Which springs? Sport-line or Pro-KIT?

[SSD]

I have been looking at springs to lower my 06 GT. Eibach makes two lines of springs.....the PRO-KIT and the SPORT-LINE.

The sport-line will drop the front @ 1.600 in. and the rear @ 2.000 in.

The pro-kit will drop the front @ 1.300 in. and the rear @ 1.400 in.

I'd really like to go all the way down as far as possible.....but does that amount of drop mess up the alignment?

 

[LAVAgt2012]

myself I'd for for the sportline because I'm looking for about a 2" drop. With that said, how much are they going to run, I'd like to know for the future because that sounds ideal for the look I want.

 

[Svtpilot]

Price wise American Muscle sells the Pro-Kit for $249.00 and the Sportlines for $239.00. IMHO the lower the drop the better it looks, but keep mind that with a bigger drop the more additional components will have to be upgraded to keep the suspension geometry correct and the car handling right. Such as shocks and struts, adjustable panhard rod and LCAs and UCAs, LCA relocation brackets etc.
Btw I have been told the FRPP springs which are about 50 bucks cheaper are made by Eibach, I have no idea if it is true but I would love to find out. Anyone know?

 

[blown1989saleen]

Ive heard and read numerous times that the Pro kit are one in the same as the FRPP K springs, difference is the K springs are like $180. you are going to need an alignment as it will throw off the toe (this is what wears your tires) and camber and youll want to invest in a panhard bar as well, especially when as low as the sport lines. youre also going to need either camber bolts (I got mine at Napa) or a pair of camber plates

 

[LAVAgt2012]

Price wise American Muscle sells the Pro-Kit for $249.00 and the Sportlines for $239.00. IMHO the lower the drop the better it looks, but keep mind that with a bigger drop the more additional components will have to be upgraded to keep the suspension geometry correct and the car handling right. Such as shocks and struts, adjustable panhard rod and LCAs and UCAs, LCA relocation brackets etc.
Btw I have been told the FRPP springs which are about 50 bucks cheaper are made by Eibach, I have no idea if it is true but I would love to find out. Anyone know?

dang didn't think the struts and shocks would be much of a big deal. I was aware i was going to need the adjustable panhard rod, lower and upper control arms....

 

[LRSJustin]

You may also want to look into getting a set of GT500 strut mounts as well. The stock strut mounts are fairly weak and can begin break down when more stress is put on them after the car is lowered.

Shocks and struts aren't a must right out of the gate but knocking everything out at one time will make for lesser trips to the alignment shop.

 

[streethorse]

If you go with the Pro kit you will get a nice drop, not much rougher
ride than stock and need nothing else done. On my 04 I put 80k on it
after the pro kit spring install and the struts and shocks were still firm
at 90k. No alignment or anything. My 06 pro kit , same story.
No alignment no extra parts. 4 months and no noticable uneven tire wear.

 

[Sharad]

I have been looking at springs to lower my 06 GT. Eibach makes two lines of springs.....the PRO-KIT and the SPORT-LINE.

The sport-line will drop the front @ 1.600 in. and the rear @ 2.000 in.

The pro-kit will drop the front @ 1.300 in. and the rear @ 1.400 in.

I'd really like to go all the way down as far as possible.....but does that amount of drop mess up the alignment?

I think the sportlines look GREAT, but they're more for cosmetics than handling performance. They're just too low to really benefit the handling without RADICAL changes to compensate for the extreme drop.

I have the UPR Pro Series springs on my 2006 GT which are actually manufactured by Eibach and they spec out identical to the Eibach Pro Kit springs. I'd call it more like a 1.5 drop.


First stage of UPR Products Suspension by sharadraldiris, on Flickr

Ive heard and read numerous times that the Pro kit are one in the same as the FRPP K springs, difference is the K springs are like $180. you are going to need an alignment as it will throw off the toe (this is what wears your tires) and camber and youll want to invest in a panhard bar as well, especially when as low as the sport lines. youre also going to need either camber bolts (I got mine at Napa) or a pair of camber plates

Yes on the alignment and yes on the panhard bar. My rear end was noticeably shifted to the driver's side with the UPR/Eibach Pro springs. The Sportlines would be even more shifted. You only need the camber adjustment if you're looking to get back to the factory camber specification. If you don't mind the extra tire wear, the increased negative camber from the Pro Kits will actually help in the corners.

dang didn't think the struts and shocks would be much of a big deal. I was aware i was going to need the adjustable panhard rod, lower and upper control arms....

I'd say you DO need the adjustable panhard bar (I installed the adjustable panhard bar and brace with my springs) but I wouldn't say the control arms are required. However, the control arms do vastly improve traction.

