Corner Carver Suspension Setup-Street Use Only
 

While there are tons of threads on suspension for drifting, auot x, and other track items. I have seen much discussion on the street car. We all know the basics, coils, diff, sways, etc. but I wanted to see if we can go beyond that.

I realize I could just buy a bunch of spl arms and install, but that may not be what I need for a street car.

Say for instance if I was going to go up on the dragon's tail or some other mountain bendies, I would want my car to take the corners well, without sacrficing too much comfort.

So here are is my current setup and the issues I have with it

Gen 1 Fortune Auto 500 coils regular springs
suspension techniques front and rear sways
S15 Diff
Yamoto Garage Ruca
All rest Stock Arms
stock wheels
regular road tires
Back end is almost tucking tire, the front has about 1.5" of wheel gap.

My issues are

Car is bouncy over uneven road, especially at highspeed when going over elevation changes like bridges
Will sometimes bottom out in the front over big speed bumps even at slow speed

When turning rear end feels like it is lifting (Ive been told this may just be the torque splitter in the torsen)

I have never pushed the car to its limits because I don't feel comfortable too. I am trying to get the car to be "tighter" in handling and more predictable.

I figured we can discuss our setups, figure out solutions to problems etc in a thread that doesn't talk about modifying the roll center and custom made ruca.

Subbed to this.

What sort of alignment do you have?

What tires? (tires will cause the biggest improvement in handling). And with more grip the torsen works better (until you get to r-comps, but that's for another discussion).

Honestly the bounce is your $1k coilovers. People don't want to hear it, but a real damper is the core of what makes a suspension 'good.'

Also I prefer stock rear bar (or even no bar) over upgraded rear sway bar.

This. Your suspension is a bit too stiff for corner carving. You're gonna want to play around with your spring rates and overall shock rebound. Not sure how much adjustability you got left in them, but it doesn't sound like much. Your ride height plays a huge role in your setup as well.

Like you, I have my issues with OTS entry level coilovers because they jerked all over the place when it came to public roads in my S13. I've used a ton of different set ups but owned Stance GR+ and Pro Comp (Swifts), Megan Tracks (until they blew), Fortune Autos Gen 2 and 3 (Swifts), and PBM Comps. Since I don't track my car anymore, most of the driving is done on the freeway/city.

Anyway, the BEST lower budget set ups I have driven on were Koni Yellow or Bilstein shocks mated with an appropriate spring rate.

Anyway, here are my suspension specs:
-225/50/16 Z32 NA wheels all around
-VLSD (could be worn out though, lol)
-Stock arms (NO ES bushings) with RLCA in stock position
-Stock subframe with old Nissan bushings
-Z32 rear knuckle and stock rubber bushings
-Stock swaybars with ES bushings
-KYB AGX with coilover sleeves and 7" - 5 kg springs
-Bilstein 3000GT front inserts with coilover sleeves 7" - 6 kg springs

Brakes: Q45 with OEM pads and rotors/S13 rear with OEM pad

It's unfortunate that I went through a ton of different coilovers to get the benefits I wanted. The only thing I do miss is being lower. I could go lower in the rear but because I'm using S14 housings in the front, I can't. Custom housings could bring me a bit lower though.

In terms of Koni, I don't like that Yellows, at least for the rear, are a hassle to adjust which is why I went with AGX. Not quite the same but they are decent enough for AutoX/Spirited Driving. A lot of folks get sucked into that 8611 > 8610 talk but honestly, if you're a weekend driver, Yellows are more than enough. Maybe 8610's in the front, at most.

My current set up isn't the greatest but I didn't spend all that much ($700~) and my car handles real nicely.

To get a more neutral brake feel, I wanted to get Z31 brackets for Altima rears. So if anybody has some, hit me up please! Speaking of this set up, has anybody upgraded their BMC when running Q45 fronts and Altima rears? If so, how does it feel?

I have 3rd FA500 coilovers mine too were bouncy until i adjusted the preload, the bounce was less plus i am about 10 clicks away from full hard i only keep it 10 clicks from full hard when hitting up GMR, street driving about 7 more from full hard. Maybe that will help with your bounce issue.

