suspension upgrade pros and cons
04-09-2006, 02:05 PM
#1
suspension upgrade pros and cons
im prolly gonna buy some KYB Gr-2's/s-techs from another org member. i know this will lower my car and make it look sweet, but i was just wondering, what are the cons and pros of suspension upgrades besides the obivious ones (ride, scraping)??? will a dropped car be more unsettled on the highway? im a noob and dunno any of this. will it in some weird way make the car get worse MPG? sorry retarded questions, i know, but fill me in. thanks.
04-09-2006, 04:56 PM
#3
A dropped car will actually be more stable on the highway, and in general. You will also be running a bit more negative camber naturally, so you'll want to get some camber bolts and an alignment or your front tires will show camber wear (insides wear faster than outsides). I have yet to do this with a ~1.7" drop on Progress springs, I just had the alignment checked and I had ~-1.5 to -2 degrees up front. They will charge me to change the alignment however, so I'll do that when I get camber bolts. I'll probably have a few pics of the car in another hour or so. Negative camber will give your car a bit more bite in the corners, but you will have a little less grip under acceleration. Braking isn't affected too much since the front tires get mushed against the ground when you hit the middle pedal hard.
04-09-2006, 05:06 PM
#4
Also, your gas mileage will actually improve if anything, but it'll be negligable. Since your ride will also be harsher, you'll notice more squeaks and stuff when you go over bumps, as your car will be subjected to more forces--I first noticed that I probably need to replace my ball joints after I put on my Progress springs, since whenever I went over a rough surface it sounded like a muffled jackhammer was hitting my car. I think s-techs are more than mild drop, so your car will slowly start to devour axles/CV joints. It won't be terrible but they'll become a regular maintenance item unless you shell out for some Raxles.
You also might want to trim your bump stops if you don't want to ride on them.
You also might want to trim your bump stops if you don't want to ride on them.
04-09-2006, 05:24 PM
#6
hmmmm im scared now, i still want to get this suspension so i wont have wheel gaps, but i dont want to have to replace cv joints and axles all the time. any other opinions on this?
my car has 134K and im not sure if the cv joints, wheel bearings, or axles have ever been replaced, so would dropping it make them go out right away?
my car has 134K and im not sure if the cv joints, wheel bearings, or axles have ever been replaced, so would dropping it make them go out right away?
04-09-2006, 05:40 PM
#7
If it's a really good deal, then go ahead and get it, but wait to put em on until you have the $ for some Raxles (~$300 shipped/pr) and the means to install them. Raxles are both axles and CV joints, preassembled, and will hold up to a load of abuse. I wouldn't worry about the bearings being more of an issue when lowered than they are normally.
04-09-2006, 05:54 PM
#8
any setup besides stock will result in a less comfortable ride. It depends on how much comfort you want to sacrifice for additional handling.
or get some JIC's and ride like stock with the lowest drop you can handle.
or get some JIC's and ride like stock with the lowest drop you can handle.
04-09-2006, 06:16 PM
#10
Originally Posted by MDeezy
any setup besides stock will result in a less comfortable ride. It depends on how much comfort you want to sacrifice for additional handling.
or get some JIC's and ride like stock with the lowest drop you can handle.
or get some JIC's and ride like stock with the lowest drop you can handle.
04-09-2006, 06:18 PM
#11
Originally Posted by MorpheusZero
Somehow I don't think that last suggestion was the best considering the concerns he listed...
04-09-2006, 06:57 PM
#13
thanks for all the opinions. i think ill get the setup (gr-2's with tein s-techs for 150$ -- 18K on em) and just see what happens.
its a good deal, i think. hopefully my axles/cv's wont fail. more opinions are still welcome.
its a good deal, i think. hopefully my axles/cv's wont fail. more opinions are still welcome.
04-09-2006, 07:01 PM
#15
they ride terrible and severely limit suspension travel. if you only care about looks and not performance then go for it (but they still ride like ****). A spring that drops that low with that soft of a spring rate inhibits the suspension from traveling enough to perform well.
