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| JSC Speed Project SRT-4: Hotchkis Springs and Swaybars |
4/26/2006: HOTCHKIS SPRINGS AND SWAYBARS: So the SRT-4 isn't such a great out-of-the-box handler. Admit it. Even Mopar sells springs and swaybars. Resisting the urge to buy coilovers (mainly based on budget reasons), I opted for the Hotchkis lowering springs, Ingalls camber bolts, and Hotchkis swaybars. I will not get into much detail on the spring install, it is very straightforwrd -- make sure you use the proper equipment, etc. It's not worth getting royally fubared for the sake of dropping your car.
ALIGNMENT: Don't be a boob. Take your car in for an alignment after the spring install, it's not safe otherwise and it will destroy your tires. You will need camber bolts to return to stock specs properly. For example, post-install, my SRT-4 had camber specs of .8 degrees front left, 1.2 degrees front right, .7 degrees rear left, and -.5 degrees rear right. You can't eyeball an aligment, so do it right, most places charge $65-ish. You will need the 81260 bolts up front and the 81250 bolts in the rear, they just replace the top bolt in the damper-to-suspension assembly and give you an extra degree or so to work with.
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AFTERMATH: The Hotchkis springs are great; they utilize a progressive design, so your don't even realize anything is different under normal driving, but if you start to push the car, it tightens up. Definately a modification I would reccomend, especially since there isn't much out there that will be as easy going on the stock dampers. They include polyurethane bump stops, and clear, detailed instructions. The car will bottom out on speed bumps, pot holes, etc. but you should probably be avoiding those anyway.
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| HOTCHKIS SWAYBARS: Wow. Just removing the OEM bars, you can see how much room there is for improvement. The Hotchkis bars convert the rear endlink to a spherical ball-joint rather than a straight up-and-down connection, making for a tighter ride and increased grip. The bars are massive compared to stock, particularly the front which is a monster compared to the stocker. Everything you need for installation is included, except they didn't cut the bushings for the rear bar which tacked some time on to the job. Overall, it is nice to install new bars with new mounting hardware, endlinks, bushings, etc.
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Left to Right: The rear endlink and swaybar assembly, front swaybar vs. stock (top), Hotchkis front swaybar and new endlink (bottom left), Hotchkis vs. stock rear (bottom right).
AFTERMATH: Amazing. The handling improvement is well worth the money. Going into a corner, you can feel the rear push, and the front balance the car; ripping through corners is a normal affair, and you can scream through the twisties. The combination of the Hotchkis springs, new alignment, and swaybars coupled with the SRT-4's great stock tires makes for a great-handling street car for just around $500. |
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