my01ws6

iTrader: (16)

hmmm intresting.....this seems like ALOT of work for just 3/4" LOL

JasonWW

iTrader: (2)

Oh yeah, I'm not too familiar with the QA1 parts as they seem more drag race oriented, but I'm betting their shocks are shorter than stock and it's allowing for more suspension travel up front. If you really want to keep the front so low and ride well your best bet may be to just buy that setup. It won't be great for cornering, but at least you can cruise with it and have a nice ride.

Here is a link:
http://www.umiperformance.com/gk7325?category_id=31

The springs are only 325lbs/inch. The stock springs are 300lbs so it's not much improvement. Most folks run 450-550lb springs. I run 550lbmy self. You may be able to have them send you 400lb or so springs as that would be better, but I'm not sure if the shocks can handle that.

Keep in mind that the shock valving has to work with the spring rate.

JasonWW

iTrader: (2)

Not really. That 3/4" can make the ride so much smoother.

my01ws6

iTrader: (16)

Here is what I want my drop to look like!

JasonWW

iTrader: (2)

I'd say those all will ride pretty rough. The top one is the lowest with little to no travel at all. The other 2 seem to have one finger gap between the tire and fender so may ride a bit better.

Life is hard being low. I'm not real low, but low enough. I have to keep 4 pieces of 2x4's with me to drive up on in case I get a flat to to make it onto a lift. Floor jacks are also a problem. I have to drive onto one of the blocks just to get the jack under it. Going much lower than myself will also get you scraping the air dam on a lot of things. I actually trimmed 1/4" off the bottom edge of my air dam just to keep it quiet.

my01ws6

iTrader: (16)

so are you saying all those will always bottom out like mine does? or if I had some decent shocks it would make it a little better but still bottom out on big bumps?

My cars drop looks EXACTLY like the 1st pic....I will settle for not the best ride if it can be that low....BUT it really hurts in my car when I hit a bigger bump it feels like i bottomed out HARD!!!

also if not can I do what you said by modifying the shock somehow to obtain that low level?

Sharpe

iTrader: (7)

Man, a LOT of the reason those cars look the way they do is the OFFSET of their wheels. The rims are farther out/closer to the fender lip. I know you're not saying you want your car to look like them, only sit like them, but I'm telling you, even if you use the exact same springs and shocks as those cars, your car's height will not look the same even though it is. Also, the rims are larger, so they look farther up in the wheel weel whether they are or not.

JasonWW

iTrader: (2)

If they have the same length shocks and bumpstop locations, yes, they will be riding rough. Stiff springs and firm shocks can smooth out the ride somewhat, but anytime you hit a big bump it will hit hard.

Modifying the shock like I'm proposing is only going to work on the Koni shock and the GC kit. The QA1 coilovers would be a bolt in and probably allow for more travel.

Sharpe, your not making any sense. Offset has nothing to do with anything. You have to look at the top of the tire to the fender lip. Larger rims have nothing to do with it either. The tire diameter looks to be the same on all those front tires so you just go by the top of the tire gap. A quick way to measure is with your finger. Some cars have a one finger gap, mine has a 2 finger gap. I think my01ws6 wants a no finger gap! Don't forget, I had that.



Even with my 550lb springs and Koni SA shocks it would ride OK if the road was smooth, but any kind of decent sized bump would slam it hard. After only one day I raised my car back up. Even my current ride height (26" front) is still too low, but I get by with it.

Like I said before, if your hitting the limits of the suspension, your going to have to either raise it up or else change the limits. There's no other choice.

JasonWW

iTrader: (2)

There is also air ride.
https://ls1tech.com/forums/introductions-greetings/626701-new-norway.html

my01ws6

iTrader: (16)

I have 1 finger gap in the front and 2 in the rear....thats what I would like to keep it like....

So you think if I go with a QA1 setup all the way around I can have my car at the height I want without sacraficing ride quality to much?

JasonWW

iTrader: (2)

It's possible. Try a search (probably in the drag section) and find people with that setup and then ask them about the ride quality with it real low. Now that I think about it, a lot of drag cars are really low in the front. There's a good chance the QA1 shocks are shorter than stock and will allow more travel up front. You could also contact some vendors like UMI or Sam Strano and ask them about the shocks being shorter.

You said your friend had the QA1 setup, right? If you can, jack up his car and put a zip tie on the shock rod near the bottom. Then drop the car back down to ride height. Then jack it back up and look at the distance from the zip tie to the bumpstop. Assuming his car is really low, then all you would need is about a 1/2" gap.

I can tell you right now that with my setup using the 40mm Koni bumpstop and one packer that the gap is zero.

JasonWW

iTrader: (2)

My01ws6, I just tried on my new rims. They are 19's with a slightly taller tire at 26". My stance is the same ones in post 63 and 66 so that hasn't changed, but the taller tire kind of made the fender gaps shrink. So on one hand the car looks lower, but in reality it about 3/8" or so higher off the ground. What do you think of this?

my01ws6

iTrader: (16)

I like that....I have been doing TONS and TONS of reading!! I like the DMS springs! EXCEPT the rear is just a TAD BIT to tall....any way to drop it a little?

