OK, next week I will be picking up a set of Eibach pro kit springs and Bilstein HD shocks. In my possesion already is a set of BMR LCA's and a 32mm front sway bar of a WS6.

I wan to install all of this stuff this fall, but my question is, whatwill give better performance. Option one is the pro kit springs with the Bilstein HD's and the 32mm sway, or Bilsteins, stock springs and getting a hold of a 35mm bar front bar. Then theres the third choice of stock springs, bilsteins and hte 32mm bar I have now.

I dont auto-x or anything, just want more nimble, better handling car. If I wont notice much of a difference between a 32 and 35mm bar, then I'd perfer to just stick with the 32.

I am a little worreid about my header y pipe scraping if I lower my car, but I think I'd love the look. I will run my car by an exhaust shop and try to get the y pipe raised up a bit if I decide to go the eibach route.

Also, if i decide to stick with the 32mm bar, will I need new bushings to accomodate it?

Thanks a lot,

Steve

 

Bilsteins first since deCarbons suck. Then I would get either the Prokit or the 35mm bar, or both. If you are paying someone else to install the shocks, then go for the prokit. The swaybar is so easy to change that you can do it yourself even if you've never done it before.

I have mac midlengths too, the only time they scrape was when I was on a unpaved road. I dunno what got into me, offroading in a lowered car like that.

I believe that you will need a new bracket/bushing for the 32mm bar. You might as well get new endlinks too even though you don't need it.

 

Well the Bilsteins and pro-kti are used, adn being sold together. Thats why I'm getting both at the same time. Whatever I do, I will do all of the labor myself. Its just that if the car will handle better with the stock springs, Id rather sell the pro kit and use that money towards a 35mm bar.

 

Stock springs will not be better than the prokits if that is what you are asking. Unless you have plans for something different, I would go ahead and just install the prokit. It is alot less work to change the bar later than it is to change the springs later.

A bigger swaybar and stiffer springs do very similar things. The bar is basically a U shaped peice of metal that resist bending when one wheel goes up and the other goes down, ie when the car is leaning.

If you have the bracket from the 32mm bar you have right now. Go ahead and put it on your car just to see if you like it, the 35mm bar does basically the same thing, except more so. If you need new brackets, i think they run less than 20 bucks. The endlinks you have now will work although new stiffer endlinks will help squeeze every last drop of benefit from that bar.

If I were in your shoes and I knew I was going to ditch that swaybar eventually for a bigger one, I would just try to use a very sharp cutting tool and shave about 1mm worth of rubber off the stock swaybar bracket/bushing. So then i could run the 32mm bar in the bracket design for a 30mm bar. But that's totally backyardish, that's borderline bad advice since stuff can go wrong. Do at your own risk.

 

Have you considered something with less of a drop, like the BMR springs? I have them and AS&M headers and there is no scraping ever. It lowered the car a little more than an inch and it corners much better than the stock springs and shocks. As for the sway bars, I wouldn't imagine you'd notice much af a difference between the 32 and 35mm. IMO, bushings and endlinks should be replaced no questions asked. The are cheap enough, why go through all that trouble to just use the stock squishy bushings. Some nice poly ones are the way to go. Good luck-Rob

 

There is a big difference between a 35mm bar and a 32mm bar. I've driven/riden in cars with both, unless you are running insane high spring rates the 35mm is better. Like hamburger vs steak. If you never had either one, then hamburger should taste pretty good the first time you try it. But steak is just that much better.

The stock bushings should be replace, but if he's just going to run the 32mm bar for a month then sell it, why bother. The 35mm bar will come with brand new brackets and endlinks.

 

Alright, looks like I'll be ordering new endlinks and bushings for the 32mm bar if I decide to run it.

Also, yes I have considered other springs. Theres the BMR's and the Hotchkis that give less of of a drop. Then theyres the SLP level 2 springs. I'm partial to the SLP's, but I've read online that the front of the car ends up sitting higher than the rear. Is this true? As much as Id like the handling, if anything Id rather have the rear of the car higher than the front.