My suspension thread

[dpzelenak]

Well the time has come to start messin with suspension stuff, so this thead is to help me keep things straight and get input/help from people on here.
Over the winter ill start gathering all the pieces for a complete overhaul
Ive read every thread on here about suspension(the sticky ones) and this is the list i came up with
The links are not where im going to buy it from just to get an idea of prices
if anyone knows a place with better prices please add some input

just about the bushings thatll be replaced will be poly also


sways-
front- http://www.amazon.com/Dorman-Solutio...vglnk-c2477-20

rear- would like to find the slp bar, but all i can find is it in a set
but if i can find the BMR/Addco/Speedbuilt/Next Level ones then ill go with that but cant seem if find any of them

UMI bars-
1997 - 2005 GM W-Body Tubular Rear Trailing Arms [3715] - $129.99 : UMI Performance, Inc.

Struts-
open to others but from what i found these seem to be the fav
KYB AGX
Shockwarehouse.com Shopping Cart2
i know ill need the other things but not sure on where and what to get
anit-pogo things
mounts

Springs-
vogtlans
Pontiac Grand Prix W-Car | 97 - 03 Sport Lowering Springs 959206

or

wbs
W Body Store

dont know which, both have the right a mount of drop i want and high spring rates but i know the wbs ones are progressing springs but other then that, is there any other benefit of these?
anyone run these?

Strut bars-

the zzp bar up front and maybe in the rear to just for the price
if not ill just go with the gm factory bar up front and the zzp in the rear
ZZPerformance - ZZP Strut Tower Braces #

Since ill also be lower the car a bit i need the find the rest of the stuff that goes with lowering

Ive read alot people say upgrade the lca's but i dont think ill need those, i dont plan on racing it
since ill be there ill replace the bushing with poly ones tho

Please input as much as possible and if anyone has any better ideas or other items i should go with please comment


I plan on keeping this thread updated as i go and also use this thread as a brake thread too since ill be swapping them out in the spring

thanks

[mechguy]

I plan to do quite similar in the coming summer.

[Bio248]

here are the parts i have problems with:

- struts: you dont need AGX for a setup you are going for. they will just cost you extra money and perform the same as something cheaper like a GR2.

- strut bars: another 'meh' upgrade. you wont notice a difference. it is up to you whether you use them or not, but the rear is more important than the front.

other than that it seems like you have a solid plan. how many miles are on your current setup? the only reason being is that you probably dont need to upgrade your LCAs, but replacing them with new units would probably help you out a good deal. the bushings in them go bad and they end up being sloppy. you wouldn't really notice unless you swapped new ones in and felt the difference since they slowly degrade over time.

[dpzelenak]

about 114k everythings factory besides the right front that was all replaced at about 80-85k


the main reason i went with the AGX's is because of what i read from your thread about lowering

recommended struts

all struts are NOT made alike. the stock struts were made to give a soft, comfortable ride. lowering springs (depending upon drop) will destroy your stock struts fairly quickly. there are two main struts that people run around these parts, both made by KYB: GR2 and AGX. KYB GR2 are meant to be a stock replacement strut, but ride a little stiffer. These struts work well with cars that are not that low. people have run them with springs that go fairly low and have complained a lot that they tend to ride very rough and blow out quickly. this is all a matter of opinion since i ran eibach springs on GR2s for over 50k miles and i thought the car still rode very well for how low it was. KYB AGX are adjustable struts that were meant for cars being lowered. these struts will take the beating of springs that lower the car enough to make a difference. these are the highest recommended strut around these parts. they might be a little more expensive than just buying replacement struts, but when youre lowering your car every bit of help you can get is a good thing. these can be dialed in to be as soft or as hard as you want them to be, unlike stock replacement struts that will be a fixed damping rate.

but i had the GR2 listed untill i read that and since the car will be lower i figured that the AGX's would be what i should go with


ill throw the strut bars on just there kinda cheap, if they work they work if they dont they dont,
for the price i rather pay an extra 100 bucks and have them the have nothing

[Bio248]

for vogtland or the wbody store springs youll be fine with GR2s. honestly i think all of the springs would be fine with them, but that is my opinion.

