Complete suspension build
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From: Farmington NH
Complete suspension build Hey guys,
Ive decided that I am going to do a complete build up of my car and wanted to make a build list for a complete suspension build up.
Ive never really "dabbled" in the suspension department before so i have alot of reading and researching to do, but i was hoping for some help.
First off I need to make a build list of all the parts Im going to need. Im also going to need to pick a company to go with (unless anyone thinks miss-matching will be better off). It appears that BMR has some nice packages that they put together... Is that the best route to go? Are they the best?
Ultimately, I would like the car to perform well in the 1/4 but would like it to handle too. Is it possible to make a set up that can give me the best of both worlds? My goal is 600rwhp through a 6 speed and a 12 bold or 9" (havent decided yet).
I guess what I want out of this thread is help with a complete build list of parts ill need, and guidance as to the right set up.
Ive decided that I am going to do a complete build up of my car and wanted to make a build list for a complete suspension build up.
Ive never really "dabbled" in the suspension department before so i have alot of reading and researching to do, but i was hoping for some help.
First off I need to make a build list of all the parts Im going to need. Im also going to need to pick a company to go with (unless anyone thinks miss-matching will be better off). It appears that BMR has some nice packages that they put together... Is that the best route to go? Are they the best?
Ultimately, I would like the car to perform well in the 1/4 but would like it to handle too. Is it possible to make a set up that can give me the best of both worlds? My goal is 600rwhp through a 6 speed and a 12 bold or 9" (havent decided yet).
I guess what I want out of this thread is help with a complete build list of parts ill need, and guidance as to the right set up.
BMR seems like a good company. I myself have no experience with them but i here a lot of good things about them. They are always having specials so assume they are doing well.
It all comes down to what you want most from your car. Seems like youre more concerned with drag racing since that is the first thing you said. handling well on the street (corners) seemed like simple an extra that youd like. otherwise i would say talk to Sam Strano.
Perhaps people with BMR parts on theyre DD drag car will add.
It all comes down to what you want most from your car. Seems like youre more concerned with drag racing since that is the first thing you said. handling well on the street (corners) seemed like simple an extra that youd like. otherwise i would say talk to Sam Strano.
Perhaps people with BMR parts on theyre DD drag car will add.
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From: Farmington NH
Actually drag racing isnt my #1 priority... As it is right now i can only hit the track maybe 2 times a year. So my main concern is being able to hook on the street while still maintaining a good amount of handling.
...If that makes sense
...If that makes sense
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From: F.H,Waterford,Port Huron, MI
Wow you sound just like me 4 years ago. So I called BMR and set up a discounted LARGE order. Everything they make. And after my build I was more than happy.
A few things to think about. It is always going to cost more than you think. Best to do it in stages. And it will take more than just good suspension. Like tires,gears,power,weight ect....
I at the time had 550rwhp and 620rwtq 17x10F and 17x11 (street tires) 6spd and 12bolt. And every nut and bolt part I could find. big into street racing back then.
I would stay away from the 9" due to weight and your power level.
Biggest part in any larger build is know what you want and build it right the first time. AKA save money and know what you are doing.
Light weight cars are some of the best sreeet racers. As it makes you faster and helps hooking on a small tire. Meaning weight of the front. As some racers would put a 200lb person in the trunk of a camaro and hook better. I
I still need to drop 200-300lbs more.
A few things to think about. It is always going to cost more than you think. Best to do it in stages. And it will take more than just good suspension. Like tires,gears,power,weight ect....
I at the time had 550rwhp and 620rwtq 17x10F and 17x11 (street tires) 6spd and 12bolt. And every nut and bolt part I could find. big into street racing back then.
I would stay away from the 9" due to weight and your power level.
Biggest part in any larger build is know what you want and build it right the first time. AKA save money and know what you are doing.
Light weight cars are some of the best sreeet racers. As it makes you faster and helps hooking on a small tire. Meaning weight of the front. As some racers would put a 200lb person in the trunk of a camaro and hook better. I
I still need to drop 200-300lbs more.
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Joined: Jan 2004
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From: St.Charles MO
First read these:
https://ls1tech.com/forums/suspension-brakes/643950-suspension-mods-real-world.html
https://ls1tech.com/forums/suspension-brakes/513475-canyon-carving-street-suspension-setup-review-long.html
Take into consideration that a car built toward drag racing is going to be terrible at handling and ride quality. On the other hand a car built toward handling is going to be "ok" at drag racing and have good/better ride quality.
