Maybe buying a DSM.. Starting with Suspension

[buymeavette]

Alright... I have thought long and hard of buying a 1st gen DSM vs a new LS1. My reasons are many and love and loyality will forever lie with the General, not Mitsu.

My first plan of attack is to be suspension since thats the building block on any and all cars. I wanted build it so to speak for the street strip and am looking for suggestions. BTW this is for an AWD car and I do know that AWD has superior traction to all platforms of cars, but I want to first put all of that to the max before I

Suspension would go as follows:
( Suggestions needed
Shocks
Springs
Sway Bars
Front and Rear Strut Tower Bars
Drive Shaft Safety Loop

Traction would be as follows:
(If the car is a 90-91, I will do a 4 bolt swap)

Front, Center, and Rear Limited Slip (Expensive I do understand)
upgraded drive axles
4 Light Weld Rims
4 Hoosier
Taylor Rear Battery Mount

Weight Reduction:

a/c removal
rear seats
seat belts
spare tire jack
no plastic or carpet past the rear floors back


prices.. suggestions..... and tips are what i am looking for. are there any half shaft upgrades??? people break half shafts all the time.... no matter what the car. drive axles and half shafts from the factory don't do a whole lot past factory specs.

thanks,
erik

 

[Dallas J]

Why are you picking a 1g over a new LS1? Just curious, Im parshal to my 2gs though

The suspension to go with is all about how far you want to go. Your best be would be to decide some finalities. Like do you want to road race or auto cross and be competitive, or just handle nicely on the street? The rear and center LSD can be had from factory cars, so maybe look for one with them already. The front isnt that big of a deal and not really with the stock center viscous coupling. It takes too long to heat up to really take advantage of a front LSD.

I dont hear about many people having issues with axles, but driveshaft.com (I think thats the name) has them.

Make some goals though, and research everything. I guarantee that unless you are trying to make some new part everything has been covered out the ass.

-Dallas J

 

[buymeavette]

Originally posted by Dallas J
Why are you picking a 1g over a new LS1? Just curious, Im parshal to my 2gs though

insurance...... going to the air force in a few years. i rather build a dsm and then buy a firehawk with super low miles right before i leave. When i have the dsm built race it and save for the hawk is the goal before the Air Force. that and get done with school.....

i want to drag race plain and simple. a front, rear, and center diff would always help especially with the more power increased. traction is the key, and i really want to drag but keep it legal and take the car to its limit with out putting in the garage every few days to fix.

an LS1 is for sure without a doubt a better car, but in terms of good cheap fun and being a sleeper.... you can't even come close. no one would race a LS1 if they knew a few things, let alone a Firehawk which is the god of all Trans Am and in my opinion all LS1 F-Bodys.

rather wait though and just work on a car and i have fun with, i don't have tools for a LS1 F-Body. They have the engine half stuck in the back of the dash, I don't have tools to remove the engine to do things I would like to do to that car. IE: 6.0 Aluminum heads, Cam, Full Stroker Bottom End and without a doubt a good bore. Have like a 396 running on 300 shot of spray with a built rear end and the suspension setup for drag. That is my goal... then its off to get a new C6!! He He.

Start saving..... I know I know.....

 

[NDgsx]

Suspension would go as follows:
( Suggestions needed
Shocks
Springs
Sway Bars
Front and Rear Strut Tower Bars
Drive Shaft Safety Loop

KYB agxs are cheap and work decently for drag racing, their rear shocks have way too much compression dampening (on the lowest setting) for regular lowering spring rates. Konis are valved much better for standard rates, however they are much more expensive.

Don't overlower your car, you put the axles at more of an angle stressing the CV joints. Eibach prokits seem to do all right, I know people who pull 1.7s with them consistently on street tires. If you want to get more serious look at a sleeve/collar style coilover, ground control has them and so does Diamond Star Specialities. I recomend talking to Mike at DSS over GC. John Shepard uses his coilovers on his high 8 second car (fastest and quickest dsm in the world).

If you're just drag racing they're only extra weight, pull em off. If you're driving on the street and like cornering get a suspension techniques or RM rear bar and put poly bushings on the stock front bar.

Rear end doesn't need a bar, the back end has shocks, not true struts, and don't receive much side loading. Up front use whatever you want. I haven't seen a huge difference between brands, beware the really cheap ebay stuff though.

You're looking at a universal piece and putting it on yourself there. Summit has a decently priced kit.


Traction would be as follows:
(If the car is a 90-91, I will do a 4 bolt swap)

Front, Center, and Rear Limited Slip (Expensive I do understand)

Save 91 awds with ABS all 90-94s came with a rear viscous coupling LSD that does just fine. If you're mainly dragracing just weld the center diff and putt in a spool. If you're doing more street driving look at a Kaaz clutch type diff, I recomend the Kaaz up front as well.
Torsen diffs (ie quaife) make for nasty torque steer in high HP applications and their center diff doesn't like huge amounts of torque (plus third is usually the first gear to go, which happens to be the gear driving the center diff).

upgraded drive axles

Why? Stock dsm axles are EXTREMELY strong. If you're not pulling faster than 1.4 60' I wouldn't even consider changing them. Most people, even those trapping over 130mph run factory axles and driveshafts.

4 Light Weld Rims

Rota slipstreams in 16" are 13.5lbs and $500 shipped,
http://www.machiii.net/wheels/Rota_Slipstream.html

4 Hoosier

Hossier makes a 25" tall slick?

Taylor Rear Battery Mount

Not worth the money with the cable, cutoff, etc.. Besides you want as much weight over the front axle as possible for dragracing an AWD.

Weight Reduction:

a/c removal
rear seats
seat belts

Don't forget to remove their motors/tracks as well.

spare tire jack
no plastic or carpet past the rear floors back

The plastic weighs nothing, unless you like the tin can look don't pull it.
The stock seats are very heavy, 45lbs. There's a ton of threads on weight reduction though.

 

[buymeavette]

I do thank you for your reply.

However i want to run this at the strip on the occasion while maintaining driveability for around town and even high way use. a street car to me has a full interior and a.c. and all that good stuff.

wouldn't a rear battery mount even the weight transfer??? not to mention isn't there enough weight over the front axles?!?!

thanks for showing me the rims, they are cheaper then weld and not as flashy thats for sure. i would like to be a lo-key as possible.

again thanks for the tips and i will keep this in mind.

erik

 

[NDgsx]

Then look at a four spider gear center diff upgrade to save some money, or a Kaaz. In applications over 450hp I don't recomend the quaife center diff (the one diff that quaife offers NO warranty on, it's in the fine print).

You're starting at 60/40 and you will transfer more than 10% of the weight reward while launching. Try to treat the DSM like a FWD car in terms of suspension, it's based off one and behaves like one (aside from having more grip).
I do like the idea of going to a lighter battery though, I have a 13lb dry cell in place of my stocker.

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Ignore the horrid yellow rad overflow, we just finished the FMIC and that was the only hose laying around. Seriously ugly.
You can find those batteries under the hawker/genises name for about $80 I've heard.