Can someone please give me the pros and cons/risks when putting on (zzp) short dog bones on a non lowered car thanks.

 

I wouldnt bother on a non lowered car. The whole point of these is to try to band aid major vibration on significantly lowered cars. Even at that, its rather poor IMO. If the car is lowered so much that the geometry is shot bad enough to cause vibration, then all motor mounts need addressed / modified to get things back in place.

Even if it does magically go away by moving the axles up that tiny bit, youre still right on the hairy edge of having it happen again as the suspension moves.

For a car that isn't lowered, theres nothing to fix here by modifying geometry. Id leave it as the GM engineers intended it since you're at stock height.

 

Doesn’t it help increase tourqe numbers due to less engine play movement and more weight further up?

 

100% no. Anyone that tries to tell you that the engine will make more torque via shortening dog bones - ask them for before + after proof on a dyno.

Less engine movement has nothing to do with dog bone length. Thats the job of the bushings used. Sloppy / worn out bushings on a short dog bone will still have just as much engine rock as they would with full length dog bones.

If you're looking for less engine movement, poly mounts are one option. Another is rotating the square side mount 90 degrees (so the I shape becomes an H shape) - this is worthwhile for most anyone wanting to reduce engine movement as its totally free and is nowhere near as harsh as poly.

You can also buy poly mounts separate from the short dog bones- you don't have to buy them together. Just beware of NVH - some companies have made poly bushings out of pretty high durometer stuff. The more stock mounts you replace (3 sets in total), the more engine feel is transmitted to the body.

I suppose in theory, but how many lbs exactly does that shift up front? The bottom of the engine is still bolted in the same place, youre just rotating the engine around that lower pivot point very slightly. Id strongly suspect the actual number would be extremely low.

If you're that concerned about weight up front- are you already doing something out back to limit weight transfer on launch (wheelie bars, preloaded coilovers, chained / locked out rear springs)? Even if this shifts 50# up front static, youre still shifting literal hundreds of pounds to the rear the only time it actually matters - during launch. Obviously I'm being a bit fecitious here, but my point is that it's only a tiny drop in the bucket for the issue on FWD car traction.


IMO this sounds like they're feeding you a bunch of gimmicky sales BS to move more parts. The whole point of the shorter dogbones on this platform has always been as a bandaid for lowered car vibration. At stock ride height, theres no issue to fix there and no reason to deviate from the engineered design. Id take all these side benefits with a grain of salt unless someone can actually show some hard evidence.


Edit - I see in another thread you showed a NA 3800 and that you run a big sound system. A couple points:

-are you having trouble with traction now? (Judging by the question about more weight up front). If so - Id strongly suggest better tires first. There are plenty of tire options out there that can put down any power a NA 3800 can make.

-Id also note that the big sound system you mentioned is likely pushing the weight balance further back than any small amount of engine rotation via mounts would pull it forward. Given the natural front weight bias - weight in the trunk is likely much further away from CG than the engine centerline so it'll be that much more impactful.

 

All the shorter dog bones did for me was melt part of my radiator fan shroud.