GMC5.3

iTrader: (2)

Thanks for all the advice now can we get to the damn pics please lol, if i could afford koni i would but i might go with bilstein shocks

sscamaroburn02

iTrader: (14)

looks to be about the same drop as my car. Stranos drop it just enough to change the look but it's not slammed. Good job!

Mr. Trick

iTrader: (19)

Are Strano springs real hard on stock shocks? I'm not trying to knock the springs at all and I know they they are probably the best springs for our cars. I'm just wondering cause my DMS springs have been fine with my stock decarbons no bounce or anything. The car looks awesome, and the drop totally changed the look of the car, I saw it in real life so I know how drastic it changed the look of the car

Robbie Wilson

I don't have any personal experience *yet* but from what I understand its something you don't really notice until you've tried it. I believe that once you go to the better shocks then you will understand.

SparkyJJO

iTrader: (11)

This. The stockers might not seem that bad if that's all you've ever used, but then go to something better and the difference is quite noticeable and you'll wonder how you survived with the old ones. Heck the difference between the DeCrapons vs my cheapo KYB GR2 shocks is noticeable.

The decarbons don't necessarily do the traditional "blown shock bounce" and shocks won't affect the ride height. They just generally ride poorly.

Mr. Trick

iTrader: (19)

I was just curious because the ride and handling of my car did not change at all after I put the springs, thats why I asked if it was a strano spring thing. I know shocks wont affect ride height, I was just saying the op's car looked a lot better at the end of the day with the stano springs than it did when he first started. Sorry to high jack the thread.

Sam Strano

iTrader: (41)

Looks great! Thanks for taking the time to post the pics!!!!

Sam

brigade24

Car looks real good. I'm liking the Z06 wheels in 18s!

Take your time man. I commend you for doing it in small steps because then you get to see/feel the change each part makes once its installed...is it more hassle? sure it is, but you get to learn something and in my experience you can't put a price on that.

lots of folks love the bilsteins...and they are very good and reasonably priced. Konis are also good but i wonder how much value it represents if the car is only for street use...

The_Bishop

iTrader: (10)

Change out the shocks! Trust me. Worlds of difference.

The stock shocks only barely controlled the stock spring rates. With any lowering spring, they're way out of their league.

Sam Strano

iTrader: (41)

How do you judge that? I much prefer Koni over Bilstein myself, even for "just" street driving. If everyone was opting to run their Koni's full soft, then I'd say there wouldn't be a lot of value in the performance of a Koni, but that's not generally the case. And fwiw, I see much more value in damping you want and like than I do in having 500hp in a street only car. 500hp doesn't make the car more stable, stop better, ride better, easier to drive quickly, etc.

Sam Strano

iTrader: (41)

You know how if you put a big cam in you want to upgrade valve springs? Because the stock springs can't handle the extra stress the bigger lobes put on them and if that happens the valves bounce. Well this is sorta the same thing.

Stock dampers lack rebound, which is what damps the sprung weight of the car, and the energy stored in springs. Lowering springs are stiffer (more energy to kill) and of course shorter. Shocks work by pulling a piston through oil, and the less travel they have to do that job, the less well the job is done unless you up the damping control so that you can deal with those forces (again which are up due to more spring rate) in the shorter amount of working travel.

Mr. Trick

iTrader: (19)

Thank you for taking the time to explain it to me Sam, helps me understand it better.

brigade24

i have a set of konis 4/4s on my car and they are good, no doubt. i have friends that run bilsteins and it is also a good shock. if I wasn't competing I wonder if they worth almost double the price of the bilsteins for street driving? Sure the konis are better but in terms of value will the bilsteins be taken to their limit?...of course the purchaser's definition of value determines that. if the value is defined as optimum performance then yes, Konis are the answer. If value is defined as "the best i can get for the dollar I've got" then the bilsteins are a good option IMO. it certainly is a matter of preference and only the purchaser truly knows what they want.

Is the car making 500hp? or is there a plan to take it to 500hp?

GMC5.3

iTrader: (2)

. my only question is that a aftermarket shock going to eliminate my bounce, feels like I'm riding in a low rider sometimes??

GMC5.3

iTrader: (2)

Oh and Sam for all us newbies out there that choose to learn and do stuff one their own, would it be possible to maybe label your shocks for the rears and fronts

metalmilitia606

iTrader: (8)

I have DMS springs and I feel like they are too much for my billsteins. Just sayin. All of the lowered f bodies I have seen my car sits a lot lower than theirs do. I feel like the DMS springs are a pretty drastic drop. Are your springs red?

STFU racing

iTrader: (13)

Strano's springs are white. BMR are typically red.

sscamaroburn02

iTrader: (14)

What exactly are you wanting labeled? Front and Rear look completely different.

Sam Strano

iTrader: (41)

My shocks? You mean my springs? In all honesty they are completely different sizes and the rears look like stock rears, the fronts look like stock fronts....

Sam Strano

iTrader: (41)

Again, I can only say this. If you were to run a Koni at full soft, that's much more "bilstein" like.... those who have Koni's, do NOT usually decide to do that. Beyond that the level of performance is personal and part of that consideration is indeed cost.