have to pull the end links off the front to get the shocks out, or that is how I do it. Info is on my webpage). But there really are a dozen ways to approach this and everyone has a different one.

jRaskell

iTrader: (1)

Probably the best handling scenario without compromising ride quality would be good shocks with stock springs and some stiff swaybars. From my own experience, I installed konis on the stock springs without any other change, and it was a whole new riding experience. The car just felt more planted and predictable all around. Still had the body roll in corners, but it wasn't the least bit floaty or uncomfortable. Added the 35mm front swaybar and that really pulled the front roll in check. I will be adding the rear sway in the near future, working on wheels/tires right now. Rear roll is actually quite a bit more noticable with the front under control.

In general though, swaybars and shocks don't have a drastic impact on ride quality. The springs are way that gets nailed. So try sticking with stock springs and getting a good set of shocks and swaybars. Then if handling still isn't quite where you want it, go with a set of aftermarket springs.

pushinfreight

Which ones specifically are you referring to when you say Koni SA's?

trackbird

iTrader: (4)

The Koni Single Adjustable for your car (4th gen F-body).

Front:

http://www.lmperformance.com/788/1.html

Rear:

http://www.lmperformance.com/789/1.html

Or, all 4:

http://www.lmperformance.com/836/1.html

You can get them from anyone (who has them cheap?), but those are the ones I was mentioning. There are also some less expensive Koni rears that work great but are a little more difficult to adjust (you must unbolt them from the axle, press a button and turn them to set them), but they are considerably cheaper. I'll PM you about those.

Mike01Hawk

Thread with pics of my before/after with the Koni lower perch / !rear isolator mod. It's not huge, but it makes the 4x4 less noticable. Mods, delete this post if cross boarding is a no-no.

http://www.ls2.com/forums/showthread...threadid=44564

trackbird

iTrader: (4)

Actually, you could do it this way.

Mikes car after lowering with Koni SA's.