[DriftNDraft]

Has anyone tried installing the GM Lowering Kit for the LS/LT (84188725) on a V6 Camaro? And if so, added the associated Sway Bar kit (84242386)? I'm trying to figure out if these kits will work optimally with a 2018 V6 1LT RS automatic with the stock 245/40R20 tires.

[shrini23]

Glad you brought this up.
I'm also looking for answers.
I wanna lower my car, I've a 2LT convertible. Not sure is it really worth to spend more than grand to lower your car or just go with some eibach springs and get it lowered?
Any help will be much appreciated

[PolynesianPowerhouse]

Originally Posted by shrini23

Glad you brought this up.
I'm also looking for answers.
I wanna lower my car, I've a 2LT convertible. Not sure is it really worth to spend more than grand to lower your car or just go with some eibach springs and get it lowered?
Any help will be much appreciated

that's surely the cheap way of thinking, and why sooo many videos are on youtube about "never lower your car". ive gone that way on a few cars and prob wont ever again. lesson learned.

its mainly because most did it the cheap route. found out the ride gets harsh, car doesn't handle as well and now you have the anti-lower-your-car-vids.

struts are the meat and potatoes of a lowering kit, in my view. its kinda like your muscles... you more or less need them. they control most of the situation.

anyone can make a spring shorter, stiffer, etc... but theres only a few places you can get aftermarket upgraded struts... the struts and shocks control the spring energy so your car doesn't go down the road overly stiff or bouncing around like a 1970 family station wagon with blown shocks...

anytime you upgrade to a lower spring, it will be stiffer. this puts more stress on a shock/strut to function with, and most times it wears them out quicker along with if its overpowering from the start...you go from a smooth handling car to a car that's erratic, bounces, etc when you hit any decent bumps.

springs for a set of 4 for OEM gm springs are about 100$

a set of struts are about 400$ that's just oem...moreso, the v6 1LE springs and struts which are FE3 level.

the gm lowering kit, doesn't excessively lower, you get stiffer springs, nearly a stock compliant ride, shortened struts and shocks that are valves to handle the new springs and lower stance. anytime you see a company be it coilovers or shocks and struts go as far as using a lowered/shortened strut. that's going out of their way to do it right, not just using a stock setup and hoping it lasts long enough for the buyer to forget its stock

moving on to aftermarket struts...generally about 600$ to 700$ was the cost on the 5th gen. no one makes any for us currently (Bilstein, koni, etc...) so theres no options. figure 250$ for a set of aftermarket springs... 850-950$ so really prices will be roughly the same if you do it right, and not cheap. especially with gm coupons of 15-20% been out a lot this year, and forum vendors can def help out as well.


the way it was put to me when I started working on cars.... the suspension handles everything you want the car to do. from braking (yes braking is a factor of suspension function as well as tires and pads), handling, acceleration, comfort. why go cheap on a major area? you don't have to spend thousands and thousands like DSSV's at 4800$ but if you are gonna lower the car, especially a 1LE model which is already suspension focused? why be cheap?

something to think about. just from experience, when you lower a car the right way and not be cheap about it, you'll never think twice again about lowering it as long as its done right.

[StPeteHyper2.0]

I would suggest BC coilovers. Adjustable lowering and raising options. Nice setup overall. However it's about $1k.

[vtirocz]

The GM kit looks solid. I spoke to some of the engineers a Camaro Fest (specifically regarding the SS lowering kit + swaybar/link kit) and got the impression they did a lot of track testing to dial that combination in.

Here's info from the accessory guide pointing out lap time improvements: http://www.chevrolet.com/content/dam...catalog-v2.pdf

SWAY BAR SUSPENSION UPGRADE SYSTEM
Help enhance the handling of your Camaro by adding the Handling Kit to your
Lowering Kit. Includes front stabilizer bar, front handling links, rear stabilizer
bar, instruction sheet and performance emblem. When combined with the
Lowering Kit, vehicle roll is reduced by up to 18%. Testing on the Milford
Proving Grounds Autocross Course resulted in an average lap time decrease
of 1.6 seconds (overall time
improvement from 1:04.2 to
1:02.6), when also paired with
the Suspension Lowering Kit.
P/N 84242386.
MSRP*: $495.

I don't think most aftermarket companies do this level of R&D on suspension kits.

[DriftNDraft]

As far as I can tell, it looks like the GM Lowering Kit for LS/LT is the only choice as far as keeping your warranty if you have a V6. The GM Sway Bar kit is apparently limited to SS Camaros only so that's a no go.


This will be a street-only car. Does anyone who's installed the Lowering Kit have any comments about improvements in handling over stock and/or ride quality?

[PolynesianPowerhouse]

Originally Posted by DriftNDraft

As far as I can tell, it looks like the GM Lowering Kit for LS/LT is the only choice as far as keeping your warranty if you have a V6. The GM Sway Bar kit is apparently limited to SS Camaros only so that's a no go.


This will be a street-only car. Does anyone who's installed the Lowering Kit have any comments about improvements in handling over stock and/or ride quality?

a lot of people throw around the word "warranty", and it scares rookies to modding your car, but the reality is... its the warranty of the parts replaced. and then with many places, they will only warranty said newly installed parts IF and ONLY IF they install it. some places are lenient. you have to call and check first.

whenever you replace a part, the warranty on that part is voided.

adding a lowering kit, be it GM, BMR springs, BC Racing, KW coilovers or any other company will not void the warranty on the entire car. just the part replaced.

also if you have some miles on the car, most wont warranty struts, unless they go catastrophically leaking on ya. most dealerships past 36k will call it a wear and tear part. some FAR before 36k. as it stands, most struts should be replaced every 50K as they wear down and the gas charge in the struts weakens. if you drive it daily, you really don't notice it much, as you get used to it.


with suspension being as brutish and heavy duty, its very unlikely that a catastrophic failure will occur unless abused. although it can happen, most people are more likely of picking a nail up in their tire vs having a strut blow or a spring break in half. (this is in reference to a lowering kit....a swaybar is even less likely to have a crazy failure given its use, and strength.

also, many people have used SS and even ZL1 swaybars on the LT v6 models. swaybars on the 1LE v6 are from the SS. so its not gonna hurt using an SS swaybar on a v6. it was done on the 5th gens, and 4 gens before that... and will be done on the 7th most likely and the gens thereafter.

[kropscamaro16]

like me i just had an issue with my car clunking took to dealer couldnt figure it out took to tire shop and found out my strut was broken lol ive had three sets of lowering springs on my car since i got it and swaybars and aftermarket endlinks so i know they wouldnt warranty it so i just manned up and ordered one from chevy and now its all good