Sam Strano

So if I'm to understand Legion5's logic, it's that you must compromise. He apparently thinks you need to compromise with what Saleen gives you vs. finding the compromise you like best via having options available to you like adjustable damping so to find what you like best......

And for the record I find the rational that "I don't race, therefore don't want a better suspension" questionable at best. Simply put, the car has no idea how it's being driven. Suspensions just do their job, on a track, on the street, etc. While you might do some things different for a full blown track car than a street car, there are many things you don't. The laws of physics don't change. The weight of the car doesn't get lighter or heavier on a track vs on the street. The suspension is blind to where it's driven, the driver and tuner is not, and control is control no matter how you slice it.

And this is where I remind folks that the car I compete in, is a street car optomized within the very strict rules of the class I'm currently running, to work the best it can. I run on bumply surfaces, and do so @ real world speeds. What I do with F-stock and ESP classed cars is directly related to "street" only car because the Shelby *IS* a street car with some sticky tires bolted to it and tweaks to make the most of package under the rules.

Anyone want to come by and see it can. If you are in Central NY this weekend or Washington DC next weekend, I can even take you on a ride on the road since it's not only tagged, but is much more stock than Legion5's car, for example.

S197steve

Sam, just to make sure we’re clear here: I do want better suspension, which is the whole reason for this thread and all of the questions I’m asking. That being said I don’t want to compromise too much in the way of comfort for outright cornering performance. I drive 50+ miles a day on the highways in and around Houston, TX…not through the backroads of Austin or San Antonio.

With respect to handling/suspension issues, my knowledge base lies in motorcycles. I raced supersports for several years and can tell you that I certainly wouldn’t want my bike set with the suspension settings for the race track if I’m going to drive up and down the highway all day. At the time I was able to drop a ton of money into top of the line suspension for my bike which allowed me a ton of adjustability (sportbikes are typically more adjustable in stock form than cars).

Like I’ve said earlier in the thread, I want something that’s going to corner better but not be killing my kidneys. I also need to be doing this on a budget, preferably around $800 (didn’t give that info earlier though). Ideally that set up would include shocks/struts, springs, sway bar and camber bolts.

You, as well as others, have provided a lot of good info to consider here and I appreciate that. By dumb luck, I stumbled on a set up (my buddies Saleen shocks/struts with H&R springs) that should fall right into my price range and is definitely something I can live with comfort wise. That makes it very appealing to me.

I checked your website and it looks you have a tremendous selection and good prices. If you can recommend a set up that would perform similar to the aforementioned set up, then please do! I would much rather give my business (and recommendations) to someone who’s been very helpful and is also a trusted member of this forum.

Sam Strano

We can put together any number of parts for you. My issue is simple... I can't do recommendations by e-mail because I have questions, customer generally have questions and like to make sure we are on the same page in terms of wants, needs, and benefit.

I can't stand a car that makes my kidneys bleed, in fact my personal street car has Koni's on it and stock springs, and yes--it handles much better than stock in terms of stability, how it takes a set, and it's a lot less harsh on sharp impacts.

Koni STR.T's are $415 for a set through the end of the month, add a decent set of springs (say $229-259) and go from there. Add bars is you find the need, but not right away, and certainly not a front bar only. And you don't need camber bolts with a sane drop, but if you are hell bend on them they are less than $30.

Personally I don't know if you have to have lowering springs, or what you consider to be ills about how your car drives--for you. These are your parts, for your car. And while dampers are important on a bike they are even more so on a car, because they deal with roll rate which they don't do on a bike.

I run Koni Sports on my car, with stock springs--and it makes me happy for how I use my car every day because I had a issue with damping and control more than height or the amount of roll. The car rides better, tracks better, takes a set quickly, and rolls slower (as much as before, but not as noticeable as it's not flopping around underdamped). I'm not saying it's right for everyone, but it's an option. And I'll tell you pretty plainly that if I had a given amount of money or around $800 and my options were Koni Sports or lesser shocks (even if they are Koni's) and lowering springs, added to the fact that you don't want your kidney's to take a beating... and assuming you aren't hung up on the look as a major issue then I'd likely recommend what I have on my car. I could have done other things, but for me that was all I wanted for my daily driver.

Legion5

I think that's disingenuous to the argument, some people want tweakability and others don't brother.

What matters is results at a given setup.

Compromise isn't always a big compromise like you said different things are right for different people. The whole point in considering the koni yellows for the street is because they are above average shock built to racing tolerances that aren't in the four figures.

