Bad Blue WS6

iTrader: (41)

He asked, so i pointed it out. But your right, its not helping, he made his point, i made mine... Sam is making his. The sun will still come up tomorrow.

JD_AMG

I thought this first, then I installed the konis...

Elliott's94Z

iTrader: (12)

I think a lot of people do/did. Well I guess I will be finding out for myself here soon. I hope I do eat my words

ThumperNC24

iTrader: (1)

I think some of you guys are mistaken.

I have driven an E36 M3 several times as well as an E46 330Ci several times. These cars can be made to handle very similar, and I don't even have sway bars yet.

My car feels composed and responsive like a BMW with the konis and it is very predictable. is it exactly the same? No, it isn't. It is similar though, the car is a little more rough and a little more extreme, but that is because I am running pretty stiff springs. Of course you can't get rid of some of the affect of the solid axle on uneven pavement, but the Fbody can still be a very nice car to drive if you set it up right.

Have you ever driven an Fbody with aftermarket sway bars and koni shocks and stock springs?

I would imagine it would be very similar to how a BMW feels.

Why do I drive an fbody if I like the way a BMW feels? Because I also like to go really fast, power is addicting. The biggest reason probably though, is because I paid about 1/2 or LESS for my TA what a similar 330Ci would be

Elliott's94Z

iTrader: (12)

At the moment I'm running the KYB AGX with the Prokit. Drives pretty nice no complaints. If there's a better ride avail I'm more then open to trying something new. How much do the Koni's run?

Tricked-Out-Toy

iTrader: (4)

This is kinda off topic but NOBODY questions Madman about his drag setups and everyone hails him as the best... he has track times to prove it. Sam has TONS of championships and championship cars in his arsenal and half the ppl here give him ****!? wtf!? I dont understand how someone who has proven that there way works and outperforms most yet gets treated like a rookie in just about every thread I open... I dont have any Strano parts nor have I ever spoken to him so dont take it as me nut huggin, I just think a little more respect is warranted..

Eskimo

iTrader: (9)

I have spoken with you.

You are evil.

You're evil for beating up on the high $$ cars with our cheap-*** live axle mullet-mobiles!

Sam Strano

iTrader: (41)

Busted.

99Bluz28

iTrader: (35)

Is it just me, or shouldn't this BMW comparison be with a some what similar car, like a Cadillac CTS-V ?

Should we start comparing how we can make a apple more like a orange?

wht01ws6ta

iTrader: (45)

You always promote those Konis like no other, but I don't doubt they are great shocks and do everything you say. How much are a set of Konis these days?

Big Bird WS6

iTrader: (9)

i dont mean to be a dick. but the whole msucle car thing died in like 93. the lt1 and ls1 stlye of car is a sports car. just that they consider the new shelby gt500 a "sports car" and it is a retro car.

but i agree with you that they are in different corners

Eskimo

iTrader: (9)

Depends on what your definition of "muscle car" is.. 2 doors, V8, RWD, kinda heavy, quick, doesn't corner or stop well...

Dodge Challenger / Pontiac GTO... (More so the Challenger than the GTO)

Z28M6TT

...you can also try what i do. drive the beater around for a week (mines a 95 suburban), then pull out the f-body on a nice sunny day. screw bmw, that will make it feel like a Ferrari. lol.

and before anyone jumps down my throat, yes this comment is completely facetious. just trying to lighten the mood and defend the chevy

Black-n-Sleek

iTrader: (6)

x2
with this also

You have to talk to sam and then you'll understand
thief no!
talked me out of a ton of parts that he could sell to me so that in the end I would be happy with my car
sit at yoda's feet and understand
remember it won't be exactly the same but it won't be a big lumbersome beast either

wicknewman

iTrader: (13)

I have Konis, Stock Springs, Strano Sway Bars front and back with a UMI double rod end PHB. There is no comparison to how the car handled and behaved when it was stock. The car feels so much more composed in all driving environments. The car is easier to handle and predict its behavior. In my opinion it is even more comfortable because it handles bumps with a much smoother and precise feel which is where the BMW comparison can come into play the most IMO.

I think most people except that the Camaro is a pretty damn good drag car and that is why perhaps Madman may gets more respect and questioned and doubted much less. I feel a lot of people view F-bodies as prehistoric handling machines and any attempt to improve upon the handling aspects is a futile effort. This is probably why Sam gets the haters. I can say without a doubt that for the money my handling mods have been the most impressive by far.

Sam does not BS people just to sale a product. I can honestly say he is the most honest person/company I have dealt with and purchased products from. I have seen other companies on here push products for purposes the weren’t intended for (EX: QA1s for AutoX environments) but Sam will be strait up and tell you what is best for your intended purposes. Sometimes people don’t want to accept the costs of certain parts or the parts they have chosen were not really intended for their goals with the car.

Sam Strano

iTrader: (41)

Koni's run $732 for a full set and up (options you know). Is $700+ cheap? No. Price a decent set of tires, or a exhaust, or even headers (even cheap headers and Y-pipe get close--let alone high end headers that are literally twice as much).

Here's the deal. Those that have Koni's, and have gotten to compare them to other things will tell you how good they are--see JD_AMG's statements among others. Those that haven't don't want to hear it and come up with a box full of reasons why they don't think shocks should cost that much. Ok, but they don't gain much traction with me since they haven't seen for themselves. Also, the evil salesman (me) sells other shocks. In fact I sell more variety of dampers than anyone else on this site. If I make a sale, I make a sale. Doesn't much matter to me what I sell business wise. But it does much matter to me how happy the person is with the part they bought for their goals.

Danny2tek

iTrader: (1)

Well said Sam.

dondb

iTrader: (1)

Sam has talked me out of parts after i told him what i'm looking for in my car!!!! And that is why when i'm looking for more i'm calling him.
Oh, did i see in a thread someone called him a suspension God

Danny2tek

iTrader: (1)

Sam should add that quote to his sig....

Paul Huryk

I've been a thirdgen owner for over 20 years (had 3 of them) and had a 1997 M3 for a while, so I want to throw in my 2 cents here.

BMWs are known for their handling, both in capability and feel behind the wheel. They engineer the cars to give a good combination of performance, comfort, and feel - all of which quite a few people gravitate toward.


Analysis:
BMW has several distinct advantages over a typical F-body:

1) High quality suspension parts - GM used stamped sheet metal for the front control arms, rear control arms, panhard rod, and TQ arm. BMW used parts that were more or less the equivalent of high quality aftermarket parts for our cars, stock.

2) Chassis stiffness - without subframe connectors, F-bodies are very sloppy; much worse with t-tops or as a convertible. BMW engineers their cars to be rigid.

3) Weight distribution - BMWs are all 50/50 or very close. GM just stuck a big honkin iron V8 on the front axle and let the distribution end up where it did. Of course you can take weight off the front end - but why was it there in the first place.

4) Independent rear suspension - obviously all F-bodies until 2002 has solid axles in the rear. On a smooth road - honestly no difference; on a rough road, independent wins out for control of the tire patch on the road.

Of course there are other items that make a difference - shock valving, tire size, steering design...

But the point is that most BMWs are pretty much optimized from the factory - unlike f-bodies which with replacement aftermarket parts beat up on their race cars while in street trim.

The only "real" comparison (somewhat apples to apples) to a BMW is a 6 series (old or new) as they are similar in size to f-bodies and have a big V8 up front.