I agree with the guy above me TIRES make a huge diffrence i dont have the greatest tires out there but for what i use them for they serve better the. Reg tires i use hankook ventis v12 evos on. Z32 wheels


Only issues i have is the front i feel there is to much roll . Maybe i need to upgrade my front sway bar? My front consits of megan endlinks tein inner and outer tie rods steering rack ES bushings and alluminum steering bushing.

Any front end recomendations ?

8610s in front and eclipse yellows in back (externally adjustable). Done and done!

Good shocks make for good ride quality. I think this is the point that so many people miss. Bouncy and too stiff =/= performance.

Oh, word?

...but that means guys like me gotta go back to the heavier S13 rear knuckles :(

Z32 yellows, then. But same prob as s13, compress to adjust.

Though you set them to full soft or slightly above and never touch them again.

I usually suggest to take your coilover suspension to Odi @ FEAL if you need an expert advise on suspension. He will literally advised you all the way to best determine what setups would be ideal for track/street/etc.

Any advise over the forum would be too difficult to discuss directly.

Oh wait, you're in Georgia. Call Fortune Auto for advise. They're just as nice and good.

This is primarily the reason why I went with the cheaper Z32 AGX's. In comparison to S13 AGX's, they were cheaper and in comparison to Yellows/Sports, they were cheaper too. They may not be up to Koni quality and performance but for street use and some AutoX, this set up is good enough.

**Also worth noting to others with S13's that if you don't want to go with coilover sleeves and want to use stock style lowering springs, Koni and Bilstein inserts (for the front) will allow you to use stock spring perches. And Z32 rear shocks also fit stock style S13 rear springs and stock upper mounts.**

Stockish. I forget the specs now, but very close to stock.


I honestly forget. Right now they are just road tires since I am on stock wheels still.


I don't mind. I kind of figured that had a lot to do with it. I was hoping there was a way to maybe tune this out, or reduce it some.


Why?


I fogot to mention spring rate is 6k/7k on the coils. I have wanted koni's for so long I just don't trust myself to build them right, nor do I want to fool with z32 rear knuckles.

z32 knuckle bolts on. It's simple

Konis are also very simple to build, and very well documented on here and NRR.

Rear bar will generally cause you pull rear tire, and with a helical that will cause to spin one tire. Though that's primarily in an autox setting. I have a helical in my hatch with stock rear bar and haven't had any problems unless i manage to pick up the wheel entirely.

Fortune auto coils are actually pretty decent, it's when you slam any coil and a basic spring that low that they start acting up...
when going low as long as you order custom valved coils and shorter springs even the cheap ones ride well
I would raise the rear a tiny bit, it's prob the fact its slammed in the rear only and on their basic springs. upgrade to Swift sprigs I have a feeling the bouncyness will dissapear. as for the rest of the corner hugging that's a different issue.
Fortune has amazing custice and if you call them and explain the issue they will recommend the best setings for your ride. I assume he will have revalve your coils and order the shorter springs.and prob get stiffer ones too.

I'm not slammed in anyway. With the z32 I wasn't so much talking about installing them. I meant more the binding issue.

http://zilvia.net/f/showthread.php?t=253365

I didn't realize you had an s14. Either way, some grinding gets you past that.

With an s14, the 3000gt bilstein would be my preference.

I just google that. Interesting stuff. I didn't know blisteins was such a good brand. The last time I looked at the koni option I saw about $1800-2000 worth of parts. I presume that is still the case?

Anybody have anything to say about arms, steering rack, bushings etc?

I just google that. Interesting stuff. I didn't know blisteins was such a good brand. The last time I looked at the koni option I saw about $1800-2000 worth of parts. I presume that is still the case?

Anybody have anything to say about arms, steering rack, bushings etc?

Yes, replace it all lol.

BV is the cheaper good option vs spl. Poly bushings are bad in a 240, as the bushings need to move in more than one axis; poly will just bind and tear.

Koni 86 setup is still ~$2k, but you can do it cheaper with yellows. GC will sell you a full kit with 86/yellows for like $1900 that will bolt right in.

Or do the 3000gt bilstiens.

Or fix the rest of the car, buy real tires, get a decent, more performance-oriented alignment and then see how the car is with the susp you have.

1-I think you could use drop knuckles in the rear....

2-do you get bump steer?

have you been on thread before? I learned a lot of good stuff there:
This is the roll center, suspension pickup, and steering angle modification thread.

http://zilvia.net/f/showthread.php?t=296725&page=207

What's wrong with aftermarket suspension links? I would at least get aftermarket tension rods if nothing else. That will make your suspension feel a lot better.

