so i'm a bit on a budget right now but i need to exchange suspension, what i was thinking about is:

- lakewood 90/10 front
- lakewood 50/50 rear
- front coil-over kit (bmr or spohn)
- rear stock springs
- LCARB

what do you think about this combination, will it work
car is drag/street racing usage mostly

cheers

 

What kind of HP are we working with?

 

I would also put in a set of SFCs

Also, the best suspension in the world will not hook without a good set of tires. That is where your traction comes from

 

@BMR Tech - it is around 400HP no power addres

@3rdgenmaro - SFC are allready mounted, tires for this yera will be 245/45/17 Nitto 555r and 255/60/16 ET Street Radial depending if street or dragracing

 

I'd go for the LCARB's and 50/50 shocks first. I don't think the coil overs are all that needed, but I'm sure a drag racing spring rate would be good.

 

I would go with a set of lower control arms, lower control arm relocation brackets, rear shocks and let it eat

 

i do have LCA form UMI (non-adjast), LCABR should be mounted till and of month

best regards

 

i'm not quite sure if i understand You, are there any drag racing springs for front or rear that are not coil-over if yes can you give me any summit numbers or links (ebay/summit/jegs/others)

best regards

 

Moroso trick springs are the closest thing you'll find for a "drag race spring". There is no such thing as a drag race spring. Springs are classified by their spring rate. They compress a specific distance depending on how much weight is on them. The more they compress, the lighter the spring rate and the more travel they will have.

The front springs need more travel because they'll extend as the car launches and the front end lifts, unloading the front suspension. The front shocks control how quickly the front can extend. Rear springs only need to be stiff enough to hold the back of the car up. Spring oscillation is controlled by the shocks. Rear drag shocks are normally set to allow the shock/spring to compress easily but extend slowly.

You wanted a budget suspension. SFC, LCA, LCARB, adjustable torque arm, LCA and panhard bar with anything other than rubber bushings. That's the minimal for a budget drag suspension. Shocks and springs can always come later. Start with front shocks. You're not at the power levels to worry about rear shocks. Factory springs got me into the 9's.

Get rid of the front sway bar and put one in the rear.

You'll never have a proper suspension that can handle all types of driving. A good suspension for drag racing won't work properly on the street. A good suspension for autocross racing won't work good on the dragstrip etc.

 

Stephen said it: I have the Moroso trick drag springs on the front end. I bought the ones that are supposed to be used with a big block since my front end I think is actually heavier than what they say a big block equiped car might be.

 

You mean those: MOR-47210 or MOR-47215 ?? they are not coil-over ??
so if i have a bit lighter front (350 with allum heads, spohn k-member) which spring rate should i get?? 220 or 250 ??

I do have rear sway from spohn, why to get rid of the front?? for weight ??

Yes i know that but here in Poland we do not have drag tracks so when we drag race all we get is airstrip (cleaned at start line) so i need to find something that will be in between drag and street racing.

 

Those part numbers are not coil overs, they just replace the stock springs. The best way would be to find out how heavy your front end is. the 47210's are best for 1680-1750lbs, and the 47215's are better for 1750-2000lbs. I got the 215's because last I know my front end was 1920lbs. Unless your car is gutted, I'd go for the 47215's. The 47210's seem aimed more at gutted cars that are in the area of 2800-2900lbs with the driver.

I took my front sway bar off years ago, just less weight and lets the front come up a little easier.

 

I know the weight of my car and you need to know the weight as it sits on the starting line. Driver, fuel etc. The weight on the front of my car last year is 1786 and I use the 47215 springs. I'm just on the boundary of being able to use the lighter springs but I don't want the front end to sit on the ground. I'll also be adding a few more roll cage and fuel cell protective bars on the front this year which will add a bit more weight.

I didn't look very hard but somewhere it's listed how much third gens weigh including front and rear weight. A fully loaded V8 third gen is around 1700-1800 on the front so although mine is stripped down and has a BBC under the hood, the front isn't much heavier than a factory car. The back of my car is much lighter than a factory car.

Get rid of the front sway bar. It's added weight on the front that you don't need and it will keep the front end from rising to help with weight transfer.

 

If the car is used as a DD, but will see the track on weekends would you still recommend removing the sway bar? How about a Wonderbar, run with one or without one?

Ill be running a 400 SBC/TH400 with around 400 WHP, and trying to run in the 11s.

For my budget suspension I have:

UMI Wonderbar
UMI Non Adj. LCAs
UMI Non Adj. Panhard Bar
UMI TH400 Torque Arm
UMI TH400 Crossmember
UMI Subframe Connectors
Front Swaybar
Rear Swaybar
Original V6 Springs
Monroe Front Struts
? Rear Shocks


Do you recommend anything else for my application?

 

Wonderbars are for road racing, they don't really do much for drag racing other than add weight. I've driven my car on the street without the front sway bar, and it doesn't matter to me. Better yet I have come back the tight skinny turns on the return road at the track going about 50mph. I'd say put some LCA relocation brackets on and see what it does with that. I think these cars should've come factory with these brackets. With those, and the other suspension I've done, my car with the old 305 hooked a 1.8 60' on 26" BFG radial T/A's.

 

i got lakewood lift bars, no sway bar, 50/50 shocks, stock springs front and rear and a jegster mid- mount torque arm hooking on hoosier p255/50R16 drag radials and can go 11.76 @ 114 with 1.62 60 foot. dont think i got more than a grand in parts if you dont count the moser 12 bolt

would also like more info on these control arm relocation brackets might have to look into them

 

I believe the lift bars are a sort of relocation bracket, or at least you can't use those and relocation brackets. The idea is to lower the axle side of the control arm, and that should be what that adjustable link on the lift bars is or functions as.

 

ok that would make sense but the only thing is that they monuted in the stock location but on the other hand they do have the lower link that is adjustable so that could cause the same effect. so what kind of bars would you use the brackets with just standard boxed lowers? also you mentioned you had moroso springs on yours and i was wondering how that affected your ride height if any

 

Have you brought it to the track at all? If so how well did you do on the 60 foot? Tires are the first start as that is the point of contact b/w the car and ground. If the tracks prepped right you may not need any mods at all or very little. Is your car a stick or auto? If it's an auto, it's going to be even easier. I have very little done with my suspension and have had great success.....as long as the track is prepped!

 

well i have never been to track as we do not have tracks in Poland, we race at streets or airstrips, but as i picked-up the car at middle of fall it was not possible to make any of measurment, i wanted to prepeare the car for next season so taht everything will be ready for racing

 

If I remember right, my front end was initially 1" higher and came down roughly 3/8" give or take a little. I still could cut a coil out of them, they tell you there is an option to do so on the papers with the springs. Being that I use tall rear tires and short fronts, my situation works having a higher front end so it isn't in the ground with how I have it setup.