Just finished doing another search, and found many of the answers that I was looking for, but the one answer that I can't seem to find is: After droping a car I understand that the shock and struts won't have as much travel now that the car sits lower, but how does one go about figureing out which shocks/struts meet the criteria for the lower ride hight? KYB, Monroe, Gabriel etc... Everyone talks about them, but how do you know if they are the right ones for your application?
So many questions.....
TIA
Andrew

 

Only shocks that I was aware of that are valved for lowered ride height are the Billsteins. Others may be able to help with that though.

As for the panhard, when you lower the car, the geometry of the rear changes andyou need the adjustable bar to center the rear under the car.

 

what he said ^^^^^^^^

 

So, the KYB - AGX for example, are they not a suitable replacement for a car that is lowered? Why do many recommend the Koni - yellows - I know they are adjustable, but are they designed to work with car's that are lowered? All this talk about shock and strut travel?....

One other thing, as I read through previous posts regarding adjustable LAC and panhard bars, I have come to some confusion.
Most agree that the PHB is one of the first upgrades that should be considered for the rear end, but if the car is lowered (1.3" max) does one have to get the adjustable PHB, or will any upgraded tube or boxed PHB work?
-ANdrew

 

The adjustable and the solid aftermarket bars cost almost the same. There is absolutly no reason not to get an adjustable one. There are too many benefits. Just get inexpesive adjustable everything all the time and be done with it. $ difference between all adjustable and not all adjustable is maybe 20 bucks.....

 

dennis....
I understand what you are saying, but even looking at the cheaper adjustable rear end components there is more than a $20.difference - unless I'm looking in the wrong spots, and then there is the issue of ware and tear on the cheap stuff for example - adjustable with spherical ends (according to what I have read, these ends tend to wear out really fast even if lubed so in the end it's cheaper to go with urathane or regular bushings...) This is only true for the average street car - not the full out open road coase car where $$ is technically no object.

I am still unclear about the strut/shock stuff. How do I go about purchasing the correct units to meet the needs of a lowered car. You read all this great stuff about adjustablity and sensitvity, and that's all fine and dandy - but this only makes sense if you have paired the correct components together. KYB, gabriel, Koni, etc... of these choices (and others) what technical info do I need to look at to see if this stuff about strut and shock travel will be address?
Again
TIA for you ideas and suggestions
-Andrew

 

allright it might be more than 20 dollar difference. But certain things just need to be adjustable. The PHR is a MUST. don't get sperical, get poly ends and get one that has to be adjusted off the car, not on the car. Those are expensive. Same with LCAs. Just get some off ebay. I got some for 100 bucks. Also no bearings. Just go poly everything. And adjustable off the car. A little harder but you save $. As for the lowering thing. I was gonna lower my car, but after seeing how low everyhitng is I am raising it again, back to stock height. I am running KYB AGXs. Got of ebay new.

Hope anything I said helped at all. Later.

-Dennis

 

If your car is lowered get an adjustable Panhard Rod. If not then don't bother since its just one more adjustment that you don't need. I was going to get a new one for whatever they cost... $70/$80 shipped, but I decided to get a piece of steel and box the stock bar myself since I enjoy welding. Might as well toss some poly bushings in there while I'm at it.

 

Adj PHR is a must. A solid one does nothing for re-cetering the car.
I like bilsteins, Konis are designed for lowerd cars I believe. Can't say anything for the others.

 

If you haven't lowered the car why would you want an adjustable PHB ? There really would not be any point to it.

 

I will be lowering the car with the eiback proline kit - what is it 1.3"max drop?
-Andrew

 

It really depends on your car. That 1.3" max sounds right. Adjustable PHR are still a good idea even on a non lowered car. Why? Because in the future you might lower it. and second, the rear might not be centered as it is.

Why not just be smart and get an adjustable one and leave it at that. Believe me, I am building my car from scratch.....just do what is easy and leaves room in the future. It is just smart.

 

i just finished a complete suspension rebuild on my 85. i used...

sphon adj. panhard rod. my axle was about 1/2 inch off center.

hotchkis 1" lowering springs

kyb shocks and struts.

spohn non adj. lca's

poly bushings all around

tie rods, bearing caps and every other nut, bolt ,screw etc. that could be replaced.

i haven't had any problems using the regular kyb's.

