TorqueFiend
11-26-2005, 05:30 PM
So I am the owner of a 1999 M6 Z28 with 68K miles on the clock. I was very unhappy with the stock handling (read lack there of). The huge amount of body roll in corners, the bouncing around, the gross instability and amount of time it would take to properly transition going over uneven surfaces. This was not how I thought a 4th gen should handle at all! So after doing some searches here at LS2 I put together a recipe to start with. My requirements were to drastically reduce body roll, ease the semi-truck handling that I was plagued with while driving the infamous cross town I-40 stretch through OKC, and retain stock ground clearance because of various dips, speed bumps and steep driveways that I have to deal with at times and to do it all on a budget!
My car still had the ORIGINAL stock DeCarbon shocks and struts so as you can imagine that was most of the problem. Since I was on a budget and was not lowering the car I ordered a set of Bilstein HDs from http://www.stranoparts.com/index.php out the door for $329. The best price I could find anywhere. Also I ordered his 35mm hollow front bar. What a difference! The 35mm piece is top notch. Its lightweight and the endlinks and bushings are LIGHT YEARS beyond the stockers. If you have a stock front bar, I urge you to climb under your car and take a look at your endlinks. Most likely they are collapsed and cracked from binding and flexing and are in astonishingly bad condition. Being a somewhat of a newb the install was still very simple and straightforward and took all of 30 minutes to finish.
Along with shocks and a new front bar I got a great deal on a set of 18" Z06 wheels and had them mated to some BF 275/35/18s. All in all I was under budget when I finished and am left with a car that handles amazingly; its truly a night and day difference from the stock setup. The nose no longer dips under hard braking. The car stays flat through corners and even feels more nimble. It can handle just about anything I throw at it and probably then some.
So thank you Sam Strano and thank you LS2.com for the vast technical information here. Future mods will include SFCs, rear LCAs, a 1LE rear bar from a 93 Z28, and a set of poly bushings to go with it.
My car still had the ORIGINAL stock DeCarbon shocks and struts so as you can imagine that was most of the problem. Since I was on a budget and was not lowering the car I ordered a set of Bilstein HDs from http://www.stranoparts.com/index.php out the door for $329. The best price I could find anywhere. Also I ordered his 35mm hollow front bar. What a difference! The 35mm piece is top notch. Its lightweight and the endlinks and bushings are LIGHT YEARS beyond the stockers. If you have a stock front bar, I urge you to climb under your car and take a look at your endlinks. Most likely they are collapsed and cracked from binding and flexing and are in astonishingly bad condition. Being a somewhat of a newb the install was still very simple and straightforward and took all of 30 minutes to finish.
Along with shocks and a new front bar I got a great deal on a set of 18" Z06 wheels and had them mated to some BF 275/35/18s. All in all I was under budget when I finished and am left with a car that handles amazingly; its truly a night and day difference from the stock setup. The nose no longer dips under hard braking. The car stays flat through corners and even feels more nimble. It can handle just about anything I throw at it and probably then some.
So thank you Sam Strano and thank you LS2.com for the vast technical information here. Future mods will include SFCs, rear LCAs, a 1LE rear bar from a 93 Z28, and a set of poly bushings to go with it.