Evening all,

I'm hoping to have the funds finally liberated to be able to set my 2001 WS6 up the way that I want to, and the first thing I want to nail down (performance wise) is the suspension. Eventually I plan to do a motor swap with full H/C/I etc, but I want to have the appropriate foundation prior to putting in way more HP than I can get to the pavement.

Goals are mainly just a FUN street beast, I like to get on the back roads and get into the twisties just as much as punching it on the highway and eventually I might look into autocross and/or road racing.

Here is my current plan, with one upgrade at a time and some time in between to adjust to how the car handles instead of everything at once.

1. Shocks - Koni (un-decided on SA or DA, any input would be helpful)
2. Swaybars - Strano 35/22 (3pt adjustable)
3. Strano Springs - Undecided here also, I'm not horrified of the stock ride height, but if better spring rates would improve ride/performance then I'm willing to deal with the issues of being lowered (I think)
4. Watts Link - This will be the last purchase to go with the new rear that I'll eventually get

Can anyone recommend perhaps a better/different order or parts to install? I'm also very curious about coilovers. It seems like they would be the ideal scenario, but I don't see much mention of them. My main reason for interest in coilovers is because I would also like to be able to take the car to the strip and be able to set it up appropriately for that also.

I know it seems like I want to have my cake and eat it too, and to a fair extent that's true, but if it can't be that way I am very much a realist and will settle for the optimum setup for a street monster.

Thank you all in advance, looking forward to your response.

**EDIT**
Also, the car already has SLP 3pt SFCs.

 

Well you've come to the right place!

Thank god, this is the way I see it as well because it can save a lot of headaches of thinking a part is not doing something right when you can only guess since you threw everything at it all at once. On top of that you get to see the way each part effects the car good and bad. This is the way Im doing it and am very happy with results. I got to see how the konis dampen stock springs vs lowering springs, and how the car behaves with each additional mod.

DA's are often thought as overkill, and supposedly have worse build quality compared to the SA's if I remember right.
I have the 4/3 SA's and they are hands down the best mod Ive done to the car. Better ride quality (firm but not jarring or jittery like stock) significant increase in feel, handling and grip, and way better balance (neutral handling, no more snap-oversteer). Huge increase in higher speed stability.

Another great addition, flatter cornering and good balance.

Ride quality will get stiffer and sometimes harsher, but still IMO good ride, arguably better than stock (although very very much different).
Similar to swaybars in the sense the car will be flatter and turn-in/steering response will be improved.

Search about the rear end you are looking at to see if the watts will fit, and that it wont be adding lots of unsprung weight hurting your handling. Many many cornering guys still run the 10 bolt with no problems.

I don't think you will find a better "off the shelf"(non-custom) setup like this.
You don't need adjustable coilovers to do this. You can adjust the shocks, rear swaybar, remove the endlinks to the front swaybar and run some sticky tires.
If you are dead set on coilovers you could look into some race valved bilstien shocks, or Penskies, Montons, KW etc. etc. But expect to pay big bucks and possibly get no warranty. Just stay away from non-gas charged drag shocks like QA1s, Strange, Afco, etc.
You may have to settle a little, but you will have a MUCH better all around setup leaning toward handling then you will leaning toward drag.

 

Thanks for the detailed response!

I guess I should clarify my curiosity about the coil-overs. I like the idea of being able to adjust ride height to find the perfect compromise of clearance and performance, but that's not really the top of the priority list. I also can't imagine there being an incredible difference between 1.25" drop and something between that and the stock ride height. Sam definitely seems to know what is best as far as suspension setups go, so I imagine I'll trust his choice for the 1.25" for now and then if I'm still not satisfied look to change to coilovers later maybe.

 

You can always do the ground control setup to the front konis.
The biggest problem I see with adjustable height is you need an alignment every time you change your height.

 

True, but I don't plan to change height on a regular basis, just IF the ride height that I would like happened to be less than the 1.25" Strano offers. Then I would get the alignment done at whatever the ride height was and leave it alone until I had some reason to change it (like moving to a new area and needing more/less ground clearance for daily driving).

 

You could always see if you like the lowered look by starting with Koni's on the lower perch. If you think that it's fine or could go lower than you can get the Stranos.

 

I'd be happy to answer your questions..... Just give me a call, trying to go step by step here just takes a ton of time, and still never seems to address all the questions folks have in the end. Just more efficient to talk person to person instead of keyboard to keyboard.

Briefly though, I tend to recommend SA over DA's. My springs were derived directly from the rates and ride heights I ran on my car with adjustable stuff and I incorporated that into my spring sets). An adjustable rear bar is certainly an option to consider, and with a Watts something I would recommend.

