What is the optimal lowering amount for 2013 SS?

[PumpinIron]

The vehicle in question is a 2013 Camaro SS (LS3). I have no plans whatsoever to drag race it, just lots of spirited street driving and maybe an occasional track day. No drag racing whatsoever.

It is not a daily driver and never will be, however, it still has to ride acceptable on-road.

My plan is to get some Bilstein B6 shocks, sway bars, and lowering springs to start with. I considered coilovers, but being as though I'm never going to be a professional racer, I don't think I'd benefit much from them.

My question is this: What is the optimal lowering amount for my vehicle in terms of performance in the twisties?

I see lowering springs anywhere from 1", 1.5" and even 2".

While I would like it slightly lower, I'm more of a form over function guy, so I want to go with whatever lowering height will give me the most benefit in terms of handling and performance.

I'm also interested in good springs / sway bars and what you guys recommend (new to Camaros).

I see BMR, Hotchkis, Eibach, and a number of others offer setups, just not sure which ones to go with.

[PumpinIron]

Also worth noting is that I have 20x10 front wheels and 20x11 rear wheels with 285s in front and 305s in the rear.

[KillboyPowerhead]

Have you priced out coilovers vs. the Bilsteins + springs? I think you may find the cost fairly close if you go with a lower-priced coilover such as BC Racing. I can't say from experience if the BC's are better than the B6's + springs, but so far the BC's have treated me well (daily driver/spirited driving). I also like the higher spring rates, especially with being lowered, because I'm less likely to bottom out/ding my front end going over bumps/holes. I used to have Eibach's springs but felt the spring rate was way too low and was consistently bottoming out; now with 8kg front/12 kg rear rates (~450 lbs/670 lbs) this thing's stiff as hell. I believe the highest rates you'll get with springs is 220 lbs or so, although that may be enough for your application.

Not sure what the optimal lowering would be as that is very situational. I have my BC's set such that the bottom edge of the fender/quarter panel is "sitting" on top of the tire, if your eye were perpendicular to the bottom edge of the fender (know what I mean? So about 1.25" front, 1.5" rear or so). This not only looks nice (I think) but still allows me to take bumps at speed while turning and not crush the fenders (tire/wheel width and height is also a factor here - I'm currently running the factory RS 20" wheels/tires).

The lower you go the lower you drop the center of gravity, however, the more you move the roll center as well. It is possible to get worse handling/more roll by lowering too much if the spring rates aren't high enough to counter the extra roll induced by lowering. Also, the lower you go the more you change the original suspension geometry which can negatively impact steering/handling by inducing more bumpsteer, altering steering axis angle, etc. So lower isn't always better unless you can compensate for it (bumpsteer kit, camber plates, etc.).

As far sway bars go, I have JPSS's bars and can't say anything bad about them, although it appears he is not in business anymore (). If I were to do it over again without JPSS I'd be going with DSE (Detroit Speed Engineering), but that's just me based on what I've heard about them; I'm sure you can't go wrong with BMR or other brands when it comes to street applications.

[pyroguy]

I was told that with the wheel/tire combo I want to go with one day that 1" is the lowest I would want to go when I lowered my car. So I have a 1" BMR lowering spring on my car. I have a friend who has a wide wheel and tire combo and had 1.25" BMR lowering springs on the car and on hard bumps on the highway he could hear a slight rub for just a second. I do not regret my choice in spring and I think the stance looks killer.

[PumpinIron]

To be honest, my issue with coilovers is that if I am going to spend that sort of money (which I'm not opposed to), I want a coilover that is rebuildable / serviceable, and I'm not sure some of the cheaper ones are.

Detroit Speed appears to make a very nice set of coilovers to the tune of 5k. Yeah... 5k. No way in hell I am paying that sort of money. I'd spend $2500 tops, but 5k would be a waste of money in my opinion, unless you're a competitive racer or track junkie I would think.

The KW Variant 3 seems nice, but I hear that the rear coilovers are a pain in the ass to adjust, and you have to cut a hole in the rear shock towers to do so?

The Bilstein B16 seems nice as well, but I haven't heard any real world feedback on those either.

Ridetech also seems nice, but that's a name I've never heard of before, they also want close to 5k, and with a relatively unknown name, I wonder if getting parts and servicing them is a possibility and if it is, how hard / easy is it?

