AlwaysCode390

I am going to get some 2" Intrax drop springs put on the front of my car , but was wondering how bad that was going to change my alignment (toe in or out), and if I should look for a shim kit to adjust back or will they still be able to align it properly at the shop? Also with 255/40/17's in the front I should clear and NEVER rub right? If not how about with the 1.5" drop eibach springs? Thanks-

EDIT: anyone ever use the SPORTLINE Eibach springs, they are 1.8"....do they rub, eat up tires from camber or what?! Thanks

ps should I go with the eibach or intrax ones?

respectirocz

the toe is usually adjusted without shims, when u drop a car the camber changes dramatically, which needs to be adjusted

Injuneer

Lowering the front end will severly alter the alignment, including caster, camber and toe. There's no place to put a "shim" kit. Most people are able to get the front end aligned within reasonable specs using the range of movemoent provided by the stock slotting in the a-arm mounting bolt locations. You will want a different set of alignment specs for a lowered car though, not the stock specs.

AlwaysCode390

Thanks guys....will the alignment specs come with the kit do you think, or should I get it after someone finally gets it inline and then ask them how its set so I know next time? My last Acura ( I know, lol ) had a shim kit when I put 3" lowering springs on it, but thats alot lower too. I appreciate it

Injuneer

An Accura probably has a strut type suspension. Not the same with unequal length A-Arms.

Be interesting to see how low the Intrax actually put the car.

I had the Eibach Pro-Kits, and with the adjustable ride height on the QA1 shocks, the front end was down 1.8". I used specs I got from a friend who did some road racing, and they produced excellent results, with no unusual tire wear, using the stock adjustment range.

Caster: +4deg
Camber: -1deg
Toe: 0.10

Had no rubbing on the front tires (275/40-17's on 17x9.5" 49mm offset rims) except with the wheels at full lock. Then if you hit any kind of a bump, the tires would rub on the plastic inner fender liners. But I hated the fact that everything under the car (dual exhaust, Spohn TA) dragged on the ground all the time. I lived in fear of coming across a speed bump.

AlwaysCode390

Wow! That helped me A TON!!! The intrax say they are 2" front and rear , so the sportline ones would work PERFECT with those specs you just listed as they are a 1.8" drop like your adj shock setup with the pros. Did you take them off your car because of the dragging stuff problem? Just curious , thanks-

Injuneer

I took them off because the car was turned into a "track only" drag car, and the lowering springs weren't really consistant with maximizing straight line traction. Oh.... and because I hated scraping the bottom of the car on every little irregularity on the roads. You have to understand that NJ has the worst roads in the world.... I found myself getting caught in the grooves in asphalt roads from the 18-wheeler tires, that were so deep parts of the exhaust would scrape on the crown of the road. Hated it....

Check out the f-body.com bulletin board. There is a guy there who just put the Intrax spring on his car, loves them, and did not get the full 2" drop that Intrax quoted. Do a search for "Joe 1320"

http://www.f-body.com/forum/forumdisplay.php?forumid=2

AlwaysCode390

Hey Bro, I appreciate it and checked it out, can you ask him if he thinks the 255/40/17's I have will fit in the front without rubbing, (ask him what size tire he runs ) since I am not a member of that board and cant send him a pm, THANKS-

Also what have you heard about ride harshness with the sportlines? That will be my deciding point now .... I can get either spring setup for about $20 more on the Eibachs, and I would like red springs but that doesnt really matter; now its all about the ride feeling THANKS---

Joe 97RA

Fred directed me to this thread to post a follow up. What I found is that advertised drop rarely relates to actual drop. My T/A was a little lower than my Z28 so that 2" advertised drop turned out to be more like 1.5 inches max. I would imagine had I installed them on a Camaro or Ze8 the drop may have closer to 2". Their ride quality is perhaps even better than OEM. I've ridden in cars with brand "E" springs and the ride was choppy and imho, harsh.

The intrax springs http://www.intraxsuspension.com/prod_springs.html are indeed progressive rate. That gives them superior ride quality.

From their website:

INTRAX designs most of its lowering kits with progressive rates, to satisfy the two features you've asked for most. First, the lowered look. Most other brands' springs are linear rate, as this is cost-effective but doesn't necessarily provide the visual effect you desire. By designing a progressive spring, we achieve the lowered look while maintaining safety standards of spring preload at suspension droop. The second requirement is ride quality. Since most of you identified that you drove 90% of your mileage to and from work, you wanted to retain some ride quality enjoyed with OE springs. If you're driving to work on a racetrack, "Sport" or "Race" springs from other brands may be for you. INTRAX progressive springs provide high performance looks and comfortable ride quality.

