anaximander

iTrader: (1)

I'm close to fully upgrading my suspension with fstb, fsb, rsb, koni struts, and possibly subframe connectors. No lowering. Any tips on what would be the best tires/wheels supplement? I was thinking of 5th gen 17/7 rims along with the 235/45/17 tire size. The cost is an issue as the suspension with parts/labor will be around $1500, that's why I intend to go with 5th gen wheels. I know the tire size is larger than rec'd, but I've read many posts that reported no problems with this combo. I want the wider tire for stability as I'll definitely take the corners fast. The engine is stock right now, and I don't plan on adding more than 40-50hp within the next year. My concerns are mainly in regard to the ability of the wheels/tire setup to handle the hard cornering pressures with the aftermarket suspension and say 40hp more than my stock 190.

bvtran

iTrader: (3)

Damn...that's a rich setup you got here. hehe. Just bewared that with Koni struts, you will need to have the original struts in order to use them. Because Koni only comes in cartridges with no housings for the front and rear. Which means for the front installation, you have to cut your old stock strut housing, take out the old cartridge and stick in the Koni. It's a lot of works, man. Don't attempt to cut the old strut if you're not sure whether it's an OE or not cuz you never know. OE struts are hydraulic but if you got a different ones in there, it could be gas operated struts. So cutting it can be dangerous. For the rear, the installation is very much like any other struts out there. But the front is very tricky.

Now to answer your questions, I don't really think it matters much...so have grab them, put 'em on, and enjoy the ride.

Matt93SE

iTrader: (44)

the tire size is fine. I've used htem for about a year now.

it would be stupid to do all of that work and NOt change the springs on the car. the springs are one of the most important parts of the entire suspension, and if you wish to corner well, you MUST change them. otherwise, all of the other mods you'll be bolting on will only be used to about 40% of their capacity before body roll takes over and ruins the day.

bvtran

iTrader: (3)

Yes, Matt was right about upgrading your springs. Make sure you get Sprint or Progress instead of Eibach cuz it sucks. Eibach could only go 1" lower on all 4 corners.

Matt93SE

iTrader: (44)

Sprint and Progress SUCK for handling, and they drop the car a lot lower. If he's not wanting to drop the car, then Eibach are exactly what he wants. Eibach doesn't drop the car much, and they're a lot firmer spring, to improve the handling more.

anaximander

iTrader: (1)

Thanks guys. I actually didn't want any lowering due to my preference of driving aggressively on bad roads. I don't want to replace the bumper or other suspension parts every couple months. But I guess 1.2 inches ain't that bad.

Regarding the fstb, I once read that you should get the one with a specific bracket (straight or bent?). I found two 5th gen fstb's on ebay and don't know which one's right:

http://cgi.ebay.com/ebaymotors/ws/eB...tem=2433632370

http://cgi.ebay.com/ebaymotors/ws/eB...tem=2433413257

Matt, I know you're the sfc guy. Do you recommend the 3rd phase or just the first two?

Matt93SE

iTrader: (44)

can't tell you from experience, because I don't have the Stage III on mine yet.