Suspension upgrades???

[1QUICK85]

I need some ideas for some suspension upgrades. I just want to be able to get the power to the street without spinning so much. My car is stored right now and needs a good tune, but I am wanting to help handle my new found power. I am selling my GTA rims(plus I want to go with ProStars later) to get a little extra money to use on the suspension. I want to lower it, not much just enough to give it a bad-ass stance. I have a passenger side air bag and a pinion snubber, thats it. I will be running just my stock '85 wheels with stock size copper cobra tires on them(215's). Is it impossible to get good traction with these tires, not sure how much I will be going to the drag stirp. Anyways!! So this is what I was thinking:

Eibach springs/or another brand that makes the cool stance.
Nice shocks eventually.
One more air bag for the driver side spring.
ATR rear sway bar~~used hopefully.
Boxed lower control arms~~know of any good deals???

Any and all suggestions please. Tell me what you got? I dont want to spend a fortune.

TIA, Nick :)

[Turbo Brian]

i have the eibach springs and couldnt be happier with the stance/handling. also have bilstein shocks to compliment them. i got my boxed LCA with poly bushings from hrpartsnstuff. very nice pieces.

[jmidolo]

I'm not into the whole lowering thing but as far as your other questions:


Eibach springs/or another brand that makes the cool stance. *wouldn't bother. but that's me

Nice shocks eventually. *Bilsteins are the best, would spend $ here before a set of lowering springs.

One more air bag for the driver side spring. *Usually sold in pairs only

ATR rear sway bar~~used hopefully. *had it on my 86 GN. Heavy SOB that is. Dont thnk it helped 60fts at all, but it definately helped in the cornering dept.

Boxed lower control arms~~know of any good deals??? * HRPartsanstuf kit w/the 1LE bushings. You'll be into it for under 100 bux.

[jmidolo]

One more thing. Get the front frame braces from the other Gbodies. Bolt right on and improve front end sloppiness when cornering.

[1QUICK85]

Forgot to say that I just installed all the frame braces last summer with the rear seat brace kit too.

So what would be the best thing to buy first?
The shocks??
Why wouldnt you lower you car?
If ya had my car what suspension product would you buy next? I am leaning towards springs :fragez: I just thought my stock rims would look sweet with the car lowered.

Thanks, Nick

[jmidolo]

Just not into the lowering car thing, I think it looks nice on some cars, but not my thing. Yea, I would go w/the bilsteins first, also, you could add the missing #5 GNX bushing and the missing lower body bushings for short money and improve your ride.

[Bens87tr]

I didn't think I would be into the lowereing thing either, but I need new springs. Mine are so sagged over the years that stockers would put it a couple of inches higher. I'm going with the Eibachs just to keep the same appearance I have now.

[Ross]

One more thing. Get the front frame braces from the other Gbodies. Bolt right on and improve front end sloppiness when cornering.

Where could I get the front frame braces? Aren't there 2 sets? Uppers and lowers?

[granitestategn]

You get them from the junkyard........at night. Actually, I bought mine from the junkyard for $10....in the daytime. I second the motion on the Bilsteins. Best money spent to date on my car. I put them on in about 1991. Did wonders for the handling. No more lookin out the side windows going around bumpy corners. That car was dangerous right off the showroom floor with the crappy OEM shocks.

[mike85gn]

I got my frame braces off a Cutlass and some old Caddy, they bolted up just fine. I run a pair of airbags. First thing you need to do is get rid of the peg leg on those tires. You are going to cook them hard. Get a posi in there and at least some drag radials and it should go pretty fast, with the V2, high 11's should be doable with a little tuning.

[jmidolo]

You get them from the junkyard........at night. Actually, I bought mine from the junkyard for $10....

Aint worth it tho. At the time I got mine from Zak w/the listmember discount it was something like 35 bux. With the self tapping bolts and washers etc...delivered to my door bolt in, brand new :) I am going to be putting them on the Limited as well provided they will fit w/the V4 and the scoop that it has. I posted that question, see if anyone replies.

[HairDrier]

215's? Come on. You might as well take some tires off a ten speed bike and run them.

