total suspension upgrade
10-30-2005, 07:43 PM
#1
Launching!
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total suspension upgrade i want to do my whole suspension...shocks, springs, sub frame con.,upper and lower a arms, k- member, torque arm...the whole nine yards.what do you recommend (Brand) for my shocks and springs. i do mild draging and i love to take corners hard.what would be suitable for doing both.i know its give or take.would qa1's and stock springs be ok? oh yea i have 17's...gettin rid of my 18" ADR's.
and a arms sphon ok? is sphon a good company?
and a arms sphon ok? is sphon a good company?
10-31-2005, 02:18 AM
#2
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Stay with the stock K-member if you plan on making the car turn. Upper and lower arms dont make the big of a difference unless your looking to get a more agressive alighment, and the stock parts allow enough adjustment for a street car. QA1's would not work well for anything less that a drag race set up, I have driven a car with them and the stock shocks are better than thoes...least to me. You are fine with 17's, theres not enough people that run 18's on f-bodys to really know what spring rates work well with thoes.
In my opinion you should start with an alignment first, then shocks. Koni's are expensive, but its basicly the best you can get. These will work fine with the stock springs, but if you have to have the car lowered, then the ground control coilover kit will be the key (dont forget the panhard rod). After that a nice swaybar will add to the fun along with a set of subframes.
In my opinion you should start with an alignment first, then shocks. Koni's are expensive, but its basicly the best you can get. These will work fine with the stock springs, but if you have to have the car lowered, then the ground control coilover kit will be the key (dont forget the panhard rod). After that a nice swaybar will add to the fun along with a set of subframes.
10-31-2005, 10:30 AM
#5
You must prioritize your desires before you proceed. That being said, here's what I would do (and did). Stick with the stock K member. A-arms? There's some benefit to handling (for both) but it's small. Hold off on those for now. Very little benefit per dollar spent. K-member may be worth it down the line if dragging only, A-arms may be worth it if autocrossing.
I benefitted, turning and going straight, from my mods. They were all noticeable, too -- big time, to me at least. A torque arm is next. After that is done, it will be time to decide which is more important, turning or taking off. Since it's strictly a street car, turning will probably win and I'll go with Strano's sway bar set and some Bilstein HDs. Those shouldn't HURT launching but are decidedly biased towards turning/handling, as well as comfort.
I personally reccomend UMI. Their stuff is top quality and very reasonably priced. But there are plenty of quality vendors on the board. I wish I had gotten the 3 point SFCs but they weren't out/known about when I got mine. Here's what I did:
SFCs - HUGE positive difference in feel and small but noticeable improvement in handling. Much more predictable, especially at the limit.
STB - small but noticeable improvement in front end response, especially in quick transitions. Some say there is no benefit to this mod. May be true, from a numbers standpoint, but it certainly improved the feel of the steering. I have felt it improve other cars too.
PHB/LCAs - very noticeable tightening of rear and improved traction on takeoff and in turns
TQ Arm - can't wait for this one . . . ! Supposed to help both as well as improving body behavior during braking.
Strano sway bars and Bilstein HDs will follow, along with replacing sagging rear springs.
I did/am doing these in the order listed, and separately, except for the PHB/LCAs. Soon, like I said, I'll have to decide which I want more - turning or launching. I felt an improvement at each step and don't feel like I lost out on either front, yet. Another benefit is that all my mods have also made the car more pleasurable to put miles on by adding comfort as well as control. Car is much tighter, and quieter thanks to the deadening (worth the weight penalty to me). I think the sways and the right shocks will continue that trend. I just can't/won't afford to redo any mods as it's my daily driver and has to do everything well and reliably. I've put a lot of research into what mods to do as well as benefit per dollar and this is what made the most sense for my needs. Brakes and maybe wheels will be next. After that, I'll have the platform to safely and effectively handle MUCH more power, should I decide to go that route.
Either way, you will have fun!
I benefitted, turning and going straight, from my mods. They were all noticeable, too -- big time, to me at least. A torque arm is next. After that is done, it will be time to decide which is more important, turning or taking off. Since it's strictly a street car, turning will probably win and I'll go with Strano's sway bar set and some Bilstein HDs. Those shouldn't HURT launching but are decidedly biased towards turning/handling, as well as comfort.
I personally reccomend UMI. Their stuff is top quality and very reasonably priced. But there are plenty of quality vendors on the board. I wish I had gotten the 3 point SFCs but they weren't out/known about when I got mine. Here's what I did:
SFCs - HUGE positive difference in feel and small but noticeable improvement in handling. Much more predictable, especially at the limit.
STB - small but noticeable improvement in front end response, especially in quick transitions. Some say there is no benefit to this mod. May be true, from a numbers standpoint, but it certainly improved the feel of the steering. I have felt it improve other cars too.
PHB/LCAs - very noticeable tightening of rear and improved traction on takeoff and in turns
TQ Arm - can't wait for this one . . . ! Supposed to help both as well as improving body behavior during braking.
Strano sway bars and Bilstein HDs will follow, along with replacing sagging rear springs.
I did/am doing these in the order listed, and separately, except for the PHB/LCAs. Soon, like I said, I'll have to decide which I want more - turning or launching. I felt an improvement at each step and don't feel like I lost out on either front, yet. Another benefit is that all my mods have also made the car more pleasurable to put miles on by adding comfort as well as control. Car is much tighter, and quieter thanks to the deadening (worth the weight penalty to me). I think the sways and the right shocks will continue that trend. I just can't/won't afford to redo any mods as it's my daily driver and has to do everything well and reliably. I've put a lot of research into what mods to do as well as benefit per dollar and this is what made the most sense for my needs. Brakes and maybe wheels will be next. After that, I'll have the platform to safely and effectively handle MUCH more power, should I decide to go that route.
Either way, you will have fun!
Last edited by jmilz28; 10-31-2005 at 10:38 AM.
