I just got Ronal R15s for my '92 TA, The car is Bright Red and the wheels are being painted to match the car.

The question while I wait the 2-3 weeks to actually get these; Will I need to lower the car to make it look right or will stock ride height plus 14 yrs of wear be ok? I'd really like to see some pics of anyone out there that has a '91-'92 TA with R15s. Just trying to get some ideas.

Thanks
Mark

 

i dont even need a pic to say..i think you should for sure lower it..2 inch drop looks sweet on any vechile with any tire size

 

i think replacing your old springs would definately be a good investment especially with the new wheels. your old springs are probably getting weak and your car will bottom out easier. the lowered springs will keep your car low but will give better handling and less bottoming out.

 

Lower it about 1/2-1 inch, Im sorry but firebirds dont look the best slammed to the ground, how ever camaro's with GFX look somewhat nice with a 2 inch drop.

 

I agree. Slam a maro, but birds look way better a bit higher. Camaros look like they can be hugging the ground if they have GFX. The birds that have no real GFX to speak of, just look wierd.

IMO of course

Wish I could lower my camaro. Damn these Long tubes. haha. Even through I really wanna, I will stick with the sound and power, for now.

 

Drop it 2", they look much better.

 

I vote to lower. I would recommend the Eibach Pro- kit. It will drop it just enough to remove the HUGE fender gaps the Firebirds seem to have, and have a higher spring rate to help in cornering.

 

wait wait wait... What kinda pipes are under there? any Spohn x-member or anything like that?

Might make you only want the 1" or 0" drop!

 

i also say lower it with a prokit , sportlines are rough and eibach even says the prokit is the best for handling .

 

pro kit...

 

I thought I read on thirdgen.org somewhere that the pro kit is supposed to be the best for "performance". The pro kit is about 1" drop. Maybe an expert can chime in on this. By "performance", I think it means 1/4-mile times.

 

When I had my Pro - Kit installed it did lower just a hair over 1", and the handling was improved, but I do not think that it helped weight transfer enough to improve 1/4 miles times. I would guess that it hurt traction due to less weight transfer. If you drive your car everyday I would not recommend the Sportlines, especially with 18" wheels, my car rides like a brick strapped to a roller-skate.

 

I lowered mine 2.25" front and 2" rear and I'm running 17x9.5s all around. It's fells like a real sports car and handles like a dream. Our streets aren't too bad in the D/FW area, but if I'm going somewhere I have to make sure they don't have speed bumps and the streets are good.

If you lower it more than 1", I would suggest getting the LCA relocation brackets. In fact, I still recommend them for 1" drops.

 

Though i like the look of lowered thirdgens--and there are some beauties on this site--I simply don't want the annoyance too often associated with dropped cars.

JamesC

 

If all you do to the suspension is lower it with springs it will not improve handling...actually it might for about a month till the factory struts/shocks go to absolute junk. You need to do struts/shocks at the same time if you are still running factory stuff...

I have pro-kit on my car and i scrape on any decent size bump...even at an angle sometimes. My spohn crossmember hits everything...its definently the lowest part on my car. My cats and also my cutout will scrape occasionally. Im glad i didnt get sportlines now as i think my car still has a nice lowered look but not slamed completely.

Good luck.

 

get ready for a stiff ride n watch for those speedbumps....and opening your passenger doors near curbs.

 

Oh so true. When will people learn there is no answer to questions like this.

If you are determined to have the slammed look, and are willing to live with all the **** that comes with it, then go for it.

If you want the most carefree driving, and don't mind the fender gap, then screw it and keep it where it is. Thats all there is too it.

Thats like me asking, so motor swap or not to motor swap: Do I really want F.I. and low power or do I want much more power and the troubles of carbs. I don't care about the troubles and I do want the power, so yeah, I have a 500 hp 385, carbed.


Its all up to YOU, the driver. Thats it. In a thread like this all you are going to get is biased opinions that reflect what people personal likings are. Thats all.

 

I don't think I ever heard it described like that before!

 

Thanks for the replies everyone.

Here's the thing, I understand that the vast majority of the members will vote to lower it. I also do understand that it is all in the eye of the beholder, it's all about personal preferences. This is not a question where I am going to poll the audience and then go with the winner, I know it is not anywhere near that simple.

