Suspension Research (Big pics start pg5)

I'm coming up on a suspension replacement. The Eibach 1.3" lowering springs look kinda tasty, BUT I am concerned that my stock 225/60/16 rims and tires are not going to have enough clearence for suspension travel with the new stance. Also, I'm looking at investing in the KYB AGX shocks/struts. Any advice? Rest assured that I will be buying the sway bars, tower bars, trailing arms, and anti-pogo bushings as well. Aside from the requisite 4-wheel alignment, is there anything else I should be considering while upgrading the majority of my suspension? Thanks yall.

I would really think about where you drive and what kind of roads you drive on before you lower your car. I already have to be careful in my mom's GP when I drive it when I go up/down ramps. If it was any lower, it would be a problem and I would have to plan out where I drive and what entrance I use going places. There's a Farm store I go to sometimes, if her car was any lower, I would not be able to use the normal, close entrance to it. Just something to think about.

For me, those situations are non-issues. What I am concerned about is how unexpectedly low my car will become, and I try to climb a speedbump at about 10-15 MPH straight-on. Even then, if I'm aware of it now, I'm sure I'll be a good boy when that time comes. I sure do appreciate the feedback, though. At what lowering do most speedbumps become an issue? Again, would like technical feedback, as well.

i have sprint springs they lowered the car like 1.7 i think plus i cut the front springs and got smaller tires i don't have trouble on speedbumps at all. just when you pull in places that have like a dip and then a hump i scrape but haven't done any damage except to my mufflers minor scratches/dents if you like a sportier ride and don't mind a rough ride depending on the road i would go for it for sure

I have the SSC Gen S lowering Spring with the stock replacement struts and my cars runs smooth, not ruff just right and the only problem is pulling is to steep driveways or ramps to paring lots its hit barly. But the trick to that it o go on an angle in the the drive no hits. As for the KYB AGX are thos the Adjustables they are pretty pricey I would just go with the GR-2s

So from what I gather is this: With 1.3" springs and the KYB GR-2 Struts/Shcocks I will not have any effect on the tires or steering. The only issue I will have is with the approach to certain ramps and bumps. I sure appreciate the info, guys.

Another question raised by my wife was this: with either the KYB GR-2 or the AGX, will the ride be as smooth and comfortable as stock, or will we be rattled to death because of the stiffened ride?

Because the GR-2s are pretty much stock replacements, the ride should be no problem. It may be a little rougher than usual, but nothing bone jarring.

Any word on the AGX? Basically my wife is trying to keep me from spending cash on the GOOD stuff.
BTW: Igor, is she Jackie or Jacqualine?

The AGX's are really nice, a friend of mine has them on this 2.5RS. They're fully ajustable, but they are quite expensive. Around twice as expensive for all 4 incomparison to the GR2s(4). ~$560 vs. ~$280. And if you're wife doesn't want a harsh ride, then you'll pretty much never use the adjustable part (unless you're doing auto-x or similar. I'm going to get the GR-2s in spring/summer and lower it. You'd have to get the anti-pogo kit, too but it's like 10 bucks and you can get it from the dealership.

She's Jackie (reference to That 70s Show). Because when Jackie gets pushed she whines (SUPERCHARGER!!!! HAHAHAH!!!!!!!!!!!!!)

I've got the same question.....if you set the AGX's to the same stiffness level as the GR-2's would it ride the same? Is the difference in price because of its adjustability?

I've got eibachs with KYB-GR2's the ride isnt too bad, but the lowering springs will degrade the ride quality. It does make the car look cooler, though.

Do not pay $280 for KYB Gr-2's.. Check this out

KYB Struts

definately go with the ebay GR-2's thats where I got mine from and they're great. Only $185. Just rememeber you'll most likely need new strut mounts.

Yep, I already had that in mind. And the anti-pogo kit, sway bars, STB, aft trailing arms, very possibly the tranny and engine mounts, pretty much ALL suspension will be upgraded by the end of this year.

when you lower the car you kind of have to think about how you're going to get where you want to go. Any steep ramps/slopes and even some speed bumps will scrape your front fascia up. Also in some subdivisions backing out of the driveway catches the fascia too.

