Suspension Help!
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On The Tree
Joined: Sep 2005
Posts: 116
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Suspension Help! I am starting to mod my 98 camaro. My long term goal is to have it around 500rwhp and handle like a mazda miata...so i have some questions about suspension. If i put on a panhard bar, rear control arms, and front strut tower brace bar, would i see a noticeable differnece in handling and whatnot?
With just those mods you probably won't see much of a difference other than the PHB, as long as you get a good one with high quality rod ends.
You really won't feel as much of a difference with the strut tower brace or the rear control arms. I base this on my personal observations with my car which I've autoX'd for 3 streight seasons and made incrimental changes along the way.
If you really want to feel a difference, get some Koni's and a ground control coil over kit 600 lb/in ft and 150 lb/in rear springs and then get Sam Strano's 35mm ft bar and hollow 22 mm rear bar. It's all available from Sam. Then make sure you are running about -1 to -1.5 ft camber with about 5 degrees of caster (These are all future mods for me I am currently running Eibach Pro's which will be for sale soon).
BTW, most of the road race guys and autox guys run stock 1LE rear trailing arms.
You really won't feel as much of a difference with the strut tower brace or the rear control arms. I base this on my personal observations with my car which I've autoX'd for 3 streight seasons and made incrimental changes along the way.
If you really want to feel a difference, get some Koni's and a ground control coil over kit 600 lb/in ft and 150 lb/in rear springs and then get Sam Strano's 35mm ft bar and hollow 22 mm rear bar. It's all available from Sam. Then make sure you are running about -1 to -1.5 ft camber with about 5 degrees of caster (These are all future mods for me I am currently running Eibach Pro's which will be for sale soon).
BTW, most of the road race guys and autox guys run stock 1LE rear trailing arms.
On The Tree
Joined: Aug 2004
Posts: 145
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From: El Paso, Texas
Just adding my two cents, but I have noticed better handling on my ride. These are my mods:
1. Hotchkis strut tower brace
2. Energy Suspension polyurethane swaybar endlink bushings
3. QA1 12 way adjustable shocks front and rear
4. Spohn LCA relocation bracket and boxed LCAs
5. Yokohama AVS/ES 100s 245/50/16s
I definitely know there is a difference because I got to drive a bone stock Z28 and it felt a little loose compared to my ride. I also know that I am not done with the mods yet because I also got to drive a Z with the same mods I have plus. That camaro has a SFC and an adjustable Torque arm bar. As a result the car felt better coming out of the turns and a more all around solid feel to it.
You should also try lowering springs, wider wheels and tires (maybe 275/35/18 mounted on 18x9.5s front & 315/30/18 mounted on 18x11s rear) also thicker swaybars and polyurethane bushings make a big difference.
While you’re at it, change the stock seats out so that you don’t go sliding all over the place. I got rid of my stockers for some Corbeau CR1s. The driver’s seat no longer has the power option, but it more than makes up for it in stability.
1. Hotchkis strut tower brace
2. Energy Suspension polyurethane swaybar endlink bushings
3. QA1 12 way adjustable shocks front and rear
4. Spohn LCA relocation bracket and boxed LCAs
5. Yokohama AVS/ES 100s 245/50/16s
I definitely know there is a difference because I got to drive a bone stock Z28 and it felt a little loose compared to my ride. I also know that I am not done with the mods yet because I also got to drive a Z with the same mods I have plus. That camaro has a SFC and an adjustable Torque arm bar. As a result the car felt better coming out of the turns and a more all around solid feel to it.
You should also try lowering springs, wider wheels and tires (maybe 275/35/18 mounted on 18x9.5s front & 315/30/18 mounted on 18x11s rear) also thicker swaybars and polyurethane bushings make a big difference.
While you’re at it, change the stock seats out so that you don’t go sliding all over the place. I got rid of my stockers for some Corbeau CR1s. The driver’s seat no longer has the power option, but it more than makes up for it in stability.
Originally Posted by Major_Lee_Slow
With just those mods you probably won't see much of a difference other than the PHB, as long as you get a good one with high quality rod ends.
You really won't feel as much of a difference with the strut tower brace or the rear control arms. I base this on my personal observations with my car which I've autoX'd for 3 streight seasons and made incrimental changes along the way.
If you really want to feel a difference, get some Koni's and a ground control coil over kit 600 lb/in ft and 150 lb/in rear springs and then get Sam Strano's 35mm ft bar and hollow 22 mm rear bar. It's all available from Sam. Then make sure you are running about -1 to -1.5 ft camber with about 5 degrees of caster (These are all future mods for me I am currently running Eibach Pro's which will be for sale soon).
BTW, most of the road race guys and autox guys run stock 1LE rear trailing arms.
You really won't feel as much of a difference with the strut tower brace or the rear control arms. I base this on my personal observations with my car which I've autoX'd for 3 streight seasons and made incrimental changes along the way.
If you really want to feel a difference, get some Koni's and a ground control coil over kit 600 lb/in ft and 150 lb/in rear springs and then get Sam Strano's 35mm ft bar and hollow 22 mm rear bar. It's all available from Sam. Then make sure you are running about -1 to -1.5 ft camber with about 5 degrees of caster (These are all future mods for me I am currently running Eibach Pro's which will be for sale soon).
BTW, most of the road race guys and autox guys run stock 1LE rear trailing arms.
1) Sticky tires, at least 275's, preferable 315's or bigger
2) Koni shocks
3) As much negative camber as you can get (or live with)
3) coil overs with race springs, not lowering springs
4) Big sway bars
5) Weight reduction, how effective based how low you can get it
Things that will not improve fbody handling:
* Tubular or boxed rear LCA's with poly bushings
* Drag racing shocks
* Ultra low profile tires on large diameter wheels like 18's and 19's
* Strut tower brace
* Subframe connectors
* Dual rate lowering springs
* Anything that adds weight to the car
Although SFC's don't really make the car handle better, they are nice as jacking rails and to protect the car when it bottoms on things.
Last edited by Cal; Oct 12, 2005 at 11:51 PM.
