ok, so Im thinking I should be replacing my shocks from what Ive been reading due to the mileage and also my planned application for my car. I basiclly plan on a street/strip car in the next few years (i.e. when I graduate college) and want some help holding my car on the road, it gets sideways way to easy when I take off too hard (did it getting on the highway once, not fun).
So I guess my questions are what are yalls suggestions? Ive been looking at the summit site to get an idea of prices, brands, and use but I am fairly clueless as to what to get. Also, will I need new springs as well as shocks if I get them?
All current mods are in my sig. Thanks, yalls help is greatly appreciated.

Jared

 

if you're looking for suspension to help plant the rear tires for a better launch than look into some aftermarket lower control arms, control arm relocation brackets.
another good upgrade is a torque arm, although you can probably wait on that.
BUT at least swap out the stock mushy rubber bushing on the torque arm for a good poly unit. they are about $15 and will firm up the setup.

with just the LCAs, brackets and torque arm mount you'll be suprised how much better the car will hook up.

you dont really need to swap springs to get a good launch. but look into some adjustable shocks so that you can dial in softer settings in the rear to help the back squat down. but you can firm them up for daily driving.

 

so for daily driving, you would say #1 lca's with relocation brackets, 2 torque arm or at least poly bushings, 3 adjustable shocks? I also know tires would help but those will be later this year as I dont need new tires just yet.

Thanks teke.

Jared

 

also, looking at lca's Ive noticed the chrome moly or just mild steel... do I need the chrome moly or is it just for lighter wight and high horsepower applications? sorry for all the questions, Im just still trying to figure a few things out after my search.

Jared

 

i would say your first 3 mods should be the lower control arms, brackets and poly mount.

then drag shocks when you get the money

then tires

then more hp mods

then new tires

then a torque arm.

for you needs, just regular old tubular steel LCAs will be fine. since it sees street duty you may consider the poly/rubber combo for bushings. i know BMR sells them...i have it an have had no problems. really helped traction and it didn't increase road noise at all...or increase squeaks (although they are greaseable).

 

I'd agree.... #1 is tubular lower control arms, and LCA relocation brackets. You do not need chrome moly. The small weight savings is not worth the extra cost, and welding chrome moly is a lot more difficult to get reliable results.

Since you mention the car getting "sideways" on you, I'd guess the primary cause is loss of traction due to the high HP and torque, and the LCA's should help. If you are interested in pushing the car to its absolute limit when cornering, you need to make sure you get LCA's with the correct "ends". You don't want stiff polyurethane bushings on both ends for heavy cornering applications. Look for a poly/rubber combo (poly one end, rubber on the other) or a poly/rod end combo (poly on the body end, spherical rod end on the axle end). Both those combos will reduce suspension bind under heavy body roll cornering.

A couple of other items to consider....

Upgraded Sway Bars:

These will reduce body "roll" in heavy cornering, and help keep the tire tread planted in hard cornering. Slightly larger front and rear bars will help. But this is primarily of interest to people who are looking for the ultimate cornering capabilities. A nice low cost compromise is to replace your sway bar bushings and end-link bushings with polyurethane. That increases the effectiveness of the stock sway bars. If you are thinking long term about "straight line" racing, the sway bars may be of limited value, because the ultimate drag suspension will often entail removing the front sway bar, and using an extremely stiff rear sway bar. That is not a good setup at all tough for a car that is street driven and likes to be driven fast aruond corners.

Torque Arm:

I'd put the adjustable torque arm low on the list. The stocker will work fine at your current power level. I think the benefit is more related to keeping the driveshaft aligned properly, than to planting the rear wheels, at least until power levels start to rise. The stiffer poly bushing will help though, since it eliminates the slop and increases "lift" on the front of the chassis during acceleration. Aftermarket torque arms are often very heavy.

You've already got the Spohn panhard rod.... look at his catalog for the LCA's, relo brackets, etc.

Shocks:

Shocks will be an issue. For good manners on both the street and strip, you need adjustable shocks. But the choices are limited. The QA1/HAL shocks are good for the drag strip, but so-so for the street, at least any kind of serious handling. The best adjustables would be Konis, but they are high $$$

 

Im not too concerned about cornering as I dont really turn anymore, I slide! Seriously, I need to cut down on giving it so much gas arround corners...

Ok, so LCA's are next on the list. Are relocation brackets really that big of a help with stock ride hight? I also notice there are the weld in and bolt in from BMR, will the bolt in be durable enough for now without rounding out the holes as with subframe connectors?

Thanks for the help guys, I now have a good idea of what I need!

 

i feel special...Fred agrees with me

relocation brackets will still make a very noticable difference. even on stock height. it will help better triangulate the rear axle, eliminating axle twist under load. it will also help push the rear end into the ground...increasing traction.

the bolt ons have a side tab (kindda a wing) off to the side, it mounts behind the flange for the lower shock mount. it prevents the bracket from moving forward/backward. so with that in place and proper torque on the mounting hole (old lca hole) it should not produce any movement to cause slop in the holes.

there are some good threads on the brackets recently...i know i posted a pic or to for referance...

 

thead with on picture and some good info

 

cool, that pic helped alot... I know what Im doin now!

 

But a good suspension and sticky tires will allow you to go heavier on the throttle around corners. Its sort of a matter of choosing your priorities.... twisties, drag strip or decent for both.