bought my first 3rd gen camaro about 2 months ago, already has some work into it now im starting to do my own. needed new rear tires, got them, now if i hit a bump or dip in the pavement, or even a turn at the right angle/speed, my tires are hitting the body.

rims - 15"
tires - 245/60/15

i want this to be a good driver around the city, and still pose a threat at the strip. what should i put into the rear ends suspension? im 19 and only know minimal things about cars, so please forgive my ignorance.

 

also, i dont want to put the best of the best parts into this (yet) just looking for something to get me started.

 

KYB Gas-Adjust good starter shock in the back.
When you get to the front, a lot of folks go with the KYB GR2. I found it wimpy in comparison to the Gas-Adjusts I had in back.

When you go to gas shocks in back, you probably want to beef up the stock mounts by welding on some plate to the mount. Find a good fabrication guy. Will be a pretty easy job for him. Gas shocks will pull out the stock mounts.

Polyurethane bushings on your front and rear sway bars is another inexpensive way to put some smiles into your driving. Enjoy your car.

 

Welcome to the thirdgen community! I get what your saying but your also saying "i want to buy middle of the road parts now and then spend more later to get what i really want". Get the stuff you want the first time. Is this car your daily driver or do you have another car for daily driving?

Your tires are a little taller than stock tires. Shouldn't be an issue on the rear but might be why your rubbing in the front.

KYB's are nice. I'm not a drag racer so it's difficult for me to recommend struts and shocks to you. A friend of mine has the KYB AGX on his 01 Z28 and says they are great on the strip and street cause of their adjustability.. I have the gas-a-just on my 69. Very nice for cruising. There are some companies that make a drag shock but i've heard they aren't very enjoyable on the street. I've never heard about the gas shocks pulling out of the mounts even with Koni yellows which are one of the ultimate street/autoX/RR shocks for these cars. Might be true but i've never heard it.

Poly on your sway bars and end links are good but i wouldn't use them anywhere else. They always start squeaking if not greased properly. I'd use fresh rubber bushings from Moog. Especially on a street car.

 

Yep- adjustable better for the strip.
One of my shock mounts pulled out years ago. Forget when, exactly, but had to get it welded up. Guy said "Gas Shocks".

 

Moog CC635 springs, and ANY good shocks

 

thanks for the replies guys. went with the gas adjust ones mentioned, and the only tires rubbing are the rear, and same size tires all the way around. yes i have another daily driver, but when the weathers nice im cruising in my 3rd gen.

 

That's good you have another car. Makes it easier to do things right and as you can afford when you don't have to get it fixed NOW to get to work tomorrow. Should have been there the day my buddy got his turbo upgrade kit for his DD eclipse. That was almost a decade ago and he still has no patience. Lol

 

Oh believe me I know. I had that urging to just pay the extra money and get it from a local parts store, but amazon had the same part, cheaper, and free shipping. Same with the spark plug wires I got. Just need to know decent plugs to get now. Should I make a new thread or can u guys help me with that real quick too here?

 

from what i've read the cheap ac delco plugs are the best because they are copper core which is the most conductive for spark. Platinums and iridiums only last longer but are less conductive.

 

Great advice from everyone and I second plum92's recommendation for copper Delco plugs.

Just some little things I thought I'd add:
My car had Monroe gas struts put on it some time in the 80's by the original owner and I ran it for a year with stock WS6 springs and Koni yellows and original stock strut mounts with no issues.

I do *strongly* suggest inspecting the strut mounts and replacing them if the bearings bind or the rubber is hard and/ or cracked though. The newest of the third gens are now 22 years old, and if they've seen harsh climates or a lot of miles the mounts could be dangerous. On that subject, if your springs are rusty or any bushings are damaged or badly cracked you'll want to consider replacement of those, too. Even if you order cheap OE replacement stuff from a reputable source, it'll still be better and safer than ancient worn out parts.