I am ignorant, can someone help me with my suspension.
03-15-2007, 12:54 PM
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I am ignorant, can someone help me with my suspension. Car details are in my sig and I am planning on getting full exhaust in the next few months or so (not TD's). What are the necessary mods to make my car handle better and put the power to the pavement?
Thanks for any help and keep in mind I am on a budget.
Matt
I forgot to add that this is my DD and it won't see the track. Just want it for occasional "spirited" driving.
Thanks for any help and keep in mind I am on a budget.
Matt
I forgot to add that this is my DD and it won't see the track. Just want it for occasional "spirited" driving.
Last edited by mvolps22; 03-15-2007 at 01:09 PM.
03-16-2007, 03:16 AM
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The stickies at the top of the forum should really help you to get to a place where you can start searching. But to get you going...
1. Tires (different wheels, maybe depending on what you've got) If you're ever going to have any kind of traction in either a straight line or around a corner, your tires have to be up to the task. Different tires serve different purposes. Wider is better and rubber, not tread grooves, gives you grip.
2. Shocks. Shocks dampen the behavior of the springs. shocks keep you from bouncing, and really really have a lot to do with the way your car feels, rides and handles. You get what you pay for. Bilstein is the minimum and should only be used with stock springs. Koni single adjustable shocks are what I run. They cost a little more but are awesome shocks. They also allow you to lower your car about a half inch by using the lower perch and hose mod. Search "lower perch" and "hose mod" you'll find a bunch of info.
3. Springs come next on my list but here you may not need to change anything. The stock springs work well for a lot of things. They're comfy and handle reasonably well. If you want to sit just a bit lower you can do the hose mod and lower perch with koni shocks like I said earlier. If you want more of a drop and a stiffer spring rate for considerably improved handling at the cost of some comfort and of course ground clearance, there are plenty of aftermarket springs available. Strano, Hotchkis, DMS, Eibach Pro Kit, and still others are where you should start looking--- if you want to change your springs. Also, if you feel up to it, look into adjustable ride height set ups, like Ground Control.
4. Swaybars. There is virtually no difference between solid and hollow bars in terms of stiffness. Hollow bars are the ones to get because they're lighter. They really help roll stiffness without hurting ride quality. Stock bars are 30-32 mm in the front typically. Aim for 34-35. Strano makes a nice 35mm hollow bar that isnt too expensive. For the rear, you may leave it stock or you may go up to 21-22 range.
5. Panhard bar. A good rod-end panhard bar solidly and positively locates the axle under the rear of the car limiting side to side movement. This is a good thing. In most cases, changing suspension links to stiffer components with stiffer bushings will hurt your comfort a great deal, but the panhard bar is one place where there is little comfort trade off for a great deal of performance gain.
That should be enough info to get you started. In no way am I suggesting that you tackle all of this immediately. Go one piece at a time, research before you buy, consider what you need, not what someone else needs or tells you you need.
Good luck
PS... if you feel that I have not addressed getting power to the ground, look again at number 1. judging by your sig, you'll have to add a lot more power before adequate tires are no longer enough to get the power down. and by that point, you'll have to make a decision of whether you want to go fast straight or around corners because there will be compromises. but until then, you can enjoy reasonable levels of both
1. Tires (different wheels, maybe depending on what you've got) If you're ever going to have any kind of traction in either a straight line or around a corner, your tires have to be up to the task. Different tires serve different purposes. Wider is better and rubber, not tread grooves, gives you grip.
2. Shocks. Shocks dampen the behavior of the springs. shocks keep you from bouncing, and really really have a lot to do with the way your car feels, rides and handles. You get what you pay for. Bilstein is the minimum and should only be used with stock springs. Koni single adjustable shocks are what I run. They cost a little more but are awesome shocks. They also allow you to lower your car about a half inch by using the lower perch and hose mod. Search "lower perch" and "hose mod" you'll find a bunch of info.
3. Springs come next on my list but here you may not need to change anything. The stock springs work well for a lot of things. They're comfy and handle reasonably well. If you want to sit just a bit lower you can do the hose mod and lower perch with koni shocks like I said earlier. If you want more of a drop and a stiffer spring rate for considerably improved handling at the cost of some comfort and of course ground clearance, there are plenty of aftermarket springs available. Strano, Hotchkis, DMS, Eibach Pro Kit, and still others are where you should start looking--- if you want to change your springs. Also, if you feel up to it, look into adjustable ride height set ups, like Ground Control.
4. Swaybars. There is virtually no difference between solid and hollow bars in terms of stiffness. Hollow bars are the ones to get because they're lighter. They really help roll stiffness without hurting ride quality. Stock bars are 30-32 mm in the front typically. Aim for 34-35. Strano makes a nice 35mm hollow bar that isnt too expensive. For the rear, you may leave it stock or you may go up to 21-22 range.
5. Panhard bar. A good rod-end panhard bar solidly and positively locates the axle under the rear of the car limiting side to side movement. This is a good thing. In most cases, changing suspension links to stiffer components with stiffer bushings will hurt your comfort a great deal, but the panhard bar is one place where there is little comfort trade off for a great deal of performance gain.
That should be enough info to get you started. In no way am I suggesting that you tackle all of this immediately. Go one piece at a time, research before you buy, consider what you need, not what someone else needs or tells you you need.
