Time to get serious about suspension!

[deadlandxtreme]

This past weekend I was shown the weakness of my car while trying to power around parts of the Blue Ridge Parkway. I need some suspension ideas...as in coil overs and braces.
This is my daily driver, but I want to be able to take it into the mountains and really scare the hell out of my girlfriend.
So let me know what your experiences are with certain brands. Any info is appreciated!

[Crarrs]

Start with tires and sway bars. Rear sway bar and sticky tires alone will make a big difference.

[deadlandxtreme]

Originally Posted by Crarrs Start with tires and sway bars. Rear sway bar and sticky tires alone will make a big difference.

I assume you would recommend the Corksport rear bar?

[Crarrs]

It's what I have, the first one I had broke and was replaced under warranty. Honestly, they all function the same unless you're actually racing and need to fine-tune your roll stiffness. I doubt you'd be able to tell one aftermarket bar from another on the street.

[Nliiitend1]

I found my particular setup (MS Coilovers, SPC Camber Arms, JBR Rear bar on "medium," 235/40 Nitto NT-05s on RX8s, and a performance alignment) to be a real hoot a couple of months ago when I was down there (Tail of the Dragon/Deals Gap, Moonshiner 28, Devil's Triangle, etc.).

Definitely enough to scare the shit out of my wife, anyway.

[jbarone]

Let me know if I can answer any questions about our sway bars.

Thanks,
Jamie

[helmetface]

Originally Posted by jbarone Let me know if I can answer any questions about our sway bars. Thanks, Jamie

Ya I got a question J



Wheres the Front Sway?

[himurax13]

Originally Posted by helmetfail Ya I got a question J Wheres the Front Sway?

Yes, inquiring minds want to know.

[zedekias]

In for front sway bar from JBR.

I'll buy the set whenever it is out

[deadlandxtreme]

Originally Posted by jbarone Let me know if I can answer any questions about our sway bars. Thanks, Jamie

Will do, always enjoy your products. I have a lot of stuff on order, I just need to see what else I might be lacking.

[deadlandxtreme]

Well I believe I have the setup ready. Just a matter of time for the parts to come in. Big thanks to jbarone for the helpful knowledge.

Parts to be delivered and installed:

Enkei Racing RPF1 wheels
tein edfc
tein edfc controller kit
Tein Super Street Coilovers MS3 2010+
GTSPEC Mid Chassis Brace MS3/MZ3
GTSPEC 4 Point Front Brace MS3/MZ3
GTSPEC 4 Point Ladder Brace MS3/MZ3
GTSPEC Trunk Reinforcement Brace MS3/MZ3
GTSPEC Rear Lower Tie Brace MS3/MZ3
GTSpec Front Lower Tie Brace MS3/MZ3
GTSpec Rear Subframe Reinforcement Panel
Rear Sway Bar Kit ( JBR )
Rear Camber Arms ( JBR )
15mm HUB CENTRIC RIM WHEEL SPACER
Full Replacement Short Shifter Kit (TWM Performance)

[mzr0818]

Originally Posted by deadlandxtreme Well I believe I have the setup ready. Just a matter of time for the parts to come in. Big thanks to jbarone for the helpful knowledge. Parts to be delivered and installed: Enkei Racing RPF1 wheels tein edfc tein edfc controller kit Tein Super Street Coilovers MS3 2010+ GTSPEC Mid Chassis Brace MS3/MZ3 GTSPEC 4 Point Front Brace MS3/MZ3 GTSPEC 4 Point Ladder Brace MS3/MZ3 GTSPEC Trunk Reinforcement Brace MS3/MZ3 GTSPEC Rear Lower Tie Brace MS3/MZ3 GTSpec Front Lower Tie Brace MS3/MZ3 GTSpec Rear Subframe Reinforcement Panel Rear Sway Bar Kit ( JBR ) Rear Camber Arms ( JBR ) 15mm HUB CENTRIC RIM WHEEL SPACER Full Replacement Short Shifter Kit (TWM Performance)

holy shit... get some dude... Nice list

[Crarrs]

Originally Posted by deadlandxtreme Parts to be delivered and installed: Enkei Racing RPF1 wheels tein edfc tein edfc controller kit Tein Super Street Coilovers MS3 2010+ GTSPEC Mid Chassis Brace MS3/MZ3 GTSPEC 4 Point Front Brace MS3/MZ3 GTSPEC 4 Point Ladder Brace MS3/MZ3 GTSPEC Trunk Reinforcement Brace MS3/MZ3 GTSPEC Rear Lower Tie Brace MS3/MZ3 GTSpec Front Lower Tie Brace MS3/MZ3 GTSpec Rear Subframe Reinforcement Panel Rear Sway Bar Kit ( JBR ) Rear Camber Arms ( JBR ) 15mm HUB CENTRIC RIM WHEEL SPACER Full Replacement Short Shifter Kit (TWM Performance)

The two most important things aren't on your list.