You may also want to look into getting a set of GT500 strut mounts as well. The stock strut mounts are fairly weak and can begin break down when more stress is put on them after the car is lowered.

Shocks and struts aren't a must right out of the gate but knocking everything out at one time will make for lesser trips to the alignment shop.

Agreed on the GT500 strut mounts. The factory strut mounts on my '06 are popping like crazy, but I didn't replace them with the springs because I'm waiting until I do the struts and shocks, which will be VERY soon!

 

[Svtpilot]

....
I'd say you DO need the adjustable panhard bar (I installed the adjustable panhard bar and brace with my springs) but I wouldn't say the control arms are required. However, the control arms do vastly improve traction.

I'm not sure I agree. Doesn't changing the the ride height change the pinion angle? If the pinion angle is off by too much it can cause problems.Wouldn't adjustable LCAs and UCA been needed set the pinion angle back to spec? The other thing that I don't think was mentioned is LCA relocation brackets. Lowering a car raises the differential is relation to the car body,so LCA brackets may be needed to correct the angle of the arms.

 

[Sharad]

I'm not sure I agree. Doesn't changing the the ride height change the pinion angle? If the pinion angle is off by too much it can cause problems.Wouldn't adjustable LCAs and UCA been needed set the pinion angle back to spec? The other thing that I don't think was mentioned is LCA relocation brackets. Lowering a car raises the differential is relation to the car body,so LCA brackets may be needed to correct the angle of the arms.

Trust me, I'd love to sell EVERYONE fully adjustable suspension. I work for a suspension company!

I stated that I wouldn't say you NEED control arms with lowering springs because it's one of those gray areas. An adjustable UCA has two primary benefits. By adjusting the pinion angle, you can improve traction and you can reduce driveline vibrations. Mind you, this requires a decent amount of work to test and find the ideal pinion angle for your car.

As my car sits in the driveway right now, I have NON adjustable lowers and the factory upper arm in the car. (I just haven't installed my upper arm & mount yet) Anyway, the car hooks just fine in a straight line and it didn't start making any driveline vibration or noise when I lowered it. My conclusion is that adjustable control arms are not NEEDED for use with lowering springs, but I do think they're a worthwhile upgrade!

 

[Svtpilot]

Sharad, with a 1.0"-1.5 " or so drop I agree 100%, stock or non adjustable components should be fine. (which is why i'm going with the Eibach ProKit) But when you start getting into the neighborhood 2.0" or more I think you are gonna start running into trouble with the stock parts. The OP stated "...I'd really like to go all the way down as far as possible.... and I wanted to make sure he has all the info before he makes his decision.

 

[KONA12]

i have sportlines and have no drivin issues especially drivin out here in NYC......

 

[Sharad]

Sharad, with a 1.0"-1.5 " or so drop I agree 100%, stock or non adjustable components should be fine. (which is why i'm going with the Eibach ProKit) But when you start getting into the neighborhood 2.0" or more I think you are gonna start running into trouble with the stock parts. The OP stated "...I'd really like to go all the way down as far as possible.... and I wanted to make sure he has all the info before he makes his decision.

I agree (with the bold part in particular), but I was trying to suggest for him to stick with the 1.5" drop rather than the 2.0" drop. A 2" drop on an S197 mis-aligns the suspension quite a bit. You may not experience any real problems (like Kona suggested) but if I was planning to race the car, I wouldn't drop it 2" without added A LOT of other parts to compensate for that.

 

[Rick2011]

Sharad,

I saw that there was a sale on the Steeda springs and have heard nothing but great things about them. I have doing some searches online and really like the drop that they offer.

Any other suggestions for when getting these springs what else should accompany them? With 1-2 in drop should LCA accompany it?

 

[foosh]

Despite what I was told by Eibach, even with the very conservative drop using the Pro-Kits, you do need either caster/camber plates (or possibly the cheaper alternative camber bolts), and an adjustable panhard bar, at least as far as the 2011+ GT/Brembo cars are concerned.

I tried it on my 2011 without either, and camber could not be brought back into spec as OEM equipped. In addition, the rear-end will noticeably shift at least 1/2" to the driver's side because of the changed geometry of the non-adjustable OEM panhard bar on lower springs. I later added c/c plates and the adjustable panhard bar to bring everything back into spec because I just wasn't happy with the situation. UCA and LCAs are not a requirement, and I didn't feel the need to bother with those.

So, when all was said and done, in addition to the price of the springs, I needed nearly $400 worth of additional parts to bring it back to spec. I read posts from many saying these aren't necessary on a small drop, and while it may be true that they perceive their cars as being fine without, if you care about having everything trued and centered, you will need them.