 

Sam, thank you for stopping by this thread and tossing your input in. I am DEFINITELY planning on giving you a call, however I don't want to waste your time until at the end of the phone call I can say "Alright, ship it to me, here's my CC info." I also like to come into those types of discussions as educated as possible, so that's why I was making this post.

I was hoping that I might be able to make a trip up to you (I'm from VA, although currently in NC) to have the chat in person, but I doubt that's going to be possible unfortunately.

To everyone else, thanks for all your help too!

 

As long as you're serious, and not just jerking my chain, I have no issue with discussing things with you even if you aren't ready to purchase at the end of the phone call. I find the fact you feel the way you do refreshing and I appreciate it. But I don't expect you to make these decisions and feel good about them unless/until we do speak. So when you're ready, the phone number is below.

 

Yeah man, Sam is more than helpful. Be sure you talk with him and trust his suggestions. I made that mistake once and have second guessed it ever since....easy fix with some money in the future though.

Watts link....i'm jealous! I need one of those in my life!

I did my suspension kinda like you're doing. Doing as much research and knowing EXACTLY what you're going to get...for me it was so I knew exactly how much $$$ I needed. Haha.

It looks like you're pretty close, but here's my ideal street setup. As you can see it's slightly different then what I have in my signature.

Strano Springs
Koni SA Shocks
Strano Sway Bars with adjustable rear
UMI SFC (I see you already have those)
UMI Poly/Rod Lower Control Arms (I didn't see this in your list and definitely worth it)
Watts-Link (...awesome)
UMI Torque Arm with DSL Tunnel Mounted...should bolt to your 3 pt SFC. Take that stress off your tranny
Solid Motor Mounts/Poly Trans Mount

Past that setup, I'd like to take it further with
Poly Front/Rear Control Arm Bushings and Tie Rod end boots
UMI 2321 Road Race K-Member
UMI Upper/Lower Adjustable Control Arms


This setup is what I've gathered so far....I'm still learning too though!

 

I definitely plan to do motor mounts, but those will get done when I do LTs and my TD exhaust, which I didn't feel was really pertaining to the Suspension section.

I'm still a little torn on the LCAs, it seems like for just as many posts that people say they are great and helped them get traction there are the same number that are complaining about issues with LCAs. I have not completely discounted them, but I think I'm going to do everything else first, and then if I'm getting wheelhop look into LCAs to fix it.

Also, I'm planning on going with a MWC 9" with their watts link, TA, and TA relocation kit.

I've also definitely looked at the aftermarket K-members and am very tempted, but I will probably wait to do that with a motor swap.

Keep em coming guys! Thanks

 

K-members definitely have the cool factor going for them. But they're really only good for reduced weight and clearance....still I want them. If you do get one...UMI is the only choice IMO with the dual tube design for strength cause you have a lot of force applied on the k-member when making turns.

The 9" is always a hit with drag racers who launch hard...personally I'm more of a 12 bolt fan...lighter and can still take the punishment....i only plan on launching from the 1/4 mile once or twice a year.....not worried about launching on the street cause I just spin on a hard launch.

Whatever you decide...good luck from another autox newbie. I'm finishing up my first year and am ADDICTED!!! SAM...WATCH OUT! haha

 

The weight is part of why I'm going with the MWC, I can get a fabricated 9" for just a few more lbs than the stock 10-bolt and I'll never worry about breaking it. What part of Northern VA are you in? I'm from Midlothian, just south of VA and still head back there pretty regularly. I'd love to meet up and see how your car is setup now if you'd be interested on a weekend in the future sometime.

 

Only things I'd change would be to go with rod/rod on everything - even without really getting into turns too hard, the poly/rod LCAs I had were binding up. Swapped them out for rod/rod and everything is nice. Poly bushings in the front control arms are also known to cause bind.

Also, tunnel-mounted torque arms are better for drag cars because they shift instant center way back in the car. A stock-length torque arm and torque arm relocation bracket would be a better setup for a non-dedicated drag car.

LCA relocation brackets would be an addition to help kill wheelhop.

A Watts link is nice, but I don't think it's a necessary addition to a car that's not going to see auto-cross or road racing. In any case, it'd be the last thing I put in, suspension-wise.

 

Nooooo....the list is pretty good, but you definitely want a full length torque arm in a car that is built to handle. I think the main problem with the shorter tunnel length one is that it transfers weight too quickly, causing problems with braking (and street manners).

Also, I recommend UMI roto-joints instead of rod-ends....they still provide articulation but have much better street manners (quieter and some vibration dampening). You could even use them on both sides.

 

If you daily drive your car, you also probably will not enjoy a short torque arm. Wish I had went full length with a relocation mount the first time, got a short one and drove around sorta unhappy for three years or so before correcting my mistake and getting a full length one.

 

Good info on the TA guys....that's something I did not know.