Strano Springs ride height?
12-12-2012, 10:43 AM
#1
Strano Springs ride height? I installed my Strano/Bilstein combo about 2 months ago and have put roughly 400 on the car since then. First of all, I just want to say I love the way my car rides and handles, I couldn't be happier! (well, koni's would be nice but I'm on a budget) So I know Strano springs were made more for performance than aesthetics and that you have to give time for the fronts to settle a little, etc, etc.....but it seems like the fronts did not drop at all. (I did not measure the height before or after...and should of)
What do you guys think???
Here is a picture before and after. If you follow the line in the middle of the door to the line on the fender it crosses through the same place on the rim in both pics.
I love the way it handles/ride (most important) but a little confused on how it seems it didnt budge in height at all.
Before:
After:
What do you guys think???
Here is a picture before and after. If you follow the line in the middle of the door to the line on the fender it crosses through the same place on the rim in both pics.
I love the way it handles/ride (most important) but a little confused on how it seems it didnt budge in height at all.
Before:
After:
12-12-2012, 01:07 PM
#2
My front also barely dropped at first. After a week it settled some, and I've put ~10k on my car since putting them on and it has dropped a bit more, but still not the drop I was hoping for. I'm going to put lowering a-arms on eventually, but it doesn't bother me a whole lot.
12-12-2012, 01:10 PM
#3
front looks little high. What are your measurements from ground to center of fender on each side? My car sits at 26.5 on each side. I only got about 1.2 inch front stock so it's very subtle.
12-12-2012, 01:47 PM
#4
My front also barely dropped at first. After a week it settled some, and I've put ~10k on my car since putting them on and it has dropped a bit more, but still not the drop I was hoping for. I'm going to put lowering a-arms on eventually, but it doesn't bother me a whole lot.
Is there anything that I could have messed up on during the install that would cause it to stay the same?
12-12-2012, 02:28 PM
#5
I'm sure it's not a spring thing... they are made in batches of 100-120 cars sets at a time and we know that most cars sit pretty level. In fact looking at yours I think it looks pretty good and I'm sure it will sit down a little more in front as things seat in.
When new parts go on, it takes time for everything to settle in. The shocks are new, the seals are tight, etc. Remember the front springs are some 400 pounds per inch heavier than the rears too. The way people tend to overtighten sway bar endlinks can actually prop the front end up. If you take weight out of the front (lighter k member, arms, A/C removal, etc) that makes the car sit a touch higher too. And then there are the LCA's themselves. They don't need touched to do a shock swap, but often folks do loosen or take them out. If the nuts and bolts that hold the arms into the K-member are tightened with the car hanging in the air, the bushing bind from the front bushing will also hold the car high.
I'm glad you like how it drives. That makes me happier than anything and is the point of my springs above all. As for the 1.2" drop. That is, like all springs, an approximate number. There are sooo many springs that came on these cars from GM, it's impossible to say a drop will be exactly X.X" because you can have stock cars that don't even start at the same height.
When new parts go on, it takes time for everything to settle in. The shocks are new, the seals are tight, etc. Remember the front springs are some 400 pounds per inch heavier than the rears too. The way people tend to overtighten sway bar endlinks can actually prop the front end up. If you take weight out of the front (lighter k member, arms, A/C removal, etc) that makes the car sit a touch higher too. And then there are the LCA's themselves. They don't need touched to do a shock swap, but often folks do loosen or take them out. If the nuts and bolts that hold the arms into the K-member are tightened with the car hanging in the air, the bushing bind from the front bushing will also hold the car high.
I'm glad you like how it drives. That makes me happier than anything and is the point of my springs above all. As for the 1.2" drop. That is, like all springs, an approximate number. There are sooo many springs that came on these cars from GM, it's impossible to say a drop will be exactly X.X" because you can have stock cars that don't even start at the same height.
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12-12-2012, 05:05 PM
#7
I'm sure it's not a spring thing... they are made in batches of 100-120 cars sets at a time and we know that most cars sit pretty level. In fact looking at yours I think it looks pretty good and I'm sure it will sit down a little more in front as things seat in.
When new parts go on, it takes time for everything to settle in. The shocks are new, the seals are tight, etc. Remember the front springs are some 400 pounds per inch heavier than the rears too. The way people tend to overtighten sway bar endlinks can actually prop the front end up. If you take weight out of the front (lighter k member, arms, A/C removal, etc) that makes the car sit a touch higher too. And then there are the LCA's themselves. They don't need touched to do a shock swap, but often folks do loosen or take them out. If the nuts and bolts that hold the arms into the K-member are tightened with the car hanging in the air, the bushing bind from the front bushing will also hold the car high.
I'm glad you like how it drives. That makes me happier than anything and is the point of my springs above all. As for the 1.2" drop. That is, like all springs, an approximate number. There are sooo many springs that came on these cars from GM, it's impossible to say a drop will be exactly X.X" because you can have stock cars that don't even start at the same height.
