Understanding Lowering Springs

[jman17]

Chase...I have installed BMR trailing arms, toe rods, and have all the bushings for the rear cradle and rear suspension. I looking at getting the Xtreme anti-roll kit for the car, would you sugest this? Also, what sway bar kit would you suggest?

[Apex Motorsports]

Originally Posted by thegreatwhite

im curious to know how the BMR 1.4" front and 1.0" rear lowering spring set does on the 2014 SS as far as suspension wear goes. im asking because i have had this setup in mind for some times and i want to add it to my stock SS but where i live i have to drive a stretch of I5 everyday that is not only under heavy construction but has horrible pot holes and road cracks for a few miles. basically the road is very bad and bumpy so im wondering how this setup does with stuff like that. is anything at a higher risk of breaking? do things wear faster under more bump/holes? thanks

Regardless of brand, when you are talking about lowering springs two things are always going to be true; 1) the ride will be more firm than stock to some degree 2) you will have less overall suspension travel. What that means is that when you hit those bad spots you will feel more regardless of brand. Period. That doesn't mean it has to be severe. BMR makes great lowering springs and I have ran them on 2 of my Camaros.

You shouldn't be at any additional risk of breaking anything. You dampers are going to be working a little harder so the service life of those may be slightly reduced but driving crappy roads constantly is going to do that regardless.

Originally Posted by jman17

Chase...I have installed BMR trailing arms, toe rods, and have all the bushings for the rear cradle and rear suspension. I looking at getting the Xtreme anti-roll kit for the car, would you sugest this? Also, what sway bar kit would you suggest?

If you are focusing mostly on drag racing then that is a great option. If you are looking for better autoX/track handling then the front and rear adjustables are what you want.

[thegreatwhite]

how are you guys with the BMR 1.4" front and 1.0" back lowering kit doing with ground clearance? does it take big bump/curbs to scratch anything on the bottom of your car or is it hitting on alot or small bumps/curbs?

[Apex Motorsports]

Originally Posted by thegreatwhite

how are you guys with the BMR 1.4" front and 1.0" back lowering kit doing with ground clearance? does it take big bump/curbs to scratch anything on the bottom of your car or is it hitting on alot or small bumps/curbs?

It is important to maintain proper perspective when talking about this sort of thing. 1.4" lowering springs are less than a 1/2" lower than 1" lowering springs and less than a 1/4" lower than 1.25" springs. While it is lower the car is far from "slammed". You obviously need to be careful when you take speed bumps or enter a steep drive way but you are not going to be slamming the bottom of the car on the ground. You may bottom out your suspension on your bump stops if you hit something severe but that is very different than hitting the bottom of your car.

[tw78911sc]

I installed the Apex/Pfadt springs this past weekend. Install went smooth. the 1LE may have some differences between the SS, spring compressors were a help when working by myself. Once installed I was really concerned about my driveway entrance, at OEM height, it always scraped the rubber deflector under the 1LE splitter. Theses springs seem to take the rake out of the car, and because of that getting in and out of the driveway was the same, really happy about that. I did thump a speed bump at work so now I know that, overall really happy. Thx Tom

[Apex Motorsports]

Originally Posted by tw78911sc

I installed the Apex/Pfadt springs this past weekend. Install went smooth. the 1LE may have some differences between the SS, spring compressors were a help when working by myself. Once installed I was really concerned about my driveway entrance, at OEM height, it always scraped the rubber deflector under the 1LE splitter. Theses springs seem to take the rake out of the car, and because of that getting in and out of the driveway was the same, really happy about that. I did thump a speed bump at work so now I know that, overall really happy. Thx Tom

[timshifty]

can you tell how much drop this is? I bought this car this way. They are Pfadt springs I can see

[JusticePete]

Originally Posted by timshifty

can you tell how much drop this is? I bought this car this way. They are Pfadt springs I can see

Measure from the bottom of the wheel rim lip, up through the wheel center to the painted edge of the fender with the car on as level a surface as possible with a quarter tank of fuel. Post your measurements here with the wheel size and we can tell you.

[timshifty]

ok I just did it and came up with

25 3/4 and I have 20 inch rims

[Apex Motorsports]

Originally Posted by timshifty

can you tell how much drop this is? I bought this car this way. They are Pfadt springs I can see

Originally Posted by timshifty

ok I just did it and came up with

25 3/4 and I have 20 inch rims

If they are Pfadt springs they are 1.25" lowering springs.

[timshifty]

ok thanks
now would lowering it to this cause any issues with the car
it is making some pretty bad noises and a rough ass ride

[Apex Motorsports]

Originally Posted by timshifty

ok thanks
now would lowering it to this cause any issues with the car
it is making some pretty bad noises and a rough ass ride

1.25" is a pretty safe height but if you feel something is not right you should have it checked out.

[JusticePete]

Originally Posted by timshifty

ok I just did it and came up with

25 3/4 and I have 20 inch rims

Stock ride heights for a 2012 SS are 685mm front and 695mm rear. Yours are 654mm

Your fronts are a drop of 1.24 inches and the rears 1.64 inches.

[timshifty]

Thanks for that info

If I went from that back to a 1" drop would that be much of a difference ride wise?