I've got adjustable dampers with swappable springs, I go on the track where I can drive at the limit freely to tune them then drive them all the time like that with no tweaks, it's setup with a ride harshness that's about where it is on a stock GT. While on the other hand my best friend, Cameron has a car that he takes to the track too. He has a modified suspension on it and tweaks it depending on situation unlike me but when he goes to a track day every month his tweaking is that he puts the car on a lift and replaces the roll bars and shocks and suspension arms, including bushings. His car handles slightly better than mine at the track and slightly better on the street in terms of comfort but it doesn't do both any better see when you combine the two and average your result it's not pretty because his equipment mix and tuning is low quality.

I don't think Sam cares about performance stats or quality, I say this because I've heard that information about how he can only talk to you on the phone (credit card processor in hand) and the kidneys bleeding before... 3 years ago.

I could go on about the "lets start with konis, they're the first upgrade" and "I won't sell you anything you don't need" but Sam is too busy selling things people don't seem they need.

So if this topic has no direction left in it at all I think I'll just pitch in myself that the employees at Saleen hand over their employee discount to me now adays and I'll gladly pass most of it on a Saleen kit.

Maybe you'll be able to learn something on here about kits some other time.

Norm Peterson

I think you're misinterpreting. To blindly buy a non-adjustable "suspension in a box" is to blindly accept the compromises of that kit. All of them. They may fit you like a glove, or they may be off a couple of sizes. You may not even drive hard enough for it to really matter (and barring evidence to the contrary I'd guess this to be the group from which most of the user testimonials come from - slight digression, sorry).

I have adjustable struts on two of my other cars. Tinkered with them a bit to best fit them to the car usage, and they'll likely stay right where they're at, unless the ones in my wife's car wear to the point that they need another click or if I take a click out of the ones in the weenie EP car for some reason. But I'd never have gotten there on either car with non-adjustable struts. Not much different from your car, I guess.

How well do you suppose a back-and-forth individual discussion would go, if conducted via e-mail or publicly on a forum?

Sam is quite willing to discuss without having any sales pitch going on in the background. I know.


I've seen strong-willed people butt virtual heads on internet fora before, but at least in those instances I had some feel for the credentials of all of the participants . . .


Norm

Sam Strano

Busted. I'm guilty of wanting to discuss the wants and needs of folks person to person.... I never thought that was a bad thing for folks looking for advice and help. Apparently I've been wrong all this time.

Legion5

When you buy an adjustable suspension you're buying the feature of being able to tweak it (and the liability of doing so incorrectly), however as I mentioned we're talking about the quality of the components when they're set up for normal driving not the features. These are not 4 way adjustable shocks with swappable springs. They're 1 or 2 way without even being fully adjustable, only partially with fixed springs so that's the why the product matters even if it's adjustable. There's a whole crowd that wants the feature of tweaking. For example the 2010 mustang is both softer and has better handling, it's higher quality under normal driving.

so I've sent you a short list of credentials if you'd like to discuss that but I only think one of those is there to gain anything:

I'm a telemetry annalyst for a US based Indy Racing League team at the pro level. That means I take a look at numbers and make recommendations based on the numbers and their graphs. I feel my job is important because sometimes it's not the driver that creates winning times it's the honing of the setup and the qualities of the parts.

I'm sure Sam has been quite willing to discuss without sales pitching once in a while but either way I'd love to look at his telemetry data and get his unbiased driver opinion on the D-specs vs the Konis for those that may want it all without tweaking and I'm one of them, call me lame.

Rubrignitz

I have to jump in and say here that Sam sold me exactly what I needed (well... actually tried to sell me Koni's and I probably should have listened). I'm the idiot that went and swapped some 300+ lb race springs in and killed my kidneys... but I just had to know what the limit of spring rate felt like and am actually glad that I did. It was an interesting experience and no out of pocket expense once I resold the items to another brave soul .

Sam sells a variety of items for different purposes and only gives his recommendations once you speak with him (personally) for some time to get a feel for your specific needs. It's no credit-card in hand deal I can assure you. You have the ability to hang up at any time and I've heard him discuss on other forums how some a-hole has done just that after sponging all the information they can out of him. Sad....

jayel579

Sorry dude, I wouldn't want to be racing with your team if that is how you spell "Analyst"

Who is your driver Milka Duno? She's a winner in IRL.

Legion5

I wouldn't call that person who called an a-hole, in fact people frequently PM me or call me from the mustang club and I tell them what's what without asking for anything in return. I have discounts with steeda roush saleen stoptech and eibach through their distributors or directly and I even refused to pass them on lately to mustang club members unless the people who want to take advantage of the discounts also let me put my racelogic system in their car and let me run it in a parking lot so I can keep track of their performance data of how their mods worked in conjunction with mine and they know the exact performance benefits of what they've done. I'll show you how good your mods are not just tell you.