Quote:
Originally Posted by vertigto
Yep...that's why I am trying to avoid too much trial and error. The current springs in my GTO are pretty much shot....it already looks a bit lowered. I'm concerned that a 1" drop up front won't be enough and that a 2" drop up front with a 1" drop in rear will look a little raked, even though it seems like the stock ride height is a little higher up front to begin with. Would a 2" lowering spring up front with the upper/lower BMR control arms and 1" lowering springs in the rear be a better place to start or will that look uneven also? The stance is important to me.
Regarding the rear, if spending the $$ initially for rear adjustable upper control arms with a 1" lowering spring is a wise decision to minimize driveline wear, I might consider. Especially if a 1" drop doesn't give me the stance I'm looking for and want to change to 2". The pic of the Chevelle I posted looks to me like a 1" drop all the way around. If I can get that without changing rear control arms and driveline wear is insignificant, I may just go with 1" lowering all around, the Bilstein shocks, and the front tubular control arms from BMR. That would save me about $1K, but wouldn't have the new sway bars or rear control arms that come in the upgraded package.
Either way, I'm thinking the stock sway bars would be fine for now and work well with the other components. Ultimately, what I really want is improved steering/handling and stance without breaking the bank or making uneducated decisions. I might like to try an autocross someday or test it on the drag strip once/twice, but it will predominantly be a fun weekend car. That's why I'm trying to learn from everyone else's experiences. 
Appreciate everyone's feedback/comments. I can envision what I want, just need to figure out the best/most cost effective way to get there. |
My Wife's chevelle still uses the stock front sway bar and no rear bar. It drives fine, but if you want to throw it around it pitches and dives pretty hard, even with the 512 lb springs in the front. The car is big and you've got a heavy engine up there. It needs a lot of wheel rate to control everything.
So I would choose a new bar based on how you're going to be driving it. If all you want is the stance and you're just going to be driving around town and on the freeway, you don't need a bigger sway bar. If your intent is to do some spirited driving like mountain canyon roads, you're going to want to upgrade your front bar and add a rear.
If budget is concerned I would target upper control arms instead of both uppers and lowers. Spend what you save on not buying lowers on sway bars and .5" tall upper ball joints. The A Bodies do also like a .5" tall lower ball joint, but with that change you need to be aware that you will lower the car half the distance of the additional lower ball joint height.