Raising/Lowering the car

[LittleMT]

Originally Posted by camarowa

I have the exact same setup in a gunmetal finish, 275 front/315 rear. Lowered all around 1.25", no rubbing or anything. The forgestars are a very nice wheel IMHO, wider tire and lower overall weight compared to stock.

ditto, no rubbing...... and all that rubber looks mean.!

[Apex Motorsports]

Originally Posted by Rocky918

How often do you guys need to replace these springs as they are not built like the stock ones?

Most any aftermarket spring is better built than the stockers, especially when it comes to brands like Pfadt and BMR. I can't imagine you would ever need to buy another set.

[its a syn]

definate upcoming mod!

[PfadtRacing]

Thanks guys for recommending our Lowering Springs! There will be a bit of a change in the handling of your car after the installation of lowering springs, the biggest reason for this is the increased spring rate. After the installation of lowering springs you will notice a more balanced feel in hard cornering, and a more aggressive stance while standing still. Even with the increase in spring rate, our springs were designed for use with your stock GM shocks and will still provide a long service life. As many have reported here on the forums, ride quality does not suffer at all with the installation of our drop springs.

[JusticePete]

Originally Posted by Rocky918

What are your opinions on buying springs such as these http://www.apex-speed.com/bmr-fabric...air-sp020.html to lower the front or rear of the car by an inch or so...

i highly doubt there will be any noticeable changes in handling from just that 1 spring set... but do you think the car even looks better if the front is lowered?

Excuse me for stating the obvious, but you are planning on ONLY changing the two front springs and increasing the rake or do you plan to lower all four corners?

[Rocky918]

Originally Posted by JusticePete

Excuse me for stating the obvious, but you are planning on ONLY changing the two front springs and increasing the rake or do you plan to lower all four corners?

Im still playing with ideas... but for now I was thinking of lowering the front and rear by 1"

[LS3SuperSport]

i'm stuck between 1" front and rear or the split.... they both look really good.

[JusticePete]

There are two reasons to lower your 5th Gen

1. The Look
2. As part of a handling upgrade

THE LOOK is purely subjective. Some like it slammed while others want a traditional Muscle Car rake. Pedders makes two rear coils for this reason. The fronts are 220032 and the matching rear 220033 or the more traditional muscle 220035.

When you lower a car, any car, there is a compromise in ride quality for the look as suspension travel is removed and higher rate coils added. Different companies use different winding techniques to deliver what they believe to be the best result. The 5th Gen is a very sophisticated Muscle Car. Lowering it should not change the essential characteristics of the ride. Every single brand of 5th Gen coils will have a loyal following to endorse them. If at all possible I highly recommend some seat time in lowered Camaros with the leading brand coils installed.

At Pedders we are rather surprised at the number of 5th Gen owners choosing coilovers over lowering coils. These owners place a premium on ride quality and want exactly the ride height they want.

What isn't being discussed in this thread is the sequence of suspension modifications for the 5th Gen to achieve the best band for the buck results. That starts on a 5th gen with addressing the lowest hanging fruit -- the highly compliant OE voided rubber bushes used to mount the IRS sub-frame. When the wheels encounter an uneven pavement, on hard acceleration or deceleration the sub-frame twists in the rubber bush mounts. Vehicle are aligned to tenths and hundredths of a degree. The sub-frame twists in the rubber bushes far exceed this creating rear end step out or rear end steering. Every modifications you make to your 5th Gen that increases the load on the sub-frame bushes increases rear end steering. This includes larger stickier tires, increases in RWHP, better brakes, sway bars and lowering coils. By improving these systems we make the sub-frame bushes relatively weaker.

It isn't sexy, but it is exactly why virtually every suspension company makes some type of sub-frame bush replacement. It is the essential first suspension mod and if you are lowering your vehicle with coils or coilovers addressing the sub-frame bushes is mission critical. Pedders offers the budget friendly easy to install EP1200 sub-frame inserts. These supplement the OE rubber bushes to control rear end step out. Full replacement EP1201 bushes are the next logical step up with the EP1201HD being a Delrin like stable bush set for the most outrageous RWHP beasts.

As you move through the decision tree on your lowering coils I encourage you to read The Book on 5th Gen Suspension. The more you know about 5th Gen suspension the more informed your buying decision will be.

[Hotchkis]

Originally Posted by Rocky918

What are your opinions on buying springs such as these http://www.apex-speed.com/bmr-fabric...air-sp020.html to lower the front or rear of the car by an inch or so...

i highly doubt there will be any noticeable changes in handling from just that 1 spring set... but do you think the car even looks better if the front is lowered?

