2010 ss bmr springs and sways vs 1le suspension
 

I got my lowering 1" springs and front and rear sways from BMR today. I would just like to know how would I stack up to my buddies 1le

No comments guys?

The 1LE cars will have better struts/shocks, rear end gearing, and tires than you have so it is hard to say how you would compare to one. I can tell that tires make a huge difference as far as handling goes so that would lead me to believe that you would still be a little out gunned by a 1LE.

I also have the factory reproduction wheels on 275/40 fronts and 315 rears all invos.
Thanks for the comment kyle. I just loved the way the 1le handles that's what my main question was how close would I be to it

One mag report who tested the cars(for what thats worth) said 1LE would out do a 2010-11SS with springs and bars as BMR alluded to.

Lowering coils will have zero impact on the understeer you experience with 315 /275s on your 5th Gen.

The 1LE runs a semi square wheel and tire package. The tires are the same size front and rear, but the rear wheels are wider. This wheel and tire combination provide a more neutral 5th gen, less understeer. The new Z/28 is running the same tire sizes Pedders USA has been running since 2009 305/30/19s. Your 315 rear 275 front is a prescription for UNDERSTEER. The more grip you add to the rear of a 5th Gen in relation to the front tire the more the car will understeer.

In addition to the wheel and tire combination you are going to war against the 1LE which has much improved rear sub-frame bushes compared to your 2010 and the Z style out board mount rear sway bar.

So how do you get close?

1. Upgrade your sub-frame bushes to Pedders EP1201HD
2. Locate a 25mm ZL1 front sway bar and endlinks to install. You'll need to drill out the strut endlink hole from the current 10m to the Z 12mm.
3. Upgrade the RLCA to the new style Z arms.
4. Order a Pedders 32mm rear Z style sway bar with droplinks.
5. Order Pedders Rear Extended Range Camber Adjustment Bolts.

The ZL1 gets reasonably neutral with 305s and 285s using a 25mm front bar and a 28mm rear bar. To get similar balance with larger rears and smaller front we create a custom sway bar package using OEM and Pedders parts. 25mm front and 32mm rear will get you close to balanced.

The 5th Gen sub-frame bushings have been a weakness through the entire model run, including the improvements made with the 1LE and ZL1 bushes. The wider the rear tires the more glaring the weakness experienced as rear end step out, rear end steer of a loose rear end. To control the 315s we go straight to the EP1201HD full replacement sub-frame bushes. That puts and end to the loose rear end.

Alignment is the next key in your quest to drive like a 1LE. Ride hieght and rear negative camber go hand in hand with the 5th Gen. We replace the OEM rear camber bolts with Justice Pete Signature Series Extended Range Camber Eccentrics. The JPSS bolts increase the range of adjustment by 1 degree over the OEM setup. This extra range allows you to get to -0.50 degrees of rear camber while lowered. Your alignment should look like this.

Front Camber -1.25
Front Toe 0.00
Rear Camber -0.50
Rear Toe IN 0.10
Rear Total Toe IN 0.20

Make these changes and you'll be closer to the 1LE driving experience than you can imagine.

Great write up justice peace. Having my alignment set up like you said, how will that affect the tire wear life

Pete, you're an incredible resource to the forum. Thank You.

The reduction in rear camber will increase your rear tire life while the slight increase over factory camber in front will decrease front tire life. Once we get you to 1LE like balance, all four of your tires will wear faster because you'll be ripping the tread off them with your increased cornering speeds :headbang:

Thank you for the kind words.

How big of a difference in the drive train. If all mods where done. The only difference was the drive train how much of a advantage would the 1le have?

Just the differences in gear ratios, acceleration.

While the 1LE has a more aggressive gear ratio, the LSD is basically the same as an SS. The ZL1 comes with a stronger case and LSD and that is an advantage putting power down on a road course or while autocross exiting turns.

So aside from an advantage in acceleration, there is no driveline advantage in the 1LE over the SS, but the ZL1 has an advantage over both of them.

Justice Pete* sorry about that

:thanks:

I got the rear sway in and it feels great. I can't wait till the front goes in tomorrow.