A "package" probably isn't what you want, because there will be parts that are only beneficial to one side, and hurt the other. For example shocks, if you buy shocks valved for drag racing(adjustable or not), you aren't going to enjoy going though turns(floaty, disconnected, jarring, bouncy etc etc). But if you buy adjustable shocks valved for handling you will get a better ride, much better handling, and you can turn the front rebound down for weight transfer for the occasional dragstrip run. Other parts like relocation brackets (drag racing), or lowering springs (handling), bigger front swaybar (handling), over sized rear swaybar (dragracing), etc etc will help one side(the side I put in parenthesis), but hurt the other.
If I were you I would start small, and work your way up improving what you think needs to be improved next on the list. I'd go for some Koni sa's and strano sway bars (both from stranoparts.com, Sam Strano will not only walk you though install, but adjusting setup and explain what/why these parts do what they do). When you go to the track unbolt the front swaybar and turn the Konis to full soft and you will get decent weight transfer.
https://ls1tech.com/forums/suspension-brakes/643950-suspension-mods-real-world.html
https://ls1tech.com/forums/suspension-brakes/513475-canyon-carving-street-suspension-setup-review-long.html
Take into consideration that a car built toward drag racing is going to be terrible at handling and ride quality. On the other hand a car built toward handling is going to be "ok" at drag racing and have good/better ride quality.
A "package" probably isn't what you want, because there will be parts that are only beneficial to one side, and hurt the other. For example shocks, if you buy shocks valved for drag racing(adjustable or not), you aren't going to enjoy going though turns(floaty, disconnected, jarring, bouncy etc etc). But if you buy adjustable shocks valved for handling you will get a better ride, much better handling, and you can turn the front rebound down for weight transfer for the occasional dragstrip run. Other parts like relocation brackets (drag racing), or lowering springs (handling), bigger front swaybar (handling), over sized rear swaybar (dragracing), etc etc will help one side(the side I put in parenthesis), but hurt the other.
If I were you I would start small, and work your way up improving what you think needs to be improved next on the list. I'd go for some Koni sa's and strano sway bars (both from stranoparts.com, Sam Strano will not only walk you though install, but adjusting setup and explain what/why these parts do what they do). When you go to the track unbolt the front swaybar and turn the Konis to full soft and you will get decent weight transfer.
On The Tree
Joined: Oct 2003
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From: Muscatine, Iowa-now in Grant, Alabama
Wouldnt a 9" rear be better with the T56 due to more sever shocks to the drivetrain than an auto would do? I would overbuild the rear end, I want to get a Dana 60, lol.
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Joined: Oct 2002
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From: F.H,Waterford,Port Huron, MI
9" eats up a little more power than a 12bolt and is heavy. The Dana is the strongest but you are limited with it. 12bolts can handle a good amount of power.
The rear end is also based on How you get your power. AKA blower,turbo,ci,nos ect...
As for the package deal. yes it is based on a "drag" setup. That is why I said build a GB. as for shocks I have Koni SA and 1le/stock springs.
I have 3 full sets of wheels and tires so I change the wheels and the rear shock setting and I am off to the track.
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Make sure you think it through before you go and throw a bigger rear end on there as that can adversely effect handling. I've had great luck with my strano parts. I would search for info for a while before making the plunge. Suspension is a system and needs to all work together. If you give Strano a call he will talk you through some things and give you some options that will work for your specific application. That's why I tend to recommend everyone talk to him first if they don't really know what they want/need to get the car to perform how they would like it to.
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We sell a complete suspension package that includes our torque arm, panhard rod, lower control arms, and AFCO shocks and springs. All of our parts we make in house are made of chromoly tubing and aircraft-grade rod ends. We can also get you a Burkhart Fab 9" that is made completely of chromoly-this saves you around 30-40lbs in the rear and is very strong. We usually give a discount when someone buys a complete suspension package, just to show our appreciation. If you're interested, give me a call at the shop so we can go over all the components that you need. Shop number is 225-673-3533.
The question is, where do you draw the line for hooking on the street? It's hard for me to tell since I go to the track and have a dedicated set of tires for the track so I don't wear them out and don't want to blow a ton of money on wearing them out every year.
