Newbie needs detailed list of what is needed for a new suspension.

Got a mostly stock 01 TA WS6. Looking to lower the car about an inch to an inch and a half. Been shopping and reading threads, but not sure of what exactly I need to do the job. Looking for a street setup. Never been to the track and dont plan on making regular trips to one. Just looking to pound the pavement a bit. Not looking to break the bank, but not looking for the cheap route either. Any help would be great!

 

There's quite a few different routes you could go. How much roughly could you see yourself spending on suspension, how much do you want to change, and what is your goal in changing anything? Whether you're looking more for straight line traction or handling will affect the priority of different things a lot. If you want better cornering and a bit better straight line too, I would suggest focusing on the springs and shocks since IMO spring/shock selection is a little like the suspension equivalent of head/cam selection for your engine. It will change the whole character of how the car rides and drives. Strano springs are probably the best spring choice. I hate jumping on bandwagons but there is a good reason for that one. For shocks Konis are hands down the best handling shock, but KYBs will get you by if you just can't bring yourself to spend the cash. I can give you a bit more specific info if you can give a little more details on what you want out of the car and how much you're willing to spend.

 

Thanks for the response.

The money i want to spend is dependant on the price of the job. I cant go top of the line, but I'll compromise for something close to it. At the same time making it much better than stock. I am looking for a balance of streetability and straight line traction. Shocks and springs pairing....I totally understand. Dont know what to go with, but understand how they compliment each other. Besides the shocks and springs, is there anything else i would need to do it right. I will be staying with the stock wheels and tires right now and dont really plan on stuffing anything too huge at this time. I'd like all of this and a lowered look. Thanks again for your input.

 

No problem, man. Honestly, since it sounds like you aren't planning on drag racing, I would focus on the cornering unless you have major traction issues. Somewhat matter of opinion but generally it's easier to enjoy stuff that makes your car handles like a go-cart on the street than stuff that makes it hook up harder.

The KYB AGX shocks and Strano springs would probably be a pretty alright setup for you I would think. You might also look around to see if you could find a lightly used set of Konis or the Strano revalved Bilsteins. A lot of f-bodies are toys so its not real unusual for stuff like that to come up for sale with low mileage. You will also want an adjustable panhard bar for the lowering because the rear end is likely to shift some when you drop the car.

The panhard will also help plant the rear in corners. For the straight line portion some lower control arms are one of the more affordable mods and should help you out nicely. You can get them with either poly bushings, rod ends, or both. The bushings are quieter but can bind in corners, rod ends are better performing but more noisy. A nice compromise is the type that have a rod end on one side and a bushing on the other. Some also like to put relocation brackets on the LCAs when the car is lowered (or even if its not) to keep them parallel to the ground and help the car hook up a bit better. They are not always necessary though and can cause the rear to be a tad more tail happy in corners. They're one of those things that even would be easy enough to swap in say if you were drag racing and take them off the rest of the time if you wanted, but to start with I would just leave them off and add them if you have wheel hop issues. Subframe connectors are nice too and not a real expensive mod, but I would do the other stuff first.

From there, I would say the icing on the cake would be an adjustable full length torque arm and sway bars, but would probably do the sway bars first. That was actually what I was going to do, but I did the torque arm first to make extra clearance for my duals. UMI Performance has the Panhard, lower control arms, subframe connectors, and relocation brackets. Sorry I kinda threw up everything in one big breath there, but if you want more detail on any certain thing I'll be happy to give a better explanation. I am almost done setting up my car with basically a street/road race sort of setup, so here is a list of full list of my suspension mods, both completed and planned with some notes about stuff that could be easily swapped in for a more budget friendly setup. not trying to ***** out my setup or anything. It's not really particularly unique or amazing, but maybe seeing a list for a full setup might be helpful? just a thought. the parts with a * next to them are not on my car yet, just plans for the near future. I do drag race also, but a street/road race setup will work better for drag than a drag setup will for the street or auto x and when the need presents itself (when I have more power), it really doesn't take too long to swap back and fourth between a straight line setup and a handling setup.

