Front Spring rate??? - 1st gen Camaro

[BuddyP]

What lb springs shouls I consider? Here's my planned setup...

Stock CA's
Hotchkis 1 1/8 sway
Hotchkis shocks
Guldstrand mod
Delrin bushings
Offset shafts

550lb? 650lb?

Thanks
Buddy P

[Andrew McBride]

I am running #600 Hotchkis on my 68 camaro with a SB. I am building a street car and occasional track use. If you are gonna be using the car for track use I would consider coilovers.
You look like you have the right idea in a suspension set-up without spending a ton of money.

[dennis68]

With spring rates that high do you think you will need a 1.125" sta-bar??? Stabalizers are tuning tools, if spring selection is correct or near correct you shouldn't need that much bar.

[David Pozzi]

How about some info on what you intend to do with your car?
For street crusing not lowered go with 380 coils
for medium use good handling/ride something like a 500/550 is nice.
for agressive street Autocross/ Open track, 650/720 works.

dennis68,
The Hotchkis 1 1/8" bar is hollow, and is about the same rate as a 1" dia solid bar. first gen bars are stiffer for a given diameter because their arms are shorter than second gen or most other models.

[BuddyP]

Car will be a SB, and will not be used on a track. Street only.

I don't know if I would need that big of a bar or not... maybe I can get away with softer springs? That's the point of my post. Not sure what is being used. I think I saw a chart on Pozzi's site that gave a recommendation to 550lb springs. I'll have to check again.

[BuddyP]

Ah, Dave you posted the same time I did....

Sounds like the 500-550 is my range. Car will be a SB, 2" lowered, street use only.

[dennis68]

dennis68,
The Hotchkis 1 1/8" bar is hollow, and is about the same rate as a 1" dia solid bar. first gen bars are stiffer for a given diameter because their arms are shorter than second gen or most other models.
Even a 1" bar seems a little big on a car with that much spring. If he were running the 380's or even a 450 maybe. A 1" bar on a 3500lbs car with over 500lbs at the spring sounds like oversteer city...just an opinion from a non-Camaro guy.

[David Pozzi]

Even a 1" bar seems a little big on a car with that much spring. If he were running the 380's or even a 450 maybe. A 1" bar on a 3500lbs car with over 500lbs at the spring sounds like oversteer city...just an opinion from a non-Camaro guy.

Hotchkis kits use a 1 1/8" hollow ft bar and ft coil rate of around 700.
The rear leaf springs are 175 and they sell a rear bar kit too but I don't know the rate.

The rear bar may not be needed depending on F/R tire sizes and F/R weight balance, also the stiffness of the rear leaf bushing material has a lot of influence over rear roll stiffnes.

Often with this setup and larger rear tires compared to front, a SB equipped first gen may need a rear bar if there is too much understeer.

For road racing, rear bars are not popular because they hurt traction on corner exit. But when you look at the spring bushings many road racers use, they are usually very stiff or solid bushings, which tend to twist the springs when cornering, and adds a lot of extra rear roll stiffness.

I think you can back down on these spring rates for a milder street package, IF the tires are not super wide or sticky, AND the car is not too low and you don't have 500 hp.

I used 550 rate coils and they were pretty nice but when I got more traction and HP, I needed to go stiffer.