Rocky,
As others have pointed out, changing the springs to an aftermarket set like ours will definitely improve the handling.

Only lowering the front is probably not a good idea because you would be altering the balance of the car and put excess load on the front suspension and unload the rear, causing the car to nose-dive excessively when braking and change the way it handles. This would be more pronounced the more you lowered the front. Lowering the car evenly (within reason) all the way around is best to keep the car balanced.

[Tantalizer43]

Originally Posted by Apex Chase

Most any aftermarket spring is better built than the stockers, especially when it comes to brands like Pfadt and BMR. I can't imagine you would ever need to buy another set.

Just curious, why don't you list Hotchkis?

[BMR guy]

Originally Posted by camarowa

I would be willing to assume that the quality of the aftermarket springs (well respected brands) is the same if not better than oem quality springs. However, you might see a shorter lifespan for the shocks. Too early to tell though. I am sure some of the experts will chime in if I am incorrect.

Your assumption is correct, at least for most high end springs. Beware of the low cost Ebay springs as these tend to sag over time due to cost saving important steps that are skipped in the manufacturing process. There are lots of options to choose from on this board and quality-wise there is a lot of good competition. You will undoubtedly see positive feedback for all of us which makes it even more difficult to choose. For us it's all about value. This is what you get with BMR springs:

All BMR springs including our 2010 Camaro springs have a LIFETIME WARRANTY against spring sag.

Spring manufacturing requires expensive capital equipment, so BMR outsources this activity to a company that specializes in spring manufacturing. Spring manufacturing is a fascinating process, so I would like to share some facts about our springs:

1) BMR springs are manufactured from chrome silicon high-tensile spring wire. This is the best spring wire available for automotive applications. Most NASCAR teams use this type of spring wire for their designs.

2) Every BMR spring is computer tested as the last step of the manufacturing process. Every spring...not just a sample from each batch. EVERY SPRING!! Each spring is loaded in the spring tester at the factory. The spring is compressed and the CNC Load Cell measures the force for a variety of spring lengths. The computer takes this data and compares it to the BMR quality specs. Bad springs (if any) are kicked out and the good ones are sent to BMR. Per our requirements, the test data for each and every spring is electronically sent to BMR.

3) BMR springs are cold wound on a CNC Coiling Machine. The CNC coiling head can adjust the spring diameter in real time to ensure that every spring is the same as the other springs. This guarantees that your right spring matches your left spring!!

4) Every BMR spring is compressed solid at the factory. Not once, but twice. This gives the spring its permanent set...and guarantees NO SAG. This allows BMR to offer a lifetime warranty against spring sag.

5) BMR springs are stress-relieved at 750 degrees F. This ensures that most stresses induced during the winding process are eliminated. This process is necessary to achieve the repeatable high-quality product that BMR offers!!

6) All springs are shot-peened to eliminate residual surface stresses. Many spring manufacturers skip this step. BMR insists on this operation as part of our spring manufacturing process.

A few more notes:

1) BMR springs are Proudly Made in the USA!!! Costs are minimized and quality is maintained using CNC manufacturing equipment. Shipping costs are low. No boats. No planes. No custom fees passed on to the customer. Just good old American manufacturing ingenuity!!

2) BMR springs are manufactured by a spring company that has been making springs for over 140 years. Think about it...when GM was founded in 1908, this spring company had already been making springs for 40 years.

3) BMR springs are manufactured by a family-owned spring company. The same family has owned this company for 140+ years (6 generations). No corporate bail-outs. No passing the buck. When your name has been on the door for 140 years, you make sure that you own the best spring manufacturing equipment available.

[FEN]

Originally Posted by Tantalizer43

Just curious, why don't you list Hotchkis?

He is mentioning the brands he sells.

[Tantalizer43]

Gotcha. Im new to the suspension world and just wondered how Hotchkis stacks up.

[Apex Motorsports]

Originally Posted by Tantalizer43

Just curious, why don't you list Hotchkis?

Originally Posted by FEN

He is mentioning the brands he sells.

That is not the case. We do carry Hotchkis as well but thank you for trying to help.

Originally Posted by Tantalizer43

Gotcha. Im new to the suspension world and just wondered how Hotchkis stacks up.

Hotchkis makes a great product that I have used on my personal vehicles in the past with outstanding results. They are one of the major brands and there is no reason to be concerned about their products either.