i'm looking into building up my suspension on my 1995. i've seen alot of neat parts but admittedly, i am now confused as to what is good and what is not compatible with other parts. this car is still going to be primarily run on the street, but will see more strip duty than other cars i own, and i plan to be running somewhere in the low 10's with NOS. here's what i'm looking for:

good replacement springs-not drop springs
hal shocks
some sort of weld-in sfc's
weld-in relocation brackets
lower control arms
tubular k-member
better sway bars
panhard bar and torque arm
a driveshaft loop
wolfe 6 point weld in roll cage

i've seen this bmr trak-pak and it looks neat but it doesn't seem to be compatible with alot of other components. i also plan on going to an aftermarket 12-bolt rear and carbon fibre driveshaft. what do you guys think about this plan....any suggestions on a better combo of parts or parts to stay away from. any suggestions are welcome.

 

Im also builing up my susspenshion, Id stick with one brand and not mix it up. Im going with all BMR stuff so I know one part can be used with another.

 

i would look into the spohn products. they are of excellent quality and are better priced than bmr. sticking to one brand would probally make sense to myself. the sway bars and panhard bar probally won't do much at the strip. i believe they are mainly for handling.

 

yes, using parts from the same vendor is a very wise step also works well for trouble shooting any problems. i planned on using bmr, does anybody have any input as to the quality of their more hardcore racing parts?

 

i disagree, if one company makes a better suspension product, then wouldnt it be a good idea to get it?

Example: Kenny Brown DD SFC vs. BMR SFC

I have MAC LCA's, MAC PHR, BMR re-location brackets, DD SFC, QA1- Hal shocks/springs...So accoring to your idea, my car isnt as good as a all BMR car?

 

Since you don't want to drop the car, why get new springs??? The QA1 (formerly HAL) shocks come with front spring btw.

SFC's are a good mod for ANY car.

The relocation brackets may not be of use since you are not lowering the car. If you find that you're not getting enough anti-squat off the line then you may wish to install these.

Control arms are cheap enough but don't do all that much. The stiffer bushings probably eliminate more deflection than the arms themselves. If you have the money it's not too bad of a mod.

The tubular K-member is more of a weight saving mods (and sometimes used for clearance of turbo's, longtubes, etc.) Is the money worth the weight savings for you???

Sway bars are going to be tuned either for cornering or drag. If you want to corner than you get a much stiffer front bar (and usually a slightly larger rear). The front bar is much more added weight unless you buy a hollow one $$$$. A very large rear bar can be very helpful on launch with high horsepower cars and traction, but definitely hurts handling.

Panhard rod is to recenter the rear axle after lowering (which is not of concern to you) It also helps eliminate deflection during hard cornering loads (not of concern to you)

Torque arm is a large debate. Some people have gone tens on the stock TA, others have mangled it. An aftermarket TA will allow for changing pinion angles.

Driveshaft safety loop is a good idea for any car that drag races. It is also required at many tracks for certain ET's.

The roll cage is also a requirement for certain ET's. You need to check the rulebook. Be aware that it does pose a safety risk on the street, but if you're running tens I'm sure you'll have to have one to run at the track.

You're twelve bolt is a good idea, a must for these cars if you plan on power and traction. Carbon fiber driveshaft is probably overkill. You may wish to get a HD aluminum DS with solid yokes.

I prefer the bang-for-the-buck of BMR parts myself

 

I vote against a carbon fiber driveshaft cuz its not going to be able to take the hard launches of going 10s. a good balanced steel ds may be heavier, but its gonna take the torque alot better. The two guys I know of setting up their 9 sec fbodies are going steel and told me this.

 

thanks for the breakdown of what the components actually do buttercup. i didn't know the QA1 came w/front springs...i just figured after 100,000 miles the stockers would be tired.

the SFC's are a must but bmr states that some of their components won't work with the DD SFC's so i guess it all depends on what you wanna run.

i heard the tubular k-member in addition to other components can save about 100 lbs. i think that's worth a little something.

how exactly does a roll cage pose a safety issue on the street? i know anyone running quicker than 10.99 requires a roll cage, but i don't know how that's a safety risk on the street. the loop is also cheap insurance. the carbon fiber saft was just a thought for now because if the shaft does break, carbon fibre won't cause the carnage aluminum or steel would.

the other suspension parts would just be an upgrade to tired factory components that would allow me to retain some sort of street manners and driveability if i were to go for a drive.

thanks for educating me

 

i'm sure your car is fine.....i just don't want to run into incompatibility of parts and then have the manufacturer tell me that i have to buy their part in order for something to work and am stuck with a useless part, it get's expensive that way. i've also noticed that a lot of higher end pieces are incompatible with other manufacturers and require fabrication.....not one of my strong suites

 

The factory springs should not lose there spring rate. The QA1 do come with front "drag" springs that should work fine with the stock rears. This setup is still very streetable but of course isn't going to fair well with an autocrosser

Since you're set on losing weight, the KBDD SFC's may not be your best choice Since the KBDD's are fully triangulated I'd imagine they could interfere with relocating the TA mount among other things. "Regular", non-triangulated SFC's, either boxed or tubular are still going to make big improvements on the unibody's rigidity.

The K-member alone is NOT going to shave 100lbs. Depending on brand/style it's more like ~30 lbs. I believe.

In order to pass inspection the cage must be a certain distance from the driver's head. With a helmet on this is not a problem, but most of us do not drive on the street with helmets If you are running that quick then you must have one installed but if you're not, the added weight, cost, and safety issues might shy you away from the cage.

I agree on the driveshaft loop. A good idea especially for those people running weaker driveshafts like the LS1.

If you're running a loop I'd just contact someone like Denny's to make you a good driveshaft.

 

Definitely.
I don't agree. They keep the car a lot straighter when you spin the tires and give a much more stable feeling IMO.
Me too

 

I have the HAL shocks; the front springs may be included in some kits but they'll definitely an option. Tom Byrne sells the shocks and springs separately.