Why not just attack one thing at a time? I would always recommend shocks #1 if you still run stockers.
Seems like a lot of people in this thread are just recommending buying a bunch of parts and throwing them on the car which can get expensive and may make his daily ride quality diminish slightly. I think that's just a bad idea. Each part in those big packages effects something, improves some characteristics, and may degrade other characteristics
If you're just trying to hook on the street and not going to the track, then I don't see the point of going out and buying a ton of parts and throwing them on the car.
The question is, where do you draw the line for hooking on the street? It's hard for me to tell since I go to the track and have a dedicated set of tires for the track so I don't wear them out and don't want to blow a ton of money on wearing them out every year.
Why not just attack one thing at a time? I would always recommend shocks #1 if you still run stockers.
Seems like a lot of people in this thread are just recommending buying a bunch of parts and throwing them on the car which can get expensive and may make his daily ride quality diminish slightly. I think that's just a bad idea. Each part in those big packages effects something, improves some characteristics, and may degrade other characteristics
The question is, where do you draw the line for hooking on the street? It's hard for me to tell since I go to the track and have a dedicated set of tires for the track so I don't wear them out and don't want to blow a ton of money on wearing them out every year.
Why not just attack one thing at a time? I would always recommend shocks #1 if you still run stockers.
Seems like a lot of people in this thread are just recommending buying a bunch of parts and throwing them on the car which can get expensive and may make his daily ride quality diminish slightly. I think that's just a bad idea. Each part in those big packages effects something, improves some characteristics, and may degrade other characteristics
On another note, BMR makes a good deal of parts for street/strip use. Might be a good idea to check them out.
I just so happened to miss that post of his, and you're right. For something that will be a daily driver, our parts will work, but they are noisy. Our parts are for hard-core drag racers, that aren't worried about clanks and knocks from underneath the car, because they won't be driving on bumpy roads or highways.
On another note, BMR makes a good deal of parts for street/strip use. Might be a good idea to check them out.
On another note, BMR makes a good deal of parts for street/strip use. Might be a good idea to check them out.
I'm not gonna go to into it, but I say Konis and Strano springs are a good place to start. Next I'd go with a M9, and the the Unbalanced Engineering de-coupled torque arm, with most all of the rest being UMI.
My recommendation: Call the various folks mentioned and talk to them. I do it all day, every day, that is talk with folks about their wants vs. their needs vs. their wallets. 
Be warned, I will ask you questions so I can help assess what parts would help you most.
Be warned, I will ask you questions so I can help assess what parts would help you most.
__________________
www.stranoparts.com --814-849-3450
Results matter. Talk is cheap. We are miles beyond the success anyone else has had with the 4th gens, and C5, C6, C7 Corvettes,
10 SCCA Solo National Championships, 2008 Driver of they Year, 2012 Driver of Eminence
13 SCCA Pro Solo Nationals Championships
2023 UMI King of the Mountain Champion
www.stranoparts.com --814-849-3450
Results matter. Talk is cheap. We are miles beyond the success anyone else has had with the 4th gens, and C5, C6, C7 Corvettes,
10 SCCA Solo National Championships, 2008 Driver of they Year, 2012 Driver of Eminence
13 SCCA Pro Solo Nationals Championships
2023 UMI King of the Mountain Champion
Sam, whats your opinion on the Unbalanced Engineering de-coupled torque arm. Seems like a good idea and is said to be a proven design on the road courses.
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From: Farmington NH
Let me ask you guys this... Are cars that are built for road courses noisy/ not daily drivable?
My whole thing is that i want to do the entire build of this car all at once... So i suppose going piece by piece with suspension parts is do-able but certainly not easiest when it comes to actually building the car.
My whole thing is that i want to do the entire build of this car all at once... So i suppose going piece by piece with suspension parts is do-able but certainly not easiest when it comes to actually building the car.
There are a few pro's, but they are outweighed IMO by more cons. I have never been beaten by a car with one. Have driven cars with them (and the Herb Adams version), and brake hopped all 3, which is one the grand claims made--that they eliminate brake hop which is not true as it's not a TA induced thing (if it was trucks and Nextel Cup cars wouldn't do it, but they do).
