well since i can fit my hand between my tires and wheel well im going to lower my car.. i also want it to be stable at high speeds and handle.. i dont want to run into camber problems though and go thru tires like no other.. so my question is what do i need to lower it the right way? heres what im planning on buying:
lowering springs.. what is recommended drop?
short travel shocks/struts
rear control arms/relocation brackets (boxed or adjustable tube?? which to get)
adj panhard
heres a few questions i have.. do i need upper and lower A arms? i will also be doing a tubular K member when i put my new block in (whenever that is) should i wait til then to do the A arms if i need them? also what else will help me carve corners and stay stable at HIGH speeds? im looking for subframe connectors, strut bar, and maybe a torque arm
anyone know any good package deals?? im definately hitting up ebay for most of this crap lol.. K members for 299 im there! any help would be great!
lowering springs.. what is recommended drop?
short travel shocks/struts
rear control arms/relocation brackets (boxed or adjustable tube?? which to get)
adj panhard
heres a few questions i have.. do i need upper and lower A arms? i will also be doing a tubular K member when i put my new block in (whenever that is) should i wait til then to do the A arms if i need them? also what else will help me carve corners and stay stable at HIGH speeds? im looking for subframe connectors, strut bar, and maybe a torque arm
anyone know any good package deals?? im definately hitting up ebay for most of this crap lol.. K members for 299 im there! any help would be great!
Registered User
Talk with Sam Strano at stranoparts.com. He's an F-Body suspension expert that can set you up for your driving needs.
A 1" drop will improve both the looks and handling (lowers the center of gravity) without killing your ground clearance. Springs and shocks work together as a system, so I recommend upgrading shocks. You won't have a travel issue, but you'll want to optimize dampening to get the best performance. Bilstein's are a great value, but you can get better shocks if your budget allows. An adjustable tubular panhard bar will allow you to recenter the body (left to right) after it's lowered. Tubular rear lower control arms should not have poly on both ends as this will cause suspension binding. Sperical joints provide maximum "freedom" but will increase road noise. Rubber won't bind either but promotes more play in the suspension. I went with one side poly, one side sperical. LCA relocation brackets allow you to correct the angle of the arms after lowering. Road racing guys question the durability of tubular K members. I have the BMR piece, feel it's well built and really enjoy engine access from the bottom. Only time will tell if it fails. As you stated, it's more efficient to replace the front upper and lower arms when installing the K member. You don't need to; the stock arms work fine (geometry wise). Of course your bushings, ball joints and tie rod ends may be worn and should be replaced. Again you get to decide to go rubber or poly.
A 1" drop will improve both the looks and handling (lowers the center of gravity) without killing your ground clearance. Springs and shocks work together as a system, so I recommend upgrading shocks. You won't have a travel issue, but you'll want to optimize dampening to get the best performance. Bilstein's are a great value, but you can get better shocks if your budget allows. An adjustable tubular panhard bar will allow you to recenter the body (left to right) after it's lowered. Tubular rear lower control arms should not have poly on both ends as this will cause suspension binding. Sperical joints provide maximum "freedom" but will increase road noise. Rubber won't bind either but promotes more play in the suspension. I went with one side poly, one side sperical. LCA relocation brackets allow you to correct the angle of the arms after lowering. Road racing guys question the durability of tubular K members. I have the BMR piece, feel it's well built and really enjoy engine access from the bottom. Only time will tell if it fails. As you stated, it's more efficient to replace the front upper and lower arms when installing the K member. You don't need to; the stock arms work fine (geometry wise). Of course your bushings, ball joints and tie rod ends may be worn and should be replaced. Again you get to decide to go rubber or poly.
Registered User
It sounds like you're in the exact same mindset i was in a few months ago. I'm in the middle of doing exactly what you described... Great hwy handling, no clearance issues and still a nice ride without the giant wheel gap 
I talked with Sam S. just the other day to get my shocks and adjustable PHB.
Here is the setup I went with... Hotchkis 1" Lowering springs, Bilstein Revalves (based on what I told mr. Strano, and the Chromemoly Adjustable PHB with one end poly one spherical. At the same time ill be replacing the bushings in my front control arms.
I'm considering getting some LCA's too but am on the fence about just replacing my stock bushings or getting some rod end poly combo lcas.
When all the parts get here and I put it all in look for my post. I'll give a detailed description of all the differances I noticed
I still have the stock suspension with stock shocks on a car with 130,000 miles on it. I'm hoping to return the car to the way it first felt 50,000 miles ago but many say it'll feel far better than that!
I talked with Sam S. just the other day to get my shocks and adjustable PHB.
Here is the setup I went with... Hotchkis 1" Lowering springs, Bilstein Revalves (based on what I told mr. Strano, and the Chromemoly Adjustable PHB with one end poly one spherical. At the same time ill be replacing the bushings in my front control arms.
I'm considering getting some LCA's too but am on the fence about just replacing my stock bushings or getting some rod end poly combo lcas.
When all the parts get here and I put it all in look for my post. I'll give a detailed description of all the differances I noticed
I still have the stock suspension with stock shocks on a car with 130,000 miles on it. I'm hoping to return the car to the way it first felt 50,000 miles ago but many say it'll feel far better than that!