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View Full Version : adjustable susp GB, or other mods first?


bobafett
07-29-2004, 05:57 PM
ok, from the guru's who have these parts installed:
http://www.zilvia.net/f/showthread.php?t=58584

keep in mind my car is stock now, and the only parts ordered are replaced blown shocks, tein lowering springs, intake, and subframe spacers.

i know this kit is a good deal, but i would like your input on wether or not its a good idea to get this as a next mod.

i will be the first to admit that i am new to suspension tuning as far as these parts go, but i wonder if i would be getting way ahead of myself if i ordered them.

the other mods i would consider in its place are energy suspension bushings, and possibly a pair of racing seats... ;) (my seats are trashed)

anyway what do you guys think, is there something critical that i am overlooking, or would it be a wise investment to drop almost $500 on these fancy adjustable arms. ?

whatcha think?

citizen
07-29-2004, 06:28 PM
if you drive HARD overlook those and get higher quality linkages (beefier). if you drive spirited and don't have a lot of cash to go around just get bushings instead. if you just cruise then get stock replacement. in other words if you're serious about performance get something better, if not then don't waste your money (unless you like throwing it away, in which case you can call me to arrange a donation to Citizen's Need Mo' Monaaay fund at 415-555-2323).

ISTOTOSAO
07-29-2004, 06:38 PM
The arms are an unbeatable deal. My advice put one arm at a time on and adjust it until it feels good and then repeat. After that take it to an alignment shop. I think you should get them seeing as how you already have springs and shocks.

Var
07-29-2004, 06:46 PM
the best money spent will be on good shocks, or coilovers. these arms are a pretty nice setup. i cant tell you how the quality is, but the price is right. i dont think you will need them without coilovers anyways..plus these give you all kinds of custom alignment options which you may not need because you say you're new and you dont know about suspension tuning.

Wei240
07-29-2004, 06:46 PM
you probably don't need any of them imo... it's nice to have.

probably the only thing that you want to look at is the tension rod, t/c rod, that usually craps out, but if you don't want too harsh of a ride, instead of the pillowball, you can get the ones like pdm racing has...

http://www.pdm-racing.com/products/suspensiontc.html

bad news is that it costs more, good news is that i'm actually selling used one for alot less... yeah, shameless plug...

bobafett
07-29-2004, 07:17 PM
thanks for the replys guys,

right now i have been unable to drive the car in a spirited manner, simply because i get SERIOUS wheelhop, and i can feel the whole rearend wobble when i hit bumps while slightly cornering, its not a very confidence inspiring setup.

I WILL BE driving the car pretty hard. i plan to beat on it, and its not my daily driver, so i dont really care about ride quality. i have an accord with ground control coilovers, and koni adjustable shocks. the spring rates on the springs i have are 350F/250R which is pretty soft, but i am totally used to the ride, even though first time passengers complain. ;)

anyway i have high hopes for the car, and plan on going all out. right now there are 300 million directions i can go with modding it, but i would like to start off with just getting it drivable so i can huck it into corners and try to learn how to drive a RWD car.

i wont bs and say its gonna be a drift car, but i do plan on driving it very aggessively, and hopefully the car will be happy sideways... so its not like im planning on buying these parts and then granny-ing the car....

oh the shocks are stock, but not blown, like i have now, but as soon as i have some other stuff out of the way i am either going with the SPL s13 coilovers or tein HE's....

do you think that i would notice strut bars and sway bars and bushings as a better upgrade than this adjustable kit? i get the feeling its way more than i need right now...

citizen
07-29-2004, 07:21 PM
yes. do the sways but save your money for some higher qaulity linkages such as SPL. if you are really planning on driving the car hard then don't bother with bushings that will end up being replaced later.

drift freaq
07-29-2004, 07:36 PM
yes. do the sways but save your money for some higher qaulity linkages such as SPL. if you are really planning on driving the car hard then don't bother with bushings that will end up being replaced later.

