Camber Plates & Sway Bars

#1

So…
I finally ordered the springs and shocks and wanted to get some feedback so I can determine which camber plates and sway bars to purchase. I am leaning toward the GC plates but I can’t decide between the IE, ST or UUC sways. Can anyone offer advice or experience with any of these, or is there something else out there that I am missing? Also, what else should I do at this time ‘While I’m in there’? My spare time is very limited so I have to be as efficient and productive as I can. I’d rather do it all now and not have to disassemble and reassemble multiple times.

Thanks!

#2

I got IE camber plates and sways. Have only been on the track with them once, so I’ll let the more experienced guys address which they think is best.

The IE plates seem to adjust OK, but the installation would have been extremely tough without the help from posts on this forum. The spacers between the strut shaft and bottom of the plate had me scratching my head for a while. I chose the IE sways because they came with the reinforcing plates that others didn’t seem to include.

As for what else to do “while you are in there” . . . On the front end, you may want to go ahead and install new control arms and bushings and tie rods if you haven’t already or aren’t sure how good your existing ones are. On the rear, there isn’t much else to do, unless you want to tackle the trailing arm bushings or subframe bushings. If you get the IE sways, you will need to drill the trunk floor to attach the brackets and reinforcing plates. I made a cardboard template of the bracket to locate the holes. I chiseled all the tar out of my trunk before I did that, but if I did it again, I might leave the tar and just cut out a spot big enough for the reinforcing plate. The racers here say you need the weight of the tar to be legal, and having it in the rear helps balance the car. It weighs about 42 pounds.

#3

I have UUC’s and several people recently noticed something about them that made the front of the car sit higher than with Ground Control plates or others. The thickness of the plates/washers/other parts is about 3/4" more on the UUC plates, causing the front of the car to ride higher.
Me not knowing any better, never noticed, but several of the “veterans” walking by my car noticed from a distance. I would assume the lower the better, so if I did it again, I’d use something other than the UUC’s.

#4

Lower in the front isn’t necessarily better. It really depends on what the front to rear weight balance is and thus whether the car understeers or oversteers. I have GC plates, which sit lower. But to get better weight balance I used 10mm spring pads up front to shift a bit of weight to the rear.

#5

I really like the IE sways. I bought them through Flying Brick and think the price was actually less than IE’s advertised price. Check them out in the vendor area.

The camber plates are okay but they are a puzzler to figure out (instructions? What would you want those for?) and the dopey spacer washer thingies don’t inspire me with long term confidence. If I were to buy again I’d seriously consider the GC ones, but IE does get the job done for substantially less. And since they’ve been in the car, I really don’t have any complaints with them.

#6

jlevie wrote:

How much weight were you able to shift to the rear?

#7

csrow wrote:

[quote]jlevie wrote:

How much weight were you able to shift to the rear?[/quote]
Sorry, but I don’t have numbers for only that mod. The first trial weighing of the car showed the weight balance to be off. Which was no surprise as I’d removed the tar from the trunk. I did several things to add weight to the rear before the second weiging, so i don’t know how much just the spring pads contributed.

#8

Thanks for the input guys. Anyone else wish to chime in and help out a noob. Likely going to go with the GC plates. Anyone have any experience with Suspension Techniques sway bars?? How about adustability for the IE and UUC sways? Are they similar?

#9

I think it’s the IE rear sway that has a sliding adjuster. I have ST, probably would do the other one next time rather than just have two holes for adjustability. IIRC the IE’s even come with the heim joint front linkage which is nice.

As to camber plates I ran the IEs for several years, they’re ok and stood up well. The design has you nutting down the 4 adjustment allens into a plate of aluminum. Unfortunately one night I got a little excessive and stripped one and had to re-tap it. It happened again not long after and I decided to replace both plates. Walter Ford at Valley Motorwerks designed a much better plate which is approved for SE30. Uses steel instead of aluminum and 13mm hardware instead of allens. The small amount of weight difference is not a negative to me, especially considering the durability. Overall, I like them much better and suggest you give him a call while you’re shopping.