Question about wheels and lowering 1995 Z28

Hi,

I have a '95 Z28 which I have recently done some suspension mods. I used an Eibach lowering kit to lower it 1.3 inches along with some KYB shocks and new swaybar, etc. I did not include an extra set of bump stop springs. I also have a set of Enkei "Win" wheels with some BF Goodrich rubber. The wheels are 9.5 inches wide with the proper tires.

The problems I am having are that the setup definitely makes the car flat in tight turns and it is much more responsive but the springs, while stiffer than stock, do not prevent the car from bottoming out more frequently as well as allowing the rear tires to scrape the inside edge of the wheel well.

Usually when I am driving slow it's not a problem but there have been several spots where, if I am going too fast, the car bottoms out and the tires scrape. Also, exiting out of parking lots where the transition between the slope down from the lot to the slope up to the street causes the back end to drop hard.

The questions are is this normal for the Eibach springs to allow the back end to drop so hard. Would this be prevented by adding bump stops or would that just cause the back end to slam hard against the inner springs? Are the KYB shocks to blame? Was 1.3 inches too much? Do I need to narrow up the wheels back to the stock rims and if so, what will that do to the handling now?

So far, the right rear tire is the victim and it's getting kind of ragged along the outer edge though it doesn't appear to be degrading the safety nor cutting into the "meat" of the rubber. The left rear doesn't seem to have the same issue which is odd. Also my tailpipes are scraping and the left side has already broken it's bracket which was welded to the frame.

Should I raise it back up in the back only or will that throw off the balance if the front remains 1.3 inches lower? I wouldn't feel too bad if I had to go back to stock rims so they fit inside the wheel well but I don't want to sacrifice my new better handling.

Thanks for the help,

Bob

Reply to
qhorque
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One thing you can do to minimize bottoming out it to brake BEFORE you need to, then let off the brakes to let the suspension have full travel when you hit the speedbump or whatever. Other than that it's a matter of dealing with the suspension choices you've made.

Reply to
FBR

My understanding (and I am no expert by any means) from lots of reading and study of automotive modification and such is that Stock 3rd and 4th gen Camaro's tend to be about as low as is practical for normal road use in stock form. Lowering like you have done, while helpful for handling, tends to leave you with a problem with irregularities in the driving surface. While true race cars are very low, they are designed to run on VERY flat surfaces, and for the most part (except maybe for F1) don't do well on normal roads. I know my 89 has trouble at stock height with parking lot entrances and such, I can't see how I would be able to drive it much of anywhere on normal roads if I were to lower it 1.3 inches. You may need to make a choice between handling and beating your car to death, or go with an air ride so you can adjust it for the type of surfaces your driving on.

Reply to
Cy Welch

Hmmm, not sure if that's really the case here but it's possible. I generally only have troubles going over speedbumps in parking lots where the front wheels go over and the bouncing action causes the transmission to jounce on the bump. A bit disconcerting to say the least. Otherwise, the car is fine except for the wheel well scraping and the rather excessive bottoming as noted before.

I think what I am experiencing is an issue with the springs just not being stiff enough which is odd since the kit was for my model. After all, if you check out a lower car such as a Corvette, they are much closer to the ground, have less wheel/well clearance and generally don't have the issues I have though they have slightly different geometry and obviously different springs.

I think I'll repost to Brent Franker since I believe his car has the same components as I do (I just realized this after reviewing his webpage again..)

Thanks for the input!

Bob

Reply to
qhorque

The answer you are looking for is to just go across the speed bumps at an angle. This way you don't have the weight of the whole car coming down at one time. I've had similar problems with a 68' Camaro, a 78' Camaro, and a couple of early 70's Chevelles that I've owned over time.

...Ron

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68' Camaro RS 88' Firebird Formula 00' Mustang GT Vert
Reply to
RSCamaro

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