dgmattingley

Hello RL,

I'm looking for some suspension guidance. 60/40 Street/Track car. Car currently has PSS9s, RS rear sway, TRG 5-way front sway, Walrod front bushings, Wevo blue pillow engine mounts, RS tranny mount, alignment set at approx RS specs with more aggressive camber. Rear sway is neutral and the front is one away from full stiff. PSS9 settings vary but for track usually full stiff in rear and a few clicks softer in front. Wheels are 17" Cup IIs. To date I've only run street tires, Direzzas and Sumitomos. The car weighs about 2850 with no driver and half tank of gas (no carpet, Sparcos, lower dash delete, etc). For the last three years I've done about 4-6track weekends per year and a dozen autcrosses.

The car feels very stable at the track, but it does not feel very precise. I'd like more steering feedback and to have a better sense of what the rear end is doing at turn-in. However, I do not want to completely sacrifice streetability. My main complaint on the street is gear noise -- we are talking about a serious "bucket of rattling bolts" sound. The car also feels quite unsettlesd over bumpy/broken pavement (or it wallows if I set the PSS9s too soft). I am aware of all the potential upgrades: 18" wheels, RS uprights/tie rods, rear sport bushings, toe links with monoballs, monoball front/rear shock mounts; I've also thought about switching the Wevos for RS mounts.

What do you think, where should I start?

Thanks for any feedback, and Happy Thanksgiving.

cheers,
Don

Bill Verburg

JMO
for the front you need RS uprights w/ matching mono-ball tie rods, a wider 8.5" wheel would help a lot too

for the back solid flat side mounts RS bushes except the toe rod which needs to be mono-ball, 10" wheels

all of the above is very streetable

The issue w/ all the adjustable shocks is that w/o telemetry and an engineer you will never know when they are right. One of the best things I ever did was to switch to properly valved Bilstein/H&R Cup shocks, in lieu of that find someone that really knows suspension and work w/ them

certz

My experience, this was the biggest change to front end feel. Not only does it help dramatically with bumpsteer but it feels like the steering is much quicker (that last part is a well discussed topic and Bill is going to beat me up for saying that, but I felt like the steering got quicker).

I also agree you need to work with someone that understands suspension setup because there is also the personal feel part of setup. I run my front sway at full soft and the rear neutral, but I am also running motons with much stiffer springs than you and I like to start rotating the rear early. Others do not like that feeling at turn in. So you need someone you can give immediate feedback to after coming off the track to what you liked and did not like about the setup.

Just my 2 cents.

kjr914

That's your RS LWF clutch. First time I drove a friend's 993 with LWF, I thought the darn thing was coming apart and an explosion was imminent... Rev's quite nicely, however.

Steve Weiner-Rennsport Systems

Good advice here!

Don,......EVO/RS uprights & matching tie-rods eliminate the rubber couplers on the stock tie-rods that contribute to the lack of precision in the steering. If your car is at RS ride height, I'd think seriously about adding these components to eliminate bump steer as well as add more steering feel.

Alignment & cornerweights are VERY critical here, too.

JPS

One piece of advice in how to ask for advice...be clear on what you mean by street. I've asked for mods that are "streetable". Some people will respond with the "could I stomach driving to / from the track on the street".

For me personally, street = this is also my family car. If I went any stiffer on my springs I would have gone too far. I've overshot on the semi-solid transmission mount. Both are very "streetable", but not necessarily as a family car.

dgmattingley

Bill,
Thanks for the reply, I think uprights and tie rods are topping my list. Seems the consensus is gt2 tie rods over the rs?

dgmattingley

I haven't noticed the bumpsteer on the track, but on the bumpy back roads that I frequent I definitely feel it and it's definitely unsettling. Thanks for the feedback.
Revs great
Thanks, Steve. My car is at RS height, with alignment that approximates RS with slightly more aggressive camber. Looks like the uprights/tie rods is unanimously the thing to do first.

Mark in Baltimore

I have a used set of RS uprights with the GT2/ERP tie rods that I've been thinking of selling. Shoot me a PM.

FYI, when I installed my LWF, I had solid motor mounts and the stock transmission mount. The noise increased slightly, but it wasn't that noticeable. However, when I switched the tranny mount to a solid one, the bucket of bolts sound was quite loud. It never bothered me, though; after all, it's a track car. For a car that spent 90% of its time on the street, it might be too much to deal with. Sound is, of course, very subjective.

mhm993

I'll take 'em if OP doesn't!

dgmattingley

Mark,
PM on the way.

Bill Verburg

there is a progression from most street(little ole lady), to most track worthy

for the tie rods
stock(w/ soft rubber) w/ stock wheel carriers < RS(w/ stifer rubber) w/ RS wheel carriers < RSR(w/ monoball) w/ RS wheel carriers
a wider front wheel also helps turn in a lot even if the tires stay the same

Paul902

Don, I agree with the others on the RS uprights and monoball tie rods. I did this last year, having done the previous year with a more aggressive alignment and ride height without them. Like you, I am 60 track / 40 street. The uprights and tie rods did a great job of eliminating the bumpsteer and making the front end feel more crisp. An interim step is to pin your current tie rods, but that does not help the bumpsteer.

No one has mentioned a strut tower brace for the front. Do you have one? When I put mine in, honestly, I couldn't tell the difference, but it may be because I have one with slots for mounting holes. Not sure.

dgmattingley

Good to hear itmade a difference for you. I have a similar strut brace, has been on the car since I bought it.

pipingken1

Does anybody have a picture of this. I assume this replaces the outer ball joint and you still retain the inner part of the track (toe) rod to connect to the rack?

Thanks