What tires are you getting?
What are your target alignment settings?

Those two items will have a larger effect than the rest of those items combined if you choose wrong.

[helmetface]

What Crarrs Said.

And I'm not saying the Tien SS are bad..I just don't feel like they are on par with the price bracket.

In regards to all the bracing, Lex said it best when he said something to the effect of "bracing really shines once the suspension components are all up to par" I just hope the Tien's damping can keep up.

[deadlandxtreme]

Well said on both points. I agree about the Tien, I just was lured in by the electronic controls. I read what Lex had said before, which is why I was a tad gun shy pairing it with the Tien SS. I have yet to nail down a tire that will work for me in the moutains and being able to drive it there on them up there.

I appreciate the info guys please keep them coming and I'm open to all suggestions.

[helmetface]

Originally Posted by deadlandxtreme Well said on both points. I agree about the Tien, I just was lured in by the electronic controls. I read what Lex had said before, which is why I was a tad gun shy pairing it with the Tien SS. I have yet to nail down a tire that will work for me in the moutains and being able to drive it there on them up there. I appreciate the info guys please keep them coming and I'm open to all suggestions.

If your main goal is mountains I would think Star Specs or similar with a tough sidewall would work well.

But I'm no expert.

[Manny3]

I tried following this guy at the Dragon Spirry now he has a setup to ask for advice on

[gearhead750]

Subbed. Suspension is next for me too.

[deadlandxtreme]

Originally Posted by Manny3 I tried following this guy at the Dragon Spirry now he has a setup to ask for advice on

I would be interested to hear his opinion as well. I love the input from everyone. Nothing has been installed obviously and most has yet to ship, so I can change the setup as needed. Keep all the opinions or experiences coming.

[Crarrs]

Don't take this as questioning your abilities, but I really doubt all of that bracing is going to have anything more than a placebo effect if your target environment is the mountains. They're good parts if you're looking towards finding the very last bits of time, speed, and feedback in your car on a track or autocross, but I think they're probably a waste of money for your application.

Regarding the suspension, I haven't read great things about the Tein coilovers. The electronic controller is probably a nice toy, but I wouldn't be driving down a mountain road and think "I need two more clicks of compression damping at the next corner." I'm just watching the road. You missed the Koni sale by a couple months, but Koni Sports and most springs are very good value for money, and perform well. They're adjustable, but you have to remove the rear shocks from the car in order to adjust them. I started with all of mine set in the middle and ended up going almost full stiff in rear (no homo).

This has been said many times, but the JBR rear camber arms aren't adjustable while on the car, they need to be removed to facilitate adjustment. Go with the SPC, or Raybestos equivalent. I got mine for ~$150 shipped from Amazon.

I have Star Specs on my autocross wheels. I've only run one event on them, but they feel good. I've changed a lot of parts since last year, so it's hard for me to directly compare them to the Kumho XS I had been using before. I haven't had to drive on them in the rain, so can't comment on how they perform there either. If your Speed is your daily driver and you have to go through any kind of rain/snow often, don't get a summer/extreme performance tire, get a performance all-season.

[Manny]

a lot of those braces aren't going to do much for you. The only ones that make a differece are the front and rear tie braces. Everything else is bling and added weight.

[deadlandxtreme]

Originally Posted by Crarrs This has been said many times, but the JBR rear camber arms aren't adjustable while on the car, they need to be removed to facilitate adjustment. Go with the SPC, or Raybestos equivalent. I got mine for ~$150 shipped from Amazon.

That's very true! Hmm, might need to start cancelling or changing things around asap.

[ESB Jiu JItsu]

nice parts man look forward to seeing it all on the car!!!!! jelly about the Enkei Racing RPF1 wheels if i didnt buy my car with the rims already attached i would of had to get a pair, now ill just buy yours when you get tired of them because it sounds like you have too much $

[deadlandxtreme]

Originally Posted by ESB Jiu JItsu it sounds like you have too much $

If only that were true.

[ESB Jiu JItsu]

just like spending it on the car I can dig it!!!! at least ill get to ride in the beast!!!!

