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REAR SUSPENSION MODS |
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Overview |
There are a lot of different ways to mod a Thirdgen's suspension. Most of these though, fall within two performance areas: Handling, and Acceleration. I want my car to do both, but with an emphasis on the acceleration part. So, I decided to keep the following idea in mind when choosing my mods...I will do whatever it takes to get the car to accelerate, as long as it doesn't ruin the handling around turns, etc. There are a lot of mods that can be done to make a car hook like crazy at the track (or street), but once you get some speed behind you and it's time to turn...it can get scary.
Another thing that I kept in mind was that most basic suspension mods will increase the performance characteristics of a car in BOTH areas, which is nice. There are only a few things that I want to do that are strictly for hooking the car up when going straight.
| Shocks | |
| Bilstein Heavy Duty Shock | www.bilstein.com |
| Bilstein Part #: F4-B46-1121-HO | $81.95 from Summit Racing Equipment |
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| Springs | |
| Moog Chassis Parts Rear Spring | Moog Website |
| Moog Chassis Parts Part #: 5665 | $58.69 from Summit Racing Equipment |
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| Sway Bar | |
| Spohn 1" Solid 4140 Chromoly Sway Bar | www.spohn.net |
| Spohn Part #: 923-rear | $142.50 |
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Torque Arm |
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Spohn Adjustable Torque Arm |
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Spohn Part #: 301 |
$425.00 |
The Spohn Torque Arm is really an amazing addition to any Thirdgen. The build quality and design are absolutely top-notch. I was in a little bit of a rush to get it on the car, and didn't realize that I didn't take any pictures of it until it was already bolted up to the car. So, the one with the white background will have to do. It is actually the picture directly off the Spohn website, at www.spohn.net. It is however the exact one that I got. Here are the options that I went with:
Front Spherical Rod End
Front Driveshaft Loop
Powder Coated Red
For installation notes, check out the Tech section on the left.
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Lower Control Arms |
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Spohn Standard Tubular with Poly Bushings |
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Spohn Part #: 201 |
$105.00 |
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512 x 384 65k |
The end of the LCA.
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512 x 384 52k |
Difference between the stock LCA and the tubular Spohn LCA.
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512 x 384 60k |
Comparison between the ends of the LCAs.
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512 x 384 48k |
Top view of both LCAs.
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338 x 253 40k |
The new bolts that I used on the Spohn LCAs.
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Here are some pics of the LCAs installed:
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512 x 384 79k |
Here is a shot of the driver's side LCA installed. Notice the new mounting bolt.
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512 x 384 73k |
Another shot of the driver's side LCA. Here, you can see both ends of the LCA.
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512 x 384 67k |
This is a pic of the driver's side again, but from the rear of the car, where the tire would be.
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512 x 384 82k |
A close up of the mounting location of the rear end of the driver's side LCA.
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Panhard Rod/Track bar |
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Spohn Standard Tubular with Poly Bushings |
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Spohn Part #: 101 |
$85.00 |
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512 x 206 39k |
Comparison between the old panhard rod and the new tubular Spohn one.
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512 x 384 82k |
A shot of the ends of both panhard rods.
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338 x 253 26k |
The new bolt that I used for the panhard rod.
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Here are pics of the Panhard Rod installed on the car:
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512 x 384 75k |
This is the driver's side mounting location.
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512 x 384 81k |
Here you can see the whole thing.
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Lower Control Arm Relocation Brackets |
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Spohn LCA Relocation Brackets |
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Spohn Part #: 210-S |
$65.00 |
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Torque Arm Bushing |
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Energy Suspension Torque Arm Poly Bushing - Red |
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Energy Suspension Part #: 3.1111R |
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The Spohn torque arm doesn't require a torque arm bushing because of its design, but I used to have one of these on the car with the stock torque arm. The poly bushing makes the connection between the torque arm and the tranny cross member much more rigid. It replaces the stock rubber bushing that allows a ton of movement.
