My car has over 80,000 miles on it, and the stock shocks were crap when I bought it nearly 40,000 miles ago. Now they're crap AND they're wearing out. The vibrations are taking their toll on the interior, which has developed a couple of rattles and will surely develop some more if I don't do something about it.

I'm ready to spend some money making the situation better. My understanding is that the best way to do that is with a complete set of shock absorbers.

I love to drive fast, take corners fast, etc., but if I'm being honest with myself, I get to the track two, maybe three times a year at the most, compared to 200 days worth of being driven on the street. I live in Michigan, and we have lots of potholes. My suspension needs to be biased for the street, and not for the strip, roadcourse, or autocross.

I have a mostly-stock Z28 with 17x9" wheels (from an '02 WS6) and 275/40 tires. I also have a two-point strut tower brace.

My understanding is that there are setups available for my car that offer slightly improved handling, weight transfer, etc., while also offering drastically improved ride quality. That's what I want.

I am willing to buy a set of springs, too, if that's what it takes to get the ride/handling balance I'm looking for. However, I am not willing to lower the car any more than 1/2". Too many of the places I visit frequently have steep driveways that would not be manageable if the car were much lower than stock.

I'll consider an adjustable setup if the price is right, but I think what I really want is something that's already set to the settings that are right for a full-weight street-driven 4th gen so that I can't screw it up.

As soon as I get some time during business hours, I plan on calling Sam Strano and asking him myself. In the meantime, recommendations and experiences please.

 

Strano knows his stuff, but I'll say one of the best balanced setups I've rode in was the SLP Level 2 kit. I used it on my car for about a year and man that thing was tight in corners. Only other suspension mod I had was LCA's and 1LE front bar. I also liked this kit because it didnt lower the car much. I am pretty sure Strano has said in the past that stock springs are good and to just get a set of his custom valved Bilsteins.

Worse setup: Eibach Drag Launch Kit with stock shocks.

-Dustin-

 

I've actually been kicking around the idea of some Moog replacements for factory Z28 springs. The lower look appearance-wise looks great, but I hate scraping, and my worn-out springs that are probably at a lowered height now are a little low for my taste.

 

I think Strano's springs will be just what you want

 

call strano. Leave him a message because he is very busy, but the 20-30min conversation will leave you educated, very well.

Im on strano springs and koni 4/4's. Couldnt be happier.

 

I think that might be what I end up with. No idea when I'm going to get a chance to call Strano.

Are Strano springs lower than stock? If so, how much? How is the ride/handling balance with that setup, compared to stock?

 

-1.2 to -1.3"

 

Too much. I'll scrape on my own driveway every day.

I need something more like half an inch.

 

I'm happy with my 1LE springs. Stiffer but with stock height. They aren't made anymore but you can still find them. As a matter of fact, I have an unused set of rear ones if anybody is interested.

The reason they are spares is that I bought a back set first and later all I could find was a full set to get the fronts.

 

Yeah you can. My drive way is pretty steep and I can make it into and out of my driveway without scraping. When I first started driving my car I scrapped all the time, but once I figured out the approach and I was able to make it in and out of my driveway without issues.

For the record, I'm lowered ~2" (sportlines w/ one coil cut) in the front and ~3/4" (stock SS rear suspension) in the rear.

 

I like my QA1 12 way adjustables. You can set your own ride height with them too