Ok Wrenchers!

Help me out. I'm reading alot of things about how a spring lowering mod must lead to other suspension mods. Can I not just put on my Alta springs and be done with it? I just want a better look and feel, no track time for me.

thanks

LL

 

hehe, you can, but you'll be missing out how much better it will be
when you have the 22mm or larger rear swaybar.

 

Yes, you can install Alta springs alone and do "Nothing else".
One- it gets you a lower "look" and lowers the center of gravity for better cornering performance.
Two- you may do OK without adding a stiffer rear swaybar if you don't corner too hard. Or if you can control the inherent understeer with the stock suspension parts you'll be fine.
Three- you will have more negative camber in the rear but if you ride is smooth enough and the fillings in your teeth don't hurt everytime you drive then just leave everything alone. Stock rear camber is up to about -2 degrees and you might go more negative than that- it depends on your car.

On the other hand. Anytime you change springs you can cause suspension and alignment to be non equal on each side of the car which will affect handling and ride quality. If you are not happy with your ride smoothness then just do an alignment to set toe in the front and rear. Moderate to heavy rear negative camber will wear the inner edge of the rear tires a bit but just rotate them every 3000-4000 miles.

 

you can but you may have excessive tire wear on the rear because there is no camber ajustment. It will really matter how much the car comes down and how much negative camber is already bult into the car.

To give a simple answer, YES you can install only springs and be done with it, there are tons of people who have done exactly that and are completly happy.

 

You should consider adjustable camber links/control arms with your springs. You cannot ignore the changes in the rear. So, springs $250 and camber control links $250 plus installationand an alignment...$850.00 total +/-. Save $250 and install the springs yourself. Depending upon the lb/in or weight of the rear spring you can opt for either the 19mm or 22mm rear bar. Lighter springs go with smaller bar and vise versa.

 

I bought the M7 springs for $215 then had Steve's install them along with his control arms. I believe he charged $200 for the control arms and about $225 to install the springs and arms, including four-wheel alignment. So altogether it was about $650 with tax. I am super happy and will post some photos soon.

 

Hey Rick,

Would you describe the handling/ride virtues? Stock dampers?

 

They set it up with a little negative camber and with the stock dampers. The car corners MUCH better around corners and freeway off-ramps. The ride is also much smooter with the M7 springs when going over small bumps in the road or rXr tracks. They are a little more bouncy but in a smooth way. The stock springs were very harsh. I don't drive super hard so I can't tell you how well they would handle on the track but I can tell you that I wouldn't go back for anything.