I need to lower my Z but I don't want to just cut the stock springs. I am not too concerned with ride quality since this is not a daily driver. I want to lower the car about 1"-1.5" all around with a good performing spring, maybe even a progressive rate spring. I am wondering what opinions anybody has. Price IS an object so nothing exotic please.

 

Get a set of eibach lowering springs. Then subframe connectors, better rear trailing arms, adjustable panhard bar Adjustable torque arm, gas filled adjustable shocks and struts, a wonder bar for the front. That would be a good place to start. The springs will set you back about $180-$200. If lowering is what you want then you HAVE to get the adjustable panhard bar. That runs from about $65-$200 or more. The first and best thing you can do is get a set of weld in subframe connectors, again, starting at $100 to about $300. The wonderbar is the second best thing you can do for about $50-$65.
gas shocks and struts, adjustable, $300. Aftermarket torque arm $100-$350. You would have most of your suspension upgraded for less than $1500. Figure another $100 for a polyurethane front end rebuild kit. Some things you can do piece by piece. Somethings you have to do tandem.

 

if you cut the stock springs at all, you'll regret it

 

[quote= Price IS an object so nothing exotic please.[/quote]

The least expensive way to do this is to have a shop heat the coil springs at one or two coils until the desired height is acheived but it's not the safest way to do it and the best way is to spend the money and install the proper springs as suggested by Kevin84Z28

Good luck..

 

bwahaha...funniest thing ive read on here in quite a while.

All this anti-hype really gets to me. Herb Adams has a section on how to cut springs in his book. **** Goldstrands company sells, from what I have read, what are just cut Moogs.

That being said it is OK to cut springs if you have a clue in what you are doing.

-Cutting old springs may not be the best of ideas as maybe they have sagged unevenly over time, but hell if theyre sagging/ wore out and need replaced what are you going to hurt giving it a shot before forking over cash for new ones.

-Getting a ton of heat in the springs you are cutting can effect the temper and spring rate of the spring..but getting enough heat into the active coils of the spring to drastically effect the rate is a bit harder than you may think.

-Cutting multiple coils at a time is another big mistake. Take your time, maybe 1/2 coil at a time, see where it gets you.

These may just be my bloated opinions. But racers have been cutting springs for years.

 

-Getting a ton of heat in the springs you are cutting can effect the temper and spring rate of the spring..but getting enough heat into the active coils of the spring to drastically effect the rate is a bit harder than you may think.

I would go with cutting 1/2 a coil at a time - make sure you let the spring air cool, don't throw water on it.....
Here is what Herb Adams does. This can be found either in his book Chassis Engineeering Hpbooks 1993 ISBn# 1-55788-05-7 or in David Shelby's book Camaro Performance handbook HPbooks 1993 ISBN#1-55788-057-3
-Andrew