Victor

Hi all,

I have a stock '89 3.2 that I use as a daily driver and drivers ed / autox about once a month. Have been doing this for about a year and track times are beginning to show that I am getting the "knack" of the car. The thing I am really noticing is the ultra softness of the stock suspension set up. Especially through "flip flop" corners where weight is transferred from one side to the other in a hurry. It also sits high in the air (26" in front and 25.5" in the rear). The car has done about 100K Miles, but is in remarkably good overall condition.

I don't want (=wife won't let) to spend a fortune, my priorities are stiffness and ride hight. Any suggestions for a starting point?

I know this is bordering on being a more appropriate post for the "upgrades/mods" forum, but after noticing that nobody goes there, I thought I would come here for your most valued 2 cents.

Thanks, VC


[ 06-18-2001: Message edited by: Victor ]

john walkers workshop

a lower and align, and a set of bilstiens all around will make a big improvement over the stock boge shocks. about $900-$1000 for all. you could go further with larger torsion bars and sway bars, but you will sacrifice comfort when it's street driven.

Keith Wolters

I put on a pair of Koni sport yellows and I promise you will not complain about a soft ride again. Car handles totally different on the track. Most people do not believe that was the only thing I did to my car. The car had been already lowered before the shocks
Keith

richard glickel.

bilsteins or konis are definitely the quick fix. These shocks are adjustable so you can lower your ride height should you so desire for track events.

Richard.

Don Plumley

Uh, I thought adjustable shocks changed the shock valving - i.e. stiffer or softer. Ride height is adjusted by the suspension (e.g. Torsion Bars/springplates). Right?

Don

richard glickel

Don,

You are correct.

Richard.

Bill Gregory

Vic,

Your stock 89 3.2 has 18.8mm front torsion bars and 25mm torsion bars in the rear. While changing just the shocks will certainly make a difference, I'd suggest that you consider upgrading your torsion bars to 20-21mm in front and 27-28mm in back. Bruce Anderson would recommend 22mm front and 29mm rear for racing, and you may not want it that stiff for daily driving usage, so you back off a bit. For the suspension to really hum, however, don't do one or the other, as the springs and shocks really need to complement one another.

When you do the torsion bars, if your mechanic is going to install them, get it lowered and corner balanced at the same time. Although you have adjustable rear spring plates, if he doesn't have a half inch of adjustment, he'll have to reset the spring plate on the torsion bar anyway (which he'd have to do installing a larger torsion bar anyway). Bruce Anderson recommends a measurement of street to fender lip of 25" in the rear and 25.5" in the front, which should result in a slight forward rake.

Don't worry about sway bars for awhile...you already have 22mm in front and 21mm in the rear. You'd likely upgrade to an adjustable 22mm front and 22mm rear, gaining the ability to more finely adjust oversteer/understeer.

Proverbial two cents....

Ed Bighi

Koni sports or Bilstein sports, not regulars, should do it. I have bilstein sports all around after changing over from at first bilstein regulars and then koni sports. I find the konis great and maybe a tiny, tiny hair stiffer, but not as durable as the bilsteins with the superior mono tube design which provides for less bubling up of the oil within the shock and promotes better cooling. An interesting note is that bilsteins are the budget shock of rallying because of their inherent durability. Another plus is that the monotube design puts out a thicker strut shaft out of the shock body. And in a mcpherson strut that uses the shock as a stressed member, that is probably a good thing. But ignoring the techical jargon, with Koni's you get adjustability, and with bistein sports you get more durability. Trust me, I've tried all. And with most of the adjustable stuff I have ever bought for myself, I have found that tinkering too much with the equipment kept me from adapting myself to an ever changing adjustable car. Heck, I don't use adjustable pants. But I have found that an unadjusable car that is always the same becomes an old friend in which I can rely on. And for that reason, I have been using the stock 22/21mm factory 87-89 carrera sway bars. I beat guys with adjustables on a regular basis since my car never changes and I am resting and relaxing between sessions instead of crawling underneath it and getting tired. If I were you, I would put on a set of either bilstein sports (yellow) or Koni sports and notice an immediate improvement. Those shocks are a given and should be in there. If more stiffness is desired, then go with bigger torsion bars. I have tried all sorts of combinations and found that Bruce Anderson's 22/28 is pretty good for all around and had it for a while. But that depends on where you live in terms of bad roads and things of the sort. I don't find them too stiff at all. People today have become a lot more sympathetic towards stiffer suspensions compared to years past. I drove a stock Ferrari 355 the other day and could not believe how stiff it was. But this is very subjective. I myself, being an oversteer addict, like a very stiff suspension. So to me the choice was as simple as finding what where the biggest torsion bars made, putting them on, and learning to tame the beast. I went with 23 front and 30 in the rear, which are the largest solid bars made by sway-a-way who I think make the weltmeister bars. Their largest tubulars are 23.5 front with a 23mm effective rate and 32 rear with a 31mm effective rate. I might get those if I ever get bored of the solids. But I am plenty happy with the solids. Me and a couple of buddies of mine are all using 23/30 swayaway solid with great success. The car feels like a 914. Great stuff. But for now, the shocks will be just fine and you will see how improving that area alone will have an immediate effect. Again, as far as the sway bars, leave them alone. Trust me. For some interesting torsion bar comparisons, check out this tech article. It is pretty good.torsion bar tech article

[ 06-19-2001: Message edited by: Ed Bighi ]

[ 06-19-2001: Message edited by: Ed Bighi ]

Victor

Thank you all for your advice. The car is booked in for a set of Koni Sports and a lower/align. I will do the torsion bars some time in the next 6 months.

Can't wait. VC