lowering springs

[mazakman]

Need a set of lowering springs for a 97 convertible

[ktl711]

Hey Greg, what do you want to do with the car? Do you want to run Waterford or autocross with it, or are you just looking for an improved stance? It's always a good idea to look for bargains to save a little coin and help another MiFBody guy keep their garage clean, but you might have to spend a little money to get what you really want.

Atrus has a thread going on this forum (http://www.mifbody.com/vbulletin/sho...ing-OE-Springs) for his 2000 SS vert, and he's going with Bilsteins and cut stock springs. He is looking for stance and ride quality. Not sure what his final drop is going to be.

I'm looking for the same thing, but my approach will be to retain my stock (V6) springs in back, and use SLP-Eibach Level 1 progressives in the front. I'm looking to drop .75" all around.

If you want to autocross, it would be hard to beat a Koni and Strano combination. But like other springs, your drop may or may not pan out, so that's why it's important to know what you really want to do with your car.

[mazakman]

Just a better stance I just street drive it

[ktl711]

Then I would recommend that you follow Atrus' thread on cutting stock springs and see if that will meet your needs.

Beyond that, you may want to look at one of the Eibach or SLP offerings, as they had springs that were optional on these cars when new, and they may be a little better biased towards comfort than say a full competition Strano.

Here is a chart that was posted up by JoeliusZ28, and that I added a few things to. Maybe you can use the chart to help you decide which direction to head in.

4th Gen F-Body Spring Rates.jpg

[mazakman]

Thank you for the info I appreciate it

[nascarnate326]

I would avoid Strano...

[ktl711]

Well, let me follow that up with, "there are many different opinions out there about springs." And every single one of them is correct -- for the individual who expresses it.

Your mileage may vary.

Now, having said that, the reasons I see you might want to not go directly to Strano is because it's a competitiion spring and is pretty firm on the spectrum. For a cruiser and daily driver -- especially the flexible verts -- a Strano may be too much. Other reasons that you might want to be wary of for your particulatr application is that Stranos don't always drop as much as you'd expect. If that's a primary objective instead of sheer performance, then it's likely not the best spring for you. And perhaps the biggest reason some people don't like Stranos, is that you pretty much have to go through an interview process with Sam Strano himself in order to buy them. It's actually more like a tech review where he goes over your goals and your vehicle and your set-up, and makes sure you're buying the right thing. Not everyone likes to be told or lectured to about what they need, while others treasure getting real-world advice from a 7-time SCCA champion driving a 4th Gen Camaro Z28.

See what pops up here and on craigslist and on LS1Tech, and maybe economics will dictate what you get. If I had to recommend a spring for you tonight so you could buy it tomorow, I'd probably tell you to get an SLP Eibach, just for the surer drop you'll get, and for the relatively more comfortable spring rates.

Just understand that springs and suspension can be a bit like religiion, and so you may find yourself hearing a few very spirited opinions about which one is best!

Good luck!

[landstuhltaylor]

I would avoid Strano...

I'm curious to hear why. My car rides better with Stranos and Koni Yellows than it did stock with an added bonus of not handling like a worn out mattress

[mazakman]

Do you think 1.4 drop is to much. Whats better Eibach sportline or the pro kit

[meissen]

Pro kit is only 1.5", I've had enough problems with my car due to it being lowered 1.5" -- couldn't imagine having the sportlines and having it be even lower.

[landstuhltaylor]

Do you think 1.4 drop is to much. Whats better Eibach sportline or the pro kit

I've had Sportlines before. Even with longtubes I wouldn't worry about them being too low, the real issue is they like to coil bind everywhere.

[mazakman]

So 1.8 would be a little much. Lol

[mazakman]

Devin what are you using currently

[landstuhltaylor]

Stranos and Koni Yellows. I think it's more compliant than stock because bumps are one and done, there is no pogo effect at all. It's much firmer than stock but with good shocks it doesn't matter. With Sportlines you have to be careful getting into some driveways and going over speedbumps and they don't like sharp bumps. They are too soft for their height and the individual coils will hit each other over the big stuff in the back. Prokit with Bilsteins/Tokico or other medium quality shocks would be probably be a good compromise for a cruiser.

[mazakman]

I figured someone on here would have some springs laying around