I agree with everyone that our cars should have been lower straight from the factory, so that is now on my To Do List. Not being a real mechanic, I'd like some recommendations to make sure I do it right. I have a 2010 Premium GT on 19inch rims stock tires. I'd prefer to look at Steeda springs because I like the idea of an American made American built product (I work for a Union). Other than Steeda Sport Springs, what else should I, and do I need to change as part of the process? Struts/Shocks? Will it require re-alignment? I'd like to keep the ride about the same, it's a DD and the 19 inch rims don't soften the ride. Thanks in advance for responses to this "newbie" question.

 

Hmmm... well I think this would be an excellent question for Sam Strano (http://www.stranoparts.com/). He's in the GT S197 suspension forum frequently and knows his stuff.

Here's the basics in vibrations: If you screw with the springs and not the dampers, your handling characteristics can suffer and you'll be pre-maturely wearing out your stock dampers due to the new ride height constantly keeping those puppies under pressure.

Now as far as I know, Steeda's only drop the ride height an inch (someone please correct me if I'm wrong here). Is that low enough for you? Now depending on how low you go, your alignment may be off and may have to adjust the camber to ensure even tread wear. When Pascal and I did mine, we were going to manually adjust the camber instead of using camber plates, but after eyeballing it, it appeared not to need it. Though, I think this can vary from car to car so it has to be dealt with on an individual basis.

 

I got the steeda sport springs and had an adjustable panhard bar installed at the same time. The ride didn't seem to change at all and it looks great. There is more you can do but that's pretty much the minimum. If you are going lower than the steeda's you will probably need to add camber plates and new shocks as well. You'll get different opinions so do what you feel comfortable with.

 

Well there ya go, OP. I would still try to talk with Sam. From what I've seen in the suspension section, he's never tried to up-sell a member. Only told them what they need after he figured out what your main-use and will be (drag, street, auto-x, etc) and your ride preferences.

 

You should always have your alignment checked after modifying your suspension. ALWAYS. Safety first, and all that.

It's also a good idea to have your alignment checked after getting new tires. The lifetime alignment at Firestone is a good purchase. It's good for as long as you own the vehicle. Every other time I get my oil changed, I have them do an alignment.

 

Before I can recommend anything, what do you do with the vehicle? Is this a daily driver, street-only, street/track, or track-only vehicle? If you track it, what kind of track? Autocross, drag, etc.?

 

Thanks for all the info so far, I'll definitely have to talk to a few of the experts mentioned. This is definitely my daily driver for street use, nothing drastic as far as changes to ride and height. I'm content with the ride of may car now and just think it sits a little too high with the factory setup.

 

Subscribing. I'm looking to lower mine as well. Mine is also a daily street car. No racing for me, all looks. I'm assuming it's cheaper to lower for looks than it is for performance ;p yay!

 

I'd recommend upgrading the dampeners when you swap the springs. I know you don't want to affect the ride quality, but the springs will affect the ride quality, and the car will be bouncy with lowering springs and factory dampeners.

It will need to be realigned with the lowering springs.

I would recommend an adjustable panhard bar as well. The lowering springs shifter the rear axle over to the driver's side. On some springs, the difference is not very noticeable, but it is there.

If you choose UPR Products for your PHB, you'll be pleased to know that our bar is Made in America and it carries a Lifetime Guarantee.

 

For what you are looking for, I would recommend our Sport springs and Pro-Action shocks/struts. Our sport springs offer the best ride quality of any on the market, only drop your ride approximately an inch in the front and 1 1/4" in the rear, and provide great handling. Our products are made in the USA (right here in GA, under ISO certified high-quality standards), and feature a lifetime warranty.

Our shocks/struts have a great ride as well, we re-valved them numerous times to get the ride just right. I think this setup will provide you with exactly what you are looking for.