That's not too important to me: my chin is already pretty rashed up from dirt and bad approach angles, anyway. Just so long as I dont rip the thing off my car, ya know?

anti pogo kit?????

hey richard, if you're serious about the AGX's get over to ClubGP and see if you can get in on the group buy for them... it will save you some money and might help you convince the wife that's the way to go. I got in on it, and ordered struts, top plates, and pogo washers and my total after shipping charges was 660.xx gotta wait for the a littlle bit, but IMHO it's well worth it

my gp is lowerd u can c in my sig its a significant drop and it scraps alot

i have 16 inch bbs by the way

time to resurrect this old thread. I'm thinking of replacing the bushings, mounts, ball joints. How many bushings are there? Where are they (aside from the A-Arm bushings)? What brand or material should I be looking for? Please remember that I'm tryin to maintain stock comfort in this car when giving advice and recommendations. Thanks yall.

Hopefully you can learn from my mistakes. I spent $$$ replacing struts (KYB) mounts as well as antipogo when I lowered my car with Eibachs. The car sure looked sick...but the ride!!! Unless the roads you travel are smooth as silk it can be quite an adventure. One time while driving at highway speed we crossed a dip in the highway that caused the car to bottom out, rub the wheels and when it recovered lauched everyone in the back seat. The constant jarring over bumps rendered the car almost undrivable. For me the car lost alot of appeal. So I pulled the Eibachs, replaced em with stockers, out of an oldsmobile, and never looked back.....I still have the wheel gap, but I can fill up the trunk with sand, pile the mother in law in the rear and so far, no issues.....I guess my message is, take the time before you buy, decide whats important to you and develop a plan from there. For me , I like the lowered look, but I dislike the go cart, hay wagon ride.....
Just my 2 cents

thats the not the question at hand right now. The question is how many bushings do our cars have? Where are the bushings at? What material of bushing should I and should I not be considering? I sure appreciate the response and insight, though, Mike. I will be sure to take that into consideration when I start doing my struts and springs.

Also, where do I find KYB strut mounts? Are ball joints a dealer item? Now that I can buy these things, they all but disappear. Darn it.

Bobby, you're the POO! thanks for the help over the phone. If not for you and Mike, I woulda done great violence upon mine computer last night.

Only trouble I came across: the SFXperformance website told me to call about the full line of Moog products. Darn it.

Bonus: I now know that American Racing Series 201, 203, and 206 will all fit the Firebird.

Glad I could help with what little information I was able to provide.

if you decide to lower the car go ahead and grab yourself a set of the shortened dogbone mounts from the w-body store...with stockmounts I got some nasty vibration while under power and I only lowered 1 inch w /SSC springs...Eibachs might make the problem even worse.

no longer thinking about lowering the car. I might if my wife buys herself a car for the kids to hang out in most of the time. For right now: OE replacements tyvm. I will be sure to keep that in mind, though, ty.

I am planning on the GR2 struts, strut plates from ZZP (Do I HAVE to get the KYB strut plates??!) and the ZZP springs that only lower 1"

Where can I get the bushing kits that go over the strut shaft inside the springs? I can't seem to find those.

I also know that WBody store is selling control arms with full bushings instead of the cut OEM ones and they come with ball joints installed for 330.00...to me its worth the extra money because I can install the control arms myself instead of needing an air chisel to remove the 3 bolts holding the OEM ball joint in.

you dont HAFTA as far as I know, but I would, only to ensure everything fits the way the eggheads, Im sorry, the engineers, meant it to fit.

www.tirerack.com has the strut boots from KYB.

Control Arm=A-Arm? If so, I'm gonna be saving up for that. Guess I missed it in all my shopping last night and today.

http://www.wbodystore.com/grandprix/w-body-store-race-ready-control-arms-shipping-soon-p-156.html

hot %$#@&*%$&*!!! thats the biggest source of headaches for me too!!! &*%$##$&*(!!!

*inhale, exhale...*

atleast I know they exist. and theyre in reach.

Chunkee, tyvm for that link. you the poo, too.

