2nd Generation Specific (1986-1992) 1986-1992 Discussion including performance modifications and technical support sections.

cheap suspension upgrade Q's

Thread Tools
 
Search this Thread
 
Old Sep 6, 2005 | 07:47 PM
  #1  
darksider's Avatar
Thread Starter
Rotary Enthusiast
Tenured Member 05 Years
 
Joined: Aug 2005
Posts: 1,103
Likes: 0
From: OH
cheap suspension upgrade Q's

i cant afford coilovers yet so i want an alternative. tell me some cheap suspention upgrades excluding struts/shocks. this is waht i was thinking so far and ohh yeah im a newbie with little background on suspention. my car is a 90 GXL coupe 5 lugs

- OBX Camber Kits. it comes with front and rear
- Eibach Camber Alignment Kit. only front but cost more then OBX. why is that?
* im planning on stayin with the stock wheels so are theses neccesary? ive seen coilovers with camber pillow, do they do the same thing as theses camber kits?

- Springs. i want to use factory struts/shocks to make use of the adjustable suspension. is that even possible? any disadvantages? recommend good spings including the amount of hight drop.
- strutbars. want it to clear the plactic piece covering that controls the suspention. is there a way to get strutbars for the rear without modification?
- Bushing. i seen the master bushing set.... but i want to replace all if possible so name a company that has a full set.

if theres anything else thats cheap and would impove my suspension, feel free to post. thanks

one more thing, if this is all just crap please tell me so that i dont waste my money and just save up for coilovers. thanks
Reply
Old Sep 6, 2005 | 09:14 PM
  #2  
Cobra_R's Avatar
Still learning
Tenured Member 05 Years
 
Joined: Dec 2003
Posts: 638
Likes: 0
From: Elk Grove, CA
u can get a lot of that stuff from corksport.com
Reply
Old Sep 6, 2005 | 10:13 PM
  #3  
uRizen's Avatar
XBL** Ownicus
Tenured Member 15 Years
iTrader: (2)
 
Joined: Mar 2004
Posts: 1,529
Likes: 0
From: St. Paul, Minnnesota
Is there a good place to get just the bushings for the front strut bar links? The rubber ones have long been shredded.

I've seen that Victoria British has some listed in their catalog, but I"m unsure how well they'd work since I haven't run into anyone that's used them before (they're $20 for a set of eight I think.)
Reply
Old Sep 6, 2005 | 11:16 PM
  #4  
RSVampire's Avatar
Full Member
Tenured Member 05 Years
 
Joined: Nov 2004
Posts: 130
Likes: 0
From: Morgan Hill, California
you can buy a full suspension kit from energy suspension. They are urethane and come impregnated with graphite so they won't squeek. only like $89 from this place http://www.energysuspensionparts.com...rds=&ShowMe=30
Reply
Old Sep 7, 2005 | 12:20 AM
  #5  
darksider's Avatar
Thread Starter
Rotary Enthusiast
Tenured Member 05 Years
 
Joined: Aug 2005
Posts: 1,103
Likes: 0
From: OH
no answer to any of the questions? thanks for the link, its exaclty what i was lookin for.
Reply
Old Sep 7, 2005 | 12:42 AM
  #6  
RETed's Avatar
Lives on the Forum
Tenured Member 10 Years
 
Joined: Feb 2001
Posts: 26,664
Likes: 22
From: n
Originally Posted by darksider
- OBX Camber Kits. it comes with front and rear
- Eibach Camber Alignment Kit. only front but cost more then OBX. why is that?
* im planning on stayin with the stock wheels so are theses neccesary? ive seen coilovers with camber pillow, do they do the same thing as theses camber kits?
Stay away from that ****.
They are just "crash bolts" or eccectric bolts.
They work okay in the front, but they don't do jack **** in the rear - the vendors seem to have conveniently not mention that in their ads.
To do it properly, you really need to run front camber plates for the front.
Rear camber is not that big of a deal, but we're trying to minimize excessive negative camber instead of dial in more; this is due to the fact that when you start to drop the chassis, the rear camber goes negative really fast!


- Springs. i want to use factory struts/shocks to make use of the adjustable suspension. is that even possible? any disadvantages? recommend good spings including the amount of hight drop.
Cheap?
It's hard to beat the Racing Beat springs.


- strutbars. want it to clear the plactic piece covering that controls the suspention. is there a way to get strutbars for the rear without modification?
Cheap?
Check out eBay.
The Mazdaspeed design is the least "invasive", but it still requires to drill a bunch of holes through carpet and the rear strut tower "housing".


