Help getting suspension together

I am about ready to start piecing together my suspension. I am going to go with either Spohn or BMR products and have a few questions.

What all should I get???

Should I go with adjustable or non adjustable components??

Is a shock tower brace really worth it if it is mostly a drag car only???

How about control arm relocation brackets???

Thanks

Dont get an stb, they dont do much positive if anything on the cars, waste of money and weight imo. The relocation brackets supposedly give a lot of extra traction. Ill let the pros handle the rest.

You are the first person I've EVER heard or read say STB's are a waste of money. I had one on my thirdgen and it was a difference of night and day in handling. I just ordered my Spohn for my '96 Z today.

I had one on my mustang. I loved it because the car was a convertible and it made the car feel really solid. I just didn't know if it would be worth it if the car is not a road racer and mostly a daily driver and weekend drag car.

The mustang suspension is completely different. The way ours is designed, the stb won't do much if anything at all. It may also cause problems with actually picking one wheel off of the ground when you turn.

I'll be the 2nd and not the last to say; don't waste your money on the STB right now. If you feel the need to buy one later on, then go ahead. But personally I wouldn't waste my money. It will be the very last thing I buy for my car, and I'm much more into road racing/autocross than drag racing.

I ordered mine to go with all the suspension parts I'm ordering next week. I ordered it from Spohn as Thunderracing doesn't carry the Spohn STB. That being said, it's being installed with Spohn LCA, Pahnard, Adj. Torque Arm, BMR SFC, and Prothane bushings all around to include the front control arm bushings. If for no other reason, I ordered it just so I could complete my suspension. I can't wait to get all this stuff on an drive it.

should i get all my parts adjustable???

anyone??? should i get the LCA's, panhard rod, and torque arm adjustable???

Just to address a few things:

STBs don't do much on our cars because the cornering forces on our cars are taken mainly by the front LCAs and the K-member. 4th gen Camaros do not have struts up front (they have shocks), therefore a strut tower brace won't do much. 3rd gen Camaros have struts, that is why STBs make a huge difference on them.

As far as answering the original poster's questions, you need to give us more information. For example, what is your intended use for the car? Street only? Street/strip? Road-racing/Auto-X? Tell us what you want to do with the car, and we can help you better.

But besides that, good initial suspension mods are:

- Shocks. Stock ones are junk, but what kind you need depends on: a) your budget and b) your intended use for the car.
- Sway bars. Our cars roll a lot with the stock front bar, and a stiffer bar will help a lot with this problem without noticeably affecting ride quality. However, if you are into drag racing, you will probably want to do the opposite and get a bigger rear bar to help with launching.
- Subframe connectors. They are pretty much all good, personally I would go with a triangular one like the SLP unit.
- Rear lower control arms (preferably poly/rod end or rod/rod end combination); adjustable is not necessary.
- Panhard Bar. Get an adjustable one as you might need to re-center your rear later on down the road if you upgrade your wheels or something. Again, the type of bushings used will depend on your intended use. I road-race and prefer rod/rod ended ones due to less deflection.
- LCA relocation brackets, I am kind of divided on. I don't have them and they don't hurt me. Get them if you have the money.

Good luck.

You are the first person I've EVER heard or read say STB's are a waste of money. I had one on my thirdgen and it was a difference of night and day in handling. I just ordered my Spohn for my '96 Z today.

A STB is a waste of money and just dead weight on a 4th gen.

A STB is a waste of money and just dead weight on a 4th gen.

After all I said above, I pretty much agree with that now. Sorry for my ignorance, I've always had 3rd gens and this is my first 4th gen. While it was awesome on my 3rd gen, I couldn't tell any difference on my 4th. I'm still glad I got it though, for if nothing else, it completes my suspension.

the car is mostly a street car with a few trips to the track during the year.

And what kind of budget are you on?

I am interested in upgrading my shocks from the stock ones. Want to get some more handling and a little better weight transfer/traction.

What do you recommend for a midrange price also, can you suggest low price option?

Well, if you want better weight transfer/traction, then I can't really help you as I know almost nothing about drag shocks. Everyone seems to like the HALs for drag racing, but those are kind of expensive. If you are not too worried about the .1-.2 seconds you might lose on the drag strip though, take a look at the Bilstein HDs. They are relatively cheap, they work great with the stock springs, and will give you good handling and ride.

BTW i am on a cheap budget because i have been spending too much money on my bike, lol. just got done doing a 103 big bore kit on it and that was not cheap.

Well, if you are short on money, start with shocks first. They will make the biggest difference. If you are on a budget, Bilstein HDs work very well with stock springs. Aftermarket springs are a different story though, any kind of lowering springs and Bilstein HDs won't work so well anymore.

Then, check the various bushings. If your stock bushings are shot, replace the worn-out ones with good-quality ones. And if you have money left over after these, get a 35 mm front sway bar.

Stock springs + Bilstein HDs + 35 m swaybar = Good ride quality, very little body roll, and pretty well controlled body motions. It won't be the best, but it will be pretty good.

Good luck, and I hope some others will chime in and give their opinion on the matter too.

Here's my opinion.....

Shocks, Sway bar, SFC's...in that order.

You should feel awesome with just that.

If your not in a hurry, I'll be installing my Eibach Prokit, Strano/Addco Swaybar & Spohn Spherical Panhard Bar in the next few weeks. I'll tell ya how they feel.

If you wanna see what other suspension mods I went with...check the 96 camaro sig.