How many engine tranny mounts are there? Three, right? One flat engine mount, one engine yoke, and one tranny yoke is what Im remembering here.

Which is better for ride quality and durability: solid mounts, poly, or OEM?

Ride quality oem. Soft absorbs vibrations, going around corners poly, drag racing solid.

enhanced handling with lesser compromise in comfort, then is poly?

Again, we have the 3 mounts, right?

Thanks for the response, Bob. I appreciate it.

1 tranny, 1 engine, and 2 upper dogbones

Thanks Corey. I was about to snag up an extra engine mount I didnt need.

Shopping list I have so far is as follows:

GR-2 Forward
GR-2 Aft
KYB Strut mounts forward
KYB Strut mounts aft
GMPD/GMPP Handling kit
WBS Control Arms
Aft STB
Engine poly mount
Tranny poly mount
Dog bones

EDIT: Olds Intrigue Springs, forward and aft

what else? My CVs and tie rod ends are new. What other rubber/wear out items am I missing?

EDIT for bump.

bump. Guess editing dont work for bumps.

Again: what else am I forgetting from the post above?

Thanks yall.

I'd sure like to get the strut tower braces before too long. I put a front tower brace on a Maxima I had a few... well... no, many years ago.

I was night-n-day difference on all but the very sharpest corners. The faster the corner or curve, the more noticeable the difference.

I got to the point where I was really looking forward to freeway on- and off-ramps.

Yes, the ramps are fun! Just have to be careful.
WoW that is a big order for Richard!

yessir. I'm planning on burning through about a grand of my tax returns this year on Colleen and bankin the rest.

TBat, as per our phone convo about 2 months ago: you said the Monroe SensaTrac All-in-one, right? What was that thing you were talking about, again?

Your advice on springs, for my application, was to stay OE GP, right?

I do remember you saying that the GMPP kit, tubular rear arms, and STBs forward and aft will do what I want the car to do.

I'm about to receive a travel settlement from the Army, and just wanna refresh my memory.

He LIVES!!!!!!

Start a new thread some time.

what two of missing have been found in an old thread go figure hahahaha, bout time u 2 showed up...

Yeah, Johnny, you're one to talk. I'm around here more than you are! Alex, what's new your way?

Darn it, Tim. How dare you have you're own life and responsibilities. jk.

Tim, I know what you said, and I really did understand what you told me.

I just dropped about $1,000 USD on suspension and brakes through TireRack.com. Shopping list is:
PowerSlot slotted rotors, aft
Hawk HPS pads, forward and aft
KYB GR-2, forward and aft
KYB strut/shock boots, forward and aft
KYB strut mounts, forward and aft

next up: find the control arms, suspension bushings, springs, eng/tranny mounts, and GMPP handling kit. Looks like I just might be able to meet the $2,500 parts budget I put myself on.

EDIT: Oops. I put myself on a 1 grand budget way back when. well, broke the bank on that estimate, didnt I?

so: vendor advice.

WBS is out of control arms. any suggestions?

GMPP and GMPD did not have their handling kit show up when I did a search. Where can I find that kit?

Where do I find Timken hubs again? OReilly, Napa, Carquest didnt have them.

I do, however, have a $500 USD order at ZZP just waiting for me to pull the trigger. Ooooh, I can just FEEL my Colleen sharkin' through the corners now...

Thanks for any and all help yall can toss my way.

Timken Hubs

This is the link I've been given before. Dunno if it's the same thing or not.

Looking for another link for the GMPP handling kit

*EDIT* BINGO! Man, this took WAY to long to find.

that ZZP link is what I'm thinkin about doin if I cant get the entire GMPP kit, but you did find the handling kit I spent 45 minutes looking for.

Is it just me, or do the hubs not wanna show themselves? The pc is having a hard time loading that particular page.

you can also get the hubs well idk what stores but its just a car parts store close to me because i have one new hub from them, the gmpp kits are becoming hard to find, richard will you tell me how you like the struts, because i would like to get some i just dont know yetwhat ones are you going with lowering springs ??