- Bushing. i seen the master bushing set.... but i want to replace all if possible so name a company that has a full set.
Energy Suspenion is about as complete as you can get.
Mazda Comp (now Mazdaspeed) sells delrin ones, but they are too harsh for the street.


if theres anything else thats cheap and would impove my suspension, feel free to post. thanks

one more thing, if this is all just crap please tell me so that i dont waste my money and just save up for coilovers. thanks
It depends what you want to do to the car, and what your goals are...
Racing costs money - it's very hard to get away cheap.
One of the quickest ways to get the car to handle better is TIRES; too bad tires usually cost a lot!

Learn how to drive better - it's amazing how little people know how to drive properly when compared to a seasoned veteran.
It's very easy to get caught up in the "upgrade game".

Work harder and save money...
I know the temptation to spend money and keep things cheap is always there, especially when you don't have that much to spend.
In the long run, it's better to save money and spend on quality components then to keep replacing stuff - purchase once and don't worry about it again, I say...


-Ted
Reply
Old Sep 7, 2005 | 11:45 AM
  #7  
darksider's Avatar
Thread Starter
Rotary Enthusiast
Tenured Member 05 Years
 
Joined: Aug 2005
Posts: 1,103
Likes: 0
From: OH
thanks REDtec youre the man, and by the way camber kits and camber plates are two different things? i will try to maintain stock hight when doing spriong swap. if not it should just be an inch or two drop. if there is a drop when i get the springs then i should get the camber kits?

the srpings will fit directly on the stock struts/shocks?
i seen springs for turbo fc will they work on my n/a?
any strutbars without modifications?
thanks
Reply
Old Sep 7, 2005 | 02:06 PM
  #8  
jhammons01's Avatar
Carter 2.0
Tenured Member 10 Years
 
Joined: Jun 2004
Posts: 6,262
Likes: 7
From: Irvine Ca.
HAHA "REDtec"!!!

REDtec: a close relative of the redneck not to be confused however with a "Bubba" LOL

Attached Thumbnails cheap suspension upgrade Q's-dumb_ass3.jpg  
Reply
Old Sep 7, 2005 | 10:47 PM
  #9  
RETed's Avatar
Lives on the Forum
Tenured Member 10 Years
 
Joined: Feb 2001
Posts: 26,664
Likes: 22
From: n
Originally Posted by darksider
thanks REDtec youre the man, and by the way camber kits and camber plates are two different things?
Most of the time, it is.
Front camber plates should be priced more like $200.
Most of them are in the $150 to $200 range brand new.


i will try to maintain stock hight when doing spriong swap. if not it should just be an inch or two drop. if there is a drop when i get the springs then i should get the camber kits?
I would try and keep it around 1" of drop.
Anything over that induces HUGE negative camber in the rear that cannot easily be dialed out.
Too much negative camber in the rear hurts acceleration and induces premature uneven tire wear (insides).


the srpings will fit directly on the stock struts/shocks?
Racing Beat ones are direct replacements for stock, yes.


i seen springs for turbo fc will they work on my n/a?
What NA model do you have?
The turbo springs are identical to GXL, '88 GTU, and '89 - '90 GTUs springs.


any strutbars without modifications?
For front, they all typical drop-in.
For rears, the Mazdaspeed one needs drilling.
Almost all the other rear strut tower bars require you to cut a hole in the rear strut towers.


-Ted
Reply
Old Sep 8, 2005 | 12:19 PM
  #10  
darksider's Avatar
Thread Starter
Rotary Enthusiast
Tenured Member 05 Years
 
Joined: Aug 2005
Posts: 1,103
Likes: 0
From: OH
i know this is a dumb question but can you explain all this camber stuff, all this camber ish is making my head spin. and sorry i posted the wrong question earlier. camber KITS are a kit and would not have any relationships to camber plates since camber plates are parts of a camber KIT. am i correct?

i also want to know the relationship between camber plates and camber pillows (camber kits too if there is a difference). which can i get for my car to correct camber when getting mazdaspeed spings.

oh and i notice this sqeeky sound commin from the rear (i thinks its the diff housing or the suspension or even the mounts)when im goin over speed bumps. care to explain. thanks
Reply
Related Topics
Thread
Thread Starter
Forum
Replies
Last Post
HalifaxFD
Canadian Forum
126
May 9, 2016 07:06 PM




All times are GMT -5. The time now is 11:03 PM.