1g wheels and suspension

[staticbrainwash]

Alright, I've been searching for a while on a lot of suspension and wheel options. I've got some thoughts on things and i would like some opinions on what i'm planning.

Suspension: I've been debating this for a long time, and looking at it realistically i just want a very nice handling/riding street beast. So thus far to be most cost effective i'm going to go with a nice strut and spring set-up.

Set-up's for debate: Gr-2's with prokits, agx's with prokits (or h&r 1g springs for either kyb), koni's with h&r's or prokits. I don't want a nutsy drop, at absloute most 1.5", and from what i read both 1g prokits and 1g h&r's will get me btwn 1" and 1.5". I will also be replacing any balljoints and tie-rod ends, and possibly bushings. And getting a RMDSM rear sway.

Wheels: This is what has my head spinning more than anything right now. I know some styles i want to look into, most of which are lightweight. I want 17's, so that sets that aspect (the easy part), next easy part is i would like to run 225/45-17's. Wheel width i believe i will need 7". I don't really want to run into rubbing issues with anything so running bigger than say 7-7.5" is out for me (or anything wider than 225). From looking at the calculator the 45 will keep my diameter close to stock which is good. Offset is my real confusion now. I hear people running everything from +35-+42 depending on wheel width. But what do i need to perfectly fit a 225? Would a +35 work with a 225, because tirerack has a koesi i like but the offset they offer to fit my talon is a 35, that seems wrong to me.

Anyway, enough of my rambling. Suspension and wheels/tires and going to be my next adventures until my motor blows (or poops too much smoke for me to handle). Thank you all in advance!

 

[staticbrainwash]

Anyone got any advice on this?

 

[stirpicult]

gr-2s are basically stock replacements and as such, crap. agx's are great struts and shocks for the money, but any type of lowering you will be riding on bumpstops with enough of a bump. konis require the most work, the struts are much better than the agxs, shocks i have heard aren't that much better for price. with konis you can shorten the strut a little to get more suspension travel up front. if i were going with something cheaper and easier (and i am guessing this what you want with prokits) i would go with the agxs.

and a 35mm offset will work with a 225.

 

[staticbrainwash]

I'm going to get my rims powdercoated from TRG, so that solves that.

Anyone else got anything about 1g suspension for a simple but decent street setup?

 

[tstkl]

every time I talk to paul at newlogic's, he always tells me to stop wasting time thinking about a high priced suspension and just go with kyb agx's with eibach prokit springs. On ebay you can find the agx's new for around 340 and the eibachs for around 210 I think. with shipping thats probably like 600

 

[staticbrainwash]

Thats what i've been thinking. Cheaper than koni's, but more stiff for decent handling when i pair it with a nice sway bar and maybe bushings.

So agx's it will probably be. Any recommended settings? i hear 3 front and 4 rear is decent.

And i'm still debating bushings. Sounds like way too much hastle for how little equiptment i have. Maybe ill just do endlinks and tierods and call it a day.

 

[wongster]

i dono how they do with 1g dsm's but what about tokico illumina & eibach pro kits?

 

[staticbrainwash]

They don't make Tokico's for 1g's. We've got koni's and KYB's. And coilovers too, but i can't see shelling out THAT much for just a simple street set-up.

 

[speedy13]

when you want handling you might be on 3 and 4,but on daily driving,you'll probably be at 1-2 in the front and 2-3 in the rear with the agx's. I wish they made tokikos for us 1g guys,kinda the middle ground between agx's and koni's. Agxs will do just fine for a street setup IMO.

 

[staticbrainwash]

So all in all, AGX's with pro-kits, a rear sway, and maybe bushings (if i pick up an arbor press) all sounds like a pretty good street setup.

What i'm looking for all in all, is a stiffer than stock ride, decent handling, and a little lower. But i don't want it to be so harsh that i can't DD it.

I wish they made tokicos too. I also wish i had the tools and cash for koni's. If i went with koni's would prokits still be a good choice, or is there a better spring to pair with it?

 

[speedy13]

I would actually jump to a coil over setup before i went through the trouble of doing the whole koni's bit. You can get teins basic damper for like 750 if you shop around. That setup will make you love your car again like when you first bought it.

 

[staticbrainwash]

I thought that the only tien coilover kit they made for 1g's was the SS. Hmmmm, i've only heard about the basic damper for 2g's.

Well great, now i'm debating a coilover again, HAH! Anyone have a link to the Tien Basic Damper?

What about the D2 coilover, i remember seeing that around somewhere for pretty cheap.

 

[turbo2086]

I just put GR-2's in all four corners. Tein S-tech spings, from SBR. Front and rear strut bars. Oh man its awesome compared to the stock setup. I'm very satasfied with this combo, and gives it a nice sporty stance. Ride quality is great.

 

[staticbrainwash]

See, thats what i keep hearing. The gr2's with a 1"-ish drop is a real nice ride. My concern with the gr2's is how long they would last with a drop on them.

I dunno, the money i have comming in won't be here for a while so i've got time to decide.

Keep the 1g suspension experiences coming guys, it's good to know what works and what doesn't.

And makes my decision easier, which is the point.

 

[Heavy-D]

As far as 17" wheels go, I would look into the Evo8 Enkei wheels. I had them with 235/45 tires and no rubbing. I am not sure of how lightweight they actually are though, I mean they aren't heavy, but exactly how light they are I don't know. If you search for a while you can also find a good price on them.

 

[stirpicult]

My concern with the gr2's is how long they would last with a drop on them.

they will not last long. they are stock replacements. you will be riding on the bumpstops in short time.