actually the ones he linked are of very high quality. Its more like he should not waste his money on paying extra for the spl stuff. Your paying for the name with all the top end Japanese stuff and over half of it is made in Taiwan, regardless, because manufacturing costs in Japan these days are extremely expensive.
Its so funny if we slapped a Japan manufacturing name on our product we could go out and charge twice the price because people asscociate anything coming out of Japan as A: better or B: JDM tyte yo!!
Fact is like I said earlier over 3/4 of the Japanese name brand stuff(yo jdm tyte yo!!) is not Japanese manufactured.
The thing to do when setting up your car is to figure out what you want and need.
A lot of people can get by fine with polyurethane bushings and not go any farther.
Other people have thrown in spherical ball joint rucas and such and reported to me how happy they were becuase it made their car tighter and more responsive.
In all out honesty if your mostly street you do not need anything more than polyurethane bushings. Though if your a fanatic or someone who sees a lot of track or drift competition then yes spherical rucas will help and be more responsive.
Just don't go telling the kid to go out and buy spl just because its spl. There are other suspension areas in the car he could spend money on just by buying the less expensive ruca's which work quite well are strong and do the job. Plus they do not bend him over on the price ala spl.

bobafett
07-29-2004, 07:40 PM
i am new to 240s, but if i get an energy suspension bushing kit, and then get this, would i be throwing away a lot of the bushings? its still a little hazy as to what bushings are replaced with certain kits, and what bushings would be eliminated by getting a kit like this.

at this point i think i am leaning towards just getting some strut tower bars, and sway bars and bushings... but i am open to input, since you guys are the ones who have spent the money on these mods already... ;)

drift freaq
07-29-2004, 07:51 PM
basically the rucas give you camber adjustment and replace your rear upper control arm bushings , the toe rods give you toe adjustment and replace the stock toe rod bushings. the traction rods replace the traction rod bushing. then if you put in subframe spacers they eliminate wheel hop under hard cornering and acceleration. The TC rods replace your stock TC rod bushings and give you caster adjustment on your front end. When you get a kit like the energy suspension bushings they also give front lower control arm bushings which tighten up the slop in your front suspension.
I am not sure if they give rear lower control arm bushings though I do know whiteline makes them and so does Nismo, though they do not seem to be as critical as the other parts.

kidinthehall
07-29-2004, 07:59 PM
you can cure a LOT of your wheelhop and vague rear end feeling by spending $80 on some subframe spacers. www.technotoytuning.com i HIGHLY suggest getting some.

citizen
07-29-2004, 08:40 PM
keep in mind my car is stock now, and the only parts ordered are replaced blown shocks, tein lowering springs, intake, and SUBFRAME SPACERS.

Doesn't that make you feel silly kidinthehall?


In response to drift freaq, I don't know about the rest of the people, but at least to me (whom has some background in metal work, machining, fabrication, from working in my dads shop since I was old enough to hold a broom) comparing the design of your linkages and the others' cheap stuff I see for sale it doesn't scream out strength and resilience compared to the higher quality items ala SPL or 'JDM tizite shiate'. Would I trust your stuff to take a pothole at a buck ten, not to break after dropping a wheel off the road, probably not. Is it adequate for most people, perhaps. But isn't the peace of mind knowing that your suspension can take the abuse worth the extra money? After all, it is YOUR safety at stake. For the record, I don't think SPL is overpriced or else Iwouldn't recommend it.

kidinthehall
07-29-2004, 08:56 PM
DOH!


score one for my not really reading the first damn post

bobafett
07-29-2004, 09:49 PM
well after thinking about it some more, and reading your replies, i think there are some other mods for the time being that will be more appropriate, like just getting a bushing kit, and some strut tower bars and way bars. ;)

i should probably save this kind of adjustable suspension until i at least have some nice coilovers and the car is already at the limits of its suspension...

i appreciate the comments, you guys have been quite helpful...keep the replies coming, i can always use more info...

Wei240
07-29-2004, 10:51 PM
i appreciate the comments, you guys have been quite helpful...keep the replies coming, i can always use more info...

buy my tension rods... :coold: