Mags

I want to upgrade the suspension on my 1985 GSLSE.

Basically I want a nice, quiet ride. I'm not racing the vehical. I want a setup that will handle the perilous downtown portland streets. (if you catch my drift)

1. Shocks - which would be the best I could purchase?

2. Springs - Again, which would be the best to purchase?

3. Bushings - ?

4. Struts - ?

5. Any other hardware upgrade suggestions would be appreciated,

Essentially I want the best setup I can find, something that will last a very long time. I want a setup that will of course be compatible with the RX-7 GSLSE.

Thanks in advance for all given information.

M.

SilverRocket

For struts/shocks, there are a number of choices. A good choice would be the Tokico Illumina adjustables, since you can tweak up the stiffness for sunday drives and the soften em up to drive to work. I've got the Tokico non-adjustables, simply because they're half the price and I'm a college student lol. I'd stay away from the usual KYB, Monroe, etc, as they aren't really oriented to sportscars. They are also Koni's available, but I think you need to modify the front strut insert in some way, so probably not what you're lookin for. There are also some Bilstein's available that are apparently stiffer than the Tokico's, but very expensive and probably not what you want.

For springs, I'd say go with RB, although it doesn't matter that much. Most people say they're marginally better than the competition. Although, you might want to check out the Suspension Techniques springs, as they're a progressive-rate design and are supposed to be a pretty nice ride for the street. I think Eibach's are supposed to be a little stiffer than the rest.

If you want to go more extreme, Ground Control has a coilover setup available for the front end that isn't too expensive. You get adjustable ride height, etc. Pretty cool.

Another idea...Did you ever think of just replacing with stock components? Your whole suspension is probably very worn out now. If you only want the nice ride and great handling your RX-7 had when it was new, why not get all new Mazda shocks/springs/bushings? You would probably be more than happy with the result. I'm not really sure the performance stuff is gonna give you the ride you want. I wouldn't get into the poly bushings and all that without expecting a much firmer and noisier ride.

riffraff

what would be the advantages/disadvantages of going to coil overs?

SilverRocket

From the Ground Control website:

Commonly called a “Coil-Over kit”, this kit has all the pieces needed to convert the front struts on your RX-7 to 2 1/2 inch I.D. racing springs. In addition to the ability to set the ride height almost wherever you want, you can also adjust corner weights, roll center height and change spring rates quickly and easily. These kits come with an Eibach race spring (your choice or our recommendation), a two piece threaded height adjustment sleeve machined from 7075 T-6 seamless aluminum tubing, and a billet aluminum upper spring perch. The existing lower spring perch (welded to the strut) remains as stock on the street kits, but is replaced with a lower profile version on the race kits. This minor welding takes about 5 minutes per strut.

Check it out:

http://www.ground-control.com/gcrx7cat.htm

There's a bunch of other sweet suspension goodies too.

Mags

Thank you SilverRocket.

I'm looking into all alternatives here, tokico's eibach's, koni's etc. etc.

As well as purchasing the stock suspension for the 85 GSLSE. Unfortunaltey its not going to be cheap but it sure is worth every penny.

Thanks again.

M.

nipplebandit45

Im getting a set of Koni adjustables for the rear of my car from a guy on this board. but now I am thinking about what comes next. What springs should I switch to? I like the looks of the ground control coilovers, but I dont know if that is what I want or need. Id like to be able to hold as much over 1g as possible, but I know that i willl be limited by my tires... what are decent springs?

Here is a hint. I know less than jack **** about this. Im just shooting from the hip here. what are the general recomendations?

Mike

riffraff

well i was thinking about getting a set of tokico adjustables and some rb springs. but i am really in the same boat as you, i know **** about springs too

85RX7GS

iTrader: (1)

Tokico Blues or Illuminas and Eibach Springs are supposed to be good.

SilverRocket

Well, in my mind the GC setup is the coolest since you can run any different spring rate you want, as well as it being pretty similar in price to the alternatives. Obviously you'd need hardcore shocks to run those crazy spring rates though.

I've actually heard that GC operates on an individual sale basis - ie. they talk to you and try to determine your ideal setup for what you want to do, before they sell you anything. If I run into any money this summer, I'm thinking of going this way.

I don't really know **** about this stuff either.

For tires though, the best I've seen for stock rims are the Yoko AVS Intermediates. They're discontinued, and you can still buy em from Tire Rack for super cheap. RXcetera on this board has some 205/60's on his stock rims, and holy **** those things stick like glue. I'm running some 205/60 Toyo Proxes H4's on 14x6 rims, which are pretty nice but not in the same league as the Yoko's. If you really want some stick, look into the DOT-R compounds - there are numerous companies that make these for 13 inch rims. They're expensive though, and last no time.

I'm sure 15/16 inch wheels and low profile tires would handle well, but I don't know if it'd be worth the extra cash... I think the Yoko AVS's on 13" rims would be very close.

Directfreak

iTrader: (2)

LOL!

For a bunch of people who don't know Jack Schitt,
you sure do give alot of advice.

Hey, I can't talk either, I DO KNOW JACK SCHITT and it hasn't made any difference.

Seriously, does anybody here know for sure? I am looking at the good examples cited above.

