Suspension FAQ (05/22/2005) - Page 6 - Suspension and Brake Forum

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Re: HOW TO LOWER A CAR-THE RIGHT WAY (FAQ)
Wednesday, March 31, 2004 1:07 PM
I'll add my 2 cents on this too. 2 years ago I decided to run Goldlines on my 95 Cav with the factory struts/shocks. It was fine for a year like that. I took off those springs last year and put my stock ones back on too sell the car. I decided to keep the cat and I am buying new stuff, but you should know that because I didn't buy matched shocks/struts I am now driving on blown shocks/struts and I also have 4 bad mounts. Thank god I have pretty smooth roads where I live in MI (they just redid them!) or I'd be dead. Do it right the first time, it's a b*tch to save, but if I can pay all my bills and raise 2 kids at 24, and save, you can too!

MERLIN <br>

<img src=http://www.j-body.org/registry/merlin1995/thumbnail_Merlin_72gif.gif>

Re: HOW TO LOWER A CAR-THE RIGHT WAY (FAQ)
Wednesday, March 31, 2004 2:58 PM
This may be a stupid question but I was wondering if i could have lowering struts on with stock springs? <br>

<br>
<img src="http://thespork.dataride.com/theorg/sig.jpg">
Re: HOW TO LOWER A CAR-THE RIGHT WAY (FAQ)
Wednesday, March 31, 2004 4:05 PM
Treat coilovers just like springs, and read the first page. Anything over 1.5" on stock struts will blow your struts, wether it be a week or a year, they will blow.

General Schwag: I did a whole crap load of suspensio research and I'm glad you typed this up. All the info in one place is nice. You really are a great addition to this site, it's people like you who made me wanna sell my Camaro to mod my Cav. Here's a list of what I want, tell me on a scale of 1-10 what you think. I give it an 8 for dollar value and performance. My taste is a soft ride that carves corners like a BMW.

Springs-Goldline
Struts-Koni Reds set to softest setting
FSTB-GM
RSTB-RSM
F Anti-sway bar-GM FE2 22mm
R Anti-sway bar-Addco 25mm (neutral?)
Subframe brace-homemade (round bar is better because it has no weak points, right?)
Rear tie bar-Homemade (round or square?)
A-Arms-RK Sport

MERLIN <br>

<img src=http://www.j-body.org/registry/merlin1995/thumbnail_Merlin_72gif.gif>
Re: HOW TO LOWER A CAR-THE RIGHT WAY (FAQ)
Wednesday, March 31, 2004 6:00 PM
Hi Merlin, your suspension list sounds good, but I have some ideas for you.

1.- Springs-Goldline and Struts-Koni Reds set to softest setting --> Well struts set depends on your taste. My H&R are good matched with Koni Reds at softest position for streets and some weekends racing events. 2nd position would be better for an most competitive racing setup. Only my ideas. Maybe I'm wrong.
2.- FSTB-GM --> I think is the best FSTB around here, 3 link points and the cheaper too. Also let you good space under engine bay.
3.- RSTB-RSM --> Ok
4.- F Anti-sway bar-GM FE2 22mm and R Anti-sway bar-Addco 25mm (neutral?) --> This is common setup around JBO users and produce an amazing improvement over stock suspension. Inclusive this setup is common for AutoX events because produce some oversteer. Also you can use a matched setup like Eibach 26mm (F) and 22mm (R) or Addco 26mm (F) and 22mm or 26mm (R) options. Again, depends on your personal taste.
5.- Subframe brace-homemade (round bar is better because it has no weak points, right?) ---> You can made a bar like RKS one, round, low profile and without weak points.
6.- Rear tie bar-Homemade (round or square?) --> Some people here, in JBO, have tested a rear suspension bar off a TrailBlazer that can be used perfectly as a rear subframe bar for only a few bucks.
7.- A-Arms-RK Sport --> Why not prove polyurethane bushings before using expensive A-Arms? It would reduce wheel hop for 1/4 mile events or reduce laps time for AutoX. If those are not enough go for RKS A-Arms. Personally maybe you only will notice the difference at AutoX seasons and with a powerful engine.

If you demand an excelent suspension for your car, my little experience indicates me that we need to know the limits of a stock car to know what to mod to reach the new limits we want.

I am not a guru or an expert, only try to learn from the pros, read a lot, listen the experts and have common sense to do the things.