Good luck
PS... if you feel that I have not addressed getting power to the ground, look again at number 1. judging by your sig, you'll have to add a lot more power before adequate tires are no longer enough to get the power down. and by that point, you'll have to make a decision of whether you want to go fast straight or around corners because there will be compromises. but until then, you can enjoy reasonable levels of both
03-18-2007, 03:57 PM
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Shocks by far are the greatest improvement, but they are also the most expensive. Lower control arms and torque arms help put the power to the pavement. Subframe connectors, shock tower bars, and sway bars will help stiffen up the ride.
03-18-2007, 04:02 PM
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Originally Posted by OldeSkool
The stickies at the top of the forum should really help you to get to a place where you can start searching. But to get you going...
1. Tires (different wheels, maybe depending on what you've got) If you're ever going to have any kind of traction in either a straight line or around a corner, your tires have to be up to the task. Different tires serve different purposes. Wider is better and rubber, not tread grooves, gives you grip.
2. Shocks. Shocks dampen the behavior of the springs. shocks keep you from bouncing, and really really have a lot to do with the way your car feels, rides and handles. You get what you pay for. Bilstein is the minimum and should only be used with stock springs. Koni single adjustable shocks are what I run. They cost a little more but are awesome shocks. They also allow you to lower your car about a half inch by using the lower perch and hose mod. Search "lower perch" and "hose mod" you'll find a bunch of info.
3. Springs come next on my list but here you may not need to change anything. The stock springs work well for a lot of things. They're comfy and handle reasonably well. If you want to sit just a bit lower you can do the hose mod and lower perch with koni shocks like I said earlier. If you want more of a drop and a stiffer spring rate for considerably improved handling at the cost of some comfort and of course ground clearance, there are plenty of aftermarket springs available. Strano, Hotchkis, DMS, Eibach Pro Kit, and still others are where you should start looking--- if you want to change your springs. Also, if you feel up to it, look into adjustable ride height set ups, like Ground Control.
4. Swaybars. There is virtually no difference between solid and hollow bars in terms of stiffness. Hollow bars are the ones to get because they're lighter. They really help roll stiffness without hurting ride quality. Stock bars are 30-32 mm in the front typically. Aim for 34-35. Strano makes a nice 35mm hollow bar that isnt too expensive. For the rear, you may leave it stock or you may go up to 21-22 range.
5. Panhard bar. A good rod-end panhard bar solidly and positively locates the axle under the rear of the car limiting side to side movement. This is a good thing. In most cases, changing suspension links to stiffer components with stiffer bushings will hurt your comfort a great deal, but the panhard bar is one place where there is little comfort trade off for a great deal of performance gain.
That should be enough info to get you started. In no way am I suggesting that you tackle all of this immediately. Go one piece at a time, research before you buy, consider what you need, not what someone else needs or tells you you need.
Good luck
PS... if you feel that I have not addressed getting power to the ground, look again at number 1. judging by your sig, you'll have to add a lot more power before adequate tires are no longer enough to get the power down. and by that point, you'll have to make a decision of whether you want to go fast straight or around corners because there will be compromises. but until then, you can enjoy reasonable levels of both
1. Tires (different wheels, maybe depending on what you've got) If you're ever going to have any kind of traction in either a straight line or around a corner, your tires have to be up to the task. Different tires serve different purposes. Wider is better and rubber, not tread grooves, gives you grip.
2. Shocks. Shocks dampen the behavior of the springs. shocks keep you from bouncing, and really really have a lot to do with the way your car feels, rides and handles. You get what you pay for. Bilstein is the minimum and should only be used with stock springs. Koni single adjustable shocks are what I run. They cost a little more but are awesome shocks. They also allow you to lower your car about a half inch by using the lower perch and hose mod. Search "lower perch" and "hose mod" you'll find a bunch of info.
3. Springs come next on my list but here you may not need to change anything. The stock springs work well for a lot of things. They're comfy and handle reasonably well. If you want to sit just a bit lower you can do the hose mod and lower perch with koni shocks like I said earlier. If you want more of a drop and a stiffer spring rate for considerably improved handling at the cost of some comfort and of course ground clearance, there are plenty of aftermarket springs available. Strano, Hotchkis, DMS, Eibach Pro Kit, and still others are where you should start looking--- if you want to change your springs. Also, if you feel up to it, look into adjustable ride height set ups, like Ground Control.
4. Swaybars. There is virtually no difference between solid and hollow bars in terms of stiffness. Hollow bars are the ones to get because they're lighter. They really help roll stiffness without hurting ride quality. Stock bars are 30-32 mm in the front typically. Aim for 34-35. Strano makes a nice 35mm hollow bar that isnt too expensive. For the rear, you may leave it stock or you may go up to 21-22 range.
5. Panhard bar. A good rod-end panhard bar solidly and positively locates the axle under the rear of the car limiting side to side movement. This is a good thing. In most cases, changing suspension links to stiffer components with stiffer bushings will hurt your comfort a great deal, but the panhard bar is one place where there is little comfort trade off for a great deal of performance gain.
That should be enough info to get you started. In no way am I suggesting that you tackle all of this immediately. Go one piece at a time, research before you buy, consider what you need, not what someone else needs or tells you you need.
Good luck
PS... if you feel that I have not addressed getting power to the ground, look again at number 1. judging by your sig, you'll have to add a lot more power before adequate tires are no longer enough to get the power down. and by that point, you'll have to make a decision of whether you want to go fast straight or around corners because there will be compromises. but until then, you can enjoy reasonable levels of both
