Beginning the suspension mods
 

Wow, alot of stuff out here on which direction to go, but it's overwhelming! So, what would you guys recommend for a daily driver. Definitely some good spirited driving on a daily basis, and does not get to the track at all.
What would you guys recommend?
So far, in researching I am looking at:

Koni Streets
Eibach Pro Kit (decent price)
GT500 Strut bearings

Is there need for a replacement PHbar and phbrace?
front and/or rear sway bar?
Anything else?

Thanks

I suggest searching this forum, there is a ton of info out there. Start there and get back to us if questions remain.

And yes, if you lower, an adjustable PHB will be needed to re-center the rear axle.

If adjustability does anything for you, look at the tokico d-specs. They will almost eliminate the body roll and nose diving on the hard settings, but they can also be turned back to soft settings for highway trips to get back the caddy like ride. It takes less than 5 minutes to adjust all 4 shocks to whatever setting you desire.

Your upper strut mount should not be an issue on an 07. I agree on the D-specs. Those paired to a set of Steeda sport springs will handle and ride great.

repalce the mounts, i had to on my 08. no panhard bar needed for street use. i dont care what any one says, just leave the stock bar. your parts list is good place to start. the koni streets are good for the money. good luck

PHB, maybe, but it may not be necessary with a mild drop.

It is not necessary to replace the PH brace in a car that's still street-legal.


If you're definitely buying springs, drive around on them for a while and see if you then want to tweak the handling or add more roll stiffness. Better to decide after doing the springs than try to guess both springs and bars now without experiencing either.


After you install the springs, loosining the rear LCA pivot bolts and then retorqueing them with the car weight on the wheels will relieve stress in the LCA bushings at the normal ride height for the new springs (I am assuming that you still have the OE control arms and stock bushings). This may involve "one-time use" bolts, though you can apparently use threadlocker and usually get a second use.

At least check your alignment settings. If most of your cornering is between "enthusiastic" and hard, you'll want a little more negative camber than the OE preferred value. Better front grip and more even wear across the front tire treads that way.


Norm

If you plan to do it a bit at a time pick up a good set of swaybars first. I must recommend Hotchkis because I LOVE mine. My favorite suspension mod so far and one that I should have done first. They alone would have made a considerable impact on handling with the rest of the stock suspension setup.

I really didn't skimp on anything in my setup other than the Tokico D-specs. I would have went Koni Sport but couldn't swing them with the Steeda comp springs, UMI panhard and Steeda HD mounts. You really want to do these items together (shocks/struts/springs/upper seats) and it can get rather expensive.

As for the upper strut mounts... good luck if you're planning to reuse them or the GT500 type (which I assume are the same ball bearing mounts). Ball bearings went everywhere when I pulled them apart (I'm still finding them on the floor of my garage a month later :)) and was fortunate to have purchased aftermarket needle bearing type (steeda hd). You'd have to be VERY careful to keep those things in one piece when pulling them apart. I would definitely recommend adding some of those to your front suspension plan.

Don't worry about an aftermarket panhard unless you're planning to lower more than 1.5''. You can add that later.

So many people overlook that step, it's not even funny...
I myself forget to remind folks about it, lol.

Good one Norm.

Thanks for the tips! Good point about retorquing the LCA bolts afterward. I thought the same about the PHB and brace. Don't really want to lower that much anyway. The Eibachs say 1.3 and 1.4" front and back I believe. Also a very good point about the sway bars. Those could easily be done afterwards depending on how the car feels after the initial parts installation. Any other opinions about the Koni Steets? Was thinking of an adjustable setup, but more than likely would not use unless I get it to a twisty track. Also like the idea of having a quality piece with a warranty. Thanks!

Yes, the PHB bolts should also be loosened/retorqued. The FSM specifically mentions
when replacing the PHB. Same general bushing construction as the LCA bushings, same deal about stress relief.

On the other hand, it's absolutely unnecessary to touch the brace (and absolutely better if you don't). The brace has no pivots or bushings that could become preloaded as you drop the ride height, so there's nothing to be gained (other than an increased chance that those fasteners will gradually loosen in service, perhaps).


Norm