Suspension time... suggestions welcome!

[thebigbankhank]

Been looking at improving the suspension of my 2010 m6 SS aka Autumn since i bought her last August. Ive got a running parts list in mind but im not sure on which way i need/ want to go about it. should i do the fe4 upgrades first and then look at a kit or should i go with an all inclusive package or piece products together. Ive also checked out a lot of companies products. Is bracing necessary and how much does it help? I dont want to be in a position where i spend 5k in parts and all the pieces are fighting each other if that makes sense. For instance, level 4 bmr minus the subframe braces tied into a granatelli 1g kit with a set of adjustable coilovers... Ive looked at the options from BMR, Granatelli, Hotchkis, and several others and I think i can fit what i want into a nice budget... Ultimate goal for the car is to have something i can do whatever i want with, back roads, street, strip, road course track days, autocross and just plain fun!

[thebigbankhank]

Shocks, Bushings, Braces, Arms, Rods & Links

[SkunkJunk420]

get the solid cradle bushings... they feel awesome

[Apex Motorsports]

Originally Posted by thebigbankhank

Been looking at improving the suspension of my 2010 m6 SS aka Autumn since i bought her last August. Ive got a running parts list in mind but im not sure on which way i need/ want to go about it. should i do the fe4 upgrades first and then look at a kit or should i go with an all inclusive package or piece products together. Ive also checked out a lot of companies products. Is bracing necessary and how much does it help? I dont want to be in a position where i spend 5k in parts and all the pieces are fighting each other if that makes sense. For instance, level 4 bmr minus the subframe braces tied into a granatelli 1g kit with a set of adjustable coilovers... Ive looked at the options from BMR, Granatelli, Hotchkis, and several others and I think i can fit what i want into a nice budget... Ultimate goal for the car is to have something i can do whatever i want with, back roads, street, strip, road course track days, autocross and just plain fun!

Bracing is really not necessary unless you are building a hard core track car and you have done everything else already. These cars are already extremely stiff so there isn't much flex in the chassis. I would recommend a package similar to this to achieve an all around great handling set up without over spending.

Solid rear cradle bushing
Radius rod bushing
GM or aftermarket FE4 lower control arms and end links
FE4 sway bars
lowering springs or coil overs (budget dependent)
trailing arms and bushings

If you would like to discuss any of this in greater detail or see what a package price would look like do not hesitate to shoot me a PM. I put these sorts of custom packages together all the time.

[Airmaster]

When I researched this stuff the general answer was

-Sway Bars, front and rear
-End links for the sway bar(s)
-Cradle Bushings
-Trailing Arms
-Toe Rods
-Radius Arm Bushing or Insert
-Springs/Coils

I skipped springs because I could not find any performance springs that didn't lower the ride. I imagine 1LE springs might work for me but after doing all of the above without springs, I am living happy! I'll have a complete write up on my suspension mods shortly for further reference.

[Airmaster]

duplicate

[Apex Motorsports]

Originally Posted by Airmaster

When I researched this stuff the general answer was

-Sway Bars, front and rear
-End links for the sway bar(s)
-Cradle Bushings
-Trailing Arms
-Toe Rods
-Radius Arm Bushing or Insert
-Springs/Coils

I skipped springs because I could not find any performance springs that didn't lower the ride. I imagine 1LE springs might work for me but after doing all of the above without springs, I am living happy! I'll have a complete write up on my suspension mods shortly for further reference.

The 1LE uses the same springs as the standard SS.

[Airmaster]

Originally Posted by Apex Motorsports

The 1LE uses the same springs as the standard SS.

Really? Darn. Do you personally know of any performance springs that do not drop the height too much?

[Apex Motorsports]

Originally Posted by Airmaster

Really? Darn. Do you personally know of any performance springs that do not drop the height too much?

No, everything is at least 1".

[Lil' Nasty]

Originally Posted by Airmaster

Really? Darn. Do you personally know of any performance springs that do not drop the height too much?

Not technically performance springs but the SS springs are lower by .5 inch I believe. That is if you want something less than an inch.

[Airmaster]

Do the SS springs provide an advantage other than the slight drop? And sorry for the thread hack OP, maybe some of this will help bring to light more answers for you anyhow...

[Lil' Nasty]

Originally Posted by Airmaster

Do the SS springs provide an advantage other than the slight drop? And sorry for the thread hack OP, maybe some of this will help bring to light more answers for you anyhow...

Not an expert, but lowering the car even that much can make your car handle a little better but to some may not be a big difference.

In my coilover experience, even an inch was a big difference, however i still want to lower it to around 1.25. I'm glad to get rid of the 4X4 look, but seeing some SS's in my group on stock height it still looks like a big gap.

[Apex Motorsports]

Originally Posted by Lil' Nasty

Not technically performance springs but the SS springs are lower by .5 inch I believe. That is if you want something less than an inch.

Originally Posted by Airmaster

Do the SS springs provide an advantage other than the slight drop? And sorry for the thread hack OP, maybe some of this will help bring to light more answers for you anyhow...

I didn't pay attention to the fact that we were talking about a V6 Camaro. The SS springs do sit a tiny bit lower than the V6 and are have a slightly higher spring rate meaning they would be an upgrade. However, the V6 rear shocks can extend farther than the rear SS springs meaning that they can come out of their perches. You could fix that by swapping to the 1LE dampers which would yet again be a nice upgrade over the V6 parts. You could pick up the springs for next to nothing in the member classifieds section and then hit up your dealership parts department for the 1LE dampers.

[thebigbankhank]

yall are good... im over here eating popcorn, reading and learning! Why go with the Solid bushings over the polyurethane ones? I've got an idea why but im curious to hear the before and after from a user SkunkJunk42, I was in Austin last week. There arent many people in Waco that are doing much modding to chasis on gen 5s, mainly all performance under the hood stuff or cosmetic mods.