I decided against lowering the car. TBat had said that he noticed the ride had become very uncomfortable after dropping the car. I have a 4y/o girl and 2y/o boy. Comfort is big on me and my wife's priority list right now. Otherwise, yes, I will provide feedback on the set up once I get a few miles on it.

GMPP Handling Kit is on it's way! YAY!!!

yes i understand then.... like everyone at my work says.... enjoy it while i can because once i get married i will have to sell all my toys lol ... were did you get the gmpp kit from zzp ??

from GMPD. Follow the second link in Ace's response to me.

Timken hubs are on their way! WHOOHOO!!!

that kit dosnt have the trailing arms?? which i would HIGHLY sugest getting, because i looked at my stock trailing arms.. and one is bent and its not good ... just trying to buy otherthings and i keep putting it off

oh, the arms are included, they just arent pictured. Says so in the kit description narrative.

i tryed looking .... i should buy the kit ... but i allready have the rear sway bar... but thanks for the find ace

I'll buy the rear off you at some point, I only have the front.

ok ok ... sounds good

No problemo. Believe me, I've got it bookmarked so I don't have to find it again. While it's not at the TOP of my list, getting that is pretty high. lol

I dont think we discussed it here, so, while the thread is at the top of the section again, will GXP springs fit my GR-2s and OE height GT? I decided to take TBats advice again and steer away (get the handling pun? get it? yeah, I thought it was hilarious, too) from the heavier springs and only stiffen the chassis.

The first 724 USD arrived today while I was out of town.


Due in tomorrow: OE Springs, hubs, eng/tranny mounts, GMPP kit.

Slick, get ready, dude, cause it looks like I'm on my way to your place this weekend.

looks nice lol hope it all works well for you

i'd offer my garage to you, but thats quite a drive

yeah, that is one helluva drive just to sleep overnight and turn right back around. I coulda swore that Gustav woulda hit by now, which woulda kept me right around here.

Thank you for the offer of opening your garage to me, Corey.

Well, the story first, pics tomorrow.

I hit the alarm at 6:30 SAT AM and was driving by 7:00. Got to Slick's house around 8:45/9:00. Started working at 9:15/9:30. Thats about the time we realized that we were at HACGP's former President wasting time: TireRack didnt include the strut cushions with the GR-2s that I bought and GM didnt include them with the springs I got from them. Grr. Back to John's house to rip my suspension apart.

A couple hours later, head back to Chris' house to assemble my new struts. About the time that we were about to finish the first strut, John forgot to put the washer on top of my brand new KYB mount, and started torqueing down the strut nut directly on top of the KYB mount. Thanks John. I thought you said you were good at this (toldja I'd give ya hell, didnt I?). So off to O'Reilly's for Moog front mounts. Sexy. But for about $300 total, they had damn well be worth more than their weight in gold.

Got lunch, went back to Chris' house to get the struts together. About an hour or so later, back to John's house to get to work in earnest on Colleen.

Pretty much, we started at the rear of the car and worked forward. Rear strut assys went on first, then the fwd sway at the same time the aft sway went on (I did the fwd sway while John was aft). Fwd struts, and the eng & tranny mounts. While I was torqueing down the fwd struts, he was hard at work on the eng/tranny mounts. Kinda. He had me remove the nuts from inside the eng mount yoke. Thanks John. Then torgue the eng mount down. I finished the trailing arms, and we started work on the hubs. About the time that the hubs were about to be installed, John realized that the hubs and brakes had no loc-tite. and that there was a significant amount of grime and grease on the brake rotors. with brand new Hawk HPS about to go on.

So off to AZ he goes to get that stuff. When he comes back, he bears good tidings: Chris again came through. Chris had the sockets we needed to do the trailing arms. I had the other hub installed (minus the loc-tite), those brakes ready for install (because of the loc-tite). John decided to remove the old trailing arms while I finished the hubs and brakes. However: John was starting to get frustrated at the way I was doing the brakes, so I left him to do that while I torqued down the trailing arms. He most certainly came out on top with that deal.

At this point, the aft suspension was complete and most of the forward was complete. Now to check torque, fix my CAI filter that fell off during my drive to Houston, install the rims, check the torque on those, and get ready for alignment.

