Suspension Upgrade Advice for Rural (Crappy) Roads

[wyocamaro]

Originally Posted by PfadtRacing

I'd have to agree. Not lowering, keeping travel, eliminating body roll, no racing, these are all characteristics of items that can be addressed by installing a good set of matched swaybars. This is a great recommendation, especially for a beginning mod, that wont break the bank. These are upgrades you would still want to pursue even if you were to install coilovers, so you may as well start there, and then address any perceived lack of performance after you get used to the new handling and balance of your Camaro.

We also offer a strut tower brace to stiffen up the chassis, as well as solid subframe mounts. We have had a TON of customers install these on street cars and love them. I am not sure how bad the roads are where you drive. I would forgo the subframe bushing recommendation for this very reason.

Give us a call if you have any questions, on our products or other wise.

SO.... Rough roads out in WY also and to achieve better handling (not track racing), maintain smooth ride, on twisting mountain roads that occasionally can be washboard, etc, a good bet is the sway bar kit and tower brace combo ONLY- no bushings, etc?????
Thanks

[2quick]

I would suggest a three way adjustable front and rear sway bar set to just start out with. That way if you add more you can adjust for it. Try that out then move on up from there. You don't really seem to be a full coil over type of situation. You don't want to road race. All you want to really do is improve handling a little better to help pass on the freeways and on ramps and a coil over seems like over kill for that. If possible find a local club that may have some cars with different setups that you could take a ride in them. That would help you out a lot i think.

[Hotchkis]

Originally Posted by RyanG

Folks,

Looking for some advice on suspension upgrades. The issue is I live in Eastern Canada where 80% of the roads suck (New Brunswick). What I don't want to do is make the ride so stiff that on the bad roads it feels like the car going to shake the teeth out of me.

I had a 99 Trans Am and had a front tower brace and sub frames and really liked it. Then I had a 2001 firehawk with the "autocross" setup, it handled like a dream on a good highway but on the normal roads it was hard to take.

If I put sub-frames, front brace, and better sway bar would that "harden" the ride too much?

So far I like how the Camaro rides stock on the crappy roads but would like a bit beter handling on the highway.

Any suggestions?

Thanks so much for any advice.

~Ryan

We'd have to throw in our vote with the "keep it simple" suggestions, sway bars and a brace. As much as we love springs, you probably don't need them for what you plan to do with the car. If you decide to go road racing later, you can always change springs then.

[PfadtRacing]

Originally Posted by wyocamaro

SO.... Rough roads out in WY also and to achieve better handling (not track racing), maintain smooth ride, on twisting mountain roads that occasionally can be washboard, etc, a good bet is the sway bar kit and tower brace combo ONLY- no bushings, etc?????
Thanks

Hey! It's not that we wouldn't recommend bushings, but they are really more of a secondary concern for upgrading, based on the OPs goals. It is our opinion that this should be left up to the customers discretion as to how rough the roads are in their area, and how that will affect their ride quality. We have engineered bushings that reduced friction values, for excellent street use. But, some customers are more sensitive to installing poly at a lot of locations.

We always recommend, as Hotchkis seems to agree, to keep it simple for the time being. Going overboard right away can lead to less than desirable results, and the customer not having a good idea of which part they are not happy with (if any).

It is really going to be on a case-by-case basis, the users end goals, and their sensitivity to perceived NVH concerns. All of these factors play an integral role in recommendations.

[AWS-GTAW]

Is it possible to remove and install sway bars without jacking up the motor and loosening the mounts?

[2quick]

Yes it is possible to do it without jacking up the motor.

[Tarl]

How easy or hard is it to install a sway bar kit and tower brace? Can you do this in your garage listening to some music and sipping a drink? This is an easy bolt on right? And what do you guys recommend? Want to tighten up the handling some before doing more major mods. Baby steps...hehe

[2quick]

yes you can do this in your garage. Little cussing with the front bar when twisting it out but not that big of a pain.

[BMR guy]

Originally Posted by AWS-GTAW

Is it possible to remove and install sway bars without jacking up the motor and loosening the mounts?

Just because it's possible doesn't mean it's easier. While it is possible to get the bar out without lifting the motor, it takes a specific routine which I find time consuming and very aggravating, especially when it is so much simpler to just lift the motor. What most don't realize is that this is not like older cars where you have to relieve pressure from the motor mounts, unbolt a cross-bolt, then spend an hour trying to re-align it again when you put it back together. The mounts sit on stands and are aligned via studs. You can physically lift the motor in 5 minutes - loosen two nuts, jack up the motor, and you are ready. The swaybar practically falls out this way vs. wrestling and twisting it out of the car when not lifting the motor.

[2quick]

For some the thought of lifting the motor is a little daunting. I do agree it is a faster way of doing it if your comfortable working on cars.

[JusticePete]

Originally Posted by 2quick

For some the thought of lifting the motor is a little daunting. I do agree it is a faster way of doing it if your comfortable working on cars.

There is absolutely NO reason to lift the motor to remove the front sway bar. Lift the car. Remove the front wheels. Remove the four bolts that hold the steering rack in place. Slide the OE bar out. Before reinstalling the four steering rack bolts you have the oppotunity to install Pedders EP2112 steering rack mount to compliment your new sway bars. Replace the rack bolts.

[BMR guy]

Obviously there are more ways than one to remove the front sway bar.
Pete thinks its easier to move the rack, I think it's easier to lift the motor. The motor mount nuts are practically in your face and located on the bottom of the K-member. There are only two of them vs. 4 bolts for the rack that are located in a cramped location between the cradle and the motor.

Yes, you can do it either way, I am only pointing out that lifting the motor is much simpler than everyone thinks it is. If it were a race to remove the front sway bar using both techniques, the guy lifting the motor would win every time.

[Avalnch]

Pull off the OE center brackets and bushings. This might take longer, but you don't have to disassemble any major parts (like steering rack or motor).