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V6FBody Online's - Techbase:

4th Generation V6 FAQ: Suspension, Brakes & Tires

Can I add traction control?
What lowering springs should I use?
What about Z28 springs?
What shocks to choose for improved handling?
What is the best way to improve overall handling?
What is a good way to upgrade the suspension gradually?
I want new tires, what tires to get?
Tires, what size should I get?
Will new rims affect the ABS system?
Can I replace my drums with disc brakes?
I want to improve braking performance, what to do? (Low budget)
I want to improve braking performance, and I have some spare $$, what to do?
What replacement brake pads to choose?
Cross drilled, dimpled, slotted?

Can I add traction control?
No, it is impossible. The traction control systems in service manuals take up more than a hundred pages by itself. It's extremely complicated and will require 2 ABS/ASR sensors for both rear wheels (1 for each rear wheel), wiring, V8 or '99 V6 PCM, etc.
Note: The 99 V6 F-body's have Traction control (ASR) as an option.

What lowering springs should I use?
Several brands have lowering springs suited for the 4th Generation F-Bodies. The most used and favorite kit is the Eibach pro kit, it's a high quality product, they lower the car about 1.5 inches (very noticeable) and they have excellent handling capabilities !
Lowering the F-body is for most people a real must, as the factory springs make the car look like a 4wd at times. Be sure to get the Eibach PRO kit dedicated for the V6 since there is a difference between the V6 and V-8 kit ! For those who want to go even lower I would advise looking into the Eibach Sport line as this kit lowers the car about a good 2.0 inches!

What about Z28 springs?
These springs are calculated for the Z28's weight and they are a bit stiffer. Dedicated V6 springs will lower the car and make it stiffer while improving handling. Z28 take off springs will probably stiffen the ride even more, but that doesn't always guarantee better handling. Lowering with Z28 springs might also affect the appearance as the car might 'sit' a bit higher due to the stiffer spring. I wouldn't recommend these springs.

What shocks to choose for improved handling?
There are many choices, the favorite brands are Billstein, and Koni. With any of these shocks you can't go wrong !
The Fx-5 adjustable shocks are very good too according to owners feedback, they are adjustable from the inside of the car! No more messy trips underneath the fenders to adjust the gas adjustable shocks. A good set of shocks will run you about $500, consider doing this together with the springs to save installation costs. The installation of the rear shocks is fairly simple, however the front needs special tools and is best to be done by professionals.
A compressed spring can be extremely dangerous when it suddenly expands.

Pricing:	Part:	Part #:	Price
RKSport	FX-5 Adjustable Shocks	010336196	$524.95
	FX-5 Compressor Kit	070336197	$129.95
	FX-5 Front Replacement Shocks	010336198	$139.00
	FX-5 Rear Replacement Shocks	010336199	$109.00
	FX-5 Adjustable Shock Set (4 shocks only)	010336200	$395.00

What is the best way to improve overall handling?
There are several ways to improve handling, but a 'Bang for the Buck' method is replacing those rubber bushings by polyurethane bushings made by for instance Energy Suspension. For instance, replacing the front sway bushings will only set you back $18 and it will be noticeable. Installation is easy and no special tools are needed. Changing the end links is also inexpensive and helps quite a bit. A rear sway bar from a a Z28 is also inexpensive at $10 a piece (yes TEN dollars), these are take off's and SLP used to sell them. So, for about $100 you can replace the bushings (Sways, Endlinks, etc.) and have a thicker rear sway bar.
Note: The front V6 sway bar is the same as found in the V8 model.

What is a good way to upgrade the suspension gradually?
Just like the engine modifications, you can do this in stages. The Stage system below is just how I feel about upgrading in stages and keeping a budget in mind. If you have a thick wallet you can, of course, do it all at once and use any brand you want.

Stage 1
	- Replace rubber bushings in favor of poly bushings (Including end links)
	- Replace stock springs with Eibach 'Pro Kit' springs
	- Replace rear 17 mm sway bar with a 19 mm SLP takeoff Z28 sway bar
Stage 2
	- Replace stock shocks with performance shocks (Koni's, FX-5, Billstein, etc.)
	- Add a Strut tower brace
	- Replace tires with Z rated tires, changing to 17 inch rims is also very effective
	- Add GM 1LE sway bars (31 mm front & 21 mm rear)
Stage 3
	- Replace trailing arms with aftermarket ones
	- Replace pan hard rod with an aftermarket one
	- Add sub frame connectors

Note: Convertible owners might want to add the sub frame connectors in an earlier stage as their car is a lot more flexible than a coupe. T-tops owners might also consider this.