Problem. By the time that we got done, it was about 8:45. At night. dammit. 12 hours of suspension. And my alignment would hafta wait till morning. dammit.

Got showers, changed, and headed out to dinner. Got back to John's place, he showed me how to get to a relatively quiet road where I was able to bed-in my new brake pads. Then back to the house, got my "new" laptop finished up, then fired up the 360 till we were about passed out from exhaustion. Which took a staggering hour and a half, maybe 2 hours. He went to his room, I went the other way, and sensed NOTHING till I woke up this morning. Boy, did I feel this morning. Woke up, went to the alignment shop, went to lunch, went to pick up Ifitwasnt4u at the airport, dropped John off at home, dropped Mike off in my wife's hometown, and headed back to hang out with my wife and kids.

The moral of the story: the car got done (sans alignment) in one day. One really long day. One really hot, humid, no breeze, painful day. Oh, yeah: I learned yesterday that in-depth vehicle repair/modification has an evil way of makin a person feel REALLY REALLY old. I know. Cause I am that really old man right about now.

Pics are comin tomorrow, but brief description of the damage we saw: eng mount was totally ruptured, and the tranny had one rupture. Springs had some bounce left in them, but didnt really throw their mounts very far. my brake pads were badly worn: inboard was about 1.5-2 credit cards thick and the outboard was about 4-5 credit cards thick. The tie rod ends were dried out of all grease (Thanks for that grease, John).

John, I thank you once again for opening your garage and home to me and my car. From the number of components, the torque involved, and the facilities/equipment that I have available up here in Lufkin, I would NEVER have been able to do this myself. You saved me about 1,000 USD and MANY hours of head-scratching. You not only helped me fix my car, but you also helped to take care of my family by keeping their only mode of transportation safe and highway worthy. Helluva lot of fun down in Houston, learned a WHOLE lot. Thanks many times over.

Pics tomorrow.

lol ... so how do you feel old ?? and let me know what you think of everything

I felt old because yesterday, and a good portion of today my entire body was sore. I felt older than, dare I say?: Slick.

As for the performance? Not what I was expecting. Yeah, all the slack was removed from the suspension. Sure, the road noise and binding noises were gone, but everything is smooth and tight again. The car doesnt feel old anymore. Yeah, I still have plowing, diving, and squatting under harsh conditions, but I really didnt do too much by way of high-performance, now did I? it was all OE or better rplcmt. The STBs will help with the plowing, when they get installed. The GR-2s sure help with dampening the ride. I think I just might go with lowering the car in about a year or so (when I cant remember the soreness this project caused) to try and tighten the car up even more. Perhaps a 1.3" drop.

Here, as promised, are all the pics I got.

Starting out


Rear struts out


All struts out


Front sans struts


Both sways out


Rear re-installed minus trailing arms


Continued due to pic restrictions

Continued from above

Old eng mount


Old hubs out, new hubs in


Yeah, they're Timkens. You can now begin drooling.


Front ready for brakes


GMPP trailing arms in, OE out (look for breaker bar inside of inverted OE trailing arms)


Old tranny mount


As I said, I am now considering droppin the car to stiffen up the ride. Still pending is my fwd STB and aft slots with HPS pads. The only reason my fwd STB isnt installed right now is because I dont have the STB plates. That means the following are still on the procurement list: aft STB w/adapter plates, fwd STB adapter plates, control arms. My aft slotted rotors are due in during the latter half of SEP. guess I just hafta wait.

While I didnt net the gains I was looking for, I certainly netted the restoration I was looking for.

Thanks to EVERYONE here who helped me decide what application to go for.

you did all that work.. and NOW you want to drop it... lol

Congrats on getting it done!

hum now im wondering if i should get the gmpp kit .... hum....

gmpp kit is only slightly better than stock... If you're looking for corner carving buttery goodness, you need something better.

Rick: you are very welcome sir... There are days I miss wrenching on cars and then there are days I wish I was in better shape.

what would you sugest slick??

