Help Please?
Thread Starter
Staging Lane
Joined: Sep 2010
Posts: 83
Likes: 0
From: C.C. Texas
Help Please? I'm still trying to understand some of this suspensions stuff, but I just want to ask some questions and hopefully get steered the right way. (no pun intended)
Stock Height, tires are 285's...wo't be buying bigger rims or tires anytime soon. Car is a Daily Driver but there is street racing involved. I plan to track it maybe 2-3 times a year (if possible).
1. Do I need relocation Brackets?
2. Do I need Lower Control arms? Adjustable? Poly, Swivel?
3. Do I need a Panhard Bar? Adjustable?
and yes I should buy Shocks or something or the other but I just wanna know how much it will help just have a better overall ride and power to the ground.
Stock Height, tires are 285's...wo't be buying bigger rims or tires anytime soon. Car is a Daily Driver but there is street racing involved. I plan to track it maybe 2-3 times a year (if possible).
1. Do I need relocation Brackets?
2. Do I need Lower Control arms? Adjustable? Poly, Swivel?
3. Do I need a Panhard Bar? Adjustable?
and yes I should buy Shocks or something or the other but I just wanna know how much it will help just have a better overall ride and power to the ground.
TECH Senior Member
Joined: Jan 2004
Posts: 5,798
Likes: 16
From: St.Charles MO
I'm still trying to understand some of this suspensions stuff, but I just want to ask some questions and hopefully get steered the right way. (no pun intended)
Stock Height, tires are 285's...wo't be buying bigger rims or tires anytime soon. Car is a Daily Driver but there is street racing involved. I plan to track it maybe 2-3 times a year (if possible).
1. Do I need relocation Brackets?
2. Do I need Lower Control arms? Adjustable? Poly, Swivel?
3. Do I need a Panhard Bar? Adjustable?
and yes I should buy Shocks or something or the other but I just wanna know how much it will help just have a better overall ride and power to the ground.
Stock Height, tires are 285's...wo't be buying bigger rims or tires anytime soon. Car is a Daily Driver but there is street racing involved. I plan to track it maybe 2-3 times a year (if possible).
1. Do I need relocation Brackets?
2. Do I need Lower Control arms? Adjustable? Poly, Swivel?
3. Do I need a Panhard Bar? Adjustable?
and yes I should buy Shocks or something or the other but I just wanna know how much it will help just have a better overall ride and power to the ground.
2.) No
3.) No
You don't need anything.
What are you trying to accomplish exactly? Better traction? Better ride?
For better traction get sticky tires first, no sense in getting suspension mods if your tires are not up to the task.
The LCA's and reloction brackets are to help put power down, and will only make the rear of the car ride harsher if anything. The PHB is to center the rear axle, you wont see a ride quality change or a traction change with this.
If you are looking for a better overall ride quality good shocks (not drag shocks, not cheap autozone shocks) are the only thing to look at. Proper shocks will have the car riding better (not being as jarring over bumps), yet still being firm and controlled, while also making the car way more stable (no floaty, loose/numb feeling), and make the car feel overall more solid and like one piece.
TECH Senior Member
Joined: Jan 2004
Posts: 5,798
Likes: 16
From: St.Charles MO
"Cadillac feel" can go both ways nowadays. Do you mean big floaty boat "old cadillac feel" or new german sports sedan style, CTS-like feel?
You can get the CTS sports sedan-like feel, where the car is incredibly solid and sharp, yet not jarring. You still feel bumps and imperfections, it just doesn't feel like the car is falling apart or your kidneys are being stabbed. - definitely doesn't feel like and Fbody anymore...
Again, before buying suspension to help traction, what tires are you running? Do you have traction problems with them?
If you have sticky tires, and are still looking for more traction (and don't mind a harder ride) then yes, you can look into some aftermarket LCAs (Id suggest UMI rotojoint).
If the drag radial doesn't help get power down, I definitely recommend a short style torque arm. You're around stock power range right? Like 400 or under? The leverage of the short arm helps hit your rear tires harder to the ground. The difference is pretty big between launching on street conditions on the long arm vs the short arm. I'd spin a good 2-4 seconds on the longer arm without going anywhere, while the short arm I can just give the car a little wheelspin and then floor it the rest of the way.
The only thing is, you need to launch it right or else you will bog more. So driver skill is a must.
Also, there's other things that will help you come out of a hole quicker. A lot of people at my local spectator drag events on stock power only need a stall torque converter with some higher gears like 4.10 without doing big power modifications and many can keep up if not beat a lot of other higher powered cars
The only thing is, you need to launch it right or else you will bog more. So driver skill is a must.
Also, there's other things that will help you come out of a hole quicker. A lot of people at my local spectator drag events on stock power only need a stall torque converter with some higher gears like 4.10 without doing big power modifications and many can keep up if not beat a lot of other higher powered cars
