Greed4Speed

Something that could be done stock. I know, I did it while test driving a SS with the salesman in the passenger seat and it was a tighter clover leaf than normal too.

Since you like Sam's advice this will interest you. This is in response to a comparison of Koni's vs QA1:
"QA1's are drag shocks. Hell their "handling" springs are 325 pounds, about 33 pounds more than stock springs are. There is no, NO comparision here."

See post #5 for reference if you need it:
https://www.camaroz28.com/forums/sho...&highlight=qa1


Then if you do more research I'm sure you'll find threads where the QA1 starts leaking pretty quick on daily drivers. Sounds like a quality shock to me.

slomarao

a stock car would feel like you were about to fly off the road. We were just fine, stable as can be. The tires werent even squeeling.
His car is also a 94z not a 00 ss so the extra 175 pounds makes a difference. Especially the extra 120 on the nose of the car. And if you wana really get picky~ we were on 16inch rims.
Have you drove a f body with 16 inch rims recently?

Greed4Speed

Tires not sqealing has to do with their compound and the road surface. Not shocks. Do that on cold asphalt and they'll squeal. You also need to realize that swaybars had a lot to do with it feeling stable in a turn and not the shocks.

16" wheels doesn't matter. This again is related to tire choice. I've seen cars run every bit as competitive on 15 or 16" wheels as 17".

NemesisLT1

ya, everyday.... it all depends on what tires you have.... maybe he had some H rated 40$ tires on there.... step up to W or Z rated summer or comp tires....

slomarao

so your going to tell me that a car with 16 and 17s with the same tires would handle the same?
I dont think so. 30 more mm's of tire to the ground and 10 less mm's of sidewall doesnt do anything?
The day i put on 17's felt like the day i put on the koni's. It was a whole new car.
I understand about the sway bars. It feeling so stable meant that they were doing their job.
But you didnt comment on the fact that it is a 94z and not a 00 ss. A stock ss would beat the crap out of lt z28 on the track all day. The stiffer springs, shocks, 275/40/17s rubbers, and the 175 pound weight difference.
Your not comparing apple to apples here.

cmking26

Ok like I said earlier I ordered the front AGX's and a strut tower brace. When I order the rears I should only need an adj panhard rod correct? I'm just trying to make sure I have everything set up.

slomarao

if you got springs your going to need re location brackets.

Greed4Speed

Yes, I've seen cars with 15's and 16's run just as well as cars with 17's. It depends on the tire and the driver.

A stock 00 up SS has the same suspension as a Z28. Same springs. Same shocks. Larger swaybars, SLP springs and shocks were all options as were BFG KD tires. Yes a stock Z28 has more weight, but that z28's suspension wasn't stock was it? BTW, LT1's had stiffer front springs to make up for the weight.

So no, it wasn't apples to apples. It was a STOCK Camaro with 17" wheels being the only advantage compared to your friends Camaro with a modified suspension. Your friend has the advantage and taking a clover leaf like that isn't impressive and it doesn't mean his QA1's are good shocks for handling.

cmking26

Re location brackets for ???

slomarao

for lca's

green4speed: your all over the place,
First, a ss and z28 have different suspensions. The ss clearly handles way better due to the shocks, springs, sways, 17's, 275's
Second, a ls1 car has a huge advantage over a lt1 car because of the weight, especially the 125 pounds off the front of the car. Weight and where its placed in the car has big effects on handling. 175 diff
Third, you are smoking crack if you dont think 17's have an advantage over 16's.
Fourth, i never said qa1's are good for handling. You said that they suck any place but the strip and i disagreed. I referenced the story of my friends car.
If your car were a lt1 ss it would be another story. But its not.

cmking26

Who has the cheapest lower control arm relocation brackets? And I need bolt in since I can't weld.

Chewbacca

A few clarifications...

SS cars handle way better than a Z28? Not really. In fact, a base SS is a Z28 with regard to suspension. Also, any upgrades the SS got on higher option levels weren't really all that great (70 lb bump in front rate only, a slightly larger front bar, etc).

The 275 tires you pointed out are responsible for almost all of any performance increase an SS has over a Z28.

Look at some corner weights of these cars. Now cut that 125 lbs in half for a figure that is much closer to reality. Now we're talking 30 - 35 lbs more per front wheel when compared to an LS1. An advantage? Sure. Huge? No.

Sam Strano

Well.... SS's do have 32mm bars vs. 30's on Z28's, which does help. But indeed there is no other real functional difference. Even on the earlier cars that supposedly have 1LE springs. My car is NOT a 1LE, and I ordered it that way, and I beat up on PLENTY of 1LE's autocrossing with it.

Regarding the LT1 being so much heavier than the LS1. It's not true, and you can't assume the car is becaue the engine block is. I weighed a '95 6-speed back to back with my '01 6-speed. Both had power seats and upgraded stereo's (Bose and a Monsoon). '95 is a T-top, mine is a hard top. We had the same wheels, tires, swaybars, and shocks, and both had full tanks of fuel. 6 pounds apart..... SIX. And my '01 was heavier.

Greed4Speed

So much for your theories.

I never said 17's weren't an advantage. Thats why I listed them as an advantage. I merely pointed out that you can do the same with smaller diameter wheels/tires. Thus the "its all in the tires and driver" statement. If I had cheap hard compound tiresw/soft sidewalls on 17" wheels and also some 16's with some nice sticky rubber and firm sidewalls which would be better for handling?

The larger swaybar is a mute point since you're friend has an aftermarket set up. Its also only the front. My rear sway is still the same 19mm as foudn on a Z28.
The SS has the SAME shocks and springs as a Z28. You can argue that all you want but you'll still be wrong. Even if they weren't, the springs would also be a mute point since your friend has aftermarket springs that lower the center of gravity too.

The reason QA1's are in here is because you used the example of your friend being able to corner well as definitive proof (in your mind) that the QA1's didn't suck. IMO, a shock that will start leaking in a year from street or track use (where they are required to take corners) sucks.

slomarao

all shocks are crap. Ask sam about koni not honoring their lifetime warranty. The blistens your on suck and so do kyb's. Theres nothing good out there.
Also your talking about one persons shocks who started leaking.
And in your mind you mis-matched blisten spring combo handles too. So i wouldnt go that far to say that his car doesnt.