amit

iTrader: (5)

hey guys.. i got this option on my SS, and i wanna lower my car a bit more. i dont need to upgrade my shocks correct? stupid question but hey...

also, do i have to get a adj.PHB? or can i just buy the springs and be done with it? ive read stuff like i need to relocate this and i need to buy that.. blah blah.

thanks.

tuffluck

iTrader: (4)

someone like sam strano will tell you that if you want to lower your car, you are going to have to get shocks that match the lowering springs you choose...listen to this advice if you plan to be a professional auto-x racer or something like that.

if you just wanna have fun in your car, and it's a daily driver and nothing more, you've got bilstein's on your car, and they are pretty damn good shocks. i wouldn't worry with changing them at all unless they have pretty high mileage, and then it might be something worth investing in. high mileage means over 50-60k and you might want to consider this.

i lowered my car on my old v6. i used stock shocks, and after about 10k miles they made squeaky noises everytime they had to work. so, it's up to you on that one if your mileage is higher. under 50k and i definetely wouldn't mess with it.

i have a 1.5-2" drop on my car and i don't have aftermarket lca's, relocation brackets, or an adj. panhard bar. i have no issues. traction kinda sucks sometimes, but i think it's fun to spin through second

sometimes even for a daily driver the adj. panhard is recommended. i don't think it's ever necessary, although many will tell you otherwise. the worst that could happen is that your tires will wear a little unevenly in the rear. that's not really a big deal. if you see them wearing a little unevenly, buy an adj. panhard. for now, don't worry with the extra suspension stuff. buy the springs and maybe the shocks, and you will be good to go

amit

iTrader: (5)

cool, thanks!
yeah my car has super low mileage. i only have 19k on it.

does your car sit straight or is one side higher then the other?

i figure since the bilsten package came with eibach springs(1 inch drop) the shocks should be sufficient.

tuffluck

iTrader: (4)

my car sits pretty damn straight, although the driver's side is a little higher on all f-bodys to account for the added weight that will level the overall heighth once the driver sits in the front seat.

absolut_speed

iTrader: (1)

If you're not going to race (other than drag race), and are interested in doing it for the appearance, you could probably get away with just cutting some coil on the front springs. There are a few people on here who have done that successfully.

However, if you're interested in improving handling, then you are going to need to look at new shocks and springs.

No need for the brackets or panhard if you're not doing anything else. If you go to 11" wheels, then you'll need the adj. panhard bar.

tuffluck

iTrader: (4)

not true. my friend has 18x11's with a 2" drop and no issues with the stock panhard rod.

DanoHB

Cutting springs is always a bad idea. If you want a 1" drop you can keep the bilsteins. If you go more, you may need new shocks too. Call Sam and tell him what you want to do with the car and he will tell you what will be best for you.

tuffluck

iTrader: (4)

granted, sam knows his stuff. also worth noting, and from personal experience, if you don't want to professionally race your car, don't go to him. the money you will spend on the suspension he tells you is 'right' for your car is absurd for any daily driven car. you can easily hold on to that extra $400+ that is 'ideal suspension' and spend it on something better for your car.

sure, the $250 a PIECE koni's, i imagine, are pretty damn nice. for driving your car to and fro work everyday are you really going to need a set of dual adjustable shocks that will cost you over $400 more than a set of bilstein's? mmm, i doubt it. sam will convince you that any other alternative other than the best (and oddly enough, most expensive) is going to be ****. a very nice guy, a professional autocrosser, but not someone who understands that some people (like me and from the likes of it, you also) just don't give a **** about having the best handling car on the road. if you want the best handling car on the road, go to him.

and let me ask you: have you ever heard anyone complain about a bilstein shock, or whine because they busted their bilstein? neither have i. don't spend the extra money on the shocks, that's my advice.

amit

iTrader: (5)

yeah i dont think im gonna spend the extra money on new shocks. the shocks i got in there right now are prett fxckin awesome, i must say.

FenixSS

iTrader: (3)

How much would it cost to upgrade to the Bilstein? Would it be cheaper to just buy the components and have a shop install? Or go to my dealership and try to work something out?

tuffluck

iTrader: (4)

definetely going to be cheaper to buy the components and have a shop install i would imagine. if you buy dealership bilstein's, they are expensive, and their labor is that cost times two.

also, if you buy the components, look for someone (a friend) that will help you with the install for cheap or free. shops usually charge quite a bit to do that kind of labor.

FenixSS

iTrader: (3)

thanx for the info

mitchntx

iTrader: (14)

4th gen owners have been putting Bilstein HDs and Eibach Pros on Camaros and Firebirds since 1993.

Has ANYONE ever blown a shock after a few thousand miles of daily driving? I don't want "I read about someone" or "I heard about someone" ... I want from personal experience ...

Of course, I realize many of you were still in elementary school in 1993 ...

DanoHB

From my own personal experience, I put the BMR springs (1" drop) and Bilstein HD's all the way around (not the revalved ones, just the stock Bilsteins) and the car handles great. You are right about paying more if you ask for "the best", you will get more opinions from people on this topic than any other. I got mine from Thunder racing for less than $500 for everything and installed myself in a day and a half (worked slow to get it right). If you do it yourself, the best advice is to get the fronts off (the springs and shocks still together) and take to a shop with the new parts to have them put it together for ya. I did it all myself with my own coil spring compressors, and it is a pain in the A**. They usually only charge about $25 a side (which the spring compressors cost $40 anyways). There are a lot of sites that will explain the install in detail too. It is a fairly easy job, so don't waste $300 to get it done somewhere else. If you are looking for more of a drop than 1", then you will need new shocks too and the Bilsteins are not made to handle that much more. Just keep asking around about what people have and how they like it (also how much they paid). Hope this helps you out. Here are the sites that explain different spring installs and some differences between the springs too:

http://www.metalreviewcentre.com/BMR.htm
http://u2.netgate.net/~jshapiro/shocks.html
http://members.aol.com/InjuneerZZ/HALEibch.htm
http://www.houston-f-body.org/tech/shocks/index.htm
http://para.noid.org/98z/shocks.html
http://www.ls1howto.com/index.php?article=6
http://www.ls1howto.com/index.php?article=8

Like I said before, just make sure you check out what's best for you before you buy and install. You don't want to have to do this twice.

skippytheloon

iTrader: (14)

My shocks didn't "blow" in that sense, but they did blow a big one. And my car came with Delphi TBK shocks (same company that made our AC and stuff). BTW I was in 3rd grade

mitchntx

iTrader: (14)

I was actually referring to Bilstein HDs ...

Hubris

In my experience unlike most vendors, Strano does not try push you to buy more than you need. Sure, he likes to sell revalved Bilsteins, but he doesn't tell a person who asks "How do I make my stock car handle better" that they have to buy shocks, springs, swaybars etc. Generally speaking he tells people to buy shocks, that those are the weakest point of the stock car.

FenixSS

iTrader: (3)

Where can I buy bilstein suspension parts? Or do they only make shocks?

FenixSS

iTrader: (3)

bumps

amit

iTrader: (5)

you can get the slp parts from http://www.stealthperf.com/