suspension. new mods
11-09-06, 04:09 PM
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suspension. new mods
ok well the tuneup is done like every1 recomended now its time for the upgrades.
i figured best upgrades would be
exhaust
intake
suspension
who makes the best for each?
i saw racingbeats stuff reasonably priced and nice equipment
what about port and polish stuff?
i figured best upgrades would be
exhaust
intake
suspension
who makes the best for each?
i saw racingbeats stuff reasonably priced and nice equipment
what about port and polish stuff?
11-09-06, 04:16 PM
#3
well you should post of your car model, and tell us if its turbo or na. If its na dont go to crazy. But if thats your definition of the project on an na car. then be my guest. If its a turbo, well honestly im not gonna lie. I havent modified my turbo, i tend to use my na more often. so i wouldnt know much on turbos.
as far as an na goes. K&N filters are nice, so are apexi. Racing beat gives off a good vibe. and sounds really good. The metal is nice and reliable. if your gettin racing beat exhaust might as well get the downpipe they make. suspension, well i would say tein but thats big bucks. (again to expensive for an na unless ur wallet is fat and full of cash). Tokico makes good suspension kits. I have a set myself. works great.
porting? get a massive street port. (NA).
once again this information is for a na, seeing that im not well experience with turbos.... YET lol
as far as an na goes. K&N filters are nice, so are apexi. Racing beat gives off a good vibe. and sounds really good. The metal is nice and reliable. if your gettin racing beat exhaust might as well get the downpipe they make. suspension, well i would say tein but thats big bucks. (again to expensive for an na unless ur wallet is fat and full of cash). Tokico makes good suspension kits. I have a set myself. works great.
porting? get a massive street port. (NA).
once again this information is for a na, seeing that im not well experience with turbos.... YET lol
11-09-06, 04:23 PM
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sorry its an 88 na. i might do the porting as i would have to remove the engine right? but i was lookin at doing a full reacing beat exhaust and tokico or koni shocks and a suspension package from racing beat, it already has a kn cone filter
11-09-06, 04:41 PM
#5
oh, i see. I did not know the car came with some of the mods.
Well, its like i said, those are just my recommendations. Those also happen to be some of the things i have (if you read my signature) and i have had no problem whatsoever. Then again i take care of my car, and dont abuse it as if it were a turbo. I know what na's are made of and i know you shouldnt abuse them as much as a turbo. Well, you shouldnt abuse any car if you want it to have a long life.
and yes, whenever you port an engine they remove it and basically break it apart and then begin porting the housing, and irons. I could say get s5 rotors cause they are actually lighter... but it seems like you already have the s5 rotors. So no worry there. once they finished porting they will obiviously have to reassemble it, at this point if your going to get any seals, get apexi. I have them and they have lasted me a very long time. (to this day).
Now im not familiar with the racing beat suspension, or koni shocks. Im sorry, so i cannot share any experiences with those items.
have you considered any brake upgrades? your going to have it all but with stock brakes? its kinda funny i suppose lol. You might also want to get a short shifter, i mean... what exactly if your goal with this car?
Well, its like i said, those are just my recommendations. Those also happen to be some of the things i have (if you read my signature) and i have had no problem whatsoever. Then again i take care of my car, and dont abuse it as if it were a turbo. I know what na's are made of and i know you shouldnt abuse them as much as a turbo. Well, you shouldnt abuse any car if you want it to have a long life.
and yes, whenever you port an engine they remove it and basically break it apart and then begin porting the housing, and irons. I could say get s5 rotors cause they are actually lighter... but it seems like you already have the s5 rotors. So no worry there. once they finished porting they will obiviously have to reassemble it, at this point if your going to get any seals, get apexi. I have them and they have lasted me a very long time. (to this day).
Now im not familiar with the racing beat suspension, or koni shocks. Im sorry, so i cannot share any experiences with those items.
have you considered any brake upgrades? your going to have it all but with stock brakes? its kinda funny i suppose lol. You might also want to get a short shifter, i mean... what exactly if your goal with this car?
11-09-06, 06:08 PM
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well i already assumed i need a short throw looking at the mazdatrix, the car will basicly stock with minor modifications, nuthing major just to make it a lil quicker maybe a slight body kit a newwer set of rims and tires, mostly daily driver or weekend cruise, but i do wanna take it drifting once in a blue moon and not worry too much of breaking stuff, then around 200k i will do rebuild maybe a lil b4 or after depends on how its running
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11-09-06, 07:20 PM
#8
Eats, Sleeps, Dreams Rotary
IMO, start with suspension. Why? Because it's almost garunteed to be worn out, or is at least the most worn-out part of the car.
It's also something you should basically do all at once, partially because 1, it's a pain to take the suspension apart 100 times when you could do it all at once, and 2, because suspension modifications work better as completely sets, not just changing certain parts at a time.
