my01ws6

iTrader: (16)

Cruiser....

I am going to change the entire suspension setup at once I going to get new springs and shocks...I decided that I dont like not knowing what springs I have....

I will probably go with DMS springs...I like the way they look and havent seen any complaints about them....and as far as shocks....I have no idea yet....

Bryan @ Speed Inc.

iTrader: (19)

dude - who is the chick in your sig!?!? got any more pics???

my01ws6

iTrader: (16)

Ok just so you know I just drove around and realized my front doesnt hit as bad on bumps as my rear does....its hits ALOT harder on the rear

JasonWW

iTrader: (2)

OK, for right now, just try and get some Bilstein HD rear shocks and see what that does to the ride. Get the newer bumpstops when you can. Those 2 mods will help a lot and not cost too much. If you need a place to buy the shocks from, try Strano's shop. They are $85 ea and will work great with whatever front package you get.

Then we'll figure out the front. In all likely hood you'll probably want to go with the QA1 front setup like your friend had. That may be the only way for you to keep the front low and have a smooth ride.

my01ws6

iTrader: (16)

ok sweet....so are the bilstiens a good shock?

also will it raise the rear any?

for some reason I cant find them on stranoparts....the page never loads

jmilz28

iTrader: (13)

Bilstein's a great shock for the money. When I put mine on, it raised the front a tiny bit (actually back to stock). Rears - the springs sagged too much to notice. Night and day difference in ride quality and cornering though. Like a new car, bet on it. HAve fun!

my01ws6

iTrader: (16)

Hmmm I dont want it to raise up the car....what about H&R springs I havent heard much about them....

JasonWW

iTrader: (2)

Damn right their good! The Koni SA's 4th gens are better in that they let you adjust the ride quality from inside the car, but that's why they cost double the price. Lots of folks have the Bilstein rears and love them.

They shouldn't effect the ride height. Although, it's possible your old shocks have very little pressure left in them since these are gas sharged shocks and the new Bilsteins will definetely be properly charged, they may lift it a tiny bit, but I don't you'll notice. Like I was saying earlier, there are lots of ways to adjust the rear ride height so don't sweat that stuff in the rear.

The thing about Stranos parts page is you need to look under camaro and not trans am. The part number is #BIL-B46-1121 $85.80
I didn't want to go into to much depth on shocks, but I figure I should mention that for a little more money, $108, you can get the 3rd gen Koni which will let you adjust it, but it's not the easy to adjust 4th gen shock that runs $160, this model requires you to go under the car, undo the lower shock mount, push up the shock and then rotate it. It can be a pain, but at least you can alter the ride quality.

So like I said:
1 Bilstein HD $85
2 Koni 3rd gen $108
3 Koni 4th gen $160

It may be best to call them and talk to Sam or Arlen as they know all about these different shocks. They deal with them all the time.

JasonWW

iTrader: (2)

I don't remember much about H&R, but I wouldn't worry about springs right now. Try the rear shock and see how that feels. The factory V8 rear springs are great at 115lb/inch. You can either do the hose mod, or trim them a little to get the ride height just where you want it. They are like $15 from the junkyard.

Keep in mind you never know for sure what the drop will be with aftermarket springs. Sometimes it's just as advertised, but sometimes it's more or less.

Have you seen this page?
http://www.angelfire.com/my/fastcar/suspension.html

my01ws6

iTrader: (16)

Can I ask you how you can adjust the ride quality from inside the car??

JasonWW

iTrader: (2)

Yeah, I just happen to have posted some pics here:
https://ls1tech.com/forums/showthrea...=681492&page=2

You fold down the rear seat and turn a ****.

my01ws6

iTrader: (16)

WOW now that is NICE!!! I like that!!

Stupid question....when you adjust the shock does it raise and lower it??

JasonWW

iTrader: (2)

No, it simply changes the low speed rebound valving in the shock which means when it compresses, you can control how quickly it stretches back out. You can control the ride quality as well as the handling with this adjustment.

my01ws6

iTrader: (16)

Intresting.....Thats a really cool feature....Im just not sure If I would take full advantage of that or not....My car will basically be a street car/weekend toy.

my01ws6

iTrader: (16)

Sam told me that the Bilstein HD's arent meant for lowering springs and that he does not reccomend them....

Also correct me if Im wrong but the Koni's can be matched up with just about any spring correct? I mean since they are adjustable....

I was looking at the Koni's and I saw they have a single adjustable and a double adjustable....what exactly is the difference?

z28bryan

iTrader: (7)

I recommend taking it autocrossing sometime ever thought of that? Most people use the car for drag racing but its a great car for certain SCCA classes.

JasonWW

iTrader: (2)

That doesn't sound like Sam to me or else he was talking about some specific spring. He's always recommended them in the past. It's possible that ever since he started recommending the 3rd gen Koni rears that he feels they are the better choice over the HD's. Maybe. You can do a search for rear Bilstein owners and read what they say. Everybody likes them.

Ok, let me give you a quick spring and shock lesson. There are 4 main circuits in shocks. High and low speed rebound and high and low speed bump. Rebound is the extension speed and bump is the compression speed. The low speed circuits mainly control body movement and the high speed circuits control suspension movement at higher vehicle speeds such as hitting a 2x4 on the freeway. The tire has to move up and then back down very quickly to avoid damaging the tire or rim.

The low speed rebound is the most important to vehicle feel and handling and thats what the Koni SA adjust. The other circuit the Koni DA adjust is the high speed bump. It's not as important unless your racing the car and need to really fine tune it for a specific track or something.

The DA's are not warranteed as they are considered racing shocks, while the SA's have a lifetime warranty. The SA'a are all most people need and that's what Sam also recommends.

I would not say they can be matched up to any spring. For one thing there are dual rate springs out there. They are known as progressive springs. If you look at that Fbody Spring Rate Database you'll see a lot of rear springs with 2 numbers for the rate. For instance the 98-02 Prokit has a 80-137 rate. This means that the coils are wound at different distances so that at ride height or close to it (maybe) the coils are providing an 80lb per inch rate. As the spring compresses the close coils will stack up and bind and then you are using the coils that have the bigger gap in them. Since these coils are fewer in number they are stiffer. At this point the rate changes to 137lb per inch. The theory behind them is to give a smooth ride over fairly smooth roads, but get stiffer over bumpy roads or dips. Now you can valve a shock for an 80lb spring, a 137lb spring or for some compromise in between, but not both rates. The shock will not always be properly in control due to these different spring rates. This is why progressive springs are not recommended. Besides the dual rates, you also don't know at what point the spring binds and switches rates. That info is not given. It may be only near the bumpstops or it may be at ride height or some point in between.

I know Sam prefers single rate springs so that the shock valving is always going to control it. I only use single rate springs on my car as well.

my01ws6

iTrader: (16)

Well I actually saw it in another post too....he said that the Bilstein HD's arent meant for any type of lowering spring and that they need to be revalved....

my01ws6

iTrader: (16)

Ok well I got my front tires put on today....and it actually did make a differece in the ride quality! Nothing huge but it did make a little difference....

Today Im going to try to take off the rear spacers, see if that helps any

JasonWW

iTrader: (2)

OK, now I see. He doesn't revalve rears, only fronts. He was talking about the front Bilsteins not being valved for any type of lowering spring and that's pretty much true as they are valved for springs closer to the stock spring rate. The rear Bilsteins are still a really good choice.

Try to keep the front tire pressures under 33psi or so.

I just put 19's on my car and it's riding smoooth.