I have a 85 Z-28 lowered 2" with Intrax springs. It rides like crap to me. It hits bumps hard which I expected. I recently had work done to it and the mechanic said that one rear shock is blown. I currently have Monroe Sensatracs (I think ) on it.

1) What are you guys with lowered cars using for shocks?

2) Is there a shock out there made specifically for lowered cars ie Nitro drop shocks for trucks?

3) What kind of quality are Intrax springs? Is there anything that rides a little smoother?

 

don't you think 2" was a little much for a camaro? you've probably heard this already from your mechanic, but when you go over bumps your springs dont have enough travel to absorb the impact, but the struts do. so whenever your suspension compresses, the struts are doing the real work of absorbing bumps. so struts will wear out fast no matter what because of your springs. unless you get struts that adjust, dial those in to match your springs, then the suspension will bottom out withevery hard bump you hit. thats a really bad ride quality, but at least your springs wont wear out. i've been taught lowering springs are more show than go. just telling you what i know.

 

Yikes. That's an interesting response.

I'm running bilsteins and like them. But I've never used anything else on this car so I can't compare. I'm sure I was riding on stockers when I got the car.

I don't know about specific drop shocks but they do make a raised strut mount for our cars that can net you an extra 2" of strut travel up front and get you back in the "sweet spot" they're designed for. The sensatracs aren't bad for a daily driver type lowered an inch or so because they get stiffer when not in their sweet spot, which happens to be rather spongy.

I haven't heard a lot of good things about the Intrax springs though. Do you know what the spring rates are for those? If you want something that rides smoother, you'll need to stay a little higher and go with a little lower spring rate but too far and you'll get the cadillac boat feeling.

 

This is how I bought the car.If I raise the car to stock height then I will have to change the wheel/tire combo b/c it will look dumb besides the fact the work involved to raise the car is not worth it to me. I just figured if I changed the shocks and eventually the struts It might ride a little better.You are right it is more show than go but the car does handle like its on rails!!
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Not sure of spring rate.can you tell me where I can get the raised strut mount? Do you have a pic of what it looks like or what it looks like on the car if that is at all possible to take a pic of?

 

With 2" drop your A arms and axle are likely laying on the rebound bumpers, which means you don't really even have a working suspension. Hope it looks good, 'cause I bet it drives/rides like crap. I would suggest that your struts are not a problem. Get under the car and see if the rubber blocks on the front lower control arms are touching or almost touching the body. It needs at leeeeast an inch of clearance. Then look at the back and see if the axle is touching the rubber blocks bolted to the framerails just inboard of the inner wheelwell.

 

I'll do that. How low are most people lowering their cars?

Car looks awesome rides like crap(at least to me).I am used to driving G-bodies not used to hard rides.I have had a few other F-bodies all were stock ride height/suspension, definately stiffer than a G-body but not are hard as a ride as my current Camaro .Here is a couple of pics of my car.

 

if your taking the struts out, you're halfway in replacing the springs. its the curse/advantage of mcpherson struts. get some higher riding springs. why not just go the distance and get the car to work right? it won't be lowered to such extremes and since your suspension won't be quite so messed up i bet that thing will handle even better.

 

Good pics. The car doesn't look like it's been dropped too much though. Looks about like mine with the eibach springs in front, but a little lower than mine in back.

It depends on what you want. There are guys out there going really low and living with the BS consequences of bottom dragging, crappy ride and diminished handling, and thats fine. I like the look a lot myself. A lot of guys go with the eibach pro kit too, which lowers the car about an inch in front and almost an inch in back. You get better handling and no hassles, but no slammed look. So its up to you. A few guys are going really low and successfully engineering some of the consequences out, but they still drag bottom all the time. Most guys are running stock height or an inch or so drop.

How'd you put those pictures on? I don't know how to do that.

 

No. Just.... No. 2" isn't enough to worry about "laying on the rebound bumpers" or bumpstops as most of the free world knows them. I'm lowered 2.5" in the front and 2" in the rear and I hit at freeway speed on potholes or large divots in the road. Dewey316 on here is lowered even more than that on weight jacks and while we both scrape on high angled driveways and tap bumpstops the handling is improved greatly. You have to match parts though. Okay springs, with shatty shocks and nothing else beefed up and you'll have problems but if you match swaybar size, spring rate and keep a bit of suspension travel you can make the car really shine. It'll still ride like crap though. By that I mean hard jolts, tracking, squeaks, creaks, and groans. But those are things I don't even notice anymore.

 

Yes, just yes. I had to shorten my rear rebound stops after going to a pro kit which only lowers the rear about an inch. I had about a half inch of clearance before I cut them. 2" and it would have been laying on the bumpers. The small amount of clearance was causing a snap oversteer problem at the limit. Went away when I cut about an inch off the stop.

Oh yeah, and you can stuff your attitude.

 

So you're saying stock thirdgens have an inch and a half of suspension travel before hitting bumpstops?

 

I didn't say stock. I said mine did in the back with a pro kit and the isolators removed.
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Scratch that. I'm saying mine had half an inch after the pro kit and the isolators removed. (probably only an eighth of an inch or so

Of course a guy as smart as you would know that different thirdgens had different ride heights and different susp. travel based on variations in spring rates. You'd know that.....right?

 

Right. And that 1/8th of an inch plus ~1" from the springs plus on the long shot ~1" from the isolator (Which you didn't mention before) at max would be 2 1/8". You're saying a stock thirdgen only has that much travel?

Nevermind, let's not trash up his thread.

Bottom line; if you want smoother ride, you'll give up both height and handling characteristics. Go higher and softer, otherwise spend money on decent struts/shocks (bilstein, koni and if you have to kyb) that will help dampen the bounciness your Intrax have.

 

OK. my front isolators were about an inch, but the backs were really thin strips of rubber.

 

Should be the other way around, if you're talking about OE isolators.

JamesC

 

Yeah, you guys are probably right. Its been a while since I changed that stuff out.