From my motorcycle racing and off-roading (Jeep) days, I could get Fox shock or Ohlins forks and they were very easy to get parts for, service, and rebuild. Not to mention there was countless numbers of shops that specialized in rebuilding them due to the fact that they were two very large brand names.

[IKILLEDSUPERMAN_ZL1]

I am lowered 1.4 inch with BMR springs. I've had 265/35-22 and 295/30-22's on the car with no rubbing at all and daily drive it. I have stock wheels with 255/40-20 and 285/40-20 on there now. The car rides fine for a lowered sports car IMO.

[KillboyPowerhead]

As far as I know BC's are fully serviceable and you can buy specific parts from them as needed, or send them off to get rebuilt. BC is a very big name and known worldwide so finding parts/getting help shan't be an issue.

To adjust the rears of their BR series coilovers you'll need to cut a hole in the trunk above the coilover, however, I did this and it really isn't a big deal, and the carpet covers everything up so no one sees anything. I just used some galvanizing spray stuff to cover up the exposed metal - so far so good.

I've only heard good things about Ridetech and if you're willing to spend the money you may want to consider them; they have two variants, one about half the price of the other (HQ and TQ I believe); I think the $5k you mention is the more expensive ones.

Personally I like the coilovers for two main reason: adjustable ride height allows you to get the car exactly where you want it, even front to back, side to side, or whatever, unlike springs; and the higher spring rates are nice for not bottoming out/smacking the front end so easily (I have a front splitter so the front sticks out that much more).

[jprodun1]

Just my 2 cents, but driving experience will vary depending on the condition of the roads where you at.

I’d really like to lower mine, but being that it’s a daily in NYC, i don’t how it would improve on anything other than looks.




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[SSEssence]

Been loving the handling and stance of my BMR 1.25" drop.

[ABM Camaro]

I lowered one of my cars and regretted it. It looked cool, but the ride sucked. You feel every bump 2X. I did just the springs.

[DRKS1D3]

Originally Posted by pyroguy

I was told that with the wheel/tire combo I want to go with one day that 1" is the lowest I would want to go when I lowered my car. So I have a 1" BMR lowering spring on my car. I have a friend who has a wide wheel and tire combo and had 1.25" BMR lowering springs on the car and on hard bumps on the highway he could hear a slight rub for just a second. I do not regret my choice in spring and I think the stance looks killer.

She looks nasty, Pyro!

OP, I had my SS lowered on Hotchkis springs and they took it down ~1 3/8". The car handled like a champ and it rode better than stock too. Before buying my springs, I did a lot of reading and the general consensus is that a 1 1/2" drop is the max on stock struts. If someone wants to go lower than that, coilovers are their best bet.

[Spec]

Spent around 1k on the Hotchkis race pack, which includes 1" lowering performance springs (settle at 1.25"). One of the best mods I've done to my car. Handling is outstanding, not too harsh... stance is to my liking. If I ever had to do it again I'd go Hotchkis again. The parts are Sport Tuned specifically for our rides and includes springs, end links, sway bars, strut brace and chassis brace... all work together to give our heavy ass rides the best performance.


That said - for me - ideal drop is exactly what I have now.

[PumpinIron]

Originally Posted by Spec

Spent around 1k on the Hotchkis race pack, which includes 1" lowering performance springs (settle at 1.25"). One of the best mods I've done to my car. Handling is outstanding, not too harsh... stance is to my liking. If I ever had to do it again I'd go Hotchkis again. The parts are Sport Tuned specifically for our rides and includes springs, end links, sway bars, strut brace and chassis brace... all work together to give our heavy ass rides the best performance.


That said - for me - ideal drop is exactly what I have now.

I think 1” is about all I want in all honesty, love the way yours looks too.

Oddly enough Hotchkis says that their kit only fits 2010-2011 Camaros, which I’m not sure why.

https://www.hotchkis.net/product/201...k=&yr=&md=&sm=

[pnwdan]

Originally Posted by PumpinIron

I think 1” is about all I want in all honesty, love the way yours looks too.

Oddly enough Hotchkis says that their kit only fits 2010-2011 Camaros, which I’m not sure why.

https://www.hotchkis.net/product/201...k=&yr=&md=&sm=

I have the Hotchkis and mine settled at 1.25/1.5 I love the ride