In a lot of legit official classes, aftermarket adjustable link would put you in a modified class that are full of evos, porsches, etc...and yet our cornering at best would be S2000 on stock size tires >_>

Yea. After a while that thread seem to turn more for track cars. I want this thread to be kinda like that one except just for street cars.

Also this is not just about my car. Please post up your setups. Give advice etc.

If you're talking street car, classes don't matter.

If you're autocrossing a 240, a stock class or street tire class is not the place that car is going to win anyway, realistically.

The problem with everyone posting their setups is that few people have any experience with proper suspension in an s-chassis. And the point lost on many people is that just because it's a street car doesn't mean you shouldn't be putting in legit suspension on it. Real shocks ride sooooo much better than the JDM pick-your-favorite-color setups.

i'd like some advice. i have the FA500 4th Gen's with 6k and 7k spring rates and think they are alright. The car handles very well. Though eventually I want to go back to a good strut/spring package. I'm an older guy and just wanted to try out some coilovers.

I am not tracking my car in anyway and will only be doing spirited driving on the weekends on twisty country roads in TN. And I was thinking about refreshing all the suspension bushings and components. Where should i start? What should i get? Can I keep the stock arms and just worry about bushing replacement?

i am not a complete noob when it comes to suspension. tho most of my experience is for motorcycle suspension setups and turning older motorcycles that aren't supposed to handle well into knee-draggers.

thanks for posting this thread, this is exactly what i was looking for.

E1_griego mentioned earlier that bushings are good to do just not poly bushings. I would like to redo my subframe in Nismo bushings but I can't find just the bushings.

are there other non-poly bushings besides the nismos? i have already seen and been looking at the energy suspension kit.

I haven't seen any.

Nrr thread on bushings.
http://nissanroadracing.com/showthread.php?t=2541

Subframe bushings are about the only place where poly is acceptable (also maybe RLCA since that's two bushings moving together in one axis).

For the rear susp arms, poly is no bueno.

Here's my car's specs:

93 s13 coupe
Tanabe front/rear strut bars
Tein inner/outer tie rods, tein tension rod
Nismo power brace
Stock front sway bar/end links
Whiteline rear sway bar/end links
DMAX SS coils
New OEM flca from pdm couple years ago as well.
Tires are on stock alloys 205/50/15 on some Federal 535 SS, which is just an awful tire. Much prefer something like a Dunlop DZ101.
Anyway, the engine is a KA w/ aem short ram, dc 4-2-1 headers, hi flow cat, rs*r exMag exhaust. Clutch is a act stage 1 w/ chromoly flywheel. Engine is perfect for my taste.

The car is extremely balanced. I drive SoCal twisties like many of us, primarily Little T.

Up next is what is laying around my house & I am going to install are as follows:
Jonnie fraz fender brace
Kazama ruca/toe
SPL traction rod
Whiteline front sway bar
Tomei short shifter/ steering wheel,
I can update this when I have installed the suspension components.

For the people feeling mooshy suspension, I would try simple things. Front/rear strut bar if that's not on the car, tension rods will help with braking, corner entry position & maintaining control of the car mid/corner- the exit. Nismo power Brace further helps with turn in, braking & a very correctable feeling when you do encounter understeer, which won't happen often.

I've been helping a good friend of mine build up his s13. I had him buy my old AGX/tanabe gf210 combo (which is kick ass for shocks/springs), also gave him some Kazama read subframe spacers which make a stock 20 year old car feel a hell of a lot better.
Hopefully this was somewhat helpful for people. I know there are snobs out there ..

subbed for future research... :coold:

It's not about being snob, it's about doing it right the first time :)

The AGX setup that you gave your buddy probably has better damping than most of the cheapy coilovers.

A big front bar with some proper endlinks is the other thing I would recommend, esp. because you can get away with less spring rate that way.

S13 Vert

Stance Pro Comp Coilovers
Circuit Sport Arms
Michelin Hydroedge 215/60/15 Tires on SE
Factory Alignment

Car handles well, however, living in a city such as Houston the ride quality is awful even on full soft. Here the roads are all made of cement instead of asphalt. The one mile I do get of asphalt, I LOVE IT. Car feels a bit bouncy otherwise. Is there a good way to know if spring loading is set right?