When new parts go on, it takes time for everything to settle in. The shocks are new, the seals are tight, etc. Remember the front springs are some 400 pounds per inch heavier than the rears too. The way people tend to overtighten sway bar endlinks can actually prop the front end up. If you take weight out of the front (lighter k member, arms, A/C removal, etc) that makes the car sit a touch higher too. And then there are the LCA's themselves. They don't need touched to do a shock swap, but often folks do loosen or take them out. If the nuts and bolts that hold the arms into the K-member are tightened with the car hanging in the air, the bushing bind from the front bushing will also hold the car high.
I'm glad you like how it drives. That makes me happier than anything and is the point of my springs above all. As for the 1.2" drop. That is, like all springs, an approximate number. There are sooo many springs that came on these cars from GM, it's impossible to say a drop will be exactly X.X" because you can have stock cars that don't even start at the same height.
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12-12-2012, 05:10 PM
#8
IMO, at stock ride height my car looked lifted compared to yours with stock springs. Your car looks like it had a 1" drop already before installing lowering springs, but I'll have to agree the front does look a little high still after you lowered it.
Last edited by 99Bluz28; 04-11-2013 at 12:26 AM.
12-15-2012, 07:12 PM
#9
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You beat me to it on this one. Looking at those pictures I would swear that car was lowered already, or at the least came with a spring option from the factory being lower. As low as that car was to begin with, you're not going to get much ride height difference with Strano springs. I installed Strano springs as well and mine sits pretty level. Incredible improvement on ride and handling of course.
12-17-2012, 11:29 AM
#11
No, it's not.... see all the cars that don't sit this way. 
We have two cases of it (and fwiw other cars on other springs sometimes sit this way too). There are things it could be and I've been over them in Rolandt's thread but haven't heard if any of that has been checked out.
And it bears noting that if you put in new upper shock mounts that will raise the car up until they get beat in a little, and for some unknown reason sometimes folks do the rear isolator mod without seeing the look of the car first, which because it lowers the rear means it will sit more like that.
The other side of that coin is... it's not hard to get the rear up a touch with thicker isolators.
We have two cases of it (and fwiw other cars on other springs sometimes sit this way too). There are things it could be and I've been over them in Rolandt's thread but haven't heard if any of that has been checked out. And it bears noting that if you put in new upper shock mounts that will raise the car up until they get beat in a little, and for some unknown reason sometimes folks do the rear isolator mod without seeing the look of the car first, which because it lowers the rear means it will sit more like that.
The other side of that coin is... it's not hard to get the rear up a touch with thicker isolators.
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18 SCCA National Championships in house, many more for our customers prove we know our stuff.Talk is cheap, results matter.
Check out our KONI prices, our Master Cylinder Brace, and new Xtracker Hub/wheel bearing upgrade kits!
www.stranoparts.com --814-849-3450
18 SCCA National Championships in house, many more for our customers prove we know our stuff.Talk is cheap, results matter.
Check out our KONI prices, our Master Cylinder Brace, and new Xtracker Hub/wheel bearing upgrade kits!
04-10-2013, 03:41 PM
#12
UPDATE:
So, 5 plus months later and nearly 2500 miles put on the car, the car still sits exactly the same as before. (don't get it) I will try and grab a picture sometime this week. I took some quick measurement the other day from the ground to the fender in the center of the wheel...
Driver front is 27 3/8
Passenger front is 27 1/2
Passenger rear 27
Driver rear 27 1/4
Sam, hopefully you can chime in on this again....does those front measurement seem high? I read through Rolandt's thread and we almost have identical front measurements. I'm just kinda lost on how the fronts sit exactly the same as they did before the swap and that they have not settled at all after 2K+ hard miles on them.
Car handles like a champ through!
Just dont get the nearly 0" drop. Front sway is far from over tightened, zero weight reduction, and car is empty. (nothing in the trunk)
So, 5 plus months later and nearly 2500 miles put on the car, the car still sits exactly the same as before. (don't get it) I will try and grab a picture sometime this week. I took some quick measurement the other day from the ground to the fender in the center of the wheel...
Driver front is 27 3/8
Passenger front is 27 1/2
Passenger rear 27
Driver rear 27 1/4
Sam, hopefully you can chime in on this again....does those front measurement seem high? I read through Rolandt's thread and we almost have identical front measurements. I'm just kinda lost on how the fronts sit exactly the same as they did before the swap and that they have not settled at all after 2K+ hard miles on them.
Car handles like a champ through! Just dont get the nearly 0" drop. Front sway is far from over tightened, zero weight reduction, and car is empty. (nothing in the trunk)
04-11-2013, 09:53 AM
#18
I agree, it should be lower. As seen in the pics from my original post they did not drop at all. (Going by the line in the middle of the door to the fender as a reference) I actually disassembled everything about a month ago and everything was seated properly. I used the original strut mounts, so it's not due to new ones not being warn in yet. I also checked my sway bar end links and those are far from over tightened as well as made sure the springs were fully compressed. So I'm kind of out of ideas.
04-11-2013, 10:20 AM
#20
camarokid327...shoot me some pics of the assembly. include pics of the shock being bolted into the a arm area and endlinks, Also pics of the assembly itself..ie...mounts center nut and where the top of the spring meets the mount underneath. this needs to get figured out. you can pm or post on here. thanks.