At what point do I need adjustable suspension pieces?

[blake-b]

Specifically trailing arms, toe rods, etc... not coilovers and such.

I ask because I am going to purchase new trailing arms and possibly toe rods. I don't know if I should go ahead and get adjustable ones. These will be the start of suspension upgrades.

In the future, I might lower the car but not more than 1-1.5". Would the fixed length pieces allow this or would I need adjustable?

The car is a daily driver that might see a dragstrip and maybe an autocross event at some point. I'm just trying to make the suspension a little better a piece at a time.

Thanks

[axis]

IMO, you don't NEED TA's until you're making more power or are a avid racer. You'd be much better served starting with sways and lowering springs first. These will give you a very noticeable change in your driving experience. After these, i'd look to replacing a few of the bushings with poly's. TA's would be further down the list for a daily driver. To me, they are more of a "peace of mind" upgrade once you start stressing them. Typical daily driving and occasional racing should not be a problem for them. Autoxing would definitely stress them though.

[blake-b]

The reason I am looking at trailing arms specifically is to cure wheel hop. After that, or possibly at the same time, I was thinking sway bars. Ultimately, I want adjustable coilovers.

[2quick]

axis is leading in the right direction. sways and springs would make you happier i think. then the arms. if you could do all at the same time then that would be even better.

Pm me or email me for pricing on any of the items that your looking for. I can help you out. Thanks

[BMR Sales]

Honestly the non-adjustable trailing arms and toe rods would work perfectly for and definitely help cure the wheel hop and are especially helpful if you plan on drag racing the car. The sway bars and springs are also awesome bang for the buck items that will change the entire feel of the car and help get rid of the body roll that these cars have. I have all these items in stock and ready to ship if you are interested. If you have any other questions I can answer let me know.

[JusticePete]

Originally Posted by blake-b

Specifically trailing arms, toe rods, etc... not coilovers and such.

I ask because I am going to purchase new trailing arms and possibly toe rods. I don't know if I should go ahead and get adjustable ones. These will be the start of suspension upgrades.

In the future, I might lower the car but not more than 1-1.5". Would the fixed length pieces allow this or would I need adjustable?

The car is a daily driver that might see a drag strip and maybe an autocross event at some point. I'm just trying to make the suspension a little better a piece at a time.

Thanks

Blake,

The ZETA II platform on which you Camaro rides is an excellent architecture. GM spent a BILLION dollars in development and it shows. A bone stock Camaro outperformed great handling cars like Porsche and Lotus on the Nürburgring. There is no need to replace any of your arms to be able to make some passes at the strip or run some auto-crosses.

To learn more about your Camaro suspension I suggest you read The Book on the 5th Gen. There is low hanging fruit to be gathered in the 5th Gen for those that demand more precise handling. The single most important foundational upgrade any Camaro owner can make starts with the IRS sub-frame bushes. This is particularly true with axle tramp or wheel hop. Uneven loading of the suspension is a major contributor to wheel hop. Some suspension companies make elaborate chassis braces to address this while others make replacement arms.

Pedders took the direct route and addressed the movement of the sub-frame at the source -- OE voided for Noise Vibration and Harshness (NVH) sub-frame bushes. You can upgrade your sub-frame bushes with inserts (EP1200), full replacement bushes (EP1201) or Delrin for the Street (EP1201HD) full bushes. All three will control sub-frame motion. You can see in this video the sub-frame has been isolated.

Sub-Frame Video

If you have more questions please feel free to ask them here or call the office for Tech Support.

[Supercharged SS]

I think with the M6 you def need to address the wheel hop issue. Things have been breaking with stock hp cars due to this. One of these guys can hook you up. Look at them all already, like vultures on a fresh carcas. On the A6 platform you can get pretty far at the strip with the stock stuff as long as you have gd tires.

[JusticePete]

Originally Posted by Supercharged SS

I think with the M6 you def need to address the wheel hop issue. Things have been breaking with stock hp cars due to this. One of these guys can hook you up. Look at them all already, like vultures on a fresh carcas. On the A6 platform you can get pretty far at the strip with the stock stuff as long as you have gd tires.

You are correct in so many ways

I should have mentioned earlier that alignment is a critical factor for drag launches with an IRS. The less negative camber you run, the more square your rear tire will be in relation to the pavement. The more square the tire, the better it will bite. Better bite means less wheel hop. A quick trip to the alignment rack will tell the story. If your right rear is at -1.2 and your left rear is at -0.8 it is a text book example of alignment enhanced wheel hop.

Your engine will screw the car down to the right. The more the car squats the more the camber will increase. You end up loading the inner shoulder of the right rear and lessening the load on the outer shoulder allowing it to slip more. Now you could set the right camber to a lower negative camber level as you try dial it in just for the strip, but on a street car we just want to keep things even. Have the alignment tech work the OE camber eccentrics to to lowest level of negative camber they can reach on both rear tires -- BUT keep them exactly the same.