I am personally opposed to lowering this particular car because it is a low mileage all original car. I got these wheels quite frankly because I am an absolute nut when it comes to cleaning this car and the GTA wheels are as we all know just waaaaaaayyyyy too hard to keep perfectly clean. I would like to not do any "permanent" mods to this car. That way I can always switch back to the GTA wheels if I feel like having a different look. More than likely, when I put these wheels on I will like the way they look so much that I will be ok with lowering the car a little just to make it look that much better with those wheels.

So the main question for the people that have lowered cars before:

-What is the best kit for say a 1" Drop?
-What would be the downside to lowering it 1" in the front and nothing in the rear, or is that just plain crazy?
-What else do I need to lower it 1"
-Adjustable panhard rod? Is it necessary for 1" drop
-LCA relocation brackets?
-How much if any will this drop effect the stock struts? I'll probably replace them at that time anyway with Sensatracs to match the rears.

The car has no other mods, no pipes or crossmembers to drag. I definitely don't think I need to go any lower than 1". All I am really trying to do is take up any gap that may be too big between the fenders and the tires, if there really is one at all.

Once again thanks for the help.
Mark
RPM

 

Do my eyes deceive me? Youre keeping the firechicken? Congrats, me too. I would leave it stock Mark. Slap on the Ronals and go fourwheelin'!!!
POZ

 

Hey Poz! What's up sir? What's the story here. You're keeping the Formula?
Glad to hear it. What's been going on with you? Long time no see...

 

Yeah I'm still not sure how I came up with that one. I can make the ride ok by adjusting the shocks, but then it doesn't handle the way I like.

 

Ground Control & Tokico illumina's

 

I think something else you need to consider here is what size tires you're gonna be running. Because the tire height will also affect how much fender gap you'll have.

 

I'll be running BFG KDW 275/40/17s all around.

 

I dropped my RS with the sportline kit as well and youre right... that thing feels like its riding on rails. However, with all the chassis/suspension work I have done, putting those springs on it was the obvious choice. When I say there is no body roll, I mean there is NO body roll. When I bought my car, my biggest gripe with the platform was how loosie-goosie it felt when taking turns - even at a mild 10mph around a corner. So even though the ride has roughened up (and not to a point where I cant stand it) I would still do it again without a second thought.

Now, as far as having the sportline drop & the Spohn t-56 crossmember... whoa.. now thats a different story. I have to be SUPER careful with that thing. When it hits the ground, you know it! O well. Its still fast as s*** with six-speed.

 

Yeah, I had the sportlines on when I was building my car, and I installed the spohn x-memeber and damn, that is close o the ground. After dropping in the LTs, they were just too damn close, so I sold the springs and got a set of used stockers. Someday I hope to just be able to afford to heavily moddify these 2210s and have them tuck up into an oval collector and stay all oval so that I can get an air ride and be able to drop the car a ton when I park it, and lift it up to drive it home.

Well thats all I have to say about this subject. Later guys.

 

I did a 1" drop with hotchkis springs and a set of koni sport adjustables, and it is sick, it rides smooth and it bites the road. No matter what drop springs you use, you need a decent set of shocks.

 

can't you just cut the springs thats what I did to the front

 

no one really covered his questions on whether he's gonna need a new panhard or LCA relocation brackets with a 1" drop or not. i bring this up because i too am about to do the same thing, and am wondering the same things.

 

Good point, of all the people that have lowered cars, someone has to know!
-Adj panhard rod?
-LCA relocation brackets?
-Anything else?

 

Nope thats it. 1" is not that much. If you wanna be totoally safe, just get the springs. Install them, wait a week for them to settle in. Then measure your LCA angle and check if your axle is centered. Whatever is off, get the product that fixes it. Thats it. Can't be any cleaner cut than that.

 

As far as needing certain items goes, If you drop the car YES you will need LCA relocation brackets ( I mean your car will still drive, but who wants wheelhop?). The ADJ Panhard would be useful as well, but is not completely necessary if you dont have the cash. That is more like a minor adjustment piece. Buy the panhard if you want to work on you cornering abilities - much like you would buy subframe connectors or a strut tower brace.

If you are looking to put some power to the ground, then I suggest you get a set of LCA's to compliment whatever else you bought. Basically most of the parts you can buy for the rear of that car equate to putting the power to the pavement. NONE of it is completely necessary if you just want to drop the car for it to look pretty, but when it comes time for performance is when you start looking into parts like that. I probaly have about $1300 in Spohn parts sitting on my chassis and I wouldn't have done it any other way.