redlineracing

iTrader: (1)

Hey guys. First I would like to apologize if these questions have been asked previously, as I'm sure they have. However, my connection here in afghanistan in extremely slow and my search button does not work.

I will be returning to the states in about 2 months time. Been ordering all of my parts lately to be waiting for me when I get home. Car is a '99 Trans Am. Bone stock at the moment with 66k miles. This will be my second F body, my first being a '99 SS that I have hated myself for selling since the day I did so.


The car is going to be my daily driver and my only means of transportation. That being said, it will be at the track on a semi regular basis. I have been raised at the drag strip, so naturally alot of the time will be spent there. However, I am extremely interested in autox and road course racing. There is a nice track very close to where I am stationed in washington, so this is how I would like to set my suspension up.

I have been in contact with Strano, but only via email. It is a pain in the a** to have a phone conversation over here, and it seems like that is the best way to talk to him. My question to you guys is if you could give me some insight on which parts to buy, brands, etc. I have been thinking of going UMI pretty much everywhere.

So far Im planning on the following.

Strano's handlind package #7. Koni 4/4 sport shocks, strano springs, and strano hollow sway bars.

UMI dbl, adj. LCA with roto joints (need insight here. Roto joints or no? Dbl. adj, yes or no) as well as the UMI relo brackets
UMI 3 point weld in SFC
UMI on car adj panhard bar with roto joint (again, roto joint or no)
UMI adj torque arm, transmission mounted (trans mounted good for autox, or conventional mounting?) Also UMI torque arm relo kit

Those are the suspension mods I have been thinking as of now. I would like to hear from some of you guys with expertise in this. If I should substitute one variety for the other, or don't need something altogether, please let me know.

Like I said, this car WILL be my daily driver. However, I don't mind sacrificing some ride quality for added performance.

Also, the car will be on the stock 16x8" wheels for now. Plan on running 255/50r16 toyo proxes on the rear.

Thanks in advance for all of the help. Extremely excited to be back in an LS1 fbody, and absolutely can not wait to get home

redlineracing

iTrader: (1)

60+ views and nobody? Come on guys

SparkyJJO

iTrader: (11)

I'm not going to pretend to be any sort of expert but that looks good to me. The Rotos should give you good freedom of movement on the rear suspension.

Torque arms is something I haven't read up enough on yet to have a solid opinion for that.

redlineracing

iTrader: (1)

Torque arms, from what I have read, are important to get double adjustable as well a relocated off of the Transmission tunnel. Again, I believe the relocation would serve me well, but I am not sure if this is beneficial to only acceleration and may hurt my handling.

As fair as the LCA's go, I need information as to whether I want single or double adjustable. I have no problem spending the money for the doubles if they will be worth it. Also, still on the fence with the poly or roto ends. I believe, from what I've gained so far, that the poly will be better performance wise but the roto will be more comfortable on the street?

SparkyJJO

iTrader: (11)

Double adjustable allow you to adjust on the car. Single requires you to take at least one end off to adjust it.

Poly is not good for handling, but is good for straight line drag racing. Reason is when it is properly greased it moves pretty freely in its axis of rotation (up/down for the rear LCAs) but binds when trying to twist. Basically as long as the rear suspension moves evenly then they're fine but go around turns quicker or uneven surfaces (or even worse, turns on uneven surfaces) and they will resist the axle's articulation. Similar story on the panhard bar. You figure all those arms swing in an arc, and have to work together, so there is always going to be some secondary axis movement.

From a street performance point of view, rubber is superior to poly because it at least allows some deflection along with rotation. Being rubber it also allows for a little more ride comfort as it absorbs some impact. Rod ends give you the absolute best articulation and performance but they can be noisy and harsh, and some have reported that they don't last very well if driven in any of the elements. Roto joints are supposed to fill the gap between the rod ends and the rubber - better weathering, quieter, and a little more comfortable, while still allowing for free movement when properly greased up.

OK I hope this makes sense (and the pros can certainly feel free to correct any mistakes I've made).

z28bryan

iTrader: (7)

There are double and single adjustable on car adjustable konis for the rear. The 3rd gen konis are off car adjustable. The one that should hold up best in high performance is the 3rd gen since it's monotube. The other two are twin tube, although you have a wider range and easier adjustability.