Seems as though I've been doing projects on this car every spring for the past few years just to maintain or in some cases increase it's performance and appearence.
In `06 it was 18" wheels `07 it was Decals and Stripes `08 Autocross style suspension and exhaust and last year`09 Brakes.
Well now it's spring again and the mod list grows. Unfortunately the growth is from a broken rear end.
Story is the rear has been making noise for about a year since I had a bad wheel hop problem stemming from the dropped suspension. I've been nursing it along so I could save up for a proper replacement (Moser 9"). Well it bit the dust last week as I was leaving work which unfortunately is 30 miles from home. So I had to limp this thing home on sevice roads as I was unwilling to drive faster then 40mph.
Car goes into the Gear shop tomorrow to have the original rear overhauled with a set of 3.73's. The original rear lasted 138K miles of me beating the ###### out of it behind a 6spd so with fresh parts and a T/A girdle it should be fine. Going to add Lower Control Arms and Relocation Brackets aswell.
Other changes this year is a swap to new Wheels.
I'm losing the Staggered setup in favor of 18x9.5's all the way around with 275/35 Nitto Invo Tires.

heres the new wheels



Will update with pics as soon as I get the tires mounted and give this thing a good waxing.

I always get into trouble when answering this--so many people tell me I'm dead wrong, but will give it a go anyway.

I would not replace the OEM lower control arms--they aren't the problem with wheel hop...the shocks are the problem. Aftermarket LCAs are usually boxed, painted red or black and always come with poly bushings that don't flex. Come to think of it, the boxed LCAs don't flex either. Problem is...those parts must flex. Examine your rear suspension. You will notice that when one tire takes a bump, it must move up or down, and that means that the LCAs and their bushings must flex or twist--if they don't...wheel hop is the result. If those parts can't twist, the movement is taken up in the forward (particularly on the right side fwd LCA frame mount) mount and causes it to bend or in extreme cases to break. I know this will happen, becuz it happened to my car. Your best bet is install the 1LE or similar bushings into OEM LCAs to allow twist, but not much in the way of flex and stretch. The 1LE busings are much stronger and stiffer than the factory FE2 suspension bushings (harder durometer). There might be aftermarket bushings that are also made with this durometer rubber as well.

Another part of the wheel hop problem is the rear swaybar. Pontiac, at first, specified a 19 mm rear sway bar for the FE2, and a 21 mm for the 1LE. After 1994, they used 19 mm for everything. The rear swaybar keeps weight from shifting from left to right during hard acclerations and the stronger the rear swaybar the better. The 21 mm rear bar should be matched with the hollow 32 mm front bar from the 1LE suspension to keep weight transfer to the right to a minimum. Don't forget, an aftermarket tubular style or adjustable Panhard bar with greasable POLY busings is the way to go.

The final part of wheel hop is the quality of the shocks. I tired both Koni and Bilstein without success. The Bilstein was worn out at 2,500 miles and couldn't control anything--the Koni lasted even less miles. Settled on KYB AGX shocks on setting #2, and with the mods above, totally eliminated all wheel hop at any speed and on any road surface.

An alternative to the Panhard bar is to install a Watts Link, but you still gotta have the other stuff.

Elminating wheel hop will save the rear end from damage.

Already have Koni single adjustables and a 22mm hollow rear swaybar the problem isn't the LCA's but their angle has been changed because of the 1.2 drop springs. The relocation brackets will return them to the proper angle.
Heres the new LCA's
http://www.umiperformance.com/catalog/inde...products_id=393

Also forgot to mention the new gearset is 3.90's

The 1.2 inch drop is negligable. What you really don't want is for the front of the LCAs to be higher than the rear. That would lead to a control problem. Check it out, as long as the LCA front mount, measured at the mounting bolt is lower than the rear mounting bolt, it is OK. However, that said, those LCAs are brilliant. Great choice. That's the first one I have seen that will actually work properly. Be careful of the bushings, though. That type of bushing has stiction with steel. Doesn't matter how much grease you squirt in there, eventually, they will squeak. 3.90's are a good choice that is gonna be one very powerful car.

If you still have wheel hop problems, it's the Koni's. The LCAs won't make any difference.

Heres some updated pics of the new wheels and tires

AZA Z2's 18x9.5 with Nitto Invo Tires 275/35/18

what did you do with the old wheels?

They were Sold.