[F1Fan]

Hi LongHaul,

From your description I'd have to say H&R Sport Springs #51655 or Steeda 05/06 Sport Springs #555-8215/8216 are the best choices out there. Both of these spring sets are perfect for places that have some rough pavement and you want to retain some ground clearance. Both of these kits lower the fronts about an inch, maybe a bit less. The H&R springs sit very slightly higher in the back as the German habit is to stuff the car with (large), people and fill the boot with the stuff that four large people need to travel. Steeda's spring set is also very practical for typical American use and is slightly lower in the back and IMO looks better. Both are not too stiff but you will feel an improvment in roll resistance and brake dive. You can actually get away with the stock sturts and rear dampers initally but you will soon tire of the bouncing motion over rolling highway pavement and the lack of body control in sharp steering inputs during fast driving. Anyway the Tokico Spec-D adjustable struts and rear dampers are only $600 and worth double every penny. There is no real additional cost to install the performance struts and shock as you have to remove the stock struts and dampers anyway to install the sportsprings. Do them at the same time you won't be sorry.

BUT having said how wonderfull this combination can be I need to clarify one point you make. When cornering and your rear axle crosses a pavement irregularity the rear end is always going to give a little side-step as it looses and regains grip with the pavement. This is just a fact of life and this or any other performance suspension is not going to overcome the fact that the S197 is a live axle car. If you make the struts and rear dampers stiff enough you can make this handling trait worse. This is one of the reasons I prefer to use spring rate and suspension geometry to control roll instead of anti-roll bars. Anti-roll bars work by connecting the inside tire's suspension to the outside tire's suspension, this makes the car resist body roll but has the disadvantage of more firmly coupling both sides of the suspension when under cornering load which can upset the chassis over rough pavement. On smooth pavement this works great but on rough pavement or pavement with irregularlarities this causes the rear grip to be reduced and makes the car more difficult to control. If you don't like the rear-end stepping out on you in corners with a rough surface do not buy larger anti-roll bars. Also, do not crank up the shock stiffness too much or you will be just as bad off as not having any shocks. Once you have the springs and struts in get an adjustable Panhard Bar and a HD Panhard bar brace to support it propperly. Very carfully measure the axle and get it as well centered as you possibly can. This make a big difference in handling left to right feel while cornering.

I hope this answers your questions and offers you some guidance. If you have anyother Q's you know where to find me.


Cheers

ORIGINAL: Longhaul89

Okay, lots of info here, hard to sort out. Basically, I want to lower my car about one to one and a half inch. Want to tighten it up for corners. And it has this real annoying habit of when you go fast staight out, when you go over a minor ridge (like an expansion joint with a lip) it gets real squirrelly.
I plan on doing shocks/struts at the same time, but need to stall on panhards,sways,etc. due to the fact that this isn't my only vehicle or only hobby!
I want a firm ride, and retain some ground clearance due to the lovely roads here in PA.It gets driven a few days a week, so I aim for practical.
Appreciate any and all input.