Get some 245's at least in the back, they look good and dont make the wheel look like a donut

[granitestategn]

Joe's right. It's not worth a trip to the junkyard just for those. Not to mention if that's all you're buying, they'll charge you more. I was already hanging upside down in a Monte Carlo trying to get the vacuum brake pedal assembly out. It was a nice break to lay under the front end for a little while. :dong:

[1QUICK85]

Well I think I am going to go with the Eibachs eventually. I agree my 215's are not going to cut it and look ***** on the car. Bilsteins are a lot of money. Eibachs seem like the only thing I can afford or like someone said I should upgrade to a posi(I believe it is like $550 or somewhere in there to convert my peg leg to posi). Funny thing is the damn car is turning posi?????ever since I put the V2 and TA-49 on the car.

Final question is the ART sway bar worth the money?? Will I notice the difference in handling?

I forgot all about the GNX missing bushing......I need to do that!!

You guys have any idea what my car might be putting out for horsepower/torque? Pump gas 16# or Race gas 110 20#+ I know this is a stupid question, just wondering what ya guys think?

Thanks, Nick

[HairDrier]

Final question is the ART sway bar worth the money?? Will I notice the difference in handling?



You mean ATR? :zahn:

Yeah its a great upgrade for the money but dont bother doing it until you box the control arms. It will turn them into tacos in no time

[1QUICK85]

ATR :albert: :add_wegbr

Ok, thanks looks like Eibach springs and boxed lower control arms & one more air bag and probably bigger tires in the rear. Would drag radials be a bad idea on my peg leg???
One more thing. I have never had to change springs before, am I in for a world of hurt? So far I have done everything to my car, except the port job on my exhaust elbow.....got that covered now with my new dremel tool :rock: So, how hard..........time dont matter really. I usually take mine time anyways.

Thanks, Nick

[HairDrier]

Drag radials offer good street traction but marginal handling. I had BFG's and I am going with street tires for better handling. Some say Nittos handle better than BFG's, though I think the BFG's get a slight edge in traction and wear. My experience with BFG's would probably have been better if I had wider wheels

[1QUICK85]

Do you guys have any thoughts on the ATR springs. I got a guy that is offering me a deal on them......towards my GTA rims possibly. They are suppose to lower and stiffen your suspension.

Nick

[Turbo Brian]

though I think the BFG's get a slight edge in traction and wear. dry traction, yeah, but NOT wear. the nitto's will go 10k+ miles and the bfg's maybe 5k miles. not to mention, the bfg are not to be driven in the rain. nittos handle rain just fine.

as for the atr springs, cant say. im too lazy to find my atr catalog but if they are the typical moog/trw spring that some other vendors sell, you may not get the lower look you want. been there, done that.

[HairDrier]

dry traction, yeah, but NOT wear. the nitto's will go 10k+ miles and the bfg's maybe 5k miles. not to mention, the bfg are not to be driven in the rain. nittos handle rain just fine.



My BFG's have at least 12k on them. They are now officially BALD

I think they have quite a few track passes in them though until I get some slicks. They used to do good in the rain to about 55mph, now they are down to about 40 mph :SHOCKED:

[1QUICK85]

I definatly dont want to fool around with throwing spring in and then not be happy with stance of my car. I totally want the lowered cool looking stance. Do Eibachs give a better stance??? That is what I am thinking, if so I definatly want to go with the Eibachs.

Thanks, Nick

[Turbo Brian]

i tried to go the cheap route the first time but wasnt happy (moog 5658 front and i dont recall the rear springs). i was going to have to cut the springs to get the drop i wanted and i didnt want to keep removing the front springs over and over to get it right so i just got the eibach and was happy. you can see pics of the car w/ the eibachs on my site linked in my sig.

[1QUICK85]

I saw your pics earlier and love the way your car sits. So, I am pretty sure I am going to go with the Eibachs.

thanks, Nick

[irockwithdirt]

I think I'm going ot go with these..... some of the guys on the monte board have them and they are supposed to be very well made.

http://cgi.ebay.com/ebaymotors/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&item=2458775574&category=33583&sspagename=STRK%3AMEBWA%3AIT

http://cgi.ebay.com/ebaymotors/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&category=33583&item=2459632758

[Taffy]

I just put on Hotchkis rear uppers and lowers with the bar to tie it together. It will be a while till the car gets driven, but it changes the geometry a bit.

