POLL: Suspension, #1 upgrade! Options

[snapshotgt]

First off --> This poll is to help suspension n00b personnel…so if you have time, please explain your position, and VOTE!

Okay, if you were to do one suspension upgrade, which would it be? …I know a lot of people will say lowering springs…but if you could explain why lowering springs over for example sway bars? Just an idea.

...also, if you'd like to add a comment about a good combo of suspension upgrades, post! ...don't say ALL OF THEM ...that is basically a given lol.

~snap

[LewFX]

i said strut bars, a good 3 point brace really made a difference for me. lowering a car seems more for looks than handling, seemed to have more problems after i lowered mine and i dont like feeling every bump in the road. sway bars i dont know yet unless i get some through valo666. im not interested in the under body brace. other factors that can help are better struts.

[purplegt4]

i voted for TIRES! because you wont be able to push any of these because your tires are a vital part to suspension.


it's been said to start from the ground up.

tires -> sway bars -> shocks / springs -> strut tower bars

-> then if you have a money tree in your backyard, an underbody brace.

[snapshotgt]

^^Yeah, tires are key...i thought about adding that to the poll, but figured it was kinda a given ...BUT, good heads up, people will be helped by your post!

~snap

[brthrurik]

I say front and rear sways. the 6gc corners well to begin with but after i put sways,it is as nice as nice as my brother lotus.

[CelicaZR]

I've front and rear strut braces, and a lower arm bar.
I've found that the front strut and the lower arm bar,
really tighten the front end a bit, and reduce flex.
I've also got performance tires Falken Azenis RT215, once they
are warmed up they are sticky as hell.
I cant comment on other suspensions mods, cause I dont have
them. But I'll be getting coilovers next as my next suspension / handling
mod

[Fastbird]

My vote goes for the springs. Reason being, it's an instanenous lowering of your center of gravity while providing an improved ride firmness and overall make the car more asthetically pleasing. Coilovers would have been my vote, but they weren't on the list.

Sway bars are good, but without complimenting mods, you won't be able to properly utilize them. Strut bars and chassis braces are great for stiffening up the chassis but don't provide THAT much of a handling increase moreso than a better feel for the car. With springs, you get an improved feel, along with very noticable real world performance improvement.

[Cutrara]

^^^ Exactly.

Bigger rims will also help, due to less sidewall flex. I started out by getting 17x7.5 inch lightweight rims with 215/40/17 High performance Summer tires. After that, Tein S. Tech Lowering springs. My front strut tower brace is coming today. Will probabaly get a rear GT-4 bar or RCR bar. Then sway bars and when my struts blow, probably some KYB GR2 struts.

So far I'm extremely impressed with the car, the cornering is dramatically increased. I can take certain corners up to 70+ MPH with the new springs.

[Clipsetuner]

1. Tires
2. Struts springs/coilovers
3. Sway Bars
4. Strut Bars
5. Under Body Brace / other bracing

When I had my ST's stock steelies (185/70-14), It could corner decent but the tires would scream around corners, and would slide out pretty easly. I then upgraded to GT wheels (205/50-15) I noticed alot more stablitly around corners and no tire sqeal at all, but still not the total packege. My third upgrade was to (225/35-19) bumps sucked, but in the corners it was very very hard to try and get them to break loose.

My forth upgrade will be 235/35-19 Front, 255/35-19 Rear. I have had alot of problems with the rear end of my car sliding out alot and I think this should slove all my issues with that, and also improve launching in the straight aways.

DTE

[playr158]

i voted for TIRES! because you wont be able to push any of these because your tires are a vital part to suspension.


it's been said to start from the ground up.

tires -> sway bars -> shocks / springs -> strut tower bars

-> then if you have a money tree in your backyard, an underbody brace.

this man doth speak the truth....except i'd do springs b4 sways

but if your like me...do it all at once then you don't have to worry about order

[elvasoshexai]

sorry to thread jack.. but would u install everything @ once (save time/money) or install one mod, and wait maybe... a month before installing the next (so you can feel the before/after difference)?

and imo.. i would do:
tires
sways
springs/struts
strut bars/other bracing

This post has been edited by elvasoshexai: Apr 12, 2006 - 11:10 AM

[playr158]

IMO it really depends on your budget and your thinking...

1st time i built my celica i put coilovers on first and then a few months later added a GT4 rear strut brace..feeling the difference in adding each piece was great...

but right now my celica is a frame on 4 jackstands getting "overhauled"
so its all going on at the same time..everythings out might as well replace/upgrade it while it is..so why go in 4 times when i can go in just 1 time saves time/work and on the occasion money...

if your not in a big hurry then i'd say save up for the parts you want for 1 specific catagory (this time suspension) find a shop that distributes all the needed parts (if possible) and if you buy in 1 bulk order your more likely to save on shipping and possibly get a slight discount...

its really a personal preferance thing though...sorta situational
put if your goin to do it..do it right the first time

[snapshotgt]

What would help to tighten up the rear? ...just seems as though it is a little ugg (a little light, and bouncy )...which it is i guess ---> anyone else notice this?

heck, front and rear strut bars?

~snap

[purplegt4]

tighten the rear?

rear sway bar on the widest setting. then front becomes more loose than the rear which can catch you off guard.

[GT4WRC]

No one seems to be stating the first obvious suspension mods you need to be considering. Suspension bushes (and if you have Superstrut, the Fig 8 parts). Chances are that by now, they'll be pretty shagged.

Not much point upgrading everything else if the basic suspension geometry is allowed to alter drastically due to the bushes being worn. If that happens, it doesn't matter how much $ you throw at the rest of the set up, the car still has the potential to handle like a bag of cr@p.

Do those things first before you start spending your money on other things.
Gary

[Kadett]

1 Tyres -> Toyo Proxes T1-R
2 Springs -> Teins SS
3 Sway -> Custom Made
4 Strut -> OEM GT4 Rear + C-One Front


I dont think a underbody brace will increase anything when all off the above is installed/fiited to the car.

#3 I still need to find a company that makes them around here a nice 22-24mm bar
#4 C-one strut in the planning for next year