Again, it's the shocks, not the springs.

Just the strut bars atleast in my opinion made a difference on my coupe when i first bought it. I still have stock suspension though, but just the strut tower braces i bought for 50 bucks front and rear have held up great over the years.

I'd personally recommend strut tower braces for the first purchase of any cars body re enforcement upgrade. its simple, cheap and noticeably effective.

Anyone know if the Nismo arms justify the price hike over the regular ones? The advertising says they are stiffer but by how much. I'd like to get new rear and front LCAs and I am curious as to how that would translate to driving.

Ok, so Im a little confused... I have ran Energy Suspension Bushings in a lot of cars, none being an S13. So why are they so bad exactly?

Because poly moves in one axis and the control arms in a 240 move in more than one axis.

A poly bushing will just bind and tear or, in extreme cases, can snap the control arm.

Dont bother wasting your money on Nismo arms. From what I saw while I was in japan, they were just beefier version of the stock ones with slightly harder bushings. Nothing to really write home about, you probably wont even feel the difference if you bought brand new OEM arms instead.

So what bushings should a guy upgrade to? I have done some searching but I cant seem to find a good upgrade / replacement bushings for the 23 year old car sitting at my shop?

IMO,either stock rubber or go spherical.

I vote sphericals.....As far as arms go buy cheap and upgrade the links to QA-1 ' s ...

Ch

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The cheap stuff is m16x2.0 instead of 5.8-18 like bv/spl. The aurora rod ends in that pitch are like $50/ea.

That's why I stick to bv and spl.

OP, the first thing you need to do is put the car at stock height, or as close as your coilovers go, (make sure to take care of breaking and re-torquing at the new height, all bolts on bushings) and see what it fixes. Then go from there.

I bet all your problems go away. Except hitting bumps hard... you have harder suspension than stock, you're going to feel bumps harder than stock.

I expect part of the problem is the rear sway bar making it too stiff compared to the front, combined with the LSD and height. And it may be overpowering your coils, and setting up nasty resonances or something. Got a stock one? And it sounds like the rear might not have been aligned properly after lowering, and may have a bad toe setting.

I had my car about the level you do, I used it as a starting point because tein reccomended it (for my shitty basics without independant anything adjustment - I don't know yours, or what they have), and it totally sucked - the damping was less effective at preventing bounce, but was more bone jarring on bumps. I raised it to one inch below stock, and it feels great. Unless you have a comfortable daily, and can have your 240 as a cool (and scary, and spine-shattering) weekend car, I don't think you should be that low. Besides, a daily has to navigate things like speedbumps, and unfamiliar parking lot entrances, and other crap - it's stressful to constantly be worrying what part of your car is going to be ripped off, and planning to prevent it, and having to do rediculous slow manuveres to prevent damage.

Also, drive it more. Find a parking lot if you feel so unsafe, if you don't know what it's limits are you can't even safely NOT push it's limits, right?

Truth^

Sent from my DROID RAZR HD using Tapatalk

How did you like them? I also bought them for around 1800-2000, which is what the Konis would have cost... I really wish I had gone with Koni's, but did not know what I know now.

If that is the case I would just go with OEM. I figured I'd do a mix of adjustable and OEM arms. Ruca/Flca, tie rod, traction rod, all oem, ruca toe and tension rod spl. tie rods, spl/ z33 inner outers.

Bushings, subrame poly bushings. Steering rack, new rubber bushings.

I know I need new tires. I was thinking

http://www.tirerack.com/tires/tires....omCompare1=yes

http://www.tirerack.com/tires/tires....omCompare1=yes

I'm trying to decided if I should go taller and wider, just taller, or just wider.

I want at least a 400 thread rating, with minimum of AA traction rating.

Sway bars don't effect ride quality.

Lower ride height shouldn't play a part in ride quality either (at least on his setup where the spring perch is adjustable so you're not limiting travel and riding the bumpstops) but obviously effects handling because the geometry starts going bad after you lower more than a couple inches.

And let me reiterate that non-compliance and overly stiff/bouncy is not 'performance.' A good shock will still ride ok with stiff springs.

e1_griego you mentioned an alighment earlier. Right now I feel like my toe is off since my car wants to follow grooves in the road. Would you recommend close to stock for alignment or something else. (keeping in mind this car drives 64 miles round trip a day for work)

I'm not really sure what a stock alignment is any more.