Regards,

Eliot

<br>

___________________________
MAKING MY DREAMS A REALITY
Visit my cardomain site !!!

ELIOT. Now.....boosted.

Re: HOW TO LOWER A CAR-THE RIGHT WAY (FAQ)
Wednesday, March 31, 2004 6:53 PM
Alex Yingling wrote:This may be a stupid question but I was wondering if i could have lowering struts on with stock springs?


with lowering struts, you can pretty much run anything, within their warranty....koni, you can run anything...

kyb has that 1.5 inch lowered limit.. but anything above that is fair game. <br>


Re: HOW TO LOWER A CAR-THE RIGHT WAY (FAQ)
Wednesday, March 31, 2004 7:10 PM
Merlin wrote:Treat coilovers just like springs, and read the first page. Anything over 1.5" on stock struts will blow your struts, wether it be a week or a year, they will blow.

General Schwag: I did a whole crap load of suspensio research and I'm glad you typed this up. All the info in one place is nice. You really are a great addition to this site, it's people like you who made me wanna sell my Camaro to mod my Cav. Here's a list of what I want, tell me on a scale of 1-10 what you think. I give it an 8 for dollar value and performance. My taste is a soft ride that carves corners like a BMW.

Springs-Goldline
Struts-Koni Reds set to softest setting
FSTB-GM
RSTB-RSM
F Anti-sway bar-GM FE2 22mm
R Anti-sway bar-Addco 25mm (neutral?)
Subframe brace-homemade (round bar is better because it has no weak points, right?)
Rear tie bar-Homemade (round or square?)
A-Arms-RK Sport

MERLIN



i agree with most all eliot said, but a few points of insight on some of the parts.


springs and struts look good...

strut braces look cool as well... i wouldnt say the GM is the tops,cause the point that it connects to, that one bolt, can be flexed by holding it between your thumb and index finger... however its main purpose is to keep the bar from chattering against the firewall. its not really a 3 point bar, 2 point, but the point on the firewall isnt all that stable to be a legit third point. i broke mine off by hand. all strut braces, even the gm, do the same job.

sway bar should give you nuetral setup in that point...

subframe brace, either way...

the rear tie bar....flat bars arent he best choice here. also the location said members have been putting the car isnt the correct geometry to be effective as it should be. the main reason and point to stop flex with a tie bar is between the suspension arms....

NOT below the suspension trailing arms and even lower than the sway bar... there is no flexing down that low...

the way some have it setup is like trying to install a strut brace at the bottom of the suspension towers.... not nearly as effective as it should be....

its like cheap coilovers , why put em on if they arent gonna perform and do the job correctly.

i have a write up on how to make a proper tie bar and located it in the RIGHT area as well if needed. also http://www.teamforwardmotion.com has pictures of where a tie bar is located as well as what a proper one looks like,

the price to make a CORRECT one is around 20$...



the rksport a arms, you can get away with the bushings as said... although the arms are more than great, they might be too stiff/brittle for the daily driver.... mine snapped. and it wasnt on the weld. def your call there, what ya wanna do...

other than that, seems to be a solid setup. i'm no expert either, but it sounds good. <br>


Re: HOW TO LOWER A CAR-THE RIGHT WAY (FAQ)
Thursday, April 01, 2004 3:01 AM
Reading this after competing in my first auto-x on the 28th is all very interesting.

My main question is what is the advantage of having adjustable coil overs other than being able to change the ride height? When you adjust them does the spring rate change? Is it to make turning easier?

Also isn't there a rubber bushing between the strut mount and the strut assembly itself? If so would it not make the setup more stable with a urathene bushing like those that are sold in whole vehicle kits for other applications? Is there a complete urethane bushing kit sold for J's?

Also I understand Jeremy had to get some parts made so that his Ground-Conrol/Koni Red setup worked properly. He said himself that if he could do it over he would just get the RK kit even though he can lower it 2x as fast as EZ due to that fact that the RK kit employs a 2-nut system. Does this really matter or is it just a pain. Also does the Mantapart-blistblablabla kit use a 1 or 2 nut system? I am thinking of getting the Mantapart kit if I ever have the money.