[WhatNext]

I have the GR2s and they are a quality replacement for the stock GT suspension. I would have preferred slightly tighter damping and wanted the AGX but they aren't available for my 05 GT.
Since you are going for a performance suspension upgrade, I would go for the adjustable AGX then you can dial it in.

[dpzelenak]

i think i'm leaning towards the wbs springs cause there progressing and they'd probably ride better

so the wbs springs with gr2's

[dpzelenak]

if i can find the agx's cheaper then 500 then ill probably go with that
but 600 versus the 280ish for the GR2's

[matt5112]

Addco bars are available at summit and jegs all day long.

You won't like the price though.

But you want STB's, just skip those and buy a good rear sway.

Subjectively, rear sway bar and STB's made no difference I've noticed.

But I'm known to not notice an extra 20 WHP, but notice immediately if its missing later.

Dare I say buy better struts.... You're not going low right? And struts are NOT where you stiffen up your car.

They merely need to be matched to your springs.

So as Bio said, GR2's or excel-g's would probably be fine.

I don't see new LCA's on your list.

Or comp G subframe bushings.

[Durk Diggler]

[QUOTE=matt5112;696851]

But you want STB's, just skip those and buy a good rear sway.

Subjectively, rear sway bar and STB's made no difference I've noticed.

QUOTE]

To offer an opposing viewpoint, I noticed a difference.
The STBS take away some body roll. After installing the sways I no longer feel the tire sidewall struggling in cornering.
But if you had to choose, b/w the two, I think most agree to go sways first, I think more to go STBs just because they are easier.

[matt5112]

I'm running low rolling resistance 16's.

The tire wall struggles no matter what

[dpzelenak]

Well all i can find is super highly priced rear sways
so i was thinking of just going with the gmpp rear bar
and make up for the smaller bar with other things on the rear

As for the struts and springs
I think ill just go for the AGX's with vogtlans
but since that combo will run me close to $8-900 i think it may be worth looking into coilovers since those can be found for a couple hundred more

[matt5112]

$170+ for a sway bar is normal for any other platform.

Why should it be less for ours?

AGX coilovers are 1500.

So they're 600-700 more.

And then you have all of the coilover issues to worry about.

Like thrust bearing rust, no dust boot for the strut and so on.

[dpzelenak]

alright well i found a "package deal" from zzp that comes with everything ill need(i think) it comes with ssc springs and gr2 struts
im thinking i might go with that and pay up for good rear sway bar
- Drop in Strut/Spring Combo #

[The Guz]

My brother got the GR2's that are listed in this thread with vogtlands. He didn't want the car too low since it's his daily driver. I rode in the car and it rides very good. Pogo is minimal. The only time it pogoed was when he hit a large dip on the road. Other than that the ride is comparable to the GMPP lowering kit that I have. If you go lower than 1" I would go for the AGX's. Less than 1" you would be fine on the GR2's/Excel G's.

http://www.grandprixforums.net/kyb-e...ech-45867.html

[Odi]

stbs are close to useless on a wbody if you do a proper setup. i didnt notice any difference between stock vs stock and stb's. i noticed a tiny bit difference when i did my suspension overhaul with them on, but that said stb's should be the last thing on the list. i wouldnt bother with agx unless ur going lower than vogtlands. considering wbody spring rates are crap anyways.

[twol8uluz]

I plan on doing the same, but agx/eibachs.

[addzradd]

Let me add my .02, I have WBS store springs, they killed my new gr-2's in about 12k miles now it pogo's. Also the rear STB was definatly worth it. The front was kind of Meh, but they rear swaybar was also great, it got rid of alot of the understeer. putting on a strong front sway kind of brought back the plowing action.

[dpzelenak]

anyone use ssc springs?
im really leaning towords the kit from zzp
- Drop in Strut/Spring Combo #o with that and add some big sways with the umi rear arms and be done with it for now untill i redo the brakes

[Bio248]

lots of people run the SSC springs.