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Problem w/ 1998 WS6 Eibach car

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Old Sep 20, 2006 | 10:47 PM
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Default Problem w/ 1998 WS6 Eibach car

My trans am is lowered 2 inches with eibach springs and the damn thing hits/bottom outs at every little change in the road . bottom line do i need to go back to stock height or do i need new shocks ? if the latter how would i know ? excuse me if i sound cocky , i am just pissed off at having to stop at every railroad crossing , dip , and pothole . lol . thanks again
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Old Sep 20, 2006 | 11:32 PM
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get used to it
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Old Sep 20, 2006 | 11:49 PM
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Eibachs are known to sag in the rear. Maybe its time for new springs?
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Old Sep 21, 2006 | 12:14 AM
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If you have the stock shocks on your car you are experiencing a shock absorber emergency.
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Old Sep 21, 2006 | 03:08 AM
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OK here's the deal. I have a 1998 WS6 and have had the same problems when putting on aftermarket springs, dropped it to the ground. Well, frankly anthing aftermarket has been a pain. My car is a vert.

Our 1998 springs are no longer available. We had 1LE springs in our cars. If you try to order new front you are diverted to a part number for a regular Trans AM and are 292 lb springs not the WS6 360 lb. You can get new OEM rears though at gyrhead.com.

Here's what I ordered this week.

SLP Level II front springs
- SLP says it lowers the car .5" but several have seen no drop. a

Koni Front Struts - They have two settings where the spring sets. Using the lower spring perch will drop the car .75". Nice thing about this is that you loose nothing from how the spring performs.

BMR rear springs
- Say lowers the car 1". I'll bet its more so I would not have to do much of anything else here.

New OEM 1LE rear springs - It's possible these will not be available soon so I just grabbed a set for backups. Do not plan on installing but if I sell the car someone might want it back to stock.

THE FRONT RATES:
OEM front were 360 lb springs
SLP Level II front are variable 300-450 lbs.

THE REAR RATES:
OEM were 130-180 lbs.
BMR are 145-170

This IS the closest I could get to OEM spring rates while lowering the car slightly at the same time.
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Old Sep 21, 2006 | 12:41 PM
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Originally Posted by Mark A. Rogalski
OK here's the deal. I have a 1998 WS6 and have had the same problems when putting on aftermarket springs, dropped it to the ground. Well, frankly anthing aftermarket has been a pain. My car is a vert.

Our 1998 springs are no longer available. We had 1LE springs in our cars. If you try to order new front you are diverted to a part number for a regular Trans AM and are 292 lb springs not the WS6 360 lb. You can get new OEM rears though at gyrhead.com.

Here's what I ordered this week.

SLP Level II front springs
- SLP says it lowers the car .5" but several have seen no drop. a

Koni Front Struts - They have two settings where the spring sets. Using the lower spring perch will drop the car .75". Nice thing about this is that you loose nothing from how the spring performs.

BMR rear springs
- Say lowers the car 1". I'll bet its more so I would not have to do much of anything else here.

New OEM 1LE rear springs - It's possible these will not be available soon so I just grabbed a set for backups. Do not plan on installing but if I sell the car someone might want it back to stock.

THE FRONT RATES:
OEM front were 360 lb springs
SLP Level II front are variable 300-450 lbs.