Also riding along with Jeremy was quite an expierence in and of itself, if anyone ever is up this way I would highly reccomend it as a local attraction. Also I think its a big compliment to overhear a BMW M3 guy say "those cavaliers are impressive" @ the event after seein Jeremy and I run even though I was a virgin Auto-Xer. <br>

<img src="http://users.igl.net/vinnie/brutusSig.jpg">
l2ate my car on <a href="http://www.cardomain.com/id/l3rutus" target="http://www.cardomain.com/id/l3rutus">Cardomain.com</a>

"holdup sorry to be the one wit da bad news but you miscounted they sum 23's not 22's"
Re: HOW TO LOWER A CAR-THE RIGHT WAY (FAQ)
Thursday, April 01, 2004 5:40 PM
Event, I understand your points and I think you are right friend. As Merlin said is really good to chat with people that knows.

Regards, <br>

___________________________
MAKING MY DREAMS A REALITY
Visit my cardomain site !!!

ELIOT. Now.....boosted.

Re: HOW TO LOWER A CAR-THE RIGHT WAY (FAQ)
Friday, April 02, 2004 5:34 PM
Thanks Eliot and Event, I did a lot of research and i thought the combo was good, just wanted to make sure! I'm gonna go with the bushing for the A-arms for now, seems like a better idea for a daily driver. eliot, I was looking at the combo kits from the aftermarket manufacturers, but they all have a bigger front than rear, and I really want a neutral feel. Event can you send me the info for the tie-bar? I can't seem to find anything anywhere, and I sifted through like 200 posts when I searched, not really much there! Thanks again guys! You 2 are the gurus of brakes and suspension wether you like it or not! Lenko too!

MERLIN <br>

<img src=http://www.j-body.org/registry/merlin1995/thumbnail_Merlin_72gif.gif>
Re: HOW TO LOWER A CAR-THE RIGHT WAY (FAQ)
Saturday, April 03, 2004 12:40 PM
Just throwing this out here, i will not need a camber kit with my eibach pro-kit correct?

Just making sure, everyone seems to be asking me if im getting a camber kit for my car with my new setup, so eh better safe than sorry. I'm sure you can respect that.

Do we have adjustable camber stock?
Re: HOW TO LOWER A CAR-THE RIGHT WAY (FAQ)
Saturday, April 03, 2004 1:32 PM
Retro wrote:Just throwing this out here, i will not need a camber kit with my eibach pro-kit correct?

Just making sure, everyone seems to be asking me if im getting a camber kit for my car with my new setup, so eh better safe than sorry. I'm sure you can respect that.

Do we have adjustable camber stock?


the first page <br>



Re: HOW TO LOWER A CAR-THE RIGHT WAY (FAQ)
Sunday, April 04, 2004 9:51 AM
Haha yes i see, damn friend with his honda , see there are things that make our cars better!
Re: HOW TO LOWER A CAR-THE RIGHT WAY (FAQ)
Tuesday, April 06, 2004 1:08 PM
i;d pay 3$ extra for dave to finally fix this... <br>


Re: HOW TO LOWER A CAR-THE RIGHT WAY (FAQ)
Thursday, April 08, 2004 12:30 PM
event.. when you said that the car is naturally uneven.. and that the springs would drop it the same on both sides..

wut about the springs that drop it more in the back.. i think sportlines 1.75" front and 2.3" back.. would that make it look wierd? or what would that do, according to your theory that would make it uneven correct? <br>


Re: HOW TO LOWER A CAR-THE RIGHT WAY (FAQ)
Thursday, April 08, 2004 1:09 PM
that doesnt make it look odd, that makes the chassis even, but someone who is extremely picky could see otherwise...

most people arent though, which is good, but sportlines are 1.7 and 2.3, makes the actual chassis of the car even... <br>


Re: HOW TO LOWER A CAR-THE RIGHT WAY (FAQ)
Thursday, April 08, 2004 2:27 PM
picky? who's picky? <br>


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- Sold my beloved J in April 2010 -
Re: HOW TO LOWER A CAR-THE RIGHT WAY (FAQ)
Thursday, April 08, 2004 6:39 PM
Re: HOW TO LOWER A CAR-THE RIGHT WAY (FAQ)
Friday, April 09, 2004 7:03 AM
OK.. I read... and took some of it in.. but dont know a whole lot about what you are saying.. I know you dumbed it down a little.. but reading it all and having so many choices is still overwhelming...

