LittleBlueGT Posted September 9, 2005 Share Posted September 9, 2005 I have IONs springs coming, now I need to do the rest of my suspension. I was thinking F&R sways, possibly Cusco, but maybe Whitlines because the rear is adjustable. Or maybe Swifts. I was also thinking about some chassis stiffening components. Cusco makes a couple of pieces for the rear, are they worth it for the average aggressive street driver? Cusco also makes a front chassis stiffening piece (underbody) is this worth it? Is it likely it will interfere with my ION spec DP? Also will likely need dampers. I know there are the JDM spec bilsteins that seem to be good. I understand there may soon be a US spec version of these (seeing that they will be used on some 06 US models). I also know of the Tokico adjustables. What are your thoughts. If it matters I live in Canada, the car will see lots of snow and ice. In the summer I am running 235/40/17 TOYO T1-Rs. I would love to have a suspension as nice as an M3, stiff yet comfortable. Please help. Full tune of 68HTA, KSTech 73 MAF, Racer X FMIC and ID1000s................by the DataLog Mafia!!! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
PGT Posted September 9, 2005 Share Posted September 9, 2005 I have Spec B Bilsteins on my car and they are a solid, but expensive choice. Not much more dough gets you K-Sports. I had Perrin swaybars, but pulled them off and went back to a stock front and JDM 20mm rear. So, basically, I have the whole JDM Spec B suspension on my car. It handles very flat, not rear squat and is more comfortable on the rough stuff then when I had the bigger bars on the car. There is a slight hint of roll, but the stiffer STi springs will tune that out a bit more. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
LittleBlueGT Posted September 9, 2005 Author Share Posted September 9, 2005 I won't have the STI springs. Are the ION springs considered "stiffer"? What about the Cusco chassis stiffening pieces? Full tune of 68HTA, KSTech 73 MAF, Racer X FMIC and ID1000s................by the DataLog Mafia!!! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Saul_Good Posted September 9, 2005 Share Posted September 9, 2005 I have the chassis stiffening stuff. I don't think you'll need it if you just do spirited driving. But if youre into autoX and track racing, then i think it'd be a good compliment to what u already have. PM Keefe, I ask him all sorts of questions. He'll point you in the right direction. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SC GT Posted September 9, 2005 Share Posted September 9, 2005 If possible, I think its best to do most mods, but especially suspension mods, incrementally so that you can tell what helped, what may have detracted, etc. But, unless you are doing all the installs yourself, that could get expensive. I put on the STi trailing arms at the same time I put on my Bilstein struts/Wangan springs, so I can't tell you what the effect of the STi trailing arms alone was. But, I put the JDM rear sway bar on first, and I can tell you that alone was a significant improvement over stock. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
PGT Posted September 9, 2005 Share Posted September 9, 2005 I won't have the STI springs. Are the ION springs considered "stiffer"? What about the Cusco chassis stiffening pieces? ION's are progressive and meant for the USDM car. The STi's are meant for the JDM GT so they aren't matched for our stock suspension, despite what many of the vendors may say. I put the Cusco chassis pieces on and I can say they made a difference....very slight though. Just a more direct result of steering corrections....SUBTLE at best. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
LittleBlueGT Posted September 9, 2005 Author Share Posted September 9, 2005 ION's are progressive and meant for the USDM car. The STi's are meant for the JDM GT so they aren't matched for our stock suspension, despite what many of the vendors may say. I put the Cusco chassis pieces on and I can say they made a difference....very slight though. Just a more direct result of steering corrections....SUBTLE at best. How much NVH did the Cusco chassis strengthening pieces add? Full tune of 68HTA, KSTech 73 MAF, Racer X FMIC and ID1000s................by the DataLog Mafia!!! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