 

[staticbrainwash]

I'm not sure about the # but i heard they're 10%-ish stiffer than stock. Not much i know, but I would like to hear from someone who used gr2's with a drop for a while.

The biggest reason i'm looking for something that rides decent is because roads around here blow. And i know my still factory 14yr old suspension is more than likely dead. So it's important i get something that can handle some rough roads but can also lower me down a bit and give good handling.

I know the gr2's probably can't handle these roads on lowering springs, i'm just curious.

How fast would AGX's blow on h&r's or prokits?

 

[speedy13]

As far as 17" wheels go, I would look into the Evo8 Enkei wheels. I had them with 235/45 tires and no rubbing. I am not sure of how lightweight they actually are though, I mean they aren't heavy, but exactly how light they are I don't know. If you search for a while you can also find a good price on them.

Those are definatly a good choice.I imagine they make the car handle great too.I knew this guy that had the evo8 rims and tires and it looked great,never got to ride in it though.As far as the tein coilovers,I didn't know they didn't make the basic for the 1g's,I was just trying to make the point that for a little over the koni setup,you could just step your game up even more.Gr-2's are alittle stiffer then stock,and with a drop of up to 1.5 inches they should last,but not their designated 60k miles.AGX's should be fine as long as you don't ride them on too high of a seting for an extended amount of time.

 

[RedTalonTsi]

I'm on the sportlines which I believe drop it more than the pro-kit, and agx, and 17 inch rims. Check my pic to see what that looks like, not too low at all I think. I'm very happy with the whole set-up, even the lowest setting on the shocks is stiffer than what it was, but it is a good thing. I have them set to something low usually like below 4 somewhere.

Later,
Dana

 

[staticbrainwash]

That looks awesome RedTalonTSi. Thats the look i'm going for. But i hear sportlines ride like shit, bad spring rates or something. If i were to give it that much a drop i'd go with the tien springs which are 1.5" drop. But if i lower it that far i wanna make sure i've got struts that can handle the drop and still give me a decent ride. I still want a rear sway, so that cuts out about 175 from my budget for springs and struts/shocks.

Is my only option for a 1.5" drop koni's for a longer lasting set-up?

As for wheels, i'm just gonna stick with my konig 16's and get them powdercoated by TRG. I'll save up for a really nice wheel unless i can find the evo8 rims for cheap. Anyone have a link to those?

PS, rep points to you for having a red 92 talon with the drop i'm looking for!

 

[unlmtdndeavor]

i have had both setups: prokits and gr-2 as well as sportlines and agx.

prokits and gr-2: the drop was not quite enough for me and the springs were too soft. that along with the gr-2 didnt really handle all that great. personally...there was still a good amount of body roll and it was just too soft

sportlines and agx: a little under a 2" drop, it seems to be perfect. it just barely tucks the tires. contrary to what people have said, i believe this is a decent set of springs. the springs rate may not be optimum for this much of a drop, but this combination handles way better than the prokits. i have the fronts set to 3 and the rear set to 5. a little stiff for the street but thats how i like it. even on 2 in the front it was way stiffer than the gr-2. conering stability was improved. i highly recommend the sportlines and agx if you are looking for a relatively cheap setup. but if you want to go one step up, koni's are awesome

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[unlmtdndeavor]

oh and btw. those are 16x7.5 with 225/50/16 pirelli's on them. i personally want to go wider...but a 225 gives it a nice wide stance. i wish i had some hankooks on though...now those things GRIP

 

[staticbrainwash]

I wanna get tome toyo proxies i hear awesome things about those. But i just got a set of yokohama avid v4s's put on mid winter as a max perf all season tire, so i'll just wait till i either A)pick up stock swirlies for winter and put the yoko's on those, or B) wait until these tires die, use my konig's and winter rims (after they're powdercoated), and get 17x7.5's with 225/45's. Either way, i am going to need rim's to get me around when i send mine out. Looks like i'm looking for swirlies.

Hmmmmm. . . Sportlines. If i went with those or the Tien's(similar drop) i hear iffy things about the lifespan of AGX's on a drop that harsh. Not to mention anything over 1.5" and KYB won't fullfill their warranty, and will laugh at you if you've got a coilover kit on them. I'm thinking more and more about Koni's and tien's. The other thing here is, i don't wanna worry about correcting ridiculous ammounts of camber. I don't have the money to spend for adjustable hats for the front and kits or adjustable tirrods in the rear.

I just realized i'm quite a woman about buying car parts. Every base has to be covered before i'm sold.

 

[unlmtdndeavor]

which proxes? if you want a good handling sticky tire, michelin pilot sport ps2 or hankook ventus rs2. awesome tires! on the issue of warranty though, you shouldnt worry about warranty if you plan on voiding it in the first place...which is the reason why they would go out. if i had the money i would go koni. but check this, with koni's and springs, you spend around $850-900. ($600 for koni, $200 for sprins, $50 shipping or price variations). if you spend this much, you might as well check out the d2 coilovers. at that price you get pillowball mounts too so you dont have to worry about that camber issue. the camber shouldnt be the thing you worry about though...its function over cost of tires

 

[staticbrainwash]

The last place i saw the d2's were speed factor. But they closed, which sucks because thats where i wanted to get my brakes from too.

Are the d2's a good coilover? Because if they are, then i agree, coilovers would be the best all around option. But for being cost effective i think i'm still looking at AGX's from dss (400 bucks), and tien springs from either sls, or prokits from somewhere with the best price.

Although last night i almost opened a financing account at Sportcompactonly.com. I could have gotten a SWEET setup for around 70 a month.