BMR Lowering Package install **PICS INSIDE**
Thread Starter
1st Gear Member
Joined: Apr 2009
Posts: 79
From: Florida
BMR Lowering Package install **PICS INSIDE**
Hey guys... so after a bit of shopping around, and a bit of saving cash, I finally bit the bullet and bought BMR's lowering package (includes: Lowering springs, replacement upper strut mounts, 2 degree camber bolts, adjustable panhard rod, and LCA relocation brackets) and new LCAs.
Here is a picture of the lowering package sold by BMR:
I must say that I am extremely impressed with the quality of BMR's products, and everything was in mint condition and looked indestructible. Anyways, with my friend's help and a standard set of tools, we had everything installed in just a few hours. Everything went on exactly as it was supposed to, and the only semi "difficult" part to install was the relocation brackets, and this was simply because of how tight of a fit they were to slip over the axle brackets (nothing a bigger hammer cant solve
).
A quick note about the front struts: If you are going to be changing the springs on your front struts, you WILL need a spring compressor. A quick stop by your local Auto Zone will do the trick as they will loan you a set of compressors for $50... the nice part is that when you return the compressors, you get your full $50 back.
So before I started I took a few measurements, then did the same after.
Here is a picture I took of the springs from BMR:
Measuring from the ground to the top of the fender arch, the front was 29" and the rear was 29.75". After everything was installed, these measurements were 28" in the front, and 28.25" in the rear (thus, a 1" drop in the front, and a 1.5" drop in the rear... almost exactly the advertised 1.25" front, 1.5" rear).
As you can see in this side-by-side comparison, the front valence (GT/CS) drops from 6.75" to 5.75" of ground clearance.
Here is a before picture:
And here is an after picture taken from approximately the same position:
Here are three more pics of the car after the installation:
In conclusion, the BMR lowering package did exactly what I hoped it would do... take the rake out of the car, and lower the whole car by about 1.25". Although the pictures don't show it perfectly, this package equaled out the fender gap perfectly, and the combination of LCA relo brackets and new LCAs dramatically helped to reduce wheel hop.
I give BMR an A+ for quality and customer service, and recommend them to anyone interested in upgrading their suspension. Leave a post or PM me if you have any questions or want to see a specific picture (seems how I took about 100 of them lol )
Here is a picture of the lowering package sold by BMR:
I must say that I am extremely impressed with the quality of BMR's products, and everything was in mint condition and looked indestructible. Anyways, with my friend's help and a standard set of tools, we had everything installed in just a few hours. Everything went on exactly as it was supposed to, and the only semi "difficult" part to install was the relocation brackets, and this was simply because of how tight of a fit they were to slip over the axle brackets (nothing a bigger hammer cant solve
).A quick note about the front struts: If you are going to be changing the springs on your front struts, you WILL need a spring compressor. A quick stop by your local Auto Zone will do the trick as they will loan you a set of compressors for $50... the nice part is that when you return the compressors, you get your full $50 back.
So before I started I took a few measurements, then did the same after.
Here is a picture I took of the springs from BMR:
Measuring from the ground to the top of the fender arch, the front was 29" and the rear was 29.75". After everything was installed, these measurements were 28" in the front, and 28.25" in the rear (thus, a 1" drop in the front, and a 1.5" drop in the rear... almost exactly the advertised 1.25" front, 1.5" rear).
As you can see in this side-by-side comparison, the front valence (GT/CS) drops from 6.75" to 5.75" of ground clearance.
Here is a before picture:
And here is an after picture taken from approximately the same position:
Here are three more pics of the car after the installation:
In conclusion, the BMR lowering package did exactly what I hoped it would do... take the rake out of the car, and lower the whole car by about 1.25". Although the pictures don't show it perfectly, this package equaled out the fender gap perfectly, and the combination of LCA relo brackets and new LCAs dramatically helped to reduce wheel hop.
I give BMR an A+ for quality and customer service, and recommend them to anyone interested in upgrading their suspension. Leave a post or PM me if you have any questions or want to see a specific picture (seems how I took about 100 of them lol )
Thread Starter
1st Gear Member
Joined: Apr 2009
Posts: 79
From: Florida
Thread Starter
1st Gear Member
Joined: Apr 2009
Posts: 79
From: Florida
I also wanted to add that so far I have not had ANY problems with clearance. My driveway is decently steep (with a drainage ditch at the bottom) and I clear by 1.5-2". Also, I have not had any problems with curbs in parking spots (granted I always back in). I'll post a pic of my driveway incline tomorrow so you can get a feel for just how much clearance there still is.
1st Gear Member
Joined: Jul 2008
Posts: 145
From: CA
Car looks great, did you have any issues or concerns with adjusting the pinion angle on the driveshaft/rear axle connection. To be honest this is something I don't really understand, but it seems to come up when talking about lowering these cars.
Joined: Feb 2009
Posts: 31
From: California
I did much the same but with different parts. The only BMR part I have is the LCA relocation brackets. I put the BMR LCA relocation brackets on and finally found a decent welder to weld them in place. They brought the pinion angle more in line with what it should be. I drove my car without them for a while and I can say for sure they reduce wheel hop. Today Steeda billet LCAs are coming and I'll put them on next. I have bottomed my springs twice now and it's a jolt but not the end of the world. Your car looks great!
