I am planning on the best damn handeling RX-7 in all NW AR.

I think awhile ago somewhere i saw a Tri point rear strut brace (both towers and to the chassis) Anyone of something like this.

Anyone remember seeing the tri point Front strut braces on ebay for 65bux i peice, i would really like to find this guy and get one frfrom him instead of 272 from Mazdatrtix.

Anyon have the tanabe Sustec under brace bar ? If so what are your thoughts Or would u reccomed the Cusco under brace over it ?

All of this in my quest for best damn handeling street driven car in NW AR.

Thanx guys.

 

Cusco or Tanabe are both very sturdy looking pieces. I got the GAB some years ago. It doesn't look as beefy as those others but it hasn't had any problems. Something is better than nothing. You will feel the difference right away.

 

Where can I get a good deal for a Rear Strut Cusco Bar?

 

I have the Cusco bar hanging on the wall of my garage. It would not clear my exhaust headers and I could not tell a difference with or with out it on the race car so it had to go.

Save your money for more important things than extra braces. Unless you are on a road course and can tell a difference in grip with a change of .5 degree of camber in my opinion it will be a waste of money.

Start with buying a set of coilovers and a set of shocks properly valved for the spring rate used. And the most overlooked portion of the suspension TIRES. All the suspension mods in the world can't give you grip with hard, cheap, touring tires.

I assume because you posted this in the 2nd Gen Specific forum you are planning mods to a 2nd Gen which is somewhat different than your nick name would suggest.

 

Ya i made the name before i really looked into getting and RX-7, and i thought the name sounded cool.


ThePartsTrader: Yah i have a 87 base, i have a few questions.

What header do you run ? Since i am 17 and poor, i am going to be getting the KYB AGX shocks, what springs would be best for the application ? What tires would you recommend that would offer a good balance of wet and dry conditions ? Would wider tires acually providee better grip, due to more contact path ?

 

you mean this?

http://www.nopistons.com/forums/inde...T&f=23&t=10238

it is made by a rotary shop near toronto ontario, called CP racing

check the canadian forum and do a search... u will find both a contact info any many praise from customers

 

Blah, blah, blah...

Tires will yield far better results than some ricey brace. Get a decent suspension first, then some R-compound tires. I had AGX/Pro-kit and ST bars with Kumho Victoracers and could personally out handle 90% of all vehicles on the road. Total investment was under $2K. a very nice setup and it worked so much better than some stupid rear strut brace. Get a decent suspension first and learn how to drive, you're only 17 so you have a lot of catching up to do.

Just remember, a softly sprung car can generate more conering power than a stiff car.


BTW, a base car doesn't have a LSD. Getting a LSD installed will help with the handling.

 

A softly sprung car and a stiff car are two separate things. Get the bars. They are not "ricey" but are actually very functional. They are relatively cheap and unless you are numb to anything you do to your car you will feel (and enjoy) the difference. I'd hope that a suspension setup that just comes in under $2,000 is better than a $100 rear strut tower bar. The bars stiffen the frame so your suspension can do it's job. Do the suspension and the tower bars. If you want a good handling car, you must touch upon many areas of the car to make it all come together.

But do get seat time at a autocross or lapping day so you can learn how to drive to your or your cars limits. You'll never get close to any limits on the street. how else will you know it's the best handling car in your area unless you wring it out. Just buying a bunch of parts won't do. A good driver can make a bad car seem good. A bad driver has no hope. Get seat time and practice.

Keep this in mind as well - everything you do to you car you are doing to make your tires work better. Wider tires are better. But wide cheap tires aren't all that good. Wide, good tires is what you want. These cost. Don't cheap out on the tires. They are the only thing touching the road. But get a good alignment to get the most out of them if you haven't done so already done so.

BTW, there are no definitive answers to the perfect setup. All drivers are different. They all like different setups. Making power is straightforward, but suspension setups are really a black art.

 

My car has a header that is not any major name brand but is an exact ripoff of the racing beat road race header. The only difference is that there is no "RB" cut into the exhaust flange at the motor.

I have KYB AGX shocks on the race car with Ground-Control Coilovers (~425 lbs front / ~300lbs rear) and they are garbage with that high of a spring rate. KYB AGX shocks are just fancy street shocks. For them to work properly I would not suggest having springs any stiffer than what the Eibach Pro or Sport kit comes in. And if I remember correctly the KYB warranty is void if they are installed with anything other than OEM springs.

As for the tires I have no suggestions. The last two sets of tires I have bought for an RX-7 have been full slicks. It has been about 7 years since I bought performance tires for the street. At that time my choice was the Sumitomo HTR-Z, I am not even sure if those are made anymore.

For some pics of my suspension setup hit the photo album here. http://briefcase.yahoo.com/thepartstrader/

 

we have yokohama avs dbs on the 7

They're stick and they handle like mad..

Anyway.. I'll soon be moving back to Southwest MO

we'll come down to your neck of the woods an see whose car handles better.


where in NW Arkansas are you anyway? I'll be movin back to Springfield..

 

i have the K2rd coilovers. or the street they're a bit much, i think they're like 350 lbs up front and 300 rear. I'm thinking of going with something softer like under 300 lbs. It's just crazy stiff. I have yet to see how it does on the track, but so far on the street it plants itself flat through the corners.

 

we already have an RX7 club in Springfield. The web site isn't much, but I am going to address that at the next meet.
yahoo club SPRX-7
if you wanna drop a line my email is ijason@mchsi.com

 

I installed the Cusco front underbrace yesterday, maybe its just my imagination, but it seems like the car doesn't creak as much going up driveways diagonally, and steering seems to be a little more substantial, but no noticible improvement in handling. Nice cheap upgrade.

 

That's what it does. It stiffens the body. It doesn't directly improve handling, but it will stiffen the frame and make the suspension work instead allowing the body to flex under load. If also give you better feel. That better feel can help you as a driver place the car where you want it better. That's not something that can be quantitatively measures but who cares? It's all about having more fun behind the wheel.

 

Hehehe Yeah! What Jason said!

GET TO SPRINGFIELD!

 

Just as long as it's not Springfield, Illinois. Avoid that place at all costs.

 

heres a pic of the cusco rear bar in my car...

 

I'm torn between the cusco rear bar and having one custom made like the 4 point tripoint racing one.