suspension advice for a second gen camaro

[71maroesteban]

I want some insight on what's the best bang for the buck my car is being build to be a DD occasional autocross and a corner carver but with the ls3 swap taking up a ton of my budget and school I want to Know what's gonna help me the most in terms of susoension I was set on the bmr rear toque arm but with that nearly 3k want to get some feedback about other suspension options out there also the car is a 1971 camaro and the front upper and lower control arms were replaced last year so might be keeping those thanks

[BMR Sales]

I'm Glad you are considering our Torque Arm Kit for your '71. With the Watts Link, that will fit your Goals with the car. We should have our SubFrame Connectors for the 2nd Gens soon.

T.C.

[qnitro]

If the car is lowered is there issues with running speed bumps with the BMR set up

[BMR Sales]

If the car is lowered is there issues with running speed bumps with the BMR set up

Lowering any car can lead to Clearance Problems. I think your Statement is MisLeading as there are No Issues with our Torque Arm Kit. We have sold a lot of these Kits (I've sold 3 this week) and I have Never had anyone say anything about Clearance.

T.C.

[71maroesteban]

If the car is lowered is there issues with running speed bumps with the BMR set up well that would make sense with the toque arm being below the drive shaft I can see how it would cause it to scrape any one recommend and good rear suspension set ups that don't require a ton of cutting and welding?

[BMR Sales]

well that would make sense with the toque arm being below the drive shaft I can see how it would cause it to scrape any one recommend and good rear suspension set ups that don't require a ton of cutting and welding?

Yes, The Torque Arm is below the Driveshaft, but so are SubFrame Connectors, Exhaust etc. If you look at a Factory Torque Arm in a later Camaro, you will see that they stck down farther than this Kit. So Again there are Zero Issues from Customers on this Subject!

The Great Thing about this Kit is there is no cutting or welding at all - it Bolts in, in a few Hours!

91824

[Josh@Ridetech]

Hey,

I'm not trying to talk you out of BMR's torque arm, they build a great product as well. If you're trying to explore through the options for your car, we have a whole bolt on kit for the 2nd gens with minimal welding. Our bolt in four link uses the stock spring perches to mount the axle brackets and doesn't require any cutting of the floor pan. If you're wanting something to street drive and autocross, I would look into pairing the four link up with our single adjustable coilovers. You can fine tune the rebound on our Fox monotube shocks to get more of a performance or cruiser type feel, depending on the conditions you are driving in. We've had great luck with Fox, they definitely achieve what we need them to do on and off of the track, so we put a 1,000,001 mile warranty on them. If you have any questions, feel free to ask!

Here is a link to the four link and coilovers-

http://www.ridetech.com/store/1970-1981-chevy-camaro-firebird-airbar.html

http://www.ridetech.com/store/70-81-camaro-firebird-airbar-coil-over-system-single-adjustable.html

[Decline]

You could save some $$ by using a different LS motor..LS2/LQ4/LS1 turbo..They are usually cheaper by several orders of magnitude. I recently read an article in one of the hot rod magzines where they bought a $1000 turbo kit and slapped it on a LS motor with self learning EFI and got like 600hp on a conservative tune. Depends on your goals I guess..

I am in the same suspension boat but with a 1st gen camaro. I have been looking at complete coilover FR/RR suspension systems and have browsed the usual suspects..Ridetech BMR hotchkis DSE..
I really like the BMR torque arm for the rear, as it seems really trick with the Watts link. Also their new tall ball joint A arms with delrin bushings look pretty awesome.
I like the Ridetech front end with Tru-turn as it allows you to run a larger front tire..Although I'm not sure if that problem affects 2nd gens.

My problems with BMR are:
1.)Adds 50lbs - but to the rear where its not as big of a deal
2.)Is there anybody autocrossing competetivly using a BMR suspension setup? Proof of concept, you know? I'm sure there's got to be a few cars out there.

Ridetech Problems:
1) Some guys are having trouble running tru turn. Wheel/fender/rollbar interference
2)4 link is theoretically mechanically inferior to a torque arm. Although I most likely will never be able to drive to the level to ever tell

I've been leaning towards Ridetech right now cuz I've been reading the Rod Prouty build thread..LOL
That dudes the man tho for real. He's been out there using(beating on) his ridetech suspension in lots of events and doing really well..

[Josh@Ridetech]

Ridetech Problems:
1) Some guys are having trouble running tru turn. Wheel/fender/rollbar interference
2)4 link is theoretically mechanically inferior to a torque arm. Although I most likely will never be able to drive to the level to ever tell

I've been leaning towards Ridetech right now cuz I've been reading the Rod Prouty build thread..LOL
That dudes the man tho for real. He's been out there using(beating on) his ridetech suspension in lots of events and doing really well..

We don't offer a Tru Turn kit for the second gens. On the first gens, if you put the Tru Turn on and measure up for your car's specific backspacing, clearance isn't a problem. There are several different wheel/tire combinations (and the car's may not have rolled off of the assembly line the same), so it's best to measure up for wheel and tire fitment on those. That's a different thread though :).

Prouty's a good guy! He beats on his car just as hard as we beat on ours, so he's a good fit here!

[71maroesteban]

You could save some $$ by using a different LS motor..LS2/LQ4/LS1 turbo..They are usually cheaper by several orders of magnitude. I recently read an article in one of the hot rod magzines where they bought a $1000 turbo kit and slapped it on a LS motor with self learning EFI and got like 600hp on a conservative tune. Depends on your goals I guess..

I am in the same suspension boat but with a 1st gen camaro. I have been looking at complete coilover FR/RR suspension systems and have browsed the usual suspects..Ridetech BMR hotchkis DSE..
I really like the BMR torque arm for the rear, as it seems really trick with the Watts link. Also their new tall ball joint A arms with delrin bushings look pretty awesome.
I like the Ridetech front end with Tru-turn as it allows you to run a larger front tire..Although I'm not sure if that problem affects 2nd gens.

My problems with BMR are:
1.)Adds 50lbs - but to the rear where its not as big of a deal
2.)Is there anybody autocrossing competetivly using a BMR suspension setup? Proof of concept, you know? I'm sure there's got to be a few cars out there.

Ridetech Problems:
1) Some guys are having trouble running tru turn. Wheel/fender/rollbar interference
2)4 link is theoretically mechanically inferior to a torque arm. Although I most likely will never be able to drive to the level to ever tell

I've been leaning towards Ridetech right now cuz I've been reading the Rod Prouty build thread..LOL
That dudes the man tho for real. He's been out there using(beating on) his ridetech suspension in lots of events and doing really well.. well the ls3 cost me 5.3 money and Thank you for listing the pros and cons of each set up I think I've narrowed it down to the bmr and ride tec 4 link I just don't want to use leaf springs anymore and would like coil overs all around the ride tec seems a little more within my budget plans and I like their muscle car sway bar might start with those two upgrades and go one from there but if my budget increases my go with the bmr set up as I like how it ties the the entire frame together

[yellow1098Greg]

I have been trying to decide this same thing for quite a while now for my 77 TA. I think I'm gonna eventually do the ride tech as well but I have been saving to do it all at once as I'm thinking that makes the most sense.