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View Full Version : Need some GBODY suspension advice



zimmstoy
08-21-2011, 08:10 PM
Hey everyone,

I have been working on an 87 SS for the last few years (still not running yet). Nevertheless I currently have Hotchkis 1" drop springs, Hotckis swaybars and Bilstein HD shocks. I am not all that happy with the way the car sits.

I plan to use the car for street driving as well as race use. I hope to be able to have the car maintain the ability to handle drag racing, auto-x and road course. The car should out down somewhere in the 600-800 hp range with the help of a stroked Buick GN motor.

I have been to multiple car shows over the summer and read multiple articles about ridetech shockwave installs. I am quite intrigued. I have been looking at both the air suspension as well as the coil overs. What can I expect from each setup? On the air suspension is there an advantage to going with the the highend shockwave vs. the standard issue. Are there other reputable options out there that folks here have been using with success?

Any advice you could provide would be greatly appreciated!

Kind Regards,
Scott

Norm Peterson
08-22-2011, 03:49 AM
I currently have Hotchkis 1" drop springs, Hotckis swaybars and Bilstein HD shocks. I am not all that happy with the way the car sits.
Can you define what it is that you don't like about it a little better?

I would question how well you could know how it will behave in the three uses that you mentioned (plus, I assume, some amount of street driving) without having been able to drive it in any of them. Why not finish the build and try it out just the way it sits. At least then, you'll have a baseline and some real hints about what direction to take things.

It wouldn't even matter much if you plan from the get-go to swap all the existing suspension bits out as long as you try to honestly assess what you like and don't like about the way the stuff that's already there behaves with the car in action. You'd be in a better position to discuss how to get the car to where you want to get it, when you know where it already is.


Norm

zimmstoy
08-22-2011, 06:47 AM
Makes sense Norm. Thanks for the advice.

For further clarification - the car looks like it sits about 4" too high front and rear. My Regal T-Type sits lower on stock springs.

My biggest question is suppose is what are some of the main reasons folks choose air vs. coil overs vs. upgraded stock setups. What are the benefits and disadvantages to each?

marolf101x
08-22-2011, 07:00 AM
Air suspension provides the best "all around" set up. The basic design of the suspensions are the same. . .you have a spring and a shock. If you look at our coil overs and Shockwaves you'll notice we use the same shocks in both, so the shock can be a constant.

Say you go autocrossing in the morning, then drag racing in the afternoon. If you are changing a lot between the two you will likely want to change springs if you are running traditional coil overs. With air suspension you just push the button to change the air pressure (and thereby the spring rate) and change the shock settings for the event. We've done this before (like back a few years ago when we won the Forza Showdown with our 2005 Mustang). We were able to go from a road course event to the dragstrip and change "on the fly". As an example for drag racing we simply added a little more pressure to the RR and took a little out of the LR. Loosened up the shocks in the front so the weight would transfer to the rear. This helped the car launch.

Not to mention, with air you can park it at the show fully deflated so it looks extremely low.

zimmstoy
08-22-2011, 07:10 AM
Britt,

Do I lose anything by going with the air setup?

marolf101x
08-22-2011, 07:39 AM
steel springs. . .LOL!

To use the Shockwave set up you need our control arms in the front as the lower control arm provides a mount for the Shockwave and drops the mounting point so you can use a longer shock.
If you want to keep the stock arms you have to use our Cool Ride kit (air springs and shocks are separate, so the shock mounts to the back side of the control arm). Though this functions the same as a Shockwave (minus the altered geometry for the lowered stance) you may loose turning radius depending on how wide your front tires are. If you run a wide front tire it may rub the shock when turned full lock.

zimmstoy
08-22-2011, 08:34 PM
Britt,

If I go with the double adjustable master series shockwave up front; what is the best rear setup to pair it with?

SS PUNISHER
08-22-2011, 09:14 PM
Air suspension provides the best "all around" set up. The basic design of the suspensions are the same. . .you have a spring and a shock. If you look at our coil overs and Shockwaves you'll notice we use the same shocks in both, so the shock can be a constant.

Say you go autocrossing in the morning, then drag racing in the afternoon. If you are changing a lot between the two you will likely want to change springs if you are running traditional coil overs. With air suspension you just push the button to change the air pressure (and thereby the spring rate) and change the shock settings for the event. We've done this before (like back a few years ago when we won the Forza Showdown with our 2005 Mustang). We were able to go from a road course event to the dragstrip and change "on the fly". As an example for drag racing we simply added a little more pressure to the RR and took a little out of the LR. Loosened up the shocks in the front so the weight would transfer to the rear. This helped the car launch.

Not to mention, with air you can park it at the show fully deflated so it looks extremely low.I seen that car out at gandy beach one saturday night, It was a few years back though. It was like seeing a celebrity! I think I was one of the few out there that actually saw the show...