yurizx6r

Hey guys, I have a few broad questions regarding suspension:

1. Soft vs. stiff suspension pro's and con's.

2. Stronger aftermarket 28 spline vs. 31 spline... which one and whats the difference?

3. Can I stiffen up my suspension without upgrading to the 5 lug's without having to worry about breaking studs? How much power/abuse can the 4 lug setup handle?

Thanks for any help in advance!

BabyGT

There are plenty of people still running the 4 lug and making decent power, to answer the rest of your questions we need to know the goals and intended use of the car.

yurizx6r

My ultimate goal is a 10-12 second quarter mile, so about 350-550 hp. I would like it to be a car that I can daily drive if needed, take it to the track when I want to, and on the rare occasion take it out for some drifting in a closed parking lot. My concerns are not to break anything while doing it. I have a cobalt and I have already snapped 5 studs!!! So this is sort of a paranoia of mine now.

yurizx6r

Just to put the Cobalt thing into perspective, stock 2.2 and the only mods I've done to it is 17" rims with low profile tires. Driving style: semi aggressive.

88 orangepeel notch

You've got quite a gap with you power levels and 1/4 times lol. But here's my opinions.

#1 My car is lowered 2" and corners and looks cool, but rides like a box of rocks. That gets old after awhile. Its not a dd but driven every nice weather day when I'm not on the bike. Thinking of putting softer springs in it but with almost everything there is compromise.

#2 You will need 31 spline axles and carrier if you want to run those times. The difference is 31 spline axles are a larger dia. axle shaft, and I've read about 25% stronger than 28's. Google them and you'll see pics of the difference. I still have the stocker 28's in my car and pull a 1.60 60ft, but know that they won't last. I'll wince at every launch now till I upgrade.

#3 I always heard to switch to 5 lug for better rim selection and bigger brakes. But you'd think there would be some strength advantage in there somewhere.

yurizx6r

Try to Ford Racing springs from American Muscle. I have those on, and I didn't need a camber plate or anything. They stiffen the ride up a little, but leave it comfortable enough to be happy to DD it. Suspension is what I am working on now, and I am putting in a strut tower bar in this weekend, while looking for sub frame connectors and lower control arms. I just don't want anything to break on me.

BabyGT

Get control arms with spherical joints on the body side. So there is no binding or bending of anything on hard launches.

reldla1996

I wouldn't worry about breaking 4 lug studs. Too many people run them with outrageous power. On the axles, depending on how you drive, you may want the 31 spline axles. I'm still running 28 splines on mine, after 280,000 miles, but I also don't dump the clutch on them, and don't run slicks. I do see 31 spline axles in my future though.... On the suspension, the stiffer your frame (think ladder type sub frames) and suspension bushings (e.g. poly), the softer your springs can be and achieve the same handling results. Still at some point, you are compromising between ride and handling.