04-09-2006, 07:11 PM
#17
I was a third genner and loved the way it handled stock. The word was that since they had independent rear suspension they handled better stock than a 4th gen stock. I bought a 4th gen that has new Kyb GR2's and maxspeed springs lowered about 1.5" and it has a FSTB. 235/45/17 tires. Yeah it may be just a bit more bumpy but I absolutely love the way it handles. Grips the road like a paint stripe.
The 3rd gen was much quicker from 80 to 140 tho.
The 3rd gen was much quicker from 80 to 140 tho.
04-09-2006, 08:14 PM
#18
Originally Posted by bhunter
The 3rd gen was much quicker from 80 to 140 tho.
Anyway, here's what camber after a ~1.7" drop looks like:
I'm not sure if I'm going to get that fixed or not, because getting it "fixed" means that the top of the tire will be further out, and my tire will stick out further than my wheelwell.
04-10-2006, 07:21 AM
#19
Forget the bumpstop issue... GR-2s aren't remotely made right for S-techs. That combo would ride like a jackhammer. I was at a meet a year ago where a couple of us got to ride in some SERIOUSLY bumpy cars... Check out this comparison:
5th gen
S-Tech springs
GR-2 shocks/struts
17" rims
vs.
4th gen
Cut Eibach springs (soft portion removed)
Blown OEM shocks/struts
Heavy chrome 18" rims
Keep in mind, 5th gens are heavier than 4th gens, which help them ride more smoothly. In this case, the lighter and smaller rims on the 5th gen will also help the ride because they will have less unsprung weight and fatter tire sidewalls. Add to that the fact that the 4th gen's shocks were completely blown and you'd think there would be no comparison. Honestly, that 4th gen had me crawling out feeling like I was gonna throw up. But the 5th gen was pretty close.
Close to cut Eibachs on blown stock shocks. Think about that for a second. Bumpy trucks are one thing... this is something else entirely.
That said, you might still not mind the ride. I know the owner of that 4th gen -- which was quite literally the WORST riding vehicle I have EVER been in, bar none -- was perfectly happy with it. But if you're worried at all about safety, then you really don't want to know what your car is going to do if you accidentally cut it into a bumpy turn just a little too fast. The rough ride comes from lack of control over wheel movement, which really isn't good for the whole staying-on-the-road thing when the road isn't perfectly smooth.
Plus, you said they have 18k miles on them? If the GR-2s aren't blown already, they will be soon.
Other than that, lowering will reduce the life of your axles and maybe tie rod ends (as others have said). But you might want to replace them fairly soon with that mileage anyway, so that might not be as much of a concern.
5th gen
S-Tech springs
GR-2 shocks/struts
17" rims
vs.
4th gen
Cut Eibach springs (soft portion removed)
Blown OEM shocks/struts
Heavy chrome 18" rims
Keep in mind, 5th gens are heavier than 4th gens, which help them ride more smoothly. In this case, the lighter and smaller rims on the 5th gen will also help the ride because they will have less unsprung weight and fatter tire sidewalls. Add to that the fact that the 4th gen's shocks were completely blown and you'd think there would be no comparison. Honestly, that 4th gen had me crawling out feeling like I was gonna throw up. But the 5th gen was pretty close.
Close to cut Eibachs on blown stock shocks. Think about that for a second. Bumpy trucks are one thing... this is something else entirely.
That said, you might still not mind the ride. I know the owner of that 4th gen -- which was quite literally the WORST riding vehicle I have EVER been in, bar none -- was perfectly happy with it. But if you're worried at all about safety, then you really don't want to know what your car is going to do if you accidentally cut it into a bumpy turn just a little too fast. The rough ride comes from lack of control over wheel movement, which really isn't good for the whole staying-on-the-road thing when the road isn't perfectly smooth.
Plus, you said they have 18k miles on them? If the GR-2s aren't blown already, they will be soon.
Other than that, lowering will reduce the life of your axles and maybe tie rod ends (as others have said). But you might want to replace them fairly soon with that mileage anyway, so that might not be as much of a concern.
04-11-2006, 05:47 AM
#22
Originally Posted by Apparition
Whats the best combo for putting 17 inch rims on with a decent looking drop thats all I'd like to know and I'll never ask another suspension question.. ever.
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