I'm considering modifying the front suspension of my 88 GT by installing the 1 inch lowering springs from the Fiero Store along with pair of KYB Gas-a-Just shocks. The front end on the car has always seemed to be a bit high to me ( large gap between tire & fender ) and a number of people on this forum have commented that....yup.....that's just the way 88's are.
Has anyone had good experience using only 1" shorter lowering springs plus a realignment ? If the correct (or only) way to do this mod is to also cut down the bump stops and install Rodney's ball joints, I might content myself with just the new shocks.
Thanks for any advice....

Rodney's 1" Lowering ball Joints are the way to go.
the springs will stiffen your ride. the bump stops.

I cut my front springs by one coil. Did nothing else.
I have no complaints.
Rodney's ball joints were not available at the time, however. They would probably be a better alternative.

------------------
Raydar
88 Formula IMSA Fastback. 4.9, NVG T550

Praise the Lowered!

By cutting the springs you will lose 1" of shock and spring travel. Using the lowering ball joints, you won't.

Follow this link down to Fieroguru's post: https://www.fiero.nl/forum/A...110502-2-107572.html


After researching on the topic and having an 87 with intrax lowering coils I followed his method for my 88.


I love the way it feels, handles and looks. Very easy and cheap. I have never hit the bumpstops (edit: I have cut the bumpstops down, easy to do) so there is still plenty of suspension travel. Using lowering balljoints won't increase the spring rate. This part is where it becomes subjective. I hate the sloppy feel of the stock spring rate. Cutting the coils increased the rate enough to make it ride and feel like a proper ports car. In my opinion the comfort of the ride is still very adequate. If anything, I get less car sick as the passenger in my car now with the stiffer springs. When hitting large pot holes is it more jarring of a ride. My opinion: don't do lowering balljoints and cut the springs as described by Fieroguru in the link.

[This message has been edited by LZeppelin513 (edited 03-08-2012).]

I am a fan of slightly stiffer spring rates and using the 84-87 front springs (cut down to desired ride height) in the front of the 88's and then using the front 88 springs with 1 coil removed in the rear. Gives you the lowered stance with spring rates about 30% stiffer than stock.

Rodney's lowering ball joints are another simple/low cost method of lowering and work well if you have a ball joint press and if the ball joints haven't been tack welded in place. With the right tools you don't even have to disconnect the shock or remove the front springs.

The best method of lowering is with some Held l1 1/2" drop knuckles - these drop the front while retaining the stock suspension geometry and spring rates, but they are a little spendy at $550. Even with these, I would want stiffer springs to firm up the ride, but that is just a personal preference.

[This message has been edited by fieroguru (edited 03-08-2012).]

remove the coil, cut one rung off, install the coil. You will be fine and happy with the results.

quote Originally posted by qwikgta: remove the coil, cut one rung off, install the coil. You will be fine and happy with the results.

Ditto

Adding: Make sure you cut the large diameter of the coil, not the smaller diameter "pig tail" of the spring. To take it a step further, suggest you replace all rubber suspension bushings with urethane. Might as well replace all the Coil Spring rubber seat rings - believe the Fiero Store carries them. Take the time to check all ball joints, and naturally get a 4 wheel alignment from a reliable shop.

At the least, when doing this, replace the front sway bar rubber bushings with urethane (do not fully torque fasteners until you load the suspension - body not jacked up).

------------------

Car History: https://www.fiero.nl/forum/Forum1/HTML/025670.html

[This message has been edited by California Kid (edited 03-08-2012).]

Thanks to everyone that responded....

If I were Jesse James I suppose I could have at the car with a plasma torch and welder, and end up with some truly "Monstrous" handling....

... but the idea was to have a backout plan and avoid any changes that can't be easily reversed. I trust my regular shop to do suspension work, but cutting and welding is beyond their scope.

At the Fiero Store the spring part descriptions are sort of minimal, and give the impression that everything is plug-and-play.

This weekend I'll take a ruler and measure if the front really is riding higher than the rear. Maybe it's all just an optical delusion.

BTW, Raydar & California Kid... I really like your cars. Mine is boring bone stock ( looks just like the graphic in the Pennock's Forum logo ).

quote Originally posted by 40oz_Warrior: ... but the idea was to have a backout plan and avoid any changes that can't be easily reversed. I trust my regular shop to do suspension work, but cutting and welding is beyond their scope.

Lowering ball joints are probably easier to replace than the springs. Heck, if I could do it...

quote At the Fiero Store the spring part descriptions are sort of minimal, and give the impression that everything is plug-and-play.

No lowering spring is complicated, remove old and install new. Cut 1" off of bump stops while your in there.

quote This weekend I'll take a ruler and measure if the front really is riding higher than the rear. Maybe it's all just an optical delusion.

Its not. The 88s drag their rears down the road. Here is mine all stock, with just the 1" lowering ball joints...

[This message has been edited by carbon (edited 03-14-2012).]

Not all '88's drag their rear down the road.



Thanks Warrior !

[This message has been edited by California Kid (edited 03-14-2012).]

This is the same car that I posted above, before all the body mods, gray paint, and the spring mod.

quote Originally posted by California Kid: Not all '88's drag their rear down the road.

That's not exactly stock either...

quote Originally posted by fieroguru: I am a fan of slightly stiffer spring rates and using the 84-87 front springs (cut down to desired ride height) in the front of the 88's and then using the front 88 springs with 1 coil removed in the rear. Gives you the lowered stance with spring rates about 30% stiffer than stock.

How much do you typically cut from the 84-87 front springs to get a nice ride height in the front? What's a good starting point that you would recommend?

quote Originally posted by GraterFang: How much do you typically cut from the 84-87 front springs to get a nice ride height in the front? What's a good starting point that you would recommend?

Start with 1 1/2 coils and cut more as necessary. I did 2 3/8 coils on my first set and was riding like this:

This is really too low for a decent ride. To get this low you need to slot the upper a-arm cross shaft mounting holes (for alignment), trim the bump stops, shim the shocks below the lower a-arm, and even then you only have 1" or less of suspension travel on the compression side.

[This message has been edited by fieroguru (edited 03-15-2012).]

quote Originally posted by fieroguru: Start with 1 1/2 coils and cut more as necessary. I did 2 3/8 coils on my first set and was riding like this: This is really too low for a decent ride. To get this low you need to slot the upper a-arm cross shaft mounting holes (for alignment), trim the bump stops, shim the shocks below the lower a-arm, and even then you only have 1" or less of suspension travel on the compression side.

Thank you

Out of curiosity, what is your basis for using the 84-87 front springs in the front and the 88 front springs in the rear over just cutting the stock springs? Does it provide a better balance in increased stiffness? I've had difficulty in finding what the stock spring rates are for 84-87 and 88 Fieros.

Also, do you tend to use the stiffer 84-87 front springs (like those that came with V6 or WS6 suspension packages) or the softer springs you would find on coupes?

Sorry for any ignorance on my part.