Best suspension options without lowering car
07-28-2002 | 08:19 PM
#1
Thread Starter
Three Wheelin'
Best suspension options without lowering car
It's getting to be about time to do the suspension in the 951. I know there have been tons of posts about where I can go with the suspension, but I'm looking for a way to get maximum performance without sacrificing ride height.
I'm looking for a stiff street setup that will see some track usage. Would 250# springs be too stiff for the road, or would I find myself wanting stiffer springs?
My plans are to go with the 968 front and rear sways and koni yellows at all the corners. Can anyone estimate the cost of the final product?
If anyone is running a setup similar to the one I'm planning to go with, how difficult was the install?
I'm looking for a stiff street setup that will see some track usage. Would 250# springs be too stiff for the road, or would I find myself wanting stiffer springs?
My plans are to go with the 968 front and rear sways and koni yellows at all the corners. Can anyone estimate the cost of the final product?
If anyone is running a setup similar to the one I'm planning to go with, how difficult was the install?
07-28-2002 | 11:45 PM
#2
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From: Crofton, MD
Nick,
If I were you, I would do front coil-overs with helper springs (250# is fine, but 400# which I have now is fine too, and my CD player never skips...With the shock valving set up the way I do (about 1/3 stiff in the front, 1/2 stiff in the rear) the ride quality is actually much improved over the stock worn out suspension...you need the helper springs to allow the car to reach stock rideheight as just the springs that come with the coilovers drop your car an inch or so on max height), jack them up to stock ride height, do stiffer rear torsion bars to stiffen the rear (you don't want a car to plow too much, do you?), lower the rear a bit with the eccentric ride height adjustment set to max height, do koni yellows all around, and the 968 sways. Having the coilovers would allow you to knock the ride height down a couple inches in the front and being able to drop the rear almost an inch in the rear with the eccentric for track days...that is what I was planning on doing anyways. Nick, why not lower your car a bit? With my new lowered suspension, my car *never* bottoms out on speed bumps and up driveways (unless I am careless), while with the old worn out stock suspension, it would allow so much compression that bottom would hit almost constantly. I was expecting more problems with road height obstacles, but was pleasantly suprised that I have no problems even with an inch and a half drop up front and a 1/2 inch drop in the rear (rear is coming down another 1/2 inch or so when I put in the torsion bars).
Cost...
Coilovers w/helper springs - $260?
Konis front (hacksaw inserts) - $300
Konis rear - $220
Torsion bars - $240?
968 sways - $500?
Total - $1520?
If I was you, I would do the coilovers and front camber plates as well ($180 I think?) so you can lower the car for track days and keep it properly cambered.
With the stiffer shocks and springs, thicker swaybars will make less of a difference...my car seems to have next to no body roll just with the shocks and front springs (still have to do the rear torsion bars...they are sitting in the back seat), all though I do plan to do the 968 sways eventually. The only real downside to large swaybars is that on a track you can have problems getting power to the inside wheel as it will often lift off the ground in a hard turn.
The install is pretty easy...for the front strut inserts, you will need a hacksaw, assorted sized metric sockets and wrenches, and a table mounted vice grip helps. I didn't torque the bolt on the top of the strut using a torque wrench as you need some weird open ended torque wrench that I didn't have...I ended up using a torque stick for a nissan's lugnuts and somehow adapting it to the proper size socket, and I used an impact wrench to install it...it should have been within 10 ft lbs if the torque stick worked properly. I would expect to set aside an entire day to do the front springs, front struts, and the rear shocks (the rear shocks will probably take you 20 minutes...really easy...only 2 bolts). Don't forget to mark your camber on your strut housing so you don't have to get it realigned when you are done. The torsion bars will take anywhere from 4 hours to a couple of days depending on how close to correct ride height you get them on your first try or two. I haven't done the torsion bars yet, but the front stuff was easy and didn't take too long...if you have a friend to help you, its a bonus and will make it take less time. Good luck, HTH...
If I were you, I would do front coil-overs with helper springs (250# is fine, but 400# which I have now is fine too, and my CD player never skips...With the shock valving set up the way I do (about 1/3 stiff in the front, 1/2 stiff in the rear) the ride quality is actually much improved over the stock worn out suspension...you need the helper springs to allow the car to reach stock rideheight as just the springs that come with the coilovers drop your car an inch or so on max height), jack them up to stock ride height, do stiffer rear torsion bars to stiffen the rear (you don't want a car to plow too much, do you?), lower the rear a bit with the eccentric ride height adjustment set to max height, do koni yellows all around, and the 968 sways. Having the coilovers would allow you to knock the ride height down a couple inches in the front and being able to drop the rear almost an inch in the rear with the eccentric for track days...that is what I was planning on doing anyways. Nick, why not lower your car a bit? With my new lowered suspension, my car *never* bottoms out on speed bumps and up driveways (unless I am careless), while with the old worn out stock suspension, it would allow so much compression that bottom would hit almost constantly. I was expecting more problems with road height obstacles, but was pleasantly suprised that I have no problems even with an inch and a half drop up front and a 1/2 inch drop in the rear (rear is coming down another 1/2 inch or so when I put in the torsion bars).
Cost...
Coilovers w/helper springs - $260?
Konis front (hacksaw inserts) - $300
Konis rear - $220
Torsion bars - $240?
968 sways - $500?
Total - $1520?
If I was you, I would do the coilovers and front camber plates as well ($180 I think?) so you can lower the car for track days and keep it properly cambered.
With the stiffer shocks and springs, thicker swaybars will make less of a difference...my car seems to have next to no body roll just with the shocks and front springs (still have to do the rear torsion bars...they are sitting in the back seat), all though I do plan to do the 968 sways eventually. The only real downside to large swaybars is that on a track you can have problems getting power to the inside wheel as it will often lift off the ground in a hard turn.
The install is pretty easy...for the front strut inserts, you will need a hacksaw, assorted sized metric sockets and wrenches, and a table mounted vice grip helps. I didn't torque the bolt on the top of the strut using a torque wrench as you need some weird open ended torque wrench that I didn't have...I ended up using a torque stick for a nissan's lugnuts and somehow adapting it to the proper size socket, and I used an impact wrench to install it...it should have been within 10 ft lbs if the torque stick worked properly. I would expect to set aside an entire day to do the front springs, front struts, and the rear shocks (the rear shocks will probably take you 20 minutes...really easy...only 2 bolts). Don't forget to mark your camber on your strut housing so you don't have to get it realigned when you are done. The torsion bars will take anywhere from 4 hours to a couple of days depending on how close to correct ride height you get them on your first try or two. I haven't done the torsion bars yet, but the front stuff was easy and didn't take too long...if you have a friend to help you, its a bonus and will make it take less time. Good luck, HTH...