I have a 97 Z24, it still has the original struts and springs after 190,000 KM. I want to get them done and have desided not to just replace them with all stock parts... Now.. I dont race the car.. but I enjoy driving enthusiaatically.. fast isnt my thing.. handling is more fun... going around that s bend faster than you normally could. being pressed into the side of your seat is all the feeling of speed I need.. turning the corner without really slowing down.. I just want a car that handles fairly well on your everyday drive...

Price is an issue but not a huge one, as you said. I want something good.. not something cheap. Being safe while driving is still the main thing as I frequently have passnegers. so.. I guess my question is.. giving the idea of how I am going to be using the car.. (no track use. but enthusiastic everyday driving) what would be the best choices... I would like to lower the car from stock a bit... nothing dramatic.. the 1.5 range would suit me just fine.. I just want it to look a little nice without going over the top.. its my daily driver and extreme dropping isnt something that interests me.

Your opinion on this would be appreciated as I dont really know what is best for what I want. Also.. I am in canada and the road in the area are not too too bad.. little rough here in there but generally in decent shape.

Thanks if you can help.. if you cant.. then thanks anyway..

Mike from Barrie Ontario canada
<br>

RZ24
Re: HOW TO LOWER A CAR-THE RIGHT WAY (FAQ)
Saturday, May 22, 2004 9:43 PM
I was reading JBO and noticed all these FAQs spread all over. I want to create a whole website full of these useful FAQs. I would like your permission to copy your FAQ onto this website(its not created yet). You will get credit and I will send you a copy before it goes live so you can make sure you like the layout and the infomation and all. If you would agree to this I would be very thankful as Im sure the j-body community would too.
Re: HOW TO LOWER A CAR-THE RIGHT WAY (FAQ)
Sunday, May 23, 2004 4:47 PM
Is it true that if you raise coilovers (linear) all the way up, they will still be lower than stock ride? How much lower? thanks <br>

<a href="http://www.jcarsofindiana.com"><img src="http://publish.bsu.edu/sjobrien/cavSIG.jpg" Border="0">
Re: HOW TO LOWER A CAR-THE RIGHT WAY (FAQ)
Wednesday, May 26, 2004 12:07 PM
That depends on the coilovers themselves. Most are lower than stock when raised all the way up. If you get a quality set though, you can get springs at whatever length you want. You could go higher than stock if you wanted.

Mine go up very close to stock height.
<br>




Re: HOW TO LOWER A CAR-THE RIGHT WAY (FAQ)
Tuesday, June 15, 2004 8:11 PM
anyway to update that first page???? it has a lot of "need info..." and as i read all 6 pages i still have questions about ride quality sacrifice and performance gains (stiffness wise) .... not sure if you have rights to edit event but im sure they can be granted as it would be useful to have some up to date info.... prices would be cool as well....

just a thought <br>

<img src="http://www.emba.uvm.edu/~mjanuszc/car/me2.jpg">

I detailed my car today... now i dont want to leave the driveway
Re: HOW TO LOWER A CAR-THE RIGHT WAY (FAQ)
Tuesday, June 15, 2004 11:48 PM
nono, in no way am i a moderator...
basically to sum all of it up...

ebay springs are of the worst.

the lower the spring is the stiffer it will be.

the strut will be able to control almost anything, but stay away from ebay specials, its worth it in the long run. it doesnt have to be eibach, but get something credible to cars.

prices for almost any quality spring will be around 150-220$... listing prices for some springs wouldnt be much good thing i dont think, cause prices are always changing.

where as pro kits used to be around 220+$ they can be found for around 208 now...

prices always change.


there are also many posts in the reg forum, might have to use the search button, but everyone usually has made posts about products when they first get em. thats where most of the feedback is. feedback like prices is def gonna be subject to change... <br>


Re: HOW TO LOWER A CAR-THE RIGHT WAY (FAQ)
Wednesday, June 16, 2004 12:48 PM
i figured as much... but i was hoping that this sticky would eventually become the single best suspension FAQ... without having to traverse hundreds of other posts... oh well back to searching i go.... <br>

<img src="http://www.emba.uvm.edu/~mjanuszc/car/me2.jpg">

I detailed my car today... now i dont want to leave the driveway
Re: HOW TO LOWER A CAR-THE RIGHT WAY (FAQ)
Friday, June 18, 2004 3:59 PM
one quick question

would i really be able to visually notice a diff between the eiback prokit and goldlines
i know its 1.5in and 1.8in but is that really a noticable diff? <br>


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