INTRAX creates the finest springs, from start to finish. INTRAX springs begin the forming process with cold winding to the most exacting standards. Within two hours of forming, springs are stress relieved in an oven (not to be confused with heat treating), and then shot peened to remove surface imperfections and further relieve internal stress. This can extend service life of a spring up to 200% or more. Next, the spring is "blocked" (wound to a longer length than required, and set in a hydraulic press to obtain designed free length). This eliminates the "settling" other brands require, due to the lower cost of their production processes. Finally, springs are Phosphate coated for corrosion resistance, and electrostatically powder coated to ensure a lifetime of outstanding looks.


As far as the other equipment, I have BMR lower control arms, adjustable panhard rod, relocation brackets and adjustable torque arm. These componants are a great value if you aren't driving a maximum effort strip car.

Any time you lower these cars, the lower control arm gets pointed in such a fashion that the instant center gets moved to a point outside the car. This takes away any bite off the line you had, if any. Relocation brackets drop the rear attachment point and move the instant center back to a point in the car. The result is as the rear end tries to rotate, the leverage exerted forces the rear differential downward, planting the tires harder. I actually added all the other suspension parts as time went by, the springs were the last part added. Stock cars can benefit greatly with the addition of better suspension componants.

I also added airlift bags in the rear springs for added tuning at the strip and the ability to carry passengers in the rear seats without bottoming out on large bumps. http://img255.imageshack.us/img255/7344/image023lb.jpg
This whole package is fantastic. I also run several wheel and tire combos...... 285/40/17s on Borbet 17x9.5 for the street and 295/50/15 on Weld Prostars and 15x3.5 with 165s up front for street/strip.

Here's a pic with the Borbets:

http://www.f-body.com/forum/attachme...tachmentid=850

http://img34.exs.cx/img34/4489/image142lh.jpg

guywithaZ

If it's your DD the 1.8 drop is gonna suck it will look cool but it rides like crap and you scrap everything...and traction sucks from a launch...thought I would throw that out there...

AlwaysCode390

Wow thanks Joe and guywithaz!!! Your car is BEAUTIFUL!!! I just bought the intrax springs yesterday and just plan on putting on the FRONT springs since my 315's will rub in the rear (until I roll the fender a bit), I guess that should be smart considering it shouldnt take away any of my launch that way right? I LOVE YOUR AIRBAG CONVERSION.....what brand did you use? Please link me. I just bought subframe connectors and an adjustable panhard rod.....I will get the control arms and torque arm soon since you suggest them, but will I need the relocation brackets BEFORE I use the rear drop springs or not? With the airbags do you think my 315/35/17's will rub or will I still need to roll the fender lip? Thanks again!!!

Joe 97RA

You will need relocation brackets as lowering alters the geometry of the rear control arms. The relocation bracket lowers the rear attachment point and you will regain any bite that went away due to the drop. Whether 315s will rub or not depends on the offest of the wheel. 36mm will likely rub the outer fender, 50 mm will require some inner fender messaging and modification of the jounce bumper. The airlift bags will prevent the suspension from compressing enough to cause interferance with the outer fender.

The air lift bags can be ordered from www.jegs.com

part number 022-60897
http://www.jegs.com/cgi-bin/ncommerc...12&prmenbr=361



http://www.jegs.com/photos/02260844.jpg

AlwaysCode390

How rough do those airbags make the rear ride? They take the place of the strut right? I am not sure of the offset, the wheels were on the car when I bought them but they are 11" zr1's

EDIT: I am planning on using the intrax with bilsteins ( aftermarket not slp ) up front and the stock springs with the air bags in the rear....if I get the relocation brackets should I be good for awhile ( with the panhard and subframe connectors too ). What brand relocation brackets do you reccommend.....does summit carry them? THANKS!!!

Injuneer

The airbags do not replace the shocks (there are no "struts" on a 4th Gen F-Body). They insert in the rear springs. You still need to buy/install rear shocks. If you reduce the pressure to 5psi, you will not know they are there. As you increase the pressure in the bag, its like making the spring stiffer, and possibly a slight increase in ride height as the pressure goes up.

I used to have them on my car, mainly to control body roll on a drag launch. You can see the right rear spring with the bag in this pic (they were removed after that Spohn drag race sway bar was installed.):

http://cjcfo.fbody.com/members/injun.../DCP03556a.jpg

In that picture, you can also see the Spohn Performance LCA relocation brackets. Highly recommended.

AlwaysCode390

Thanks guys, well I just ordered the air bags, bilstein shocks for front and rear, non adjustable torque arm, lower control arms, and relocation brackets.....and I have an adjustable panhard rod, subframe connectors, and a strut mount bar. I just ordered the intrax springs the other night. Is there anything else you guys reccommend I get while I am doing all this suspension stuff and will be under the car already? Thanks ALOT.....I bet I will be more than happy with my new setup