Also I will be running AR Rebels....18x10s in the rear and 17x9 in the front.

Also a buddy told me I am going to wear out my BRAND NEW tires FAST being on this shitty suspension....is this true? he also said I need an alignment but it would be a waste of time and money until I got my suspension straighted out....is this stuff true?

BTW my ride is VERY VERY bouncy right now...and bottoms out on big bumps....also it likes to sway right or left on bumps too....I dont know if this helps with any of my questions....but I figured I would let you know...

JasonWW

iTrader: (2)

You could either trim maybe 1/4 coil off or else remove the upper isolator and do the hose mod.

Any change in front ride height will alter the alignment. As the front moves down the top of the tires pull in, this is called camber gain and the toe will change a tad. The camber won't do anything, but the toe change can really eat away the tires pretty fast depending on the amount of toe in or out. It will also make the car feel weird and not stable. A few days driving would probably be OK. If the steering feels fine then maybe a week, but you want to get it aligned pretty quick.

As far as the quality of the springs and shocks, they have nothing to do with the tire wear.

If you've changed the front ride height on the car since the last alignment, then get it redone and get a 6-12 month warranty on it. As long as you change out your new parts and bring it back to them before time runs out they will re-align it for you.

JasonWW

iTrader: (2)

The bouncyness is the stock shocks not controlling the low speed rebound and bump. They are just weak shocks, no doubt about it. Also, the square-ish bumpstops in the back are like rubber, whereas the yellow pointy ones are more progressive. They are not like rubber, they compress and then slowly expand back out.

my01ws6

iTrader: (16)

ooooo ok....so let me get this straight...when I put my front tires on I need to get it alligned? it does steer a little to the right....

What my buddy said is that my tires will get ruined from my suspension.....is this true? I have brand new Gforce sports in the rear and just got my new ones for the front today...

Are you saying I wont need an allignment unless I change the ride height? I have a guy who can do my allignment for $40 so its no big deal...

I was going to have them put on Monday....but should I?

Well see thats the thing too....my front bottoms out just as hard as my rear....if not harder....

also sorry if this is a stupid question....do I need to change both sets of bumpstops? the front and the rear?

JasonWW

iTrader: (2)

Changing tires has nothing to do with the ride height or the suspension. However, pulling to one side tells me it is not aligned properly. Normally it should track straight and true. If you want to increase your front cornering grip you can add some camber. Anywhere from say 0.5* to one degree. At least try 0.5* or 1/2 a degree. This will tilt the top of the tires in just a little. Then set the toe to zero. Castor can vary from 4-5.5* so do the camber first, then set the toe and as long as the castor is close, it will be fine.

It's not the suspension that will wear them out, it's the alignment.


Yes.

There's no reason not too, but since it's pulling to the right, I would have the alignment done as soon as you can.

Firmer springs and firmer shocks will better control the movement and make it ride better.

A front bumpstop change would require removing the shocks and springs which is a ton of work just to change the bumpstops. I would recommend waiting until you have the shocks and springs you want and install them all at once. The new shocks will include a new, better bumpstop.

The rear bumpstops can be changed pretty easily whenever you want.

my01ws6

iTrader: (16)

Awesome!! Thanks!!

Yeah they really had me worried that I was gonna wasted away $600 worth of tires....

Well I dont know how the car will drive with the new tires....right now the front tires are BALD so that may be why it steers to the right...I dont know....

jmilz28

iTrader: (13)

Your recipe - stock shocks and lowering springs - is textbook worst case scenario for ride quality. Stock shocks are bad with stock springs, they suck.

You are going about it all wrong. After reading your threads quickly, you say you want low as your first priority but don't appear willing to live with it in real life. Lowered will be rougher even with the best setup. With your setup, it will be, and apparently is, horrible.

You need to call someone like Strano prior to spending more time and money lowering. Have your credit card ready. If you really want decent ride AND lowering, shocks are your key, number one. Number two is spring selection. Koni SAs and Strano's lowering springs are your best bet. You can then upsize your wheels/tires to APPEAR lower. Then you'll have a great compromise with lowering and handling without giving up all your comfort. Revalved Bilsteins will do fine too, on a budget, but if you change springs after that, you're back out of whack and ride will suck again. The spring rate and dampers (shocks) have to match properly.

Like Jason said, when you go lower, you WILL pay a ride price. IF you are willing to spend the money and time to do it right, the ride penalty will be relatively small compared to the aesthetic and "handling" increase.

What you are going through is VERY common on this board by people who do their research during and after the project instead of before. It's a common mistake. I actually made it myself by doing shocks last. I should have done shocks (KONIS) first. Fortunately, I did research and got lucky and ended up with a good riding car. I got the right budget package for my goals, just put it in the wrong order. Oh well, live and learn. Point is to learn from others' mistakes. Fortunately, you're not too far down the road - just living with someone else's bad setup.

It's not too late to fix this if you will commit the resources. These can be good riding and great handling cars if you do it right. It won't be super cheap though.

JasonWW

iTrader: (2)

That statement is too broad. Just to prove it, my car is quite low and rides much smoother than stock.

Calling Sam is a good idea.

First I would decide if you want a cruiser or a corner carver. They are 2 seperate paths.