Springs/Shocks

• Koni Single Adjustable 4/4 shocks (could be switched out for KYBs to save some cash)
• Strano springs

Various Braces/Control Arms (listed by what I think would be good priority for your setup)

• UMI on-car adjustable panhard bar: allows you to center rear after lowering and helps cornering stability
• UMI poly/poly non-adjustable LCAs: helps tame wheel hop. I plan to swap to poly/rod end eventually. What you would like is personal preference really
• UMI bolt-in LCA relocation brackets: Same purpose as the LCAs, basically just helps them do their job a tad better in a straight line. I am going to try some testing with/without these soon too see if I have any wheel hop without them. If not I will likely leave them off for the time being.
• UMI weld-in subframe connectors*: stiffens up chassis, good for both straight line and cornering.
• UMI full length adjustable torque arm: Like the LCAs, helps your car hook and will also let you adjust your pinion angle, which will be off just a little from lowering. Not terribly, but enough that given the choice adjustable is nice.
• Strano hollow sway bars*: Helps body roll, from what I hear, significantly but I don't have mine quite yet. solid is fine too and is a bit cheaper
  

 

^^^^ Just a FEW changes

If you're not going Koni, I would recommend SLP Bilsteins instead. Better quality dampening, and have been said to work fairly well with Sam's springs (Stranos)

Also, if you're going for street, poly/poly LCA's aren't really a great idea, as they can result in suspension bind. I would recommend either getting poly/roto (from UMI) for street, or just replacing the stock LCA bushings with the 1LE bushings.

SFC's aren't really necessary, I would recommend getting shocks and seeing if you really think the car needs any more rigidity. This way, you can save some money if you think it's not really necessary. Shocks usually are the reason of the chassis' flexy feel.

Finally, if you're doing street/straight line stuff, the full length TA is a good idea. Just might want to think about a relocation brace to take the load off of the transmission.

lol, editing because I finally read your paragraph....you kind of stated most of the things I did!

 

Haha, its cool, man. I was just listing my setup as an example and the poly/poly LCAs are whats there now. I got em like 3 years ago when I didn't know there was any difference and haven't had a pressing reason to change them so they haven't been swapped yet. Can you still find the SLP Bilsteins anywhere? I thought they were out of production or else I would have listed them as another decent choice? If you can find them still then hell yeah those are definitely another decent option.

 

Sam has them on sale now, just have to search for his thread (unless that ended )

BTW, i would put sway bars up higher on the list! You notice how big of a difference they make when your end links break!!!! (my olds)

 

Absolutely amazing. I thank you both for your time and opinions. Now I have a place to start. Just got my bird and my friends tell me start from the ground up on the car. Its logical so thats where i will begin.

Thanks Again,

Ed

 

Suspension is a good starting point, but then again, I think the LS1 has enough power as is (might be one of the few on this board!) and cornering fast is more fun

 

A matter of opinion. You don't hear too many kill stories about people out cornering someone elses car.

 

Try looking at communities where road racing is more common. Going fast is fun as hell though, I'll give ya that

 

Indeed I wasn't bashing road racing at all, I was merely pointing it out.

 

Thanks for suggesting UMI Performance! Like mentioned above we do offer a wide variety of suspension parts that are sure to meet your needs....no matter what type of driving you are doing with the vehicle. Below is a link to show you what all we have to offer!

http://www.umiperformance.com/catalo...3djd8tajq1pkv2

And when you purchase from UMI Performance! You are not only getting a great quality product that performs. You are getting a great quality product that is manufactured right here at our own facility in the USA! If you have any other questions feel free to ask.
Thanks
Brad

 

You miss understood what I said, I said I THINK the ls1 has enough power and cornering is more fun than a straight line, sorry if the words in the parenthesis made it look like a separate statement.

I realize it's 100% opinion, I should have said:

I think the ls1 has enough power, and I think cornering is more fun

 

Dont forget he will need an alignment after hes done lowering it.

Which torque arm? Umi offers several.

 

Again. Thank you all for your time and help. This has all really helped me with a place to start.

 

Any time, man Been a customer for quite some time now and never found a reason to complain about anything.

 

Hello
No Problem! If you have any other questions feel free to ask. I am just a call or a computer screen away
Thanks
Brad

Great to Hear and thanks again!
Brad

 

looks like he doesn't really plan on going to the track with his car so the stock length torque arm with a tunnel mount would prolly be the best choice