__________________
www.stranoparts.com --814-849-3450
Results matter. Talk is cheap. We are miles beyond the success anyone else has had with the 4th gens, and C5, C6, C7 Corvettes,
10 SCCA Solo National Championships, 2008 Driver of they Year, 2012 Driver of Eminence
13 SCCA Pro Solo Nationals Championships
2023 UMI King of the Mountain Champion
www.stranoparts.com --814-849-3450
Results matter. Talk is cheap. We are miles beyond the success anyone else has had with the 4th gens, and C5, C6, C7 Corvettes,
10 SCCA Solo National Championships, 2008 Driver of they Year, 2012 Driver of Eminence
13 SCCA Pro Solo Nationals Championships
2023 UMI King of the Mountain Champion
Let me ask you guys this... Are cars that are built for road courses noisy/ not daily drivable?
My whole thing is that i want to do the entire build of this car all at once... So i suppose going piece by piece with suspension parts is do-able but certainly not easiest when it comes to actually building the car.
My whole thing is that i want to do the entire build of this car all at once... So i suppose going piece by piece with suspension parts is do-able but certainly not easiest when it comes to actually building the car.
Depends on how crazy you go. A road-race car without an interior, the sound deading removed, etc isn't very street friendly. And some folks use really stiff springs, so (like me) don't go insane on spring rate and the result is a very street friendly car that also goes around corners.
__________________
www.stranoparts.com --814-849-3450
Results matter. Talk is cheap. We are miles beyond the success anyone else has had with the 4th gens, and C5, C6, C7 Corvettes,
10 SCCA Solo National Championships, 2008 Driver of they Year, 2012 Driver of Eminence
13 SCCA Pro Solo Nationals Championships
2023 UMI King of the Mountain Champion
www.stranoparts.com --814-849-3450
Results matter. Talk is cheap. We are miles beyond the success anyone else has had with the 4th gens, and C5, C6, C7 Corvettes,
10 SCCA Solo National Championships, 2008 Driver of they Year, 2012 Driver of Eminence
13 SCCA Pro Solo Nationals Championships
2023 UMI King of the Mountain Champion
You DO NOT want a road race car on the street. I tried it. I didn't even drive mine daily - I just drove it to/from the track. Wanna know why?
I was returning from the track one afternoon. My car was completely gutted, including no dashboard, no A/C or heater, no nothing. I was hauling my tire trailer.
Well, it started to rain. Not a big deal, except I had no side windows. So, I was getting a little wet. Still not a big deal.
It got bad when the windshield fogged up all of a sudden for no reason. All of a sudden, I can't see anything. So, I start pulling over on the interstate. Then, the car hydroplanes.
Now, I can see where I'm going, but only because I'm sliding sideways down the interstate. Luckily, the trailer pulled me back straight, and I got it slowed down and on the shoulder.
No radio, no A/C, no heater, no carpet, no mufflers - not a good car on the street. And I thought I was hard core.
The other reason you don't want a road race car for the street is that you stand a good chance of damaging the car at the track (either hitting something or breaking something). What are you going to drive home?
My advice is to call some of the vendors (Sam is my choice) and talk with them. Sam is going to ask some very pointed questions. Be 100% honest. When he asks what you can spend, tell him the amount, down to the dollar. He'll set you up and get you where you want to be. You may want more, later - but that's later!
I was returning from the track one afternoon. My car was completely gutted, including no dashboard, no A/C or heater, no nothing. I was hauling my tire trailer.
Well, it started to rain. Not a big deal, except I had no side windows. So, I was getting a little wet. Still not a big deal.
It got bad when the windshield fogged up all of a sudden for no reason. All of a sudden, I can't see anything. So, I start pulling over on the interstate. Then, the car hydroplanes.
Now, I can see where I'm going, but only because I'm sliding sideways down the interstate. Luckily, the trailer pulled me back straight, and I got it slowed down and on the shoulder.
No radio, no A/C, no heater, no carpet, no mufflers - not a good car on the street. And I thought I was hard core.
The other reason you don't want a road race car for the street is that you stand a good chance of damaging the car at the track (either hitting something or breaking something). What are you going to drive home?
My advice is to call some of the vendors (Sam is my choice) and talk with them. Sam is going to ask some very pointed questions. Be 100% honest. When he asks what you can spend, tell him the amount, down to the dollar. He'll set you up and get you where you want to be. You may want more, later - but that's later!