The few people that I know running the Hotchkis rear suspension say it is a huge improvement.

We will see...

[GNVYUS 1]

The radiator brace will not fit with the V2.This sucks because I used to have all the bars and my highway driving at 90mph felt like the old 60 after the upgrade.

I lowered the car 2 inches( PST ), helps everyday driving in many ways and looks menacing. You can sort of see it in my avatar.

Bilstein springs are probably worth the money, but the cheaper ones I got seem to be doing just fine. Saving money for other upgrades will make up for the cheaper shocks.

Forget about the rear bar for racing, the stock bar is fine. If you plan on doing 10's or faster, just go for the H&R bar.

The poly bushings ( PST )make a huge difference, especially with the lowering springs. These two with the shocks really compliment each other.

Box the lower and upper arms if you are on a budget, or go Hotchis like someone mentioned. The shop pressing your bushings could probably do this for you for cheap.

One area people over look as a suspension upgrade is in aftermarket rims. I have 15x8 and 15x10 rims with large tires on them. These will help cornering, braking and launching ( to a certain degree ). You can go 275/50 up front on 15x8 rims with a b.s. of 4" and 295/50 in the rears on 15x10 rims with a 4.5" b.s. You will need to roll the lips if you lower the car 2 inches like I did but its worth it.

I have spent $800 on just the rims, so be prepared to go $2000 if you want the above. But, the car feels safer even when driving like a mad man. :racer:

[LikeMy6]

you can throw all kinda money in the suspension but if you dont invest in better tires your still gonna spin. Softer tires&lower air pressure = better traction. The factory suspension is capable of running in the 10's without mods.

[1QUICK85]

Thanks for replies guys. I am glad to hear the rear bar is decent enough to handle my setup.

GNVYUS 1, my V2 is a intake/intercooler conversion for the hot air cars. Not a huge V2 intercooler like yours. Mine is actually just a modified 86/87 intercooler with bigger 2 1/2 in ends on it. I think you were directing that statement to me.

I really think I am just going to lower the car and then see what size tire I can put on the rear. Probably get some aftermarket boxed lower control arms for the beast. How do you roll the lip of the fender........chop job or is there actually a tool to do this??? Would be cool to have the car lowered and have some big meats hiding under there.

Thanks, Nick

[HairDrier]

Probably get some aftermarket boxed lower control arms for the beast.

Dont waste your money on aftermarket lowers, box the stockers first and get new bushings. You will notice a big difference for a small amount of cash

[GONE N SIXTY]

I used a cut off tool to cut the fender trim on mine, then added the GNX flares :top: looks good with the Simmon wheels and the 285/40/17

[1QUICK85]

Boxed aftermarkets run about $90.......how much is it to box them yourself when you dont have a welder or a press to put the bushings in?
Got any pictures of your car? GNX flares would be sweet, but I might as well wait until I repaint the beast. And I dont want to do the body until I get a house and garage.....Hopefully next year sometime.

Nick

[HairDrier]

Boxed aftermarkets run about $90.......how much is it to box them yourself when you dont have a welder or a press to put the bushings in?
Got any pictures of your car? GNX flares would be sweet, but I might as well wait until I repaint the beast. And I dont want to do the body until I get a house and garage.....Hopefully next year sometime.

Nick

hmmm, HRPartsnStuff's non adj lowers run $219 a pair! What cheapos are you looking at for lowers?

[1QUICK85]

I think there were the hotchis ones.

Nick

[HairDrier]

Cant go wrong for $90 I guess :racer:

Do they come with bushings installed?

[jmidolo]

Boxed aftermarkets run about $90.......how much is it to box them yourself when you dont have a welder or a press to put the bushings in?
Got any pictures of your car? GNX flares would be sweet, but I might as well wait until I repaint the beast. And I dont want to do the body until I get a house and garage.....Hopefully next year sometime.