LittleBlueGT Posted September 9, 2005 Author Share Posted September 9, 2005 Anybody with experience on the Tokico adjustable dampers? Full tune of 68HTA, KSTech 73 MAF, Racer X FMIC and ID1000s................by the DataLog Mafia!!! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ProjectS15 Posted September 9, 2005 Share Posted September 9, 2005 the 2 main sway bars you should consider are the cusco rsb sway and whiteline rsb sway i personally have the cusco one and love it, its non adjustable but im not the crazy adjustor type so it fits me perfectly, the perrin rsb is adjustable but i been seeing some issues with them(the brackets that re-enforce the rsb have to be drilled out a bit and dont line up properly on the car *ask the DM*), the whiteline rsb is right dead smack in the middle, its adjustable and i havent heard any problems with whiteline, most of my friends with STI's are running it and are pretty happy with the results, so its up to you weather you go for adjustable or non adjustable Rallitek has them for a good price so check out their website but that's my 2 cents -james Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
PGT Posted September 10, 2005 Share Posted September 10, 2005 How much NVH did the Cusco chassis strengthening pieces add? 10% of the NVH the bigger sway bars added. Keep that in mind. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
firedawgs Posted September 10, 2005 Share Posted September 10, 2005 I followed Keefe's advice on my ride: 1) swaybars 2) tires 3) springs 4) endlinks Updated my vBGarage: Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
PGT Posted September 10, 2005 Share Posted September 10, 2005 I followed Keefe's advice on my ride: 1) swaybars 2) tires 3) springs 4) endlinks If you are building a track car or auto-x car, good plan. For those of us that do 99% street....#1 is overrated IMHO. YMMV. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
firedawgs Posted September 10, 2005 Share Posted September 10, 2005 your right. I would start with tires, then springs, and at least go to the JDM rear bar. Updated my vBGarage: Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
LittleBlueGT Posted September 10, 2005 Author Share Posted September 10, 2005 Where do I get the JDM bar? Still no responses on the Tokicos? Patagonian GT, how much NVH did the CHASSIS pieces add? I am all for a stiffer chassis, but don't want to upset the wife, she already notices the increased NVH from the tranny mount. Full tune of 68HTA, KSTech 73 MAF, Racer X FMIC and ID1000s................by the DataLog Mafia!!! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
PGT Posted September 10, 2005 Share Posted September 10, 2005 Very little NVH. I didn't notice it. AVO sells the JDM bar.... http://www.avoturboworld.com/avoshop - PM 'apexjapan' for more info. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
LittleBlueGT Posted September 10, 2005 Author Share Posted September 10, 2005 So far it is looking like these will be my mods: (very interested in Keefe's advice) ION springs (ordered) Tokico dampers (not entirely sure, would like to hear more good reports) CUSCO chassis stiffening pieces (underbody) (as long as doesn't add too much NVH) Cusco or Swift rear sway bar (would really like an adjustable one though) Full tune of 68HTA, KSTech 73 MAF, Racer X FMIC and ID1000s................by the DataLog Mafia!!! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Xenonk Posted September 12, 2005 Share Posted September 12, 2005 I have IONs springs coming, now I need to do the rest of my suspension. I was thinking F&R sways, possibly Cusco, but maybe Whitlines because the rear is adjustable. Or maybe Swifts. I was also thinking about some chassis stiffening components. Are they worth it for the average aggressive street driver? Cusco also makes a front chassis stiffening piece (underbody) is this worth it? Also will likely need dampers. I know there are the JDM spec bilsteins that seem to be good. I also know of the Tokico adjustables. What are your thoughts. If you are thinking far enough with replacing shocks and springs, you might as well sell back the springs and get a full coilover kit and have camber plates. Sway bars are 2ndary and should be considered as "final" touches to the car. You buy the sway bar that fits your needs, not what the company provides based on some name brand. Underbraces or other braces are designed to help stiffen the mounting points so that that suspension will act with more precision. Usually cars that benefit from this final mod are the cars that go through a beating like mine. Unless you drive that hard where your car constantly see about 1 g of lateral forces going to and from work, then it would be smart to brace it to keep the frame from twisting/warping. Keefe Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
highwaydrifter Posted September 12, 2005 Share Posted September 12, 2005 i was wondering the same thing my self.. trying to build out a plan of attack for when i get this damn diamond shopping done with.. i was going to do the following. Rims/tires (this may get shifted down if winter comes first) Coilovers Sway bars with endlinks Stiffening comments thoughts? Daily drive/track car/beast - when i get the cash of course.. haha Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
