I love handling, and i am now getting ready to soop up the handling of my Z28. What products give the best possible handling on these cars for track driving and autocrossing? I used to have a prelude and was real happy with the eibach / Koni yellow set up, with bigger sway bars and some strut bars. Are there any better manufacturers' of these parts for our cars? Also, is there a more aggressive limited slip that would help out in the cornering. I am new to Camaros and it seems that these cars are a total different ball game the the fwd's..Basically if you could choose your utimate suspension, what would it be?... Your help is appreciated

 

I'm new to Camaro's also. I was looking for the same information you are seeking and I have two words for you. Strano Performance!! Go to stranoparts.com and look around. Pick out a few items you are interested in and then call Sam Jr direct. Tell him what you are interested in doing and what parts you think will do the job. He will tell you that you are on the right track or not. My guess for what you want to do is Koni SA in the front with Bilstein HD for the rear plus ST 35mm front bar. Just a guess.

I went with the Revalved Bilstein fronts and HD rears plus the ST 35mm bar and I am very happy. I was looking for handling that was similar to what I drive on the sunny days. I'm very impressed in the changes. Good luck.

Mike Boggs
97 Z28
97 C5 coupe
92 C4 vert.

 

The best parts for the job are going to depend on what type of racing you will be doing. Let us know some more info as well as your budget and I'm sure you'll get many responses

 

Piece of cake.

First off I would go with a Ground Control front coil over that way down the road you have choice of spring rates. Plus they are an easy install AND weigh less than a stock or stock type setup.

I would go with the 35mm bar in front also. The car being flat just feels good on the street and it helps to control camber in a competition enviroment.

The rear you can use your stock Z/28 springs without the rubber isolater.

Shock advice above sounds good.

A PHR with Poly and a rod end or two rod ends would also be on my list.

 

new to camaro? check www.stranoparts.com. he is the king of making a camaro handle!

 

thanks guys! I will be doing some track racing as well as autocrossing. Actually more autocrossing than tracking... I am not looking at price, but Iam looking at quality and product performance. I will save up for a moe expensive part if it is justified by the performance and quality. I was looking at apex springs or eibach springs, Koni shocks , some sway bars (not sure of size or brand), PHR (again not sure of brand), not sure what else I need in terms of suspension to be a good competitor for racing / autocrossing. The question still remains, what is the ultimate suspension for a Z28??

 

ESPFabricating.com makes some nice PHR and LCA's. A few other items too.

 

Ultimate is going to depend on what class you would like to compete in.

Obviously, stock is out of the question! In terms of SCCA Solo II classes, depending on your level of modifications, you move up to Street Prepared, then Prepared and then..... modified. Don't want to go there. Here is a link for (slightly outdated) Street Prepared Rules

Just be careful what you do. As an example, you can't use rod ends on LCA's. Things like that will get you in trouble.

My suggestion is to start off simple. Sway bars and shocks (maybe springs). Get the basics and go drive. Take some time to get used to what it feels like and see what others have done to their cars. I think the post that said call Sam Strano is the best advice here. He spent almost 40 minutes on the phone with me talking about my needs and expectations. Really wouldn't hurt to give him a call.

 

If cost is not a large deciding factor, I would go with Global West coil overs for the front with Koni single adjustable shocks. In the rear I'd go with Koni double adjustables and a linear spring, maybe 150 lbs.

Sam Strano will know a good setup for a car seeing large autocross duty.

Iwould highly recommend Unbalanced Engineering double adjustable rod end LCAs and PHR.

I'd also look into upgrading to a C5/Baer GT+ front brake setup.

 

for auto-x, i would not waste time changing brakes! an agressive pad will work just fine. i am using factory calipers and i can lock them up all over the place (no abs) unless you plan some serious track time, spend the buck on suspension first and dont forget a sweet tire. if you have unlimited funds, then get it all. www.ssbc.com has a 1le brake kit complete for 1200 bucks when its time to get them.

 

THANKS! Keep it coming ... I like the rsponses and am still finding out how other Z's are set up in way of a serious suspension. For sure will start with the springs, shocks, struts, or the coilover set up once I do some reasearch and sway bars.. Hey red that link for the brakes is for a softball league..

 

oops sorry! it is www.ssbrakes.com

 

Strano just hooked me up. Finished installing his revalved Bilsteins on the front and 4th gen Bilsteins on the rear. Also installed the solid 35 mm bar.

I am stunned at how hard I can corner and how much more agile the car is ON STOCK 94,000 MILE SPRINGS!! Sam actually talked me out of buying springs. The man made my car fun to drive again. There is no drama, no bounding around, just blurred scenery. (FWIW I only had 8000 miles on replacement Decarbons) I actually think that the car rides better to boot.

Strano RULES! I'd recommend him to anybody. He took an hour and a half during our initial conversation just talking to me about what I want from the car. Unbelievable in this day and age.

 

I'm tellin' ya, if you want a suspension customized for your needs, he's the one to call!!

 

My vote is to talk to Sam Strano as well. I spoke with him at length and have had the setup on the car a little over three weeks now. All I can say is wow

I ended up going with the Eibach Pro Kit for an LS1 car, Koni SA's up front, Bilstein HD's out back and a Suspension Techniques 35 mm front bar. This is my daily driver that sees an autocross event once monthly and the occasional road course outing.

Give Sam a call he wiil steer you in the right direction.