Nextlevel/Speedbuilt from www.pfyc.com or BMR

SpeedBuilt are supposedly better and would've been what I got had it not been for having a friend that was getting rid of his BMR's.

so how much did everything cost you total? Because if its a fair amount im going to do that instead of doing rims or anything appearance wise, because i need my suspension upgraded BADLY!

Suspension upgrades are always fun, riding some twisties going 50 is much more fun than going 150 in the 1/4 mile. And since it is what keeps your ride smooth I would say that's a very good choice Tim.

ya so i was just wondering the final cost of everything so i know how much to save up. lol i dont think im doig anymore appearance mods/performance mods until i fix my whole suspension anyways because like i said before its in such BAD condition!!

around 1 grand.

wow thats not bad at all!!!

I spent about 2 grand. Lemme check on all my invoices and receipts and I'll get back to you.

holy crap batman thats alot

x2!!!!!!!

depends on what you need done. You could just do struts and mounts and your car will feel 100 times better. Rick went all out

I know Rick's been wanting to get that done for quite a while; glad to see it all went well!

well i know i need struts and springs. Probably mounts.

Im not the smartest when it comes to suspension. Whenever i hit a big enough bump i hear a squeak come from the front driverside suspension ( i know...sad). im not sure what the cause is though..

I would hafta say springs and any other moving/interface parts. Depending on the age of the struts, then I'd do struts. If your springs are bad, it's prolly putting really premature wear on your struts and related other parts. Perhaps, and it is a long shot, even your frame.

My receipts are spread out between my car, my house, and my toolbox. I might be able to gather them up and total them all on Sunday. Maybe. More to follow.

hmmm i really hope its not the frame!

it's a really far reach. There would hafta be some MASSIVE extreme heavy duty conditions with no suspension dampening left. but it is possible.

the thing(no clue what it is) that is circled in blue is in really bad condition on the front driverside...could that be the squeak?

It's a lower control arm bushing; probably need to have them replaced.

ok how much do those cost?

By the way Rick, SORRY for the thread jack.

Not surprising. Control arms is indeed an interface that encounters quite a bit of abuse. WBS is on back order for those. I checked last week. That almost requires the entire spindle to be replace.

this aint a jack. You're doing research on suspension. The title of this thread is Suspension Research. Not at all a jack. Please use. Helps keep resources and such in one convenient package. Glad to see something that I started be used.

Here ya go: Front Control Arm Bushing or you can get Lower Control Arms

how hard is it to replace the bushings? i dont have the $230 for the whole control arm to be replaced.

The hubs are probably what drove your price up to 2k, you should be able to do the shocks, mounts, springs, and sway bars for around 1k (parts).

'01GT, I've heard the bushings are a PITA. Its easier if you have a press. Technically, only the front one (one you have circled) is supposed to be replaceable, but I've seen replacements available for both front and rear. I bought the front bushings with the intention of replacing them (they were only 5 or 10 bucks), but due to the effort involved, haven't ever got them on.

hmmm well i just want to get rid of that squeak when ever i hit a bump in the road.. Oh and BTW the hubs only cost $85 from ZZP so that wouldnt have raised the price(i dont think).

Dunno, I got my entire suspension, tie rod ends, ball joints and axles replaced for under $1k using rockauto. Around $200 shipped for the GMPP kit. Only thing I haven't done is mounts and control arm bushings (need to get them done...)

I really shoulda snapped them up when I found them the first time, but now I cant seem to find STB mounting adapter plates. I will NOT drill into the strut towers, but REALLY want the STB on.

Where are those darn mounts? ZZP, WBS, TireRack, PFYC, Intense, and ThrasherCharged all dont have them. (Yeah, I understand about Intense, I still had to look...)

Also, my aft slotted rotors just arrived! YEA!!!

http://drcustomparts.com/

those are the brackets, but they are overpriced. I just drilled it in

if you had a choice of parking brake pads, what would you choose? Wagner, Raybestos, or OE?

The one decision that I dont need help in would be Duralast or United. No thanks. GM includes the retaining screw, so that makes it a bonus.