Nick


If you look at it that way, you are correct. The kit to box them is only 19 bux or something and another 20 on bushings. I've got a welder and press to do the pressing so I don't need to pay for it. If you do, I could see it costing more than the 90 to buy the ones you're talking of though for sure.

[1QUICK85]

I know I saw some for $90, just cant remember which ones they are. I dont think they are th hotchkis ones. Cause in summit those are more then $90.
I know someone on this board had a link to a Monte site with $90 boxed LCA's. I not sure how much a shop would charge me to the get the kit done to the stockers.

Nick

[1QUICK85]

I found them, jmidolo, they are those $99 LCA's for the F-bodies. The ones that arent even boxed. Maybe I need to talk to my friend and see if he has his welder yet. Just have to find a press now. How much is that tool that you got jmidolo? Is it for put and taking bushing out?

Nick

[jmidolo]

I found them, jmidolo, they are those $99 LCA's for the F-bodies. The ones that arent even boxed. Maybe I need to talk to my friend and see if he has his welder yet. Just have to find a press now. How much is that tool that you got jmidolo? Is it for put and taking bushing out?

Nick


OK, yea, someone else was talking about those ones too. The tool is for removing the bushings from the rear end for the uppers. WIth out it , it's a real bitch to get them out. Here's a pict. It's 79 bux too, btw. It will be up for sale when I'm done with it lol :)

[1QUICK85]

That sux..........I would only use it once to probably. Not sure what to do with the boxed LCA's. Do they just help your 60ft times? Or overall traction? Right now I am just looking to help with street traction and whatever I run at the track is fine, not sure how much I will actually get there anyways. Plus would be my first time racing, besides one shitty as pass in my old '88 Trans Am at a slow 17.3 ticks. Right now I am thinking I would be better off just getting some bigger tires out back.

Nick

[jmidolo]

That sux..........I would only use it once to probably.

That's kind of the whole point...There's lotsa tools I have that I hardly use..maybe once a yr if that. If you don't have them though, you can make a 30 min job into a 4 hr job. Not worth it. Sometimes ya just have to suck it up and buy the shit to get the job done.


Do they just help your 60ft times? Or overall traction?
Nick

Yes and yes.

[Turbo Brian]

or you could see if autozone or other parts store has this tool for loan. ive rented tools from autozone on a couple occasions. you put a deposit down and when you're done, return it and get your money back. very handy.

[jmidolo]

or you could see if autozone or other parts store has this tool for loan. ive rented tools from autozone on a couple occasions. you put a deposit down and when you're done, return it and get your money back. very handy.


You could. It looks like a normal pulley puller, but smaller. Dont think I've seen one like it before. Doubt Paul would make one if you could buy one or rent one to do the same. Could be wrong though. You may be able to get a pulley puller to work somehow....

[sumnerw]

That sux..........I would only use it once to probably. Not sure what to do with the boxed LCA's. Do they just help your 60ft times? Or overall traction? Right now I am just looking to help with street traction and whatever I run at the track is fine, not sure how much I will actually get there anyways. Plus would be my first time racing, besides one shitty as pass in my old '88 Trans Am at a slow 17.3 ticks. Right now I am thinking I would be better off just getting some bigger tires out back.

Nick

I bought one of Paul's bushing removal/install tools and it does work really nice and easy. Used it to change out all of the bushing in my '87 GN's rear end when I boxed all of the control arms (Paul's kit, too - also nice). Put the tool away and didn't even think about it until my twin boys starting complaining about wheel hop with their '98 F-bodies. So I purchased boxing kits and bushings from Paul and guess what - that tool works on the 4th-gen F-bodies, too! It's gotta work on 3rd-gen F-bodies as well since their bushings fit our G-bodies. Don't know what else it will fit but I've never hesitated to invest in tools. Like Joe said, having the right tool can really shorten a job and ease the stress factor, particularly when you run into the unexpected.

Good luck,
Buzz

P.S. Wheel hop is no longer an issue with the SS, WS6 clone or my GN. Now I need more HP!

[jmidolo]

My kits from Paul came yesterday. Very nice kit, well made, I'm sure it fits as nice as it looks. Don't think I'll have a chance to get to it till at least when I get back from Vegas on the 1st.