Help me make my car handle better!

[jacobevan611]

I currently have:


- Tokico hp struts and springs

- Rm sway bars front and rear

- front upper strut bar

- front lower tie bar

- Bf goodrich G-force supersport tires


(remember car is fwd.)


Should I get tokico illumina struts?

My car already handles very well but I want it to handle even better.


What should I change out or add?

Thanks.

p.s. I want my car like an inch lower. Is the only way to properly do it is get a set of coilovers or are h&r race springs good because I like how low the eibach sportlines make the car sit but everyone says they ride crappy.

 

[my dreamt dsm]

I haven't tried the tokico hp and springs yet but just my tein's alone was a difference in night and day. I can take those freeway entry circle thingy pretty fast. Feels like a whole new animal.

 

[94'TSI'AWD]

What should I change out or add?

You should loose FWD and add AWD

 

[FIBA M - EC17PSE]

You should loose FWD and add AWD

That's not really an answer is it!

Well there are a few other options you can do to help although you have done the most obvious upgrades there are a few left to help add to the handling you have already achieved, I would get the prothane bush kit it really does make quite a bit of difference and you don't realize it till you get them all changed, very time consuming but once done you will like the extra stiffness! Also you can get aftermarket tie rods/swing arms that's are all adjustable that way you can help add toe-camber settings and that will make a huge difference in cornering and the other is a free mod! Take all the crap out of the car and loose as much body fat as possible lighter car corners better. Hope this put you in some sort of direction to get you going

Also why do you want better cornering? Are you planning on going to the track? As you don't really want much more then what you got on the streets!!! But if you are planning on the track days then another options is to add aerodynamics to help with the down force like a simple front splitter and rear spoiler that isn't just for show little things like that will also aid in your cornering.

 

[jacobevan611]

Thanks Ec17pse. I don't want to mess with my camber or toe though because I can't afford new tires for a while. Also as far as weight. I weigh 160 pounds and I have no power anything and fiberglass bucket seats so im good there. I don't really know if I want to do the whole polyurethane bushings though.

Would a different shock/spring combo be better or should I leave the springs and change the struts for something else or vice versa. Also would 215s make the car handle better or worse than 225s because there is less sidewall flex with the 215s but more surface area with the 225s? Thanks.

 

[jacobevan611]

What do you guys think ?

 

[nuclearr]

What are your goals? Is this for the street or for the track or both?

What size rim are you running? I run 225 45 r17s was a huge improvement over the stock 16s. But with smaller side wall tires you have more of a chance of rolling them off the rim in high speed corners.

 

[FIBA M - EC17PSE]

Thanks Ec17pse. I don't want to mess with my camber or toe though because I can't afford new tires for a while. Also as far as weight. I weigh 160 pounds and I have no power anything and fiberglass bucket seats so im good there. I don't really know if I want to do the whole polyurethane bushings though.

Would a different shock/spring combo be better or should I leave the springs and change the struts for something else or vice versa. Also would 215s make the car handle better or worse than 225s because there is less sidewall flex with the 215s but more surface area with the 225s? Thanks.

Right well I'll answer as much as I can, since you have shocks springs etc I would recommend doing the bushes as why spend more money on parts you already have? Don't make sense!!! Coil overs would be better as they tend to be stiffer, lighter and all round better! But you should be ok on your setup for now until you throw some serious money on suspension! under bracing is another part you could add again it won't be a massive effect but it all aids to the car and helps it!

As for the tires well 225's are much better then 215's being there wider for instance 225/45/17 225=8.8 inches wide, 45 = 45% of the width (sidewall height) and 17 is the diameter of the wheel. You don't really want to go to low on the sidewall as you will start loosing you speedo settings and you will 1ay more for tires and 2: wear them down a lot faster if you get a tire that's got an extra load rating that is stiffer and will aid in the corners.