In my daily driver s13, I run

Front: -2.5* camber, 0 toe, 7* caster
Rear: -1.5* camber, 1/16* toe in

I should probably take more camber out, but I have a 12 mile round trip commute, and the one time I want to put r-comps on I don't want it to suck.

-2/-1 camber shouldn't be too aggressive on tire wear for you.

if you're selecting tires, how much in corner carving are you looking into? Tires pretty much do more than half of what you can handle on the corners.

If it's dry and wet conditions, I would consider BRIDGESTONE RE-11A or DUNLOP ZII.

If he's commuting 60 miles a day, I don't know that I'd pick top-tier summer tires.

Michelin Pilot Super sports are good all around, as are continental DW. And those will wear a bit better vs the top tier stuff, and still give good wet/dry performance.

The problem here is compromise. You can't have a tire that does it all.

I understand here is what I am looking for. Imagine if a tire had three criteia. Traction, Wear, and Price. Each category affects the other.

1-3 where 3 is best traction, best wear, highest price

I see a no hold bar performance tire as
traction 3, wear 1, price 3

crappy tires
tracion 1, wear 3, price 1

I want a combo

traction 2, wear 2, price 2

Just get 595s like everyone else.

I think they're good but not worth the price that they are going for. I personally do/did not have enough seat time with my car or any car with 8611's so I can't compare but I liked the Pro Comps. Dual damping adjustment for me is an overkill. I couldn't justify owning them so I sold them because all I really needed were some quality shocks and springs to match application.

I can't remember the settings I ran but I used them for both drifting and one autocross event. They held up fine and I got what I wanted out of them for drifting. For autocross, I didn't set up my car the way I was advised to and the car didn't drive the way I wanted it to.

The only feature that Stance has over a Koni application is that off the shelf it comes with independent height adjust ability. That's about it but people have found ways to make Koni's height adjustable. Sure, it takes effort in sourcing or fabing parts but I think overall quality shocks really make a big difference. If you're sponsored by Stance and you get them at a low price/free, that would be the only reason why I would run them over Koni.

So if you have the money to get Koni's, get them. I go nuts whenever friends tell me they're leaning away from getting Koni's because they want to get an off the shelf application. Even if it is for street application, Yellows are still a lot better than a lot of garbage that I see people running lol

I have to wonder now. Is there an off the shelf application that requires no modding (ie 3000gt blisteins) that has damping that is as good or almost as good as Koni's that is height adjustable?

KW Clubsports are probably the only thing. Or ASTs.

Both are quite a bit more expensive.

slightly "below" koni yellows, but not by much, you need to work with ODI @ FEAL SUSPENSION as a local to get exactly what you want out of the car on the suspension. He'll literally spend hours with you to make sure you get the most out of your $1500 coilovers.

Since you're on the otherside, Fortune Auto does the same, but you have to drive to Virginia.

Here is my s13 set up:
vlsd
pbm gen 1 coilovers (very low)
pbm flca/tension rod combo
oem tie rods
suspension technique swap bars
spc ruca, toe arm, traction arm
energy suspension steering rack bushings
megan strut bars
16x7 +18 front 205/50 30psi
17/8.5 +45 rear 225/45 30 psi
-1.5 camber front
-1 camber rear
0 toe all around
don't remember castor but it's close to stock

i drive grip on the mountains and drift on this setup. it has the best of both world. the pbm coilovers are too stiff and will be changed soon. causes bounce. also the car produces close to 400whp so i'd prefer if it squatted a bit more. this setup grips, is very predictable, and gives great feel.

i don't know about s14's but s13's are very dependent on the rear swaybar interms of understeer and oversteer.
i suggest adding a solid steering column bushing for response. and possible subframe bushings and a tension rod brace. also tire type, size, and psi make a huge difference. i get 225/45's for free so i tried to set the car up around them

Very low means your front roll center is underground which means the car handles meh at best, esp with bouncy pbm coils and goofy geometry.

Any car can go drive backroads competently, pretty much. That's why these threads go so screwball. It's my overused phrase, but "limited frame of reference" makes everyone an expert.

Rear bar preferences depend on the rest of the car setup and what you're actually doing with the car.