I want new tires, what tires to get?
Any F-body owner will agree that the stock V6 tires (Eagle GA) are far from perfect. So usually when they are worn they will be replaced. But what tire to get? There are many tires that are perfect for the car, but when you look at value for money only a few tires remain.

The following tires are very popular among the f-bodies owners:

Good Year Eagle GS-C
Firestone Firehawk SZ-50 (not so popular anymore)
BF Goodrich Comp T/A ZR
Pirelli P-7000 ZR

When you look at tire tests results the best bang for the buck is the Firestone Fire hawk SZ-50. This tire beats the competition in traction (especially on wet surfaces), noise level, cornering, and braking. And, for about $150 a tire, the price is more than right. But, you can't make a bad choice with any of the above tires, and since they are Z-rated you can finally drive safely at high speed.

Tires, What size should I get?
Stock (16"X8"): Ideal tire size is 255/50/16
17" Upgrade: Ideal tire size is 275/40/17

Click here for a link where you can calculate the tire size for your application.

Pictures

Will new rims affect the ABS system?
NO, unless the rims differ much in size, for instance two 17 inch rims in the back while having two 15 inch rims rims in the front. You can, of course, have, for instance, 17 inch on the front and 18 in the rear, but this requires specific front & rear tire sizes to make up for the actual difference.
You can replace the Stock rims with any set of 16, 17 or even 18 inch rims. Be sure to get rims with the correct offset.

Can I replace my drums with disc brakes?
Yes you can, there are 2 ways:

1- Get a Complete Baer Racing conversion kit, including 2 12" ventilated Baer Racing rotors, PBR calipers with pads, Teflon braided lines, and ALL other hardware needed to perform the swap ! The kit costs about $675 and is available at RKSport

2- Get the parts needed to perform the swap from your local F-body wrecker yard. This is cheaper, but be sure you get good parts.

I want to improve braking performance, what to do? (Low budget)
There are several ways to achieve this, for instance:

Replace OEM pads with Performance friction pads. These pads are made of a special compound and they improve braking. They also tend to produce less brake dust and that's also a real benefit, especially for those with white or polished rims.
Construct a brake ducting system as cooling the rotors is always a good thing to do. Hot rotors will fade at a certain point and are then rendered useless, cooling the rotors with cold air will help against fading, especially at high speeds stops.
A Step-By-Step Installation will be online soon.
Replace the OEM brake fluid lines with Teflon braided ones, these will give a much better (linear) brake pedal feeling.
Replace the brake fluid with a better fluid, for instance the Ford Heavy Duty brake oil (Best bang for the buck !!) or the extremely expensive Castrol SRF brake fluid.
Use Z-rated tires, they have a shorter braking distance when compared to the factory GA's.

I want to improve braking performance, and I have some spare $$, what to do?
There are several Kits available that will replace the OEM rotors, Calipers and lines. They often don't come cheap, but you get what you pay for! The Best money can buy is the German Move' it Kit which consists of the Porsche 911 Twin Turbo brakes (front) ! They can fit the F-body and the kit consists of two Red (4 piston) Porsche calipers, two 12.7 Porsche cross drilled rotors, and special lines. The Kit costs about $2400 in the US, but it can be purchased in Germany also for about DM 3990 ($1850)
A Good alternative for the money is the Baer Racing 13 inch brake kit, which replaces the front rotors with 13 inch rotors and new PBR calipers, The kit costs about $800 and provides quite an improvement for the money.
The keyword for improved braking is: BIG. Bigger rotors can handle heat better as there simply is more braking area that's acting like a 'heat sink', so there is less chance of warping them. NOTE: Most kits that have those big rotors (12.5" and larger) normally require 17 inch rims to fit properly.

What replacement brake pads to choose?
The pads from Performance Friction are a good replacement for the OEM pads, they improve braking performance also.

Cross drilled, dimpled, slotted?
Unless you are going just for looks I advise you to stay away from cross drilled rotors. Why ? Well, unless the you have the mega $$ Porsche rotors you will find yourself with cracked rotors one day. They tend to crack from hole to hole, when this crack goes to the rotor edge you will have a serious problem.

Dimpled rotors are just a hype, they look good and they are better than the OEM rotors (not hard to accomplish), but they simply don't justify the high cost ! They have the same size and actually less braking area because of the dimples. The dimples will NOT allow braking gasses to escape ! A few high speed brake events are needed to simply warp them.

If you want to have looks and functional rotors I suggest getting 'slotted' rotors. These rotors have grooves that allow the brake pad gas (created at high temps.) to escape. The only drawback here is that the brake pads will wear a bit faster (same as with dimpled and Cross drilled rotors).