Topic: Do Kappa's have torque arm suspension?

[ChopTop]

Bear with me because I may have the terminology wrong.  I'm having my BC Racing coilovers installed today at my long time owner/mechanic.  He’s also a former state employee scientist who’s also owned a small two car garage for as long as I’ve known him (20 plus years).  I met him when I was into Corvettes and he was basically the clubs mechanic, and even though it’s a public garage he pretty much picks and chooses who he wants to help now a days since he’s in his mid 70s.  However, the guy who’s actually going to be installing the coilovers is a retired GM engineer who actually got to drive pre production Solstices.  Apparently the two have known each other for awhile but the GM guy just started working for him the last few months.

Anyway, the retired GM guy called a friend of his who he told me is nationally known for setting up performance suspensions to see if there was anything he needed to know before he started.  This suspension guy wanted to know my weight, what the vehicle was going to be used for (i.e. auto crossing, drag racing) and told him that the torque (?) arms also need to be adjusted.  The retired GM guy also told me the car will ride harsher, will handle tighter and he’d make sure it sat right.  About the only other thing he told me was to make sure I had an alignment performed afterwards (they don’t do that because they don’t have equipment). 

Guess I’m kind of wondering if anyone has ever heard Kappa’s having any other suspension parts that need to be adjusted as it relates to lowering? 

[NormSky]

Oh my!

Sounds like that special tool that might be needed but escapes the memory right now. Someone will fill in the blank.

[snaponbob]

HOLY CRAP !!!!!!!!!!! What are THEY talking about? Sure sounds like a bucket of prop wash or a bundle of flight line to me !!!!!!!!!!!

There IS a torque arm, but it connects the diff to the transmission (on post June 06 production) 2.0's. NO adjustment there. What harshens the ride is stiffer springs and tighter valved shocks.

[DaveOC]

The guy probably was referring to the sway bars.

[Uranium-238]

Our stock sway bars aren't adjustable though...

[NormSky]

SOB, what is the tool you have to purchase for an alignment?

[snaponbob]

SOB, what is the tool you have to purchase for an alignment?

Egads. How does THAT fit in this thread? What are you referring to?

[Critterman]

Bob, I think he is refering to the dial guage you need for the rear camber,  there are no torque bars on a kappa, other than the one Bob memtioned.  My truck has torsion arm suspension and they are simple long bars of steel that are indexed and adjustable.  the more twist you put in the bar the higher the truck rides, the less the lower.

[ChopTop]

CM, yeah I think that might be what he was referring too, he definitely didn't say sway bars.  I think the main reason he called his suspension friend was because he was being a typical engineer.  Lot of people just take stuff apart and then figure it out as they go along.  Engineers like to research first before they do anything.  I stopped by yesterday, the fronts were installed but he was still in the process of using a measuring tape to make sure he let the coilovers down far enough and that both sides were the same height from side to side.  I'm hoping it will be done today.  You can tell he's being real methodical (or anal) about the installation which is fine by me because I'd do the same thing if I knew how to do it.

[Yogi]

He's prolly talking about the rods that control the toe on the rear.  After lowering, the caster would be changed and the caster, camber and toe would all need adjusting.  Just my 

[ChopTop]

It's finished and it looks great, the lowered suspension really makes the fastback look sleeker.  And it was the camber bolts and caster parts he was referring too.  They both said a few times how folks were rubbernecking the car after it was completed and parked out in front of their garage.

[TomatoSoup]

               

[old goat]

Want to be smart (as in smart az) ask him if he thinks it needs to have the corner weighting checked, it most likely does not, I had mine done and they were dead on the way they came. No changes needed.