sdeluca1969

Hi, i'm new to the forum and the proud owner of a 2002 camaro ss SLP, anyway I figured it's about time for some suspension upgrades as I want to get into autocross. Right now i'm thinking of doing Shocks, and upgraded front and rear sway bar.

For the shocks I think i'm going to go with bilstein

SLP Camaro & Firebird Optional Bilstein Shocks Package (1993-2002) | eBay


and umi front and rear sway bars

UMI Performance 211213-R - UMI Performance Solid Front and Rear Sway Bar Kits - Overview - SummitRacing.com


Does anyone have any suggestions for me as far as other upgrades to do, or what other brands to choose? I am really just looking to get my suspension ready for autocross without sacrificing too much ride comfort as this is my daily driver.. any advice will be greatly appreciated.

Thanks

kartracer13

If you do shocks,sway bar and springs you'll notice a huge difference. I went with 35mm and 25mm sway bars to minimize body roll and Ebach pro springs to lower it about an inch. Tires are always a good investment since that's the only thing holding you to the road.

sdeluca1969

Ok, i'm pretty happy with the tires I have now. And i'm definitely doing the shocks and sway bars then, i'm still unsure of the springs, i mean the car is low enough as it is without lowering it another inch...plus i don't want to have a car that's so stiff it's unbearable for daily commuting...

kartracer13

I understand about lowering,it's kind of a pain and a different style of driving. And when you lower a car you need to change other things to keep the right geometry. You can get aftermarket springs that don't lower the car,but are a lot better then the factory springs. In the big picture it's all about what you want out of the car,the ride you can deal with and want you can afford. My car's a daily driver but it really feels like a race car.

bluz28

I'd get a set of Strano hollow sway-bars and Koni SA shocks if your budget permits, you'll never regret it!
If the Koni's are to much, then get the Bilsteins.
Also get a set of weld in tubular 2point SFC, UMI would be a good choice.

sdeluca1969

Ya the Koni's are definitely out of my budget so i'm going to go with the bilsteins. The Strano sway bars look good so I think i'll go with them. I haven't really thought about the subframe connectors too much, but they sound like they are worth it so I think I will do those too.

sdeluca1969

is there that much of a difference between the 3 point 1993 - 2002 GM F-Body 3-Point Subframe Connectors- Bolt-In [2004] - $339.99 : UMI Performance, Inc.


and the 2 point

1993 - 2002 GM F-Body Boxed Style Weld-In Subframe Connectors [2000] - $169.99 : UMI Performance, Inc.


is it worth the extra money to go with the 3 point?

sdeluca1969

also one other question... what do you think about suspension techniques sway bars?

http://www.andysautosport.com/chevro...p00037865.html

They are much cheaper then the strano and the rear sway bar is a 25 mm instead of the 22mm so i would assume that's a better thing.. but I guess at the same time they also weigh more so I don't know which route to go


Also is the rear sway bar really worth doing? I mean there isn't too much weight back there on these generation camaro's..

kartracer13

Well I'll try to help if I can.
The 2 and 3 point SFC's I don't know the difference on how stiff they make the car,but the 3 point will reduce your ground clearance some. I have the UMI 3 point bolt-in SFC's on back order,and I can't wait to see for myself,and I'll get them welded in when money allows.
Now for the sway bars, I've never heard of that brand before,but that may not mean anything or it might mean there's a reason. I did learned that cheaping out on parts cost more money in the long run. I bought some cheap springs trying to cut cost and ended up buying Ebach springs only 2 weeks later. The cheap springs were such garbage I didn't even try to sell them,I just threw them away.
I'm not sure about the size in the rear. I went with the BMR 35 and 25 because I have the KYB AGX shocks that are adjustable,so I knew I could get the balance I wanted. They're 8 way adjustable and if I bump it 2 numbers I can go from pushing to lose just that fast.
Hope that helps some.

pgerst

Strano Performance, the owner Sam campaigned a 4th gen to 4 or 5 national SCCA solo titles and he is considered by most to be the best chassis/suspension expert out there; call him before you buy as he is very helpful.

sdeluca1969

Ok, sound good. So for right now I'm going to buy bilstein shocks, strano sway bar's front and rear, and strano sub frame connectors

pgerst

he makes an adjustable rear bar (not sure he makes a non-adjustable one) but if you get that one you have some capability to vary the stiffness of the rear bar and adjust the level of roll at the rear.

UMI Performance

Hey guys. Sorry for the lateness to this thread.

If you're autocrossing, Strano = speed. Good choice. He is one of our premier dealers and can help you with all his goodies and the corresponding UMI components.

ramey

SROACH

I`m going to use the UMI sway bar kit myself. Im looking at the Bilsteins for shocks. I have them on my 03 GMC Sonoma ZRX.

Wild Willy

3-point SFC's would seem to be superior in stiffness, tying the two sides of the car together with more than just the floor pan. And, in the future, you might want to get the torque arm that takes the rear axle torque reactions off the back of the tranny, and puts them into the "frame" so the back end of the transmission, which happens to be mounted on rubber isolators, isn't moving around as you acell and brake. SFC's made a noticeable difference in my car, and you wouldn't think they would be important for a hardtop-

Surprised that your SLP car didn't come with Bilsteins. If they are there, they have a lifetime warranty.