SomeDudeAtHome
New member
Throughout this thread I'll be updating what parts I've added to my car and an overall grade for them. The grade will take into consideration quality, cost, and performance. I'll also mention how hard each part was for me to install but will leave that our of the grades since it will be different for every person/car.
Not suspension related but a clip of my exhaust on youtube... http://youtu.be/HZ41q51beyY
Sway bars (Doorman front, Addco rear)
Overall the sway bars tightened the car up A LOT. Doorman bar is 33mm and the Addco is 22mm. I can't say what they did individually because I did both at the same time but I can now take corners around 30+ mph without being worried about going off the road. Now the weak link is the tires. They'll squeal taking corners fast and it even feels like the rears want to let go and slide a bit. Also if I just rock the car back and forth while driving it doesn't feel like I'm on a boat anymore. The just goes side to side without leaning much at all. Quality is top notch for both bars pretty much what you'd expect for solid pieces of iron(?). Cost wasn't bad at all compared to other bars available on the market. Rear is a little expensive but also the biggest available so worth it. With all that taken into consideration I'd give this all a 10 out of 10!
I should also add in this part that I used Energy Suspension front endlinks and bushings for both bars. I used Moog endlinks for the rears. Over all very satisfied with the quality and performance of these. Don't skimp out make sure to get these with the bars.
Fronts
Front is hollow and cracked.
Rears
Rear endlinks. New one is Moog
BMR Trailing arms
So I've put the trailing arms on now but forgot to take comparison pictures so that kinda sucks. The BMR bars are very nice and very thick. Much thicker compared to the stuck ones which in all honesty plain suck. The quality on them is great. Welds are very nice plus they come with grease fittings and poly bushings installed already. Cost isn't bad at all. They are only $10 more than the ZZP bars and are definitely thicker. Can't say I've noticed a huge performance upgrade yet but haven't taken any on-ramps with them either which I've read is where they really shine. The rear of the car used to feel like it was dragging behind a bit during tight turns but the arms have helped stop that a ton. Installation was a real b!tch. Between the rust and just not having a lift it was a pain in the ass. I'd rate these a 7 out of 10.Solid upgrade, very cheap, but don't expect a huge difference.
BMR STBs
I've had the rear on for about 2-3 weeks now and the front for about a week. Installing the front is super easy but the rear difficult. It's not hard to do but there's not really an easy way to get to the third strut bolt so it takes time and patience. There's deinfitely a difference with these on but it's not huge. I can tell the car feels a little tighter but if I didn't drive it everyday to know how it typically feels and then put them on I probably wouldn't notice. I'd give them a 6 out of 10. They are very solid bars, great quality and do help the suspension. That said they're kinda pricey for how little they do. I WOULD buy them again though.
KYB Excel-G struts w/ WBS lowering springs
I love this combination so far. The struts are better and tighter than the stock ones and the lowering springs have lowered the car just enough. The is a bit rougher and i cringe going over potholes and bumps but I haven't scraped on driveways yet. I assembled everything myself (first time doing this) with all new parts. Except for the rust from Buffalo winters installation was a breeze. Followed the how-to's on the internet and it made it easy. The handling has improved greatly and the potholes don't seem nearly as bad. Plus the car looks so much better lowered. Here's some pics of the car before and after and the new vs old strut. Give these a 10 out of 10 for sure.
Before
After (about month and a half on the car)
Struts
ZZP Lower control arms
After driving on them a bit I'm happy with the way cornering feels. There's no lag in the wheel at all, once I start turning the wheel it goes. The cornering has tightened up some but nothing crazy. I'd imagine the poly bushings is what has made the biggest difference but it's nice that they are lighter weight and are powdercoated. Overall I'd give these a 9 out of 10. They're damn near perfect but was hoping for a bit more handling improvment.
Right out of the box
Old Bushing
Only picture I remembered to take
Soon the front and rear lateral arms will be going on and they'll be reviewed next.
Not suspension related but a clip of my exhaust on youtube... http://youtu.be/HZ41q51beyY
Sway bars (Doorman front, Addco rear)
Overall the sway bars tightened the car up A LOT. Doorman bar is 33mm and the Addco is 22mm. I can't say what they did individually because I did both at the same time but I can now take corners around 30+ mph without being worried about going off the road. Now the weak link is the tires. They'll squeal taking corners fast and it even feels like the rears want to let go and slide a bit. Also if I just rock the car back and forth while driving it doesn't feel like I'm on a boat anymore. The just goes side to side without leaning much at all. Quality is top notch for both bars pretty much what you'd expect for solid pieces of iron(?). Cost wasn't bad at all compared to other bars available on the market. Rear is a little expensive but also the biggest available so worth it. With all that taken into consideration I'd give this all a 10 out of 10!
I should also add in this part that I used Energy Suspension front endlinks and bushings for both bars. I used Moog endlinks for the rears. Over all very satisfied with the quality and performance of these. Don't skimp out make sure to get these with the bars.
Fronts
Front is hollow and cracked.
Rears
Rear endlinks. New one is Moog
BMR Trailing arms
So I've put the trailing arms on now but forgot to take comparison pictures so that kinda sucks. The BMR bars are very nice and very thick. Much thicker compared to the stuck ones which in all honesty plain suck. The quality on them is great. Welds are very nice plus they come with grease fittings and poly bushings installed already. Cost isn't bad at all. They are only $10 more than the ZZP bars and are definitely thicker. Can't say I've noticed a huge performance upgrade yet but haven't taken any on-ramps with them either which I've read is where they really shine. The rear of the car used to feel like it was dragging behind a bit during tight turns but the arms have helped stop that a ton. Installation was a real b!tch. Between the rust and just not having a lift it was a pain in the ass. I'd rate these a 7 out of 10.Solid upgrade, very cheap, but don't expect a huge difference.
BMR STBs
I've had the rear on for about 2-3 weeks now and the front for about a week. Installing the front is super easy but the rear difficult. It's not hard to do but there's not really an easy way to get to the third strut bolt so it takes time and patience. There's deinfitely a difference with these on but it's not huge. I can tell the car feels a little tighter but if I didn't drive it everyday to know how it typically feels and then put them on I probably wouldn't notice. I'd give them a 6 out of 10. They are very solid bars, great quality and do help the suspension. That said they're kinda pricey for how little they do. I WOULD buy them again though.
KYB Excel-G struts w/ WBS lowering springs
I love this combination so far. The struts are better and tighter than the stock ones and the lowering springs have lowered the car just enough. The is a bit rougher and i cringe going over potholes and bumps but I haven't scraped on driveways yet. I assembled everything myself (first time doing this) with all new parts. Except for the rust from Buffalo winters installation was a breeze. Followed the how-to's on the internet and it made it easy. The handling has improved greatly and the potholes don't seem nearly as bad. Plus the car looks so much better lowered. Here's some pics of the car before and after and the new vs old strut. Give these a 10 out of 10 for sure.
Before
After (about month and a half on the car)
Struts
ZZP Lower control arms
After driving on them a bit I'm happy with the way cornering feels. There's no lag in the wheel at all, once I start turning the wheel it goes. The cornering has tightened up some but nothing crazy. I'd imagine the poly bushings is what has made the biggest difference but it's nice that they are lighter weight and are powdercoated. Overall I'd give these a 9 out of 10. They're damn near perfect but was hoping for a bit more handling improvment.
Right out of the box
Old Bushing
Only picture I remembered to take
Soon the front and rear lateral arms will be going on and they'll be reviewed next.
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