The first thing would be to get new tires, and wheels, if you can afford them. This will increase grip, and without grip, any other suspension mods lose their meaning. Wider (and taller if you prefer) wheels with wider tires... you can fit 9-inch wide wheels in the rear and 8 inch-wide wheels in the front, although you may be better off getting 8-inch wheels all around since that way you can still rotate the tires like a normal person is supposed to :p Whether or not you need wide rear tires is more of a matter of how much power you have (and you can always get wider rears later).
Second, replace the bushings. All of them. They're 15 years old for chrissakes. They're the equivalent of having the knees of an 80 year-old. From what I hear it makes the biggest difference of all the suspension mods in terms of refreshing the car. While your at it, it may be a good idea to get rear toe steer eliminators (luckily my car already had them...yay).
Then get new shocks (and springs, if you aren't worried about bottoming out on hills and destroying your bumper or exhaust on curbs...especially if you thing your stock ones are sagging or just worn out)... unless you just replaced them (if you're talking about upgrades I think you should start at LEAST with Tokico HP blues though...if not something adjustable).
And new strut mounts. You can get camber plates instead if you've got a little extra money. A little more noise and ride harnness but more response, plus you can adjust the camber.
If you can afford them and don't mind having springs 3-4 times stiffer the stock, you should consider coilovers. Adjustable height, dampening, and camber... plus spring rates actually suitable for a race track.
While you've got most of the rear suspension taken apart, new diff mounts and subframe mounts would probably be a good idea as well... competition mounts are more durable and keep the body tighter.
All of those things should be installed at the same time if you can help it.
After (or before, who cares), get strut tower bars or any other chassis braces you feel like buying... this goes a long way on a car that's 15+ years old (chassis wear out too you know... so reinforce them).
Anti-sway bars are a matter of opinion IMO. The way I see it the strength of the anti-sway bar should be considered after you have determined how much body roll a certain spring/damper rate has, since the bars will determine whether the car understeers or oversteers. I have to admit the stock rear bar is really puny, though...
Now that you've got a fairly sorted chassis, you might want to consider getting an uprated clutch (because stock clutches are so-so when it comes to track use, for most cars, even with stock power), competition engine mounts (to prevent too much engine movement), intake + heat shield (because intake is cheaper and easier to install than exhaust), plus an aftermarket steering wheel and spacer (I can't stand the stock steering wheel... plus it's too big, too low, and too far away from the driver)...
After that, exhaust, increased boost, and probably a fixed bucket seat, which you're gonna need if you have a lot of grip...
(oh wait, I just realized it was an NA... in which case scratch the parts about increasing boost... also, for the sake of all of our ears, don't get a midpipe... it'll just make the car slower anyway, because of the 6PI system)
It's also something you should basically do all at once, partially because 1, it's a pain to take the suspension apart 100 times when you could do it all at once, and 2, because suspension modifications work better as completely sets, not just changing certain parts at a time.
The first thing would be to get new tires, and wheels, if you can afford them. This will increase grip, and without grip, any other suspension mods lose their meaning. Wider (and taller if you prefer) wheels with wider tires... you can fit 9-inch wide wheels in the rear and 8 inch-wide wheels in the front, although you may be better off getting 8-inch wheels all around since that way you can still rotate the tires like a normal person is supposed to :p Whether or not you need wide rear tires is more of a matter of how much power you have (and you can always get wider rears later).
Second, replace the bushings. All of them. They're 15 years old for chrissakes. They're the equivalent of having the knees of an 80 year-old. From what I hear it makes the biggest difference of all the suspension mods in terms of refreshing the car. While your at it, it may be a good idea to get rear toe steer eliminators (luckily my car already had them...yay).
Then get new shocks (and springs, if you aren't worried about bottoming out on hills and destroying your bumper or exhaust on curbs...especially if you thing your stock ones are sagging or just worn out)... unless you just replaced them (if you're talking about upgrades I think you should start at LEAST with Tokico HP blues though...if not something adjustable).
And new strut mounts. You can get camber plates instead if you've got a little extra money. A little more noise and ride harnness but more response, plus you can adjust the camber.
If you can afford them and don't mind having springs 3-4 times stiffer the stock, you should consider coilovers. Adjustable height, dampening, and camber... plus spring rates actually suitable for a race track.
While you've got most of the rear suspension taken apart, new diff mounts and subframe mounts would probably be a good idea as well... competition mounts are more durable and keep the body tighter.
All of those things should be installed at the same time if you can help it.
After (or before, who cares), get strut tower bars or any other chassis braces you feel like buying... this goes a long way on a car that's 15+ years old (chassis wear out too you know... so reinforce them).
Anti-sway bars are a matter of opinion IMO. The way I see it the strength of the anti-sway bar should be considered after you have determined how much body roll a certain spring/damper rate has, since the bars will determine whether the car understeers or oversteers. I have to admit the stock rear bar is really puny, though...
Now that you've got a fairly sorted chassis, you might want to consider getting an uprated clutch (because stock clutches are so-so when it comes to track use, for most cars, even with stock power), competition engine mounts (to prevent too much engine movement), intake + heat shield (because intake is cheaper and easier to install than exhaust), plus an aftermarket steering wheel and spacer (I can't stand the stock steering wheel... plus it's too big, too low, and too far away from the driver)...