Tires are still the most important factor, though.

and this is why my post count is low. because i try to give useful info on my experiences, and everyone and there mom wants to correct me on what they think they know about my car

We don't have to worry about the thread getting screwed up. I can delete post at will lol. Plus we can have discussion, he posted his setup and his exp and you gave it a more technical explanation(which I really appreciate btw).

That is kind of what I want for this thread, almost like an entry into suspension geomerty before they dive into the other thread which at this point is can be like advance calculus to some.

I am hoping Def comes in here eventually to drop some knowledge too.....

Since we are own the topic how does one deal with the roll center and bump steer issue, without modifying arms? Is that something someone can "tune" out with an alignment?

Whatever you say.

I take the susp/handling side of 240s more seriously than most (and I've driven a 1st gen set of PBMs and they were awful). I have spent a lot of time and money making an objectively good handling car (despite everyone telling me 240s are only good at drifting) and that's what I try to share in these threads.

Nissanroadracing.com is the place to go learn about how to build a proper handling 240. It's all very well documented.

edit: roll center is fixed by ride height. If you want to be low, then you need drop spindles (or some sort of custom flca/spacer setup). Bumpsteer is a different issue, and that usually involves shimming the tie rod pickup up or down and then using a bumpsteer gauge to track toe change through the travel of the susp (at the extreme). Roll center I would worry about (or don't dump your car) but bumpsteer is less of a problem.

And I appreciate that. I don't particularly care for drifting myself. Not for it or against it. NRR is a great resource yes, I guess this is an attempt to get some of that info to zilvia. We have shit tons of thread of drifting but very little on building a great handling car that isn't a race car.

I figured I'd keep the discussion going delete stuff that is not helpful or along the lines of (I rode XX type of coil and it was great!!!).

I just hope you don't get tired of posting haha

It's a simple formula.

1) good shocks
2) good tires
3) not stupid low ride height
4) an alignment

A sway bar effectively increases your spring rate (on that one side) while cornering. It does nothing if both sides are evenly loaded. It combines a portion of the inside (of the car in relation to the turn) spring's force with the outside spring.


But that aside, since drifters don't want it to properly "dig in", and drifters tend to call the shots with 240s, I'd assume that his sway bar set will have a heavier rear one than is necessary, F/R grip requires softer rear suspension, to let it move fluidly with the front, considering how much less weight it has to compress it. Many people don't like ANY rear sway bar.

I mantain that the first thing he needs to do is put it at stock height, and play with it like that. that and fix his bumpstop issue, be it by coilover adjustment or new coilovers or struts/springs or however....

Yeah I know what a sway bar does :)

The really funny thing is though....That to properly control a car in competition (regardless of specialty), the hot suspension setups are going to be eerily similar...

You guys are right about NRR...reading some of the suspension info there is crazy informative, especially in a few of the autox builds...

@ e1. ..A question regarding sway bar..specifically end links...My s14 is lowered, not excessively, on OEM swaybar endlinks...I've always read that one should connect the bars with suspension at static ride height (and it should be easy)..This is not the case with my ride...The rear in particular is a bitch to mount...Any advice regarding cheap but strong adjustable end links. ..?

@ All... I've forum searched..Posted this in another thread..Does anyone know where I can find concrete info on OEM s14 LCA lengths?

TIA
Ch

Sent from my SM-N900V using Tapatalk

I'll share my set-up since I'm still learning and converting..

S13
MCA Blues
NT05 235/40/17f and 255/40/17r
Sways, strut bars, control arms, etc.

I'm thinking -3.5 and -2/2.5 and 0 toe for the alignment.

My car seems to handle decently, not bad for a skid car. Here's what I run:

Isis "pro" coilovers
Every isis adjutable arm
s14 flca's
PBM modded knuckles (roll center corrected)
Im not sure on the size but it has some beefy swaybars
front and rear strut bars
17x9.5 front, 17x10 rear.
-4* front 0* rear camber
viscous s13 diff
used to have bfg G forces on it as well.

My S14 ,which is my daily driver, has a street inspired setup, but I think it handles pretty well. I can only realistically compare it to my girlfriend's RSX with BuddyClub coilovers,RUCA and Nitto NeoGens(used to have anyway). The steering on it feels way better than mine, I can only guess it's a better firmer front end. I'm not an expert but trying to learn as I go setup wise.

