I have 98 Camaro, 455rwhp, stock suspension, 53,000 miles. My shocks are shot. I have been looking and reading for a week straight. Help....

Package 1: Strano Springs, Koni yellows... $1296

Package 2: BMR springs, Koni yellows, BMR sways.... $1299

Package 3: SLP Bilsteins and SLP Eibach springs, UMI sways... $930

I don't know what to get.

 

I have package 1, no complaints. Can't go wrong with Koni shocks.

 

what would be the difference between package 2 and 3? What kind of ride difference would there be for the extra $370?

 

Price difference is the shocks - Bilsteins are great but Konis are far better

 

Package #4: http://www.stranoparts.com/partdetai...D=92&ModelID=8

 

Package 2 you get knock-off walmart springs, great shocks and mismatching swaybars, where as package 3 you get worse shocks (still far better than stock though), a 1" drop spring (vs 1.2") and matching swaybars (although solid, not hollow so you have some added weight).
Out of those I would go with package 1, but preferably package 4 that I posted above.

 

I noticed package http://www.stranoparts.com/partdetai...D=92&ModelID=8 has 4/4 on car adjustable. The package you linked to is 4/3 off car adjustable. I'm a complete noob to suspension so care to elaborate on the difference? What would be the ride difference? Will the sways make a big difference?

What about this one? http://www.stranoparts.com/partdetai...D=92&ModelID=8

What is the 4/3 and 4/4?

 

This is another thing sam started and other companies copied. "4/3" is using 4th gen front shocks and 3rd gen rear shocks and "4/4" is using 4th gen front and 4th gen rear.
The 3rd gen rear have less adjustments and require you to take the shock off the car to adjust while the 4th gen rear are on car adjustable. As far as dampening differences thats a question for Sam to answer.

As for the sway bars, yes they will make a huge difference in handling and have little to no effect to ride quality (really the front bar doesn't effect ride while the rear bar will a little).

 

I had package one, it's very good. I would not recommend the second, as the rear bar is too big. The last one would be a compromise set up that should give you a slightly better ride than the others, but not the handling.

 

http://www.stranoparts.com/partdetai...D=92&ModelID=8

So this one would be what I am looking for?

I forgot to mention I have a Strange 9" so I don't know if that makes a difference or not........

 

I have 1 inch drop spring kit for BMR with the Bilstiens. I was in the air about koni's and bilstiens. Just because I am not a hard car auto crosser but I do like to take the twisties every now and then. Now I have riddin in both and the Koni's handle alot better but the ride is stiffer. My set up rides like a cadillac on the highway and holds its own in the corners. With stiffer sway bars this is all you really need. I mean I can't justify spending that on Koni's unless I am trying to shave time at the track. Or just someone that wants the absolute best handling car on the street.lts all ant. If you like a nice smooth ride with great response the bilsteins are great choice. Then go with the strano sway bars. I will say this you can't go wrong with what Sam tells you if you want the absolute best handling car on the road. PERIOD! I just didn't need the best handling car I could get. For no more harder than I drive mine the Bilstiens work beautifull. I havn't done the sway bar upgrade yet but it is coming.

 

You have some options out there for your shocks - but your budget, how you use the car, and tolerance will come into play as a factor. Koni makes the best adjustable shock available for the car under $1,000. They're widely considered to be the best you can buy, but not everyone needs the best or can afford it. The more cost-effective solution that will still offer a measurable performance increase are the Bilsteins HD. According to SLP - but not Bilstein - the Bilstein HD are a slightly firmer shock than the factory Bilstein. But the Bilstein still offers a comfortable ride and are a tremendous performance improvement over the DeCarbons and many other aftermarket options. We also offer the Tokico shocks which are considered to be a little more harsh, but are valved with more rebound than the Bilstein so out of the box they will ride harder. But they have set the shocks up for great handling rather than ride comfort. That being said, every customer we've sold them to has loved them and they're a total night and day difference from the bouncy DeCarbons. In my opinion, Bilstein is the way to go if you're looking to keep costs down and have a great street car you may take out to the occasional autocross. If you see yourself driving to the track a little more and want the best you can afford, go with the Koni shocks. Tokicos are there for the guys looking to get the most handling performance on a budget and aren't overly concerned with their ride quality - which isn't all that bad, it's just noticeably firmer than stock.

Our springs are nothing but high quality pieces. We have a lifetime warranty against defects and sag - we still haven't had a set come back. There was even a potential warranty claim on LS1tech.com that turned out to not even be our springs but we made the offer to take them back. Best of all, they're always in stock and don't need to be pre-ordered.

As for the bars, there is no set of bars perfect for all setups and it's all subjective. It's not just diameter, it's leverage arm length, roll center, wall diameter, and a lot of other variables that make up actually bar stiffness. From our testing on several cars in a variety of driving conditions, we've found our bars to provide a great balance for many shock and spring combinations, and greatly reduce body roll. We're confident you'll greatly appreciate the bars, springs, and any of these three shock options we can provide you - and I'm sure the price will be great too.

Please let me know if I can help you with anything or if you have any questions about our products or about your combination/goals.

- Kevin