Since your not looking for turn'in speed then you really want wider tires for both front and rear to hold the car! And that way you will get better grip (bigger surface area) Remember the car is limited by what you do to it! Also tires play a big role in this aswell, there's no point in getting budget tires I would say vredestein ultrac sessanta/nitto invo they both hold very well in both wet and dry I currently run the vredestein on a skyline and it doe's NOT let go even on wot! My eclipse has goodyears eagle f1's and I have no problems with them apart from they wear fast! And I will be changing them to vredestein soon also there that good!!!

Also if you go wider you tend to find lines in the road and pull to 1 side so if that's not a problem with you then go for it. There is not much else to suggest other then stiffen the car? maybe a full roll cage to stop body flex.

let me know if you want anymore help and I'll see what I can find for you.

 

[housegsx]

Better, wider tires. When I switched from 225 Nitto tire to 245 Kumho MX, it was night and day better.

 

[FIBA M - EC17PSE]

That's not really true!!! all the good tires have a reinforced lip that help keep the tire on the rim and I have never seen it happen, and I have a few friends who run 25-40 profile on there track cars and not once heard it happen, not saying it can't but with the right setup you will have to push it to UNREACHABLE limits for that to happen! So don't worry about that.

 

[eclipsh]

The single biggest handling improvement you can make is tires. 245/40/17 is a nice size on Evo wheels. If you can't afford wheels/tires save up. Building a performance car costs money. If you don't have the dough to do what you want right now don't waste what you do have on parts that aren't right. Save up, take your time and look for deals. Look at the cars you know are fast and see what they've done. Set some clear goals as to what you want from the car. Be realistic. If it isn't a track car don't set it up like one. It won't be safe or comfortable as a DD. The slightly loose rear end you may want for the track probably isn't your friend in emergency highway maneuvers or rainy days. Evaluate how harsh a ride you can handle if this is your DD and don't get too aggressive.

Some anecdotal info on tires: I run 245/40/17 Kumho SPT tires in the summer and 205/55/16 Nitto SN1 snow tires in the winter. The handling differences are so huge I have to take a day or two to get used to it. Switching from summer to winter tires the sidewalls and deeper tread feel so sloppy it's like I'm driving on Jello. Obviously the grip offered in corners and on acceleration changes drastically too.

 

[mitsuawd]

Ditto on the tires, I'm running 245/40-17 and man what a difference. Just got evo wheels and no rubbing what so ever, 17x8 and 38 offset, nice and flush to body. Just the only concern is if you slam your rear down really low there is a good chance you will rub w/o rolled fenders. My car is not slammed to the ground, you can see my suspension set up on my profile, about the same as yours except i have coil overs.

 

[jdsoza]

Well first off before we can give you more great tips, I would answer if you want this as a street car or a street/track car. This will help us help you. Tires will be your best bet to improve handling right now since you dont want to take any other routes. But dont go and buy a super wide tire and think the handling will increase because it is wider. wider is not always better. A better tire is always better, doesn't matter on widths. Also take into accountability that you dont want to over-tire your current set-up. By this I mean how much grip do you really need? Too wide of a tire can actually hurt the handling of a car. wider tires are heavier and put more pressure on all of the components. build accordingly to what your goals are. if you are stock, get a set of nice sticky tires. toyo proxes R888 are great sticky tires, and come in plenty of sizes. hope this helps

 

[Bmxr152]

I switched over from stock suspension to 17" wheels with 235/45-17's and coilovers a couple months ago. May i say that that was the best money spent so far. Car feels way more solid and i still have not got the tires to break loose around a corner. I would recommend getting some coilovers like the Ksports or megans.Its nice since it comes with the pillow ball upper mount. You can adjust your camber with that when lowering the car alot. Im still waiting on a ST sway bar.

 

[PieEyedPiper]

I switched over from stock suspension to 17" wheels with 235/45-17's and coilovers a couple months ago. May i say that that was the best money spent so far. Car feels way more solid and i still have not got the tires to break loose around a corner. I would recommend getting some coilovers like the Ksports or megans.Its nice since it comes with the pillow ball upper mount. You can adjust your camber with that when lowering the car alot. Im still waiting on a ST sway bar.

Not on a 2g.