While performance may be defined differently by every person, riding in a muscle car with inferior suspension components and handling can be explained in one word- rough. However, thanks to Summit Racing, in correspondence with Hotchkis Sport Suspension and BMR Fabrication, getting a better ride and increasing the performance of your car is easier than ever.

With their guide “Suspension 101: 5 Ways to Improve Your Musclecar’s Handling and Performance,” the three companies come together to hash out the top five suspension upgrades needed for the best ride possible.

The first upgrade the guide suggests is sway bars. According to Mark Rossetti, the sales manager at Hotchkis, factory tires would lose traction before the suspension of a muscle car was maxed out back in the day, making only a small sway bar in the front necessary.

According to Allan Miller, BMR Fabrication president, sticking close to a neutral steer will give you better traction than going with a sway bar with the biggest diameter. It is also important to weigh your options when it comes to solid or hollow sway bars. While there isn’t much performance difference between the two, going with a hollow design can mean a significant weight reduction.

Springs are also an important upgrade. The right spring with the right spring rate can improve body roll and change ride comfort. To determine the type of springs you need for your car, you should take your driving habits, type of vehicle and other suspension upgrades you have into consideration. This will help you decide if you need more attention played to increased ride comfort or decreased body roll. With progressive-rate springs, you can get the best of both worlds with better ride quality in normal conditions and a stiffer ride in corners.

With today’s radial tires, muscle cars suffer from suspension geometry that is just not quite right. Because of this, control arms round out the top five suspension upgrades needed on your muscle car. With control arms, the proper suspension geometry and tire camber can be created. With the proper geometry and camber, more of the tire can maintain contact with the road- improving handling and traction. Increased caster is also a benefit of using control arms and will give your muscle car more stability.

Thanks goes out to Summit Racing, Hotchkis Sport Suspension and BMR Fabrication for compiling the list of most important suspension upgrades for muscle cars. If followed, we have no doubt that anyone could turn their brutish muscle car into a pro-touring dream in no time.