[specvspeedfreak]

Originally Posted by deadlandxtreme Well I believe I have the setup ready. Just a matter of time for the parts to come in. Big thanks to jbarone for the helpful knowledge. Parts to be delivered and installed: Enkei Racing RPF1 wheels What are the specs? tein edfc tein edfc controller kit < I guess they would suffice if you are looking for the easiest way to adjust from inside the car..lower end tein are meh to me Tein Super Street Coilovers MS3 2010+ GTSPEC Mid Chassis Brace MS3/MZ3 <Not needed, wont do jack GTSPEC 4 Point Front Brace MS3/MZ3 not needed, wont do much GTSPEC 4 Point Ladder Brace MS3/MZ3 Decent piece, actually has a purpose for connecting the front subframe together GTSPEC Trunk Reinforcement Brace MS3/MZ3 Heard great things about this, too bad they are expensive GTSPEC Rear Lower Tie Brace MS3/MZ3 cheap yes but not needed GTSpec Front Lower Tie Brace MS3/MZ3 same GTSpec Rear Subframe Reinforcement Panel connects the rear subrame together better Rear Sway Bar Kit ( JBR ) set it to full stiff! Rear Camber Arms ( JBR )get something better, adjustable on the car 15mm HUB CENTRIC RIM WHEEL SPACER why do you even need this? Full Replacement Short Shifter Kit (TWM Performance) you will love it!

Hefty cash spent right there. I would return some of the non needed parts and invest in good max or extreme performance tires( for the summer days)..find a good alignment guy and learn to drive faster.

[Black Metal]

If you are going to be driving your car hard I would recommend getting some motor mounts stat. I didn't see any listed in your mod list. deadlandxtreme

[deadlandxtreme]

18x8 on the wheels. If those are considered lower end, tell me what you suggest. I'm open to suggestions.
I just figured they were good enough to get the car to have the right look and basic adjustments. I need the car for a DD and for taking long trips. I most likely will never push it to its limits, but I would just like to know that I could..and do it safely.

Thanks for the help

[specvspeedfreak]

for basics.. try KW v1, H&R .. for something more sophisticated KW3 or AMR (which are custom built to your specs). I really think the average user will be fine with bilsteins and springs though.

What is the offset on the wheels ??cause you wont be able to run spacers with proper size tire (225+) without rolling or dialing in more negative camber.

Seems like you got a trigger happy with the mods... there are lots of suspension wiz' on this forum that can help out in getting a better bang for the buck.

but in all honestly.. Suspension is more about how you want the car to feel/react/handle for you. Everyone drives differently. You need to slowly work your way up. This allows you know what you want out of the car and buy the part that would get you there.

[deadlandxtreme]

Originally Posted by specvspeedfreak Suspension is more about how you want the car to feel/react/handle for you. Everyone drives differently. You need to slowly work your way up. This allows you know what you want out of the car and buy the part that would get you there.

Totally agree! I mean, I agree and take into account what you said in the full post too. However, this quote should be up there in there as a golden rule in the MSF hand book.

[Masterofnone]

Sorry, I'm not much help deciding what parts to get, but when you're ready to install, let me know. You can use my garage/driveway and air tools if you want.

[deadlandxtreme]

Originally Posted by Masterofnone Sorry, I'm not much help deciding what parts to get, but when you're ready to install, let me know. You can use my garage/driveway and air tools if you want.

Install day at your house then! lol

[Eric28243]

Originally Posted by Manny3 I tried following this guy at the Dragon Spirry now he has a setup to ask for advice on

I think huge balls are likely the mod that gave you this impression. His shit is slammed though. However I know he's riding on K-Sports that are nearly bottomed out and the ride is... not daily driver-friendly.

[ESB Jiu JItsu]

let me know when the install day is im a great watcher! lol jk

[deadlandxtreme]

Originally Posted by ESB Jiu JItsu let me know when the install day is im a great watcher! lol jk

Oh hell no! Last time I had an install day I had guy's girlfriends under the car with wrenches! If you come to watch, you come to learn,eat, drink, and hopefully not screw up anything while working on another person's car. lol

[ESB Jiu JItsu]

I have installed several suspensions so I am more then willing to help but just expect more jokes that fall flat lol


I like the eating part too lol!

[Masterofnone]

Well, looks like we're gonna have a party, err, I mean install day! Matt PM me when parts arrive and we can work out the details, that is assuming you still want to use my house for the install.
socks mizboo102 hope ya'll can make it.

[deadlandxtreme]

Originally Posted by Masterofnone Well, looks like we're gonna have a party, err, I mean install day! Matt PM me when parts arrive and we can work out the details, that is assuming you still want to use my house for the install. socks mizboo102 hope ya'll can make it.

I do for sure. My house was fun on the last Epic install, but a new location would be fun. I don't imagine that the install would take as long as the last time my car went under the knife. I'm bugging eric@edgeautosport for info on ETAs still. Should be a good time!

[mizboo102]

Originally Posted by deadlandxtreme Oh hell no! Last time I had an install day I had guy's girlfriends under the car with wrenches! If you come to watch, you come to learn,eat, drink, and hopefully not screw up anything while working on another person's car. lol

You talkin about me? Lol there were a few girls there helping I think.

Masterofnone- have you told the missus about this?

[Manny3]

Im down let me know when this is going to happen, well Ill keep checking LOL