 

Thats pretty much what I did.

My entire suspention.

-Moser 12 bolt.
-JDM adjustable LCAs.
-Spohn Adjustable TQ arm, with x-memeber.
-Tubular PA k-member.
-Tubualt A-arms.
-Sporlines that need to be swapped for something with less drop.
-KYB AGX shocks all around.
-Full new linkage and manaul aftermarket box all better than stock (thicker).
-Adjustable strut plates. (can't remember the place I got them)


Thing should handle pretty well.

 

Thanks for the info guys,
I to am in the process of ripping the rear apart, but don't want to spend money foolishly..... I don't have Jay Leno's bank account
I will go with the adjustable panhard, but I'm not going to 1/4mile the car - if anything, I might go the autocross route.... First for the subrame connectors and the cage, then the rest... After reading a bunch of old threads adjustable LAC's and relocation brakets don't make sense for anything but hardcore 1/4milers....
I did call around and one thing that I was interested in was that some people argue that the spherical rod ends are a waste of $$ for street cars and even on car's that occasionally see the autoX and or race track.
According to one manufacture, the rod ends will last a long time - a lot longer than the debated 20-30K. Their tech guys argued that moisture/rust were the worst culprits for wearing out the ends. Weekend warrior applications could in many cases last a lot longer - and just general weekend street use could last a car's lifetime. (the one qualifier was that the ends needed to be lubed regularily)
Opening up my wallet once again
KYB's - and the whole strut/shock issue. I know that many guys are running these, as well as other brands, but how did YOU come to the conclusion that they indeed could handle the new ride high after lowering the car? If you lower the car dramatically -say in the range of 2+".....???? Are KYB, Moreo's, even Koni's advertized as the solution to the suspension travel question? Do they have shorter internal components? - Besides superior construction, adjustability, and quality, how do these sturts/shocks address the question? Sorry to harp on this so much, but again I just don't have the answer.

Oh yah, Is Herb Adam's suspension book a good read and investment?
-Andrew

 

i got the KYB AGX's off ebay for a steal. (new) they are sooo adjustable that I figured there must be a good seting for me. Thats all i thought. + the price was great. If they end up sucking. Oh well, then I will be in the same boat as you

 

If you car is lowered less than 1.5 inches, using a shock designed for stock ride heigth will not have a dramatic effect on it's life. It's not recomended but it won't cut your shock life in half or anything.
Most performance shocks are designed to used on lowered cars, lets face it, most performance vehicles are lowered. I don't care for the budget shocks like monroe or gabriel, they are usually aftermarket stock replacement, not designed for lowered vehicles.

Shocks have a resting position. You can actually measure this. Move the rod to the place that is easiest to move in either dircetion. Usually it wants to go to this spot anyway. Now measure from top hole to bottom hole. Now go take the old shocks off your car and measure where the shock mounts. If they are the same distance than that's a good shock. Struts are a little harder to measure.

Do a search and you'll find most the twisty guys like Koni and Bilstein. I guess some people like Tikicos but I don't care for them.
Let us know how it works out.

 

How do you know when the rear end is centered so you can install a APHR? What do you measure off of?

 

I just stand behind the car and look at the tires and the profile of the car. You can measure from whatever to whatever if you wanna get exact. But if you have good eyes, it is really easy to eyeball it.

 

I don't know how accurate it is but I measure from the outside fender to outside of the tire. Check yout tire pressure first.

 

I didnt know if it had to be very precise. I can prolly eyeball it though. THanks

 

Im bringing this thread back to life because I have a question! I lowered the front of my car but the rear is stock height. Does any of the rear end lowering apply to me? Do I too need this adjustable stuff, I'm shopping for LCA and PHR and just wondering.

 

The only way to know for sure would be to measure the rear end to see if it is not centered. In the reading I have done on panhard rods it really depends on the car whether or not you would need it. Some at stock height have seen the need for them and some that have been lowered are all centered up.

The same goes for the LCA. You want them flat to a slight down angle.