HardcoreRM125

I was thinking of buying some hotchkis boxed lca's but someone told me a while ago that they can cause the suspenion to bind.

I was looking for suspension mods that will help in getting traction, WITH OUT really sacrificing cornering abilities. So I was thinking along the lines of the hotchis boxed LCA's, and bolt in SFC's for a convertible fun to find.

Also, hopefully some of you have been there done that, I found a STB for $50 that a guy who lives by me is selling. He said he could tell it stiffened up the front end some. I figured for $50 what do I have to loose? But if they pretty much make little to no difference, then I wasnt going to bother with it.

Dave K

Get weld in sfc's... installation is pretty cheap and you won't have to worry about bolts loostening. One thing to keep in mind is that for straight line traction, you WANT body flex so sfc's may not be your best choice. You don't get anything for free, the more you work on improving the handling of the car, the more you'll need to be careful to avoid compromising on traction.

if you get boxed lca's... just don't get poly bushings... get a hard durometer rubber on one and and stock rubber on the other, no binding problem.

STB is pretty much eye candy... don't expect to feel any difference.

Severous01

take the STB, it's not just eye candy. especially for about 50 bucks...that's not bad. myself and some other heavy hitters around here use the STB...my friend's 600 hp 355 blower z has one, Injuneer's got one, and i think strano suggests it too.

i wouldnt take free boxed LCA's. make your own. there's a thread on this and where to get all the parts...do a search on making control arms. they are lighter than the steel ones and are just as strong, if not stronger...and it'll cost you about a hundred bucks in parts. plus it looks way better if you polish them up to a chrome shine...looks great through some light weight wheels. you can also get a 40" control arm and make a PHR out of it. that's what i did and it works fine for street use...i wouldnt take it racing though, not track racing any way. it's fine for drag and street use though.

definitely take some SFCs and get a torque arm as well. that would actually be the first thing i did. if i had to do it over it'd be done before the CAI and exhaust. i got the bolt in's and painted them after the weld in installation. it costed me 100 bucks to have the frame straightened and then frames welded on.

2000GTP

The Hotchkis stuff is more expensive I noticed, you can get a nice pair of Spohn poly/poly ended LCAs for around a 100 bucks brand new. I have them and they added some noticable stiffness to the car and cornering ability has not been sacrificed at all. I would also jump on the STB, that is a really good deal for fifty bucks. I also second the idea of weld-in subframe connectors. SFCs for me was one of the best chassis/suspension mods I did to my car so far, they made a drastic difference in the overall handling and feel.

landstuhltaylor

is there anything the weld-ins would get in the way of? like if you have to pull the transmission or youre doing exhaust work?

JSkeet

they go no where near the transmission or exhaust.... you'll be fine w/ the weld ins.

to make boxed LCA's... take stock LCA's, get some thick steel (1/8") 2" in width, and weld it over the open end of the LCA's. You can make these in like 5 minutes for about $15

Bayer-Z28

Injuneer told me something a while ago. I was lookin at bolt in SFC's. He mentioned to me that you will never get the kind of connecton w/ bolt is as you would the weld-ins. I've got the BMR low Clearance Tubular SFC's. The tuck up well and are not in the way of anything..

If you're looking for traction....
LCA's. (w/ LCA relo's if you're lowered)
TQ Arm
Good shox... QA1's, RV'd Bilstiens
Maybe a good set of springs.

THe STB, is good for handeling (not a HUGE diff, but it helps)
The PHB helps stiffen the rear up a bit.. The SFC's are a great mod! Effects every aspect of the suspension...all in a good way. You feel mor eof the susp mods.

HardcoreRM125

I was planning on getting the bolt in SFC, and then POSSIBLY welding them in later with my mig ... I wonder if they would be as solid as the weld-in SFC's doing it this way. Ill have to look at some pics and see what I can come up with.

I think I am going to go ahead and get the STB for $50. If I dont like it, I know I can get 50$ for it again.

So if I used those hotckis ones, I would have to buy some stocker/rubber bushings for it huh ... I found them used to for $50 so I figured at that price it would be worth it. Although making my own seems pretty simple as well.

Severous01

the bolt ins are the same as the weld ins...they just come powder'd. they're identicle. i'd get the weld ins and buy some longer bolts if you wnat it bolted or find someone to weld it for you. any muffler shop should be able to install it. mine were bolted in then welded. i have the slp setup. they're nice and beefy. they dont get in the way of anything...and actually provide a nice lift piont.

HardcoreRM125

Well, I guess I could do it that way.

I would weld them in myself. I feel pretty competant with my Mig...

I bet they would get in the way though for doing true duals and exiting them in FRONT of the rear tire, not crossing the axle.

Bayer-Z28

YEah, What he said. They're bolted in the front. The rear slips over the front LCA bolt, re-bolted and then is 'supposed' to be welded on each side... (My guy didn't do it.....).

EDIT: There ARE some that are TRUE bolt ins... I believe SLP offers them.. also connect he tunnel.

Greed4Speed

Start with tires.
Every mod to generate more power, handle better, brake better, and launch better are worthless w/out tires that'll handle what is thrown at them.

HardcoreRM125

My tires hook up really well suprisingly ...

But I planned on doing a HC swap this winter, and if my boss ownt sticker it for me ( No inspection license for me ) like that, then I will be getting a ProCharger or some N20 set up.

I wanted to do everything I oculd though to stiffen it up, and help with the launch cause I know when I do this round of mods this winter, it isnt going to hook up as well as it does now lol

Greed4Speed

Just because the tires hook now doesn't mean they will after your mods when more hp hits them.

tcbnj

I have a 95 Formula convertible. These mods noticeably improved my cars ride and handling:

SLP - strut tower brace, subframe connectors & 17" Firehawk wheels + BFG 275/40 T/A KD tires

Spohn - sway bars and pan hard rod. Don't forget to replace the rubber bushings with polyurethane or polygraphite bushings.