There are a few things i'd like to strenghten up to step up my suspension game.
As some of you know, i'm going to start drifting, gymkhana and auto x.

The rear stock camber links that attach to the subframe on the L&R sides:

The bushings; are they able to be torched out? I can have the id measured and use the oe bushing sleeve and have some made out of nylon for a good price. What would i have to gain out of this aside from having my suspension keep it's geometry through a corner?

The subframe main mounts, engine mounts:

Hockey pucks ok to use here? Could I get away with running one and a washer stack to make up the difference? Will this lower the subframe any?


What about for motor mounts but instead of using the stock "cup system" i would like to put a bolt completely through the entire assembly AND the front crossmember AND use really large/thick washers. Do you think that bolt would be under alot of shearing force after this? Right now i'm stock n/a s4 but i am going to get megasquirt and a wideband some time this year and start gathering up my turbo goodies through next year. Aiming for 280-300whp.

Diff mounts:

These can be torched out as well, correct? Could i use nylon here without any negatives. Extra vibration doesn't bother me.


My current suspension setup is as follows:

Jic magic coilovers w/pillowball camber plates
Megan racing anti bump steer kit (pillowball)
Secret element tie rods (on the way)
MMR DTSS ELIMS
Mazdatrix rear camber link
New oe style front lower ball joints

To take up slop elsewhere i'm going to pick up a full poly kit from mazdatrix or elsewhere before the year is out.


Yes, I am "Planning" to cut corners in some areas but i'd like more input before i set things in stone. You guys are VERY necessary to my build up as you have more experience than I do so your opinions are valued.

Thanks alot!

Brandon

 

sounds like you got a good plan

http://www.ziptied.com/forums/index....2422#msg132422

 

I love you.

(no homo)


His suspension is slop free. I wanted to use hockey pucks and nylon over aluminum just to have SOME comfort. So is the sway bar really unecessary? Even with what i have now? If that's the case, i'll just pass on the full bushing kit and go with the poly front lca bushings and poly lower ball joint dust/grease covers. Yes?

 

Gymkata.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-gTkUcXGF_Q

I remember laughing at this as a kid. They got some gymnist tool, pretended he knew martial arts, and based a movie around it.

john

 

his suspension is pretty pimp. Sadly rarely do you see this type of information/mods come accross rx7 club, people will typically say stock is good enough

check this out
http://www.gtfactory.jp/cms/e107_plu...4.10#post_4072

 

Get the MMR UHMW diff and subframe mounts. If you use solid diff AND subframe mounts you can use a solid front diff mount.

I have a welded OEM front diff mount, and MMR subframe and diff mounts and the car is pretty quiet. A little gear wine at highway speed, and some drivetrain clunking can be heard in lower gears, but it is pretty liveable. There is NO vibration or resonance in my car.

For the camber links, buy the individual adjustable links and be done with it. Keep the OEM rubber rear trailing arm bushings if you want to cut corners. That way you will be able to adjust toe and camber individually. Get poly front arm bushings, and front sway bar bushings. Also, adjustable sway bar endlinks are nice, but you don't need them right away.

I don't really like the "through bolt" style motor and tranny mounts, but they will get the job done.

Torching the diff and subframe mounts out will not work. You need a 5 lb hammer, punches and/or chisels, and PB blaster. I had both rear diff mounts out, and the delrin ones installed within 2 minutes of removing the diff from the car.

You want to use a similar process on the sub frame, but there is a lip from the bushing housing that hangs over the top of the subframe. Hit that with your punch and chisel, and use the PB blaster as lube. I did my diff and subframe bushings in about 2 hours end to end.

I haven't tried my car without the rear sway bar yet, but at my next track day I will in back to back sessions and see what it does.

There is no real need to buy a full poly kit if you go this route. You just need F&R poly swaybar bushings, and poly front arm bushings. Leaving the rear arm bushing rubber and being able to precisely align the car is better than putting a poly bushing back there and not being able to adjust it evenly, and making the suspension bind.

 

Be prepared to have other things break when you don't use rubber (or close to it) mounts. All that energy has to go somewhere. If the mount is not absorbing any of it, it will find another weakspot. Things get pricey from there on out. If you are still set on solid mounts, identify potential weak points elsewhere and reinforce those areas as well. Otherwise you'll find yourself chasing rabbits.

My advice: Make sure the car runs good, and take it out the way it is, that way you'll appreciate the upgrades you make, as well as learn without bandaids.

 

Agreed to that. In the future though i'd like to stiffen things up. Some things ARE on their way out the door and i'd rather replace them with aftermarket over stock. I took my rear carriers out today and looked at my dtss bushings. RUST CHUNKLINGS EVERYWHERE. It was horrible. A bunch of spiders made their nest in my driver's side unit..... Probably from the car sitting so long. Naturally i dropped the assembly and hosed them down with brake klean until they stopped moving. I hate f-ing spiders......

I did slide my car around stock. It was dangerous and felt like crap. Alot of stuff was blown/worn out/unacceptable...... Car had a set of broken s5 rear sway endlinks and the car is an s4. Trust me, if i had cash money, i wouldn't have paid more than $400 for the car and that's with a rotorsports racing engine rebuild with less than 4k on it. I just have 2 oil leaks i have to take car of and the ENGINE IS TIP TOP. Trust me, the car has been on jackstands for atleast 8 months now being built/taken apart/etc.....


Hypertek: No knuckle mods yet. That comes later. In another thread someone said: "I have neither the power nor skill to use that much angle" I believe i'm in the same boat. For sure. I'll be happy with the 10 to 15 degrees the secret element/megan combo will give me.


So, what we have is:

MMR Diff and subframe bushings
Solid front diff mount
Poly FLCA bushings
Poly swaybar bushings

and leave everything else alone?