After that, exhaust, increased boost, and probably a fixed bucket seat, which you're gonna need if you have a lot of grip...
(oh wait, I just realized it was an NA... in which case scratch the parts about increasing boost... also, for the sake of all of our ears, don't get a midpipe... it'll just make the car slower anyway, because of the 6PI system)
Last edited by Valkyrie; 11-09-06 at 07:25 PM.
11-09-06, 08:21 PM
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thanks for all that info but i wont do fixed buckets and i wont be the only 1 driving the car this is really my girls car but im planning aheadd lol. she loves this car and we sorta agreed she has this and i have my stang, but damn it i want 2 drift now and then so im loookiing for the compromise, nice fast enuf car for road use plus the occasianal drift and she will learn to drift aswell so i will have to learn to drift in my stang, thanks guys really aprreciate the schooling
11-09-06, 08:29 PM
#10
Since its your girls car, what can she tolerate? I was going to suggest some nice suspention upgrades, but they would probably be too stiff for her. I usually recommend GC coilovers with kyb agx or similar struts of your choosing, but that is going to be a pretty stiff setup. It'll handle amazingly, though.
For power mods, I would recommend the RB dp(or header) and presilencer combo. It is pretty much the only cat-elimination setup that still properly operates the aux ports. After that its your choice of catback. They will all yeild similar power gains, so go for sound. There are lots of threads on this, but in short the Apex N1 and corksport are loud, the racing beat is quiet but still very good sounding.
Don't worry about porting or anthing like that until the engine is already torn down for a rebuild. Theres not point tearing down a working engine just to port it.
For power mods, I would recommend the RB dp(or header) and presilencer combo. It is pretty much the only cat-elimination setup that still properly operates the aux ports. After that its your choice of catback. They will all yeild similar power gains, so go for sound. There are lots of threads on this, but in short the Apex N1 and corksport are loud, the racing beat is quiet but still very good sounding.
Don't worry about porting or anthing like that until the engine is already torn down for a rebuild. Theres not point tearing down a working engine just to port it.
11-09-06, 08:40 PM
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lol at this drifting fad. My friend has a 95 MustangGT and wants to sell it for a 240SX to drift after watching Tokyo Drift, I laughed at him.
First do tires and rims. If you want a nice cheap rim check out the convertible BBS rims. They are like 12lbs each. You won't be able to fit very wide tires but you're not making much power to have traction problems and you plan to drift so no point in massive tires for traction if you just plan to break it.
I say do suspension mods first, that's at least what I did before anything else and was very happy. You will notice a big difference in just new shocks and springs. After that if you want less body roll you can get thicker sway bars and strut tower bars. I don't have bushings so I can't comment on those but I hear new polyurethane bushings are great, but make the ride pretty harsh.
After that I would do brakes. New brake pads, if you want a stiffer pedal you can get SS brake lines and new brake fluid. If you have single piston brakes up front you can switch to the 4 piston calipers and do a 5 lug swap.
After I did all that I finally got around to exhaust. Racing Beat header to bonez hi-flow cat *just passed a California smog test yesterday with that setup* and a catback of your choice. That setup will be pretty loud, you can check out rx7.com for a downpipe and hi-flow cat combo, that will be a little quieter than a header.
I just have a K&N drop in filter in my stock box, I had an Apexi filter in the engine bay with no cold air box and I noticed a loss of power so only get a filter if you plan to do a CAI or build a cold air box.
First do tires and rims. If you want a nice cheap rim check out the convertible BBS rims. They are like 12lbs each. You won't be able to fit very wide tires but you're not making much power to have traction problems and you plan to drift so no point in massive tires for traction if you just plan to break it.
I say do suspension mods first, that's at least what I did before anything else and was very happy. You will notice a big difference in just new shocks and springs. After that if you want less body roll you can get thicker sway bars and strut tower bars. I don't have bushings so I can't comment on those but I hear new polyurethane bushings are great, but make the ride pretty harsh.
After that I would do brakes. New brake pads, if you want a stiffer pedal you can get SS brake lines and new brake fluid. If you have single piston brakes up front you can switch to the 4 piston calipers and do a 5 lug swap.
After I did all that I finally got around to exhaust. Racing Beat header to bonez hi-flow cat *just passed a California smog test yesterday with that setup* and a catback of your choice. That setup will be pretty loud, you can check out rx7.com for a downpipe and hi-flow cat combo, that will be a little quieter than a header.
I just have a K&N drop in filter in my stock box, I had an Apexi filter in the engine bay with no cold air box and I noticed a loss of power so only get a filter if you plan to do a CAI or build a cold air box.
11-10-06, 08:59 AM
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i just realized lcahidez you said i have an s5 ? how i thought its was an s4?
and sideways7 she will prolly go for something liek you said and we are comparing suspension systems we find and looking for reviews
and sideways7 she will prolly go for something liek you said and we are comparing suspension systems we find and looking for reviews
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