Matt 823

Hey everyone, I have a 2002 Camaro SS. All the suspension is currently what came from the factory, with the SS options.

This spring i'm getting a whole bunch of goodies from BMR.
The list includes:

BMR Lower Control Arms
BMR Lower Control Arm Relocation Brackets
BMR Strut Tower Bar
BMR Adjustible Torque Arm
BMR Adjustible Pan Hard Bar

I just want to know what your opinions are. Also from experience can you guys tell me how this set-up will benefit me. Are there any downfalls to doing this? If so what. I plan on hooking up better for faster et's, and more controlled launches on the street. I have stock ride height with plans to lower the car in the future, which is why im going with the adjustible parts now. Everything is ordered in red, not that you can see it but it should add a nice touch to underneith the vehicle.

Injuneer

A lot of it comes down to how you plan to use the car.... going around corners fast, or going fast in a straight line 1/4-mile at a time. Add to that how tolerant you are of increased noise and firmness.

That will determine not so much what components you want, but what kind of 'ends' you want to use... polyurethane, spherical rod ends, or a combination of both. That choice will also determine whether the mods provide a nice increase in firmness, or a harsh, noisy ride that is only tolerable to complete handling or drag racing addicts.

Matt 823

I'm looking for a combination of the both. The Polyurethane ends are ment more for the street correct? I'm hoping for a better street car however i do make to the track a couple times a summer. And i do tend to street race

max_ta

have all the same on my TA but spohn products and now it drives like a log truck but it hooks like no other and handles corners as good as a indy car

max_ta

1 up on you its got welded sub frame connectors too

Matt 823

ok good, thanks for your input guys

Bud M

LCAs - I'd get the Hotpart arms, their bushing design looks to be much better than the antiquated poly bushings in the BMRs

Relocation brackets - I have the BMR bolt ons, good product

STB - Some consider them non functional, I have the BMR, I felt an improvement in steering response.

TA - I've never seen a complaint here about that unit. You'll want longer bolts for it. If BMR doesn't offer them, Spohn does. You'll also need an angle finder to install it. It may come with one. If not, Sears has them.

PHB - Don't get one of those bars with poly bushings and a turnbuckle in the bar. Get a rod end bar. Noise won't be an issue with rod ends in the PHB and it a much stronger design.

Don't forget a tube of silicon grease for poly bushings. BMR sells that too.

Norm Peterson

In terms of NVH, the poly is a little more street-friendly. But it isn't the hot tip for hard cornering unless you tune the rear suspension in particular with the extra roll stiffness that you get from poly-bushed LCAs (aka "roll bind"). Typically you would end up with a lighter than stock rear sta-bar. A poly/rod end combination is better. Trades a little more NVH for less interference with suspension behavior while cornering, and you get to keep the OE rear bar or possibly up it a tiny bit. Supposedly the HotPart poly-ball LCAs are intended to do more or less the same thing with less NVH, though I've heard that in a continued extremely hard cornering environment (think road course running and auto-X rather than the occasional blast down an on-ramp) some durability issues remain.

There are some simple mods that you can do to poly to benefit the cornering without hurting the straight-line. There's probably a payback in terms of shorter bushing life.


Norm

Bud M

If you would like to elaborate on durability issues with the Hotpart LCAs, I'm interested in hearing about it.

Norm Peterson

At least one individual who runs a recent-year Mustang (I think it might be an S197, but I'm not sure without chasing it down) ran them for a while on a track day car and ended up damaging some of the poly pieces. I don't think it was the *****, but the cup-shaped pieces that they bear up against. He's running the poly/rod end combo now.

If the end cups/bushings/whatever they're called cannot themselves rotate with the LCA without requiring deformation to do so (think of what's required for them to not bind up against the chassis and axle brackets here), they haven't solved the roll "bind" issue at all, though they would ride better than ordinary poly in most normal situations.

I was strongly considering them myself until seeing that. Now it'll be either a poly/rod end combo or modified poly.


Norm

Bud M

Too bad, it was looking like a viable alternative to rod ends. Maybe poly/rod end is a better way to go. Or even rubber/poly BMRs which is what I have now.