THE REAR RATES:
OEM were 130-180 lbs.
BMR are 145-170

This IS the closest I could get to OEM spring rates while lowering the car slightly at the same time.
Hey thanks Mark for your info , if we did / do have the 1LE springs front and rear shouldn't it say 1LE in the RPO sticker ? just curious . if you reply back i will tell you why i asked that question ! thanks again
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Old Sep 22, 2006 | 08:53 AM
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nothing huh ?
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Old Sep 22, 2006 | 11:05 AM
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No, it appears that GM used the 1LE rates for non-1LE cars on some years. I don't remember which years that was though.
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Old Sep 22, 2006 | 12:17 PM
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Originally Posted by trackbird
No, it appears that GM used the 1LE rates for non-1LE cars on some years. I don't remember which years that was though.
Hey thanks TrackBird , there is life in this forum , lol . Anyways i asked about the 1LE springs for a reason . The RPO should say 1LE right or is that included with the WS6 RPO code that I have on my vehicle . it seems more confusing as i go along with this issue .
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Old Sep 23, 2006 | 04:27 AM
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FE4 (RPO code for WS6) Suspension included some 1LE components, but not all of the 1LE components that came on a 1LE ordered car. The WS6 came with just 1LE springs and sway bars. A 1LE car will have more crap like harder rubber bushings in the lower control arms and little stuff like that.

I believe only a true 1LE ordered car will have that designation (1LE) on the RPO code.

Think of it like this:

      Last edited by Mark A. Rogalski; Sep 23, 2006 at 04:41 AM.
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      Old Sep 23, 2006 | 09:04 AM
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      Right, GM used 1LE springs (without the 1LE RPO) on some years WS6 (and I think SS) cars. It was in the 4th gen years, but I don't know which ones. So, you could have the springs and not have the 1LE code.
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      Old Sep 24, 2006 | 01:22 PM
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      okay thanks for clearing that up a little . so now i am wondering or have read that the front springs (OEM) on my vehicle are no longer made right ? so what am i to do to get back to stock height (springs&shocks) , am i screwed on that or is there a aftermarket part to get me back to stock height/spring rate ? And why can i just not order factory springs that came on an SS car ? is the WS6 that different suspension wise from the Camaro SS ? I know i am dragging on but have not had a clear answer to my question , i want stock height and handling back . ps i bought this car used from a rich guy who owns a disposal business in Palm Springs . I live in LA for what it's worth . thanks again

      Last edited by orbee; Sep 24, 2006 at 01:37 PM.
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      Old Sep 24, 2006 | 01:31 PM
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      OK after reading TrackBird & Marks reply I went out to the cars glovebox and found the Manifest that I guess came with the car or was ordered by the previous owner , here is the list of options on the car to help answer some questions .
      AAA AG1 AK5 AQ9 AUO AU3 A31 A90 B35 B84 CAF CC1 C49 C60 DE4 DG7 DL5 FE4 GU5 G80 IL2 J65 K34 K43 LS1 MXO M30 NB6 NP5 N66 PBT QFK R7X R9Z STE T43 T78 T96 UA6 UB3 UK3 U75 VG6 VGB V12 V73 WS6 WS9 W55 YA7 YF5 Y82 1SA 14I 142 A1U 6NM 7NM 8HS 9HS
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      Old Sep 25, 2006 | 10:12 AM
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      Originally Posted by orbee
      My trans am is lowered 2 inches with eibach springs and the damn thing hits/bottom outs at every little change in the road . bottom line do i need to go back to stock height or do i need new shocks ? if the latter how would i know ? excuse me if i sound cocky , i am just pissed off at having to stop at every railroad crossing , dip , and pothole . lol . thanks again
      Haven't read the whole thread. But IMO its an obvious answer.

      Don't take offense, just stating it as I see it.

      Essentially you have an under damped too slammed ride running a **** poor setup.

      Suspension is a sophisticated system of components from tyre size and sidewall hieght right thru to bushes, springs, shocks, dampers, bounce and jounce rates.

      If you want a good setup, go speak to Sam Strano. Get his custom anti rol bars (sway bars) and a decent set of shocks, his offers several from adjustable Koni's to revalved Bilstiens. His has also recently launched some new lowering springs also. Adjustable LCA and PHB would be a good idea also to allow correct setup.
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      Old Sep 26, 2006 | 10:22 PM
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      ok maybe i should ask this ? What if I go to the dealer and order 2002 Camaro SS FRONT SPRINGS and Rear Springs will that get me back to stock and keep me there ? or did those cars also have the 1LE package also ? and why have no other aftermarket prouducts came out for such an issue ?
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