I have a 97 Trans Am. I am looking to upgrade the suspension. It is a daily driver but do go to the local track occasionally. Hoping to lower it 1-1.5 inches. I heard coil overs are the way to go. Any possible suggestions for around $1,200-$1,500? Also, does replacing the Panhard bars make a difference to stability? Is there a do-it-yourself video or what have you for making your own and or installing Sub-Frame connectors?

 

What is ur budget? What do u want it to do handle better or hook up better or corner better,
?

 

Budget is artound $ 1200 and would ratther it handle better and lowered an in 1 or so

 

I am in the minority here but would not install sfcs. I had them for years and eventually cut them off. Shocks, springs and sway bars are all you really need to start. Everything else is just personel preferance. A phb is great if you chang rear ends to re-center but not really
needed otherwise. The three things i listed are most important.

1200-1500 should be enough for koni yellows which are top notch, springs and sways. I have strano sway bars because they are light. Cant speak to coil overs.

 

^This.
SFC's do nothing for handling. I have 3pts welded in and they made no difference at all in any aspects that I could tell, and I have a sensitive butt dyno.

Shocks are the #1 biggest improvement you can do to these cars, the factory decarbon (orange/black) ones that come on the car belong on a truck, they are garbage for handling or ride quality. Bilstiens and Koni DAs were actually an option for these things back in the day so if you are equipped with those (unlikely) then you are in good shape assuming they are in good working order. Putting something like Koni sport adjustbales on your car would blow your mind in the difference they make, that alone will have the car handling and feeling like a proper sports car.

There is nothing special about adjustable coilovers at all, and they are in no way better than a standard shock/spring setup. But if you insist on buying coilovers you have some choices, none of which are really cheap if you want an actual handling setup (not just something that can be made "stiff").
Theres ridetech, KW, UMI/Strano custom Afco coilovers, Penske, and race bilstiens and thats it, if I have left some coilovers out its because they are NOT actually made for handling - don't be tricked into thinking they are because they can be "adjusted". You will also notice all of the above have much in common in that they are all gas charged, monotube shocks that when adjusted actually adjust the piston itself. There are other out there that have none of the above and work poorly in comparison for it.

As said above swaybars also make a huge difference. Ideally a neutral balanced set will be 35mm or 36mm front, and 21mm or 22mm rear. Generally speaking bigger than ideal front will induce more understeer and bigger than ideal rear will induce more oversteer.

 

SFC's do provide a good set of jack points though

 

Thanks for all the advice, I believe that just saved me about $500 on parts not needed. I will start off with just upgraded shocks and go from there. Now what kind of power upgrade can I get for $500?

 

The big 3 things to start with on a handling oriented build would be Shocks, Springs and sway bars. For your application, I would recommend doing something like our springs, Koni Sport Yellow shocks and our 35mm/25mm sway bar set. This combination has been proven over the years as an effective and balanced setup for both street and road course/autocross performance. If you are looking to get more aggressive with the track application then a coil-over such as the Viking Crusader series may be a good fit for you. Feel free to give me a call to go over options and pricing

 

+1 For Strano springs, Koni's, and Strano sway bar

 

Thanks Chris, and makes me happy since he has that stuff on his car.

'

 

If you want the best driving street car you can get, and don't want to spend more or hassle with coil-overs, then yeah... Koni SPORTS and my springs are the cat's ***. And they work so well on the handling side that you can win a lot of things even on a road course or autocross with them. Remember that my springs were designed on Koni's and I was winning National Championships on the baseline setup I was using to develop the springs.

From there you have other details. Some folks want "decent" handling, not great handling. Well then backing down on shock to SRT.T or Bilstein might suit their wallet better. It's always a trade off, but personally that is not one I'd make even if my car never was tracked.

There are those that WANT the ability to fine tune height, whether it because they are super picky on height, or they want to corner weight the car, or maybe they want to play with spring rates. Coil-overs get that for you. But remember that coil-overs still need shocks, and not all the shocks the are build on are great. Most aren't in fact if you are looking for more than adequate, or looking for something with control but not kidney busting on sharper impacts.

I obviously have my springs, and Koni. I also have KW, and UMI/Strano/AFCO coil-overs, and RideTech, and Viking, and hell.. Penske too. Will absolutely tell you I have the most coverage for options as well as the most experience with the options and also making these things handle. I think that matters, at least some, when discussing options with customers.