So, after receiving my GMPP handling kit, I realized that that kit didnt come with the mounting brackets for the STB. I am not about to drill into my towers. I want the rear STB as well. And I want the mounting brackets. Slick told me about Next Level Suspension STBs being the ones that he was VERY satisfied with. Next Level is now SpeedBuilt. I was unable to find the SpeedBuilt STBs anywhere. I was looking at ZZPs STBs, but they're outta stock. Where can I get the SpeedBuilt or BMR STBs? Thanks for your help.

if you have gmpp braces you can use don rome brackets find them on gpona for the front for the rear all i had to do is just enlarge the hole on the STB then it fit

so, is it a different part number for the rear STB, or will the GMPP front STB work for the rear?

Thanks for the quick response.

BTW: drcustomparts.com=Don Rome's Custom Parts. Don Rome=overpriced according to Corey.

the front will work in the rear, but id check ... it should fit over the 2 closest bolts... but you just need to enlargen the holes a bit

and

http://www.drcustomparts.com/

is that what your looking for ... the aluminum bracket ?

yes...and no. Starting to doubt that that's the direction I wanna go. Especially after seeing the BMR STBs.

Imagine that, I start to over-analyze what parts I wanna get next.

Original question, for sake of the new page in the thread: Where can I get the SpeedBuilt/NextLevel STBs?

i really like the bmr bars the best,plus they are adjustable.but they cost the most. DA bars
then there's zzp's bars.there a bit cheaper

Not overpriced. Its quality stuff. I'm keeping my silence.

It is high quality. I never said it wasn't. But it's not worth the price.

I just came on a possible hush-hush part-out that includes Next Level STBs. We'll see how that plays out, then I'll consider BMR, then ZZP. Thanks all. the feedback is a great help.

I realize this is kinda late to the party but I'll just toss my 2 cents worth in.

If you decide to lower the car for the sake of better handling I wish you the best of luck. I know many have said they have lowered their cars without other issue. Maybe my vibration problems were coincidence. If you do lower the car and keep your stock wheels/tires then that may help the ride harshness...but if you are unhappy with plowing (understeer) in hard cornering part of that is nature of the beast when it comes to a front drive car.
Front end weight bias is tough to over come. This is why the GXP came with smaller tires on the rear than the front in an effort to make the rear of the car more forgiving and help the front stick.
Your new heavier sway bars will help this issue but if you really want it to carve corners then a lower sidewall tire/wheel combo is in order. Herein lies another trade off...the less sidewall flex improves the handling but sacrifices ride. Even with my stock springs back on, the 18s on my car still bite corners hard, no squeal, no plowing, just stuff flying around in the trunk. Think about it, every performance level of car you see gets progressively smaller sidewall tires. The Comp G came with 17s and the GXP went up to 18s...Vettes get 19s up front and 20s on the rear.

If you are prepared to trade offsome ride quality for the sake of better handling, given the work you have already done, I would go with abetter wheel/tire combo before I put another set of springs on the car. An 18in wheel with a 245/45/18 tires makes for a fat footprint and I dont even have the sticky compound summer tires...those wear faster but they bite like gooey shoes.

I really am not entertaining the idea of lowering the car any time soon due to ride comfort. I'll consider that later. I just wanna keep the ride level and try to keep the entire footprint on the ground as much as possible. Dont get it mistaken, I WOULD like to have a GP handle like a Beemer, but I am not even close to being willing to invest that much time and money into a car that will never be able to handle like that with that level of comfort.

As for the sidewall flex, I think I cured that, to my own satisfaction, by pumping 42 PSI into the fronts and 36 out back with 39 in the spare.

For right now, after the STBs and replaced dogbones, I'm pretty certain that my suspension upgrades would be complete, and that it would then be time to concentrate on Belen.

Thank you for your feedback, I will be using that later on, should I decide to lower the car. You rock, Tim!

Hey, Slick, thanks for those STBs, I'll be mailing your money order for 150 USD and what else you want for the corners. Reviews on what the braces feel like on the car with my set up.

Ace, thank you for lunch, hope you enjoy the brace I gave you today. As I told you during lunch, your car is SO nice lookin. The pics you put up already do NOTHING for how she REALLY looks.

Thanks.