LittleBlueGT Posted September 12, 2005 Author Share Posted September 12, 2005 If you are thinking far enough with replacing shocks and springs, you might as well sell back the springs and get a full coilover kit and have camber plates. Sway bars are 2ndary and should be considered as "final" touches to the car. You buy the sway bar that fits your needs, not what the company provides based on some name brand. Underbraces or other braces are designed to help stiffen the mounting points so that that suspension will act with more precision. Usually cars that benefit from this final mod are the cars that go through a beating like mine. Unless you drive that hard where your car constantly see about 1 g of lateral forces going to and from work, then it would be smart to brace it to keep the frame from twisting/warping. If my car is capable of hitting 1G it will see it everyday. The way I look at chassis stiffening items is if AutoXr's notice a diff and it does not add to NVH and does not take away ground clearance then why not? As far as coilovers go I would love a set but (to the best of my understanding) they will not work that well for me. I wil explain: Can coil-overs at their softest setting be as comfortable as ION springs and stock shcoks? ION springs are apparently very comfortable, and Tokico struts at their softest setting are almost as smooth as stock. Will coil-overs be up the challenge of harsh winters with salt on the roads: I have hear horror stories of them falling apart in my climate, threaded bodies corroding after one year and not allowing adjustable ride height, corrosion affecting the rears adjustability, having to be rebuilt often, etc... Also my spring/damper set-up will be about a grand USD, I believe that coil-overs are about twice that. Feel free to prove me wrong on all of the above points. please prove me wrong! And, yes sways be the final touch (reason I want an adjustable rear). Thanks. Full tune of 68HTA, KSTech 73 MAF, Racer X FMIC and ID1000s................by the DataLog Mafia!!! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
LittleBlueGT Posted September 12, 2005 Author Share Posted September 12, 2005 A few questions that Keefe asked me: 1) what is your ultimate goal that wish to achieve with the suspension? Handle and ride like a stock M3, or as close to it as possible. 2) what concerns do you have when upgrading Hanld our winters, potholes, salt on roads, not affect ground clearance (other then mild 1 inch drop). Car is used for a public ministry so has to be comfortable for 4 people slowly cruising through the city. 3) what do you consider "aggressive" driving? Hard on the brakes from 140, to corner #1, down to 75, hit the apex, accelerate out with a hint of oversteer, ease up on the throttle going over rough train tracks, back to 140, long left sweeper then long right sweeper (with full control and confidence), hard on brakes for sharp left, back end lightens up enough (used to FWD) to give a hint of impending oversteer, nail the apex with a hint of tire protest, and up to 120, drive easy for next 2 mins to cool everything down. Hope that gives you more to work with. Full tune of 68HTA, KSTech 73 MAF, Racer X FMIC and ID1000s................by the DataLog Mafia!!! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
LittleBlueGT Posted September 15, 2005 Author Share Posted September 15, 2005 Bump. Full tune of 68HTA, KSTech 73 MAF, Racer X FMIC and ID1000s................by the DataLog Mafia!!! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rimfaxe Posted January 22, 2009 Share Posted January 22, 2009 FWIW, here's mine: Use: Daily Driver, Family Car- spirited driving and occasional Track Day AVO offset LCA Bushings (+0.50*) Whiteline Roll Center Kit Nokian WR G2 tires Bilstein HD Struts and STI Pink Springs Cobb F&R Sways I will evaluate the bracing after these are installed. Thoughts? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ShadowImg Posted January 22, 2009 Share Posted January 22, 2009 Holy necro from 2005 batman. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rimfaxe Posted January 22, 2009 Share Posted January 22, 2009 Holy necro from 2005 batman. hahhah- I noticed that just after I posted. Could this be a record 'Zombie' thread? But hey, at least I did a search instead of hashing up the SoS. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
wsmith30132 Posted January 23, 2009 Share Posted January 23, 2009 Yeah I wish I would have found this before I started my thread about Konis or sways first. Hahaah never fun being "THAT GUY" Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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