I wanted to lower my camaro and give it little handling boost, so I bought some bilstien HD shocks for all for corners, along with summit brand 4th gen lowering springs.

The springs were supposed to lower the car 1.3 inches. While I don't remember the exact spring rates, when I called to order the springs, I asked for the spring rates and the salesman told me the rate number, and it was signifigantly higher that the stock spring rating.

The car does sit about an inch lower, but the springs suck bad. They are the softest, weakest springs I've ever seen on a car. When the car is at rest, I can push atop any one wheels make the springs compress 5 inches or more.

I took the car for a mild drive, and it rides like a 55 cadillac. It is very smooth and soft. The nose totally dives during braking, and the body rolls in turns more than an FA-18 in combat. I was driving normally, too. I wasn't doing any serious handling testing.

THese springs were $159 new for a set of 4, and I totally got what I paid for. The car handled way better with the 13 year old stock springs and decarbon shocks. I very well might put my stock springs back in. These springs are great if you want a lower, more aggressive stance, and a comfy ride. The are AWFUL if you want any kind of suspension stiffness or handling improvment. They DO NOT have the spring rate advertised. I'll post up the advertised spring rate after I call summit and complain.

 

You're probably better off doing what some guys have done (with true "success" apparently? ) and cut 1 coil off of each of the factory springs. It's supposed to lower the car approx. ~1" - 1.5", and cutting a coil spring short will actually increase its effective spring rate by a little, so you'd probably be better off doing that if you want your car a little lower?

Again, a few guys have said they've actually been quite pleased after doing this!

 

I've got 1LE springs and I'm glad they aren't any stiffer, it really would beat me to death. BTW, they don't lower the car any but that is what I wanted.

 

Don't throw the springs in the tank yet, I've had terrible luck with bilstien shocks (being too soft, or being so stiff you'd swear they were solid). Have your shocks checked then have your spring rates checked versus what Summit lists them as, if they differ send them back.

 

I don't feel like pulling them off again for a while. I'm gonna stuff some spring helpers in the coils and see if those will wake up the car a little bit.

 

Bad idea.

 

While I agree that the Bilstein's aren't the best choice for lowering springs, they have nothing to do with how soft the car is like the fact he can push it way, way down. On the other hand, you want some movement in the rear of the car. An F-body with big rear springs is basically the same thing as a 1-ton pick-up without a load, it will jump and bump all over the place.

The truth is that you really do pretty much get what you pay for. And any springs that are $159 have to make you wonder. Who's making them? What are the rates? What is the drop (actual vs. advertised)? How consistant are the springs? There are big name companies out there that have springs that vary greatly in actual function.

I think we have a situation here of two items of not super design that add up to worse than the sum of the parts.

 

So what is the rate of these springs?

 

They were advertised as:
front:377-600
rear:80-130

They are supposed to be progressive rate springs, and the low side of the progressive coils are spaced REALLY far apart. I think that is why they are so loose. I totally agree that I got what I paid for. I bought my camaro for dirt cheap, and it isn't in the greatest condition, so I didn't want to put premium parts on it.

I think if I put some spring helpers on the low side of the springs, it might help out a little. If not, then I'll drive a car that rides nice, and handles poorly. At least I can warn others not to buy these.

 

So those are probably relabeled Eibach w/93-97 front springs and 98-02 rears.

Eibach V8 Prokit 93-97 377-600 94-160 1.30
Eibach V8 Prokit 98-02 400 80-137 1.25"

 

The coils that are far apart are the stiffer coils, not the softer ones. And they are really the only active ones when the car is on the ground (the soft ones will go dead very quickly). And yes, it seems they tried to copy LT1 Eibach's in front, and LS1's in the rear which is amusing since the LT1 rears are better and the LT1 fronts can't be controlled with cheap shocks given the rate. And the progressive nature of them blocks access to the adjuster on a Koni if you wanted to run a good shock.

*IF* the rates aren't a lie, and they might not be you seeing how lacking in damping the Bilstein's you bought truly are. My springs are 550/150 rate, and nobody complains the car is too soft, and by that I'm pretty sure you don't like how the car moves about and won't take a set, but we use correct shocks.

Again, I think you have some spring issues that are unresolved, but the biggie is the poor dampers (and that's usually the case).

 

[QUOTE=Sam Strano;4961061]
*IF* the rates aren't a lie, and they might not be you seeing how lacking in damping the Bilstein's you bought truly are. My springs are 550/150 rate, and nobody complains the car is too soft, and by that I'm pretty sure you don't like how the car moves about and won't take a set, but we use correct shocks.
[\QUOTE]

I have the Hotchkis Springs with revalved bilsteins (got them from Sam Above ) and the ride is definatly much stiffer than stock. Unfortunatly I'd just chalk this up as a sunk cost and do it again the right way if you can afford to Get some new springs/shocks... and consider a 35mm front swaybar from Sam!

After Springs/shocks/swaybar the car handles near the limits of what I feel safe pushing the car to its awsome! Even losing traction in a hard hard turn feels like I have more control than if i were to lose it before the upgrades

 

The summit springs are on sale for $129.. glad I found this thread..