I want to improve my SE's handling specifically to take the power of my TII project, and because the suspension is all original.

Will the Guru's out there also tell us who don't knowJack Schitt,
some details about Sway Bars, Urethene Bushings, & Strut Bars as well as the springs/strut questions?

Thanks.

P.S. Make sure you click on the Jack Schitt links as well.

SilverRocket

ROFL!!!

If you REALLY want to know, why don't you get in touch with Mazdatrix, Racing Beat, Ground Control, etc... and let them figure out the best setup for your needs. Then you can post it up here so we'll all know too

In all seriousness, I think everyone's ideal setup really depends on what they want their car to do.

The reason I say I don't know **** is because I don't have most of this stuff on my car. I've driven other gens and kinds of cars with fancy setups, but not FBs. So all the stuff I'm saying is from people I know, have talked to or info I've read on forums, etc. But I've done a lot of that lol.

Here's my don't-know-**** limited info lol:

Bigger, adjustable sway bars are supposed to be really good and improve handling noticeably. You should go with a matched kit (front and rear) so you get the intended handling balance. There's a bunch of people that make them.

Poly bushings are a big improvement over worn-out stock rubber bushings. They make the handling feel much more direct and responsive. You should do everything in the front end. BUT - be careful with anything in the rear, as you will accentuate the inherent problems in the rear suspension.

Strut bars look nice, but there are mixed opinions on whether they make any noticeable difference for street cars. For cars that do a lot of extremely hard cornering, they make handling more predictable and consistent at the limit where the car starts to flex. Some people say they make the car feel more responsive and quicker-handling, but some people can't feel any difference.

Montrealer

Ok this is my opinion about the matter...


SHOCKS & struts:

shocks go fist because they are the most important, unfortunately I myslef am in search of the proper setup for my current application but...

tokico HP's good stock replacements no more

Many racers in my area do not have much regard for tokico shocks because they are not very reliable ( they are always blowing out)

koni: I havent found an externally ajustable set that can be fitted without lots of $$$

Bilstein: im still looking into those



Springs:

ebach prokits ~ 171 front 110 rear (progressive springs)
tokico ~ same spring rates as ebach but spring
origin/ make??? good thing is they are dirt cheap

Racing beat 145 front 121 rear (best balance)

now if you want street performance without too much teeth grinding you will probably want one of those...

coilovers (threaded collars) these things contrary to pular belife are not inteded to be used only to raise and lower your car... its all about corner wieghts, if your race regularly and plan on taking the time and $$$ to try different corner weight ajustments to optimise handling perfromance then the coilover is for you, if not, in my opinion its not worth it. not to mention that in most of these types of applications the spring is allot shorter than the stock ones= less suspension travel before the springs is load free this means that it can actually"pop out" of its seat (and they do, you can hear the clunking sounds)

if the above setups for springs seems to soft, then I would recomend non ajustable springs that you choose your spring rates the choice can be done by taking say a "good" front rear ratio like the racingbeat setup and keeping the same ratio but increasing the rates (this is not the best way but its a good starting point) usually the people selling these types of springs will take the time to evaluate your current setup and application to make the best choice.

Anti swaybars:

I would recomend getting poly bushings for the front bar (the bigger bar is not necessairy for most applications) and leave the old bushings in the rear or buy new stock ones. If you feel like dishing out the cash for a rear ajustable swaybar,it gives nice quick ajustability of the oversteer/understeer characteristics of the car (ex: it takes about 3mins to change the setting before or during an auto-x event, you never know if its going to be one of those tight quick transition type track or the long sweeper type or...)
but if its for a street only aplication its not necessary at all.

Montrealer

oh i forgot the MOST important thing... if you are doing your suspension work to take those thurns faster, get the better time at solo I solo II events or other the FIRST thing you will want to do is get yourself a set of R-compound tires

khumos V700, toyo Ra-1,Yokohama A-032 132$

Yes they are expensive but they are well worth it in my opinion. I see the khumos as an EVENT only tire wheras the ra-1 and a-032 would be more suited for street driving.

I personally have a set of toyo Ra-1, I was supposed to use them as a EVENT only tire but after trying them I was hooked

Directfreak

iTrader: (2)

WOW..Thanks.

So I will call Racing beat, and get the lowdown.

Sounds like I will need the:

Racing Beat Springs
Tokico Illuminas
Front Sway Bar
Polyurethane Bushings up front
Replace stock Rear bushings with new Mazda ones
Stock Rear sway bar - leave in intact
Tower Brace

Sounds about right?

SilverRocket

You're gonna be one happy man

Directfreak

iTrader: (2)

DAMN I Hope so...

riffraff

just make sure that you have a decient set of rims and tires on that pupy. otherwise, as montrealer said, you will not be able to fully enjoy the new suspension

sberge01

So - directfreak - are you happy with the setup? Any tips / tricks for installing? I have the new shocks and springs...I need to get new bushings all around and want to find out if this job is tooooo big for a shade-tree mechanic...

Manntis

I found that the RB front swaybar makes a nice difference in handling (cornering faster with confidence) but the poly bushings make the car sound like a broken down mid 70's piece of schitt.

I'm actually considering putting the stock bar back in with new rubber bushings just to get rid of all that swueaking and creaking.