Gen4 Fortune Auto 500 coilovers Front 7k, Rear 6k,clicked to full soft front and back . I am lowered but nowhere near slammed, the back I think is a bit too high actually, I have a raked stance right now. Either I don't notice or something but I don't feel myself bouncing around while driving on the streets.
Whiteline rear subframe bushings.
Rear arms, except for LCA, are SPC arms which have harder rubber bushings than OEM.
Alignment is (F/R): ~ -2°/-1.5° Camber.(F/R): 0.0“/ 1/16” Toe. (Was anyway I need to have it realigned).
Tires are Brigdestone Potenza RE92A, size 205/50/16 (IIRC) on S14 SE wheels.
I have a vlsd which I'm pretty sure is worn out.
Sway bars, well to be honest I think the front one is OEM and I don't think I have a rear.


I wanted to have a firmer and more direct steering feel (closer to the RSX mentioned above), and I keep reading that I should try to stiffen up the front end. I have Battle Version tension rods which I haven't put in yet, I want to get a front strut bar, Nismo Power brace or StealthFab tension rod brace, and fender brace. Those who have better suspension knowledge, like e1_griego, can please comment on improvements or suggestions.



EDIT: The tire model I might have to double check, now I'm not sure if it's that exact model.

However you need to position the arms to mount a sway bar is just fine, there's no bushings of the type that will blow out. I seem to remember I had the easiest time letting my suspension fully droop.

Far from an expert here, but I feel confident in saying a wheel/tire change could help your steering feel. 60 is a pretty tall sidewall and you could be getting a fair amount of flex from them.

So you have stock tension rods up front right now?

Yeah put those tension rods and a StealthFab brace in, and your front suspension/steering will feel lightyears better. Get some urethane or solid steering rack bushings as well.

Came to say tension rods. They will give you the biggest improvement in handling, compared to other arm upgrades, by far. Driving 240s without upgraded tension rods makes me want to throw up, now that I've seen the light XD

My $.02 I say go with a front sway bar and leave the rear stock. If you are looking on the cheaper side of things Koni Yellows with good springs. If you want a step up from that go with a custom coilover setup using Koni shocks. Or just buy some KW V3s and call it a day.

Good thread. Tagged for later.

Yup yup yup.

If you are looking for more than a street setup I would go with something other than V3s (6k/4k, no camber plates and voided warranty if you add them) but prob the best bolt-on street setup.

I've seen braces for the fender too. Do those do anything or for show?

I'm betting they work quite well, but I have no experience with them yet.

Ok... So all this chatter; what about things like Tein EDFC? Where you get dampening control?

They work, but it's because the reinforcement between cargo body and front fenders are flimsy at best.

I prefer shock tower plates myself as it reinforces the shock tower to the firewall. The fender braces are just 'additional' braces, but felt more like addition reinforcement than adding regitity.

I'm waiting until spring/summer time to get different wheels and better tires.


Yea, stock tensions rods. I'll add steering rack bushings to the list of stuff to get.

What about the EDFC? I mean the only ability you get is you're able to adjust damping remotely. I would go as far as to say it's for people that don't want to get out of their cars to adjust it themselves.

But even then, people think the number of clicks in damping adjustment is what makes a coilover go from "comfortable" to racing. So an EDFC is commonly used like some sort of switch to "dial" in "adjustments" to suit the mood.

Bad damping is still bad.

I havent ridden or driven any tein stuff that impressed me.

Agreed.....The only plus I can see to something like the EDFC and similar products would be for a street car (ie: comfort) or for a long distance endurance racer in changing weather, specifically say dry to rain then back where being able to soften the setup for wet conditions would be beneficial. However as e1_griego keeps hammering good dampening is essential to good ride quality.

Ch

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The number of clicks don't contribute to the stiffness of of the ride?

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The number of clicks don't fix the valving of the shock.

If I had it to do over again I would go with a Koni setup over the KWs. I got them for a good price but after I got some decent camber plates/mounts I could have been within a couple hundred bucks of the 8611/8610 setup.
I have 8610s on my Subaru and they are badass for the price.
Oh, and spending $4000 on forged wheels and then slapping on some shitty tires is retarded. So many people here only care about the "cool" factor. I spent as much money on tires as I spent on wheels and would do it again in a heartbeat. My cast wheels haven't shattered into a million pieces as some might suggest.