robertbartsch

Sam:
My 99 SS is in near perfect shape with 50K miles. Many engine mods ($4-5K) have been made so I would like to keep the car but it does not have much re-sale value. I do all the mechanics at home - it is a hobby for me.

Lately, the car handles like poop.

The 100% stock suspension and chassis feels dead. The tires are like new, however. I'm assuming the stock shocks are the primary issue.

Anyway, what I want is to - "freshin-up" the handling - without spending a fortune on parts for a car that is "cool" to drive but has little monetary value.

Since I would be doing the swap myself, I would also like to consider any modestly priced upgrades while the car is in pieces. I suppose poly bushings and bigger sway bars fall into this category.

The car is a 100% street car with LT headers and I live in an area with few curvy roads and many speed bumps.

Thanks..

Sam Strano

iTrader: (41)

Well, more than once we've been in contact by way of the forums in various threads. I don't know that I can give you more info than you've already gotten by way of this medium. In short, you want info that is too complex for e-mail.....

And FWIW, I understand you want to "upgrade". But is changing something that isn't a problem an "upgrade" or wasting money? Still I have no information as to why you might think something would be useful, and that's what we need to know.

More over I don't know what your definition of freshing up the handling is. And while it might seem obvious, it's not. Everyday I talk to people who have RADICALLY different ideas of good handling, nice ride, proper damping and so on.

Cal

iTrader: (1)

Well he said he wanted different springs and he said he wanted to retain stock ride height. Without trying to change his mind about what he said he wanted in the first place, about all you could suggest is 1LE springs or coil overs, since everything else (AFAIK) lowers the car. 1LE rear springs are no longer available from GM, so that leaves coil overs as the only option. That was my line of logic in suggesting what I did.

But if you want to go outside of what he is asking (as you guys have done,) my guess is he WILL actually want to change his ride height at some point, as most of us have, and with the CO's he will be able to do that without buying YET ANOTHER stinking set of springs (like I had to.) JMHO . . . just trying to commincate, not lock horns with any of you fine gentlemen!

trackbird

iTrader: (4)

Makes sense to me. I thought you were looking for more spring rate at the stock ride height, but I wondered why (if that was the case). I follow your logic.

trackbird

iTrader: (4)

And, I really wasn't looking for a fight, just curious (as I stated, but maybe not very well).

Sam Strano

iTrader: (41)

Most folks think they need more spring rate because of the spongy feel the car has. Most of us realize that's not the spring rate's fault at all, but the poor stock shocks that give the waterbed on wheels feel.

Bottom line, I believe he's looking to fix a shock problem with springs. But, being that the internet tends to give vague answers, I'd like to hear from the horse's mouth on that. Does he assume the car needs to have stiffer springs because of how spongy it feels? My money is on a yes.....

Cal

iTrader: (1)

Without actually "hearing from the horses mouth" again, I agree what he probably doesn't know is he just needs a good set of shocks. As I said I was only trying to answer his question, not counsel him on what to do.

And since you can get CO's with any spring rate, getting them doesn't necessarily imply stiffer than stock rates.

Now if I were going to actually advise him on what to do (rather than just answer his question) I would say get the GC kit with 500/150 springs and front Koni SA's wit rear Bil's revalved by Strano, then put it all on at the car at the same time. That way he is is good to go for a variety of applications by just turning the adjustment on the front shocks. And the 500 lb/in front springs will not be too harsh for regular street driving as well (Sam I think you can verify that.)

Foxxtron

iTrader: (1)

Well, it's almost a forgone conclusion what will happen from here, so here's my 2 cents CAN worth (not quite 2 cents USD, but geez, worth something).

I say if one must start to "freshen up" the ride and performance, start with dampers, good dampers I might add. If you eventually want to change springs and consider the GC system or similar, be prepared to really know how they work and install them properly, because your shocks will not be warranteed for improper use or installation, especially with adjustible coil-over sleeves.

robertbartsch

I don't think there is anything wrong with my stock SS springs and ride height. I'm reasonably certain that my stock shocks are dead, however, since I now get the water bed ride at 50K miles that was not present when the ride was new.

I'd replace the shocks with GM units but everyone here agrees that is dumb.

Foxxtron

iTrader: (1)

Yep, and that's the same experience that I and other had @ ~50-70K. Replacing the shock with exact stock replacements aren't dumb but rather counterproductive. Yes the intial price of the OE shocks are cheaper, but their valvings and overall build quality aren't really that great, for the labour involved, might as well go with something that will really last.

Again, different individuals have different tastes, but I can say that Bilstein HD's are really what I consider a bare minimum for an absolute OE replacement, plus if you decide to ever sell the vehicle in the future (not suggesting anything of the sort, but one never knows) you'd probably have a lot less to worry about from the shocks than just the plain OE.

Just 2 more cents to chip in.

robertbartsch

I don't think there is anything wrong with my stock SS springs and ride height. I'm reasonably certain that my stock shocks are dead, however, since I now get the water bed ride at 50K miles that was not present when the ride was new.

I'd replace the shocks with GM units but everyone here agrees that is dumb.