suspension newbie wants to take a corner

[Korndogg]

hey all
i really don't know jack about suspension.. but i was hoping i can tell you all what i want and you can help me out..

i don't live in a very flat area, and rub the nose of my 96 TSI FWD often enough.. so i'm not looking for much of a drop at all (if any)

what i DO want, is a nice stiff suspension that will allow me to rip around a corner.. a friend of mine kills me racing on the back roads around here because his $80 ebay coil-overs on his honda keep him on the road much better than my stock suspension.. he dropped it 3" and his rear wheels kinda tilt inward (bottom to top) a little..

i want my suspesion done right.. i don't want goofy tread wear..

if anybody can give me sugestions for everything i need to stiffin up my suspension so that i feel safe on corners, that would be AWESOME.

i also would like to know approximately what it will cost me, and how hard it will be to do myself...

thanks for the help everyone

 

[jtmcinder]

a friend of mine kills me racing on the back roads around here

That's what I'm worried about.

- Jtoby

ps. as to what it will cost: about $1000 plus tires and wheels

 

[cuttheduck]

a friend of mine kills me racing on the back roads around here because his $80 ebay coil-overs on his honda keep him on the road much better than my stock suspension.. he dropped it 3" and his rear wheels kinda tilt inward (bottom to top) a little..

Competing w/ the best aren't you,
If you're racing a kid w/ $80 coilovers i dont think you need to go w/ the ground control / koni route. Just get some aftermarket shocks or maybe 5 ways like illumina's. Some lowering srings like prokits would help though none of the springs seem to have a high enough rate. They only drop about 1 and a half or less. Perhaps a sway bar in the rear would help out too. You can get new illuminas and prokits for like $500 total if you look around or wait until some come up on ebay new. Though, tires make the biggest difference.

 

[Korndogg]

how would stiffer shocks and stock springs do on corners? is it the shocks or springs that matter more in a corner?
i only ask because again, i don't want to drop it an inch an a half.. heh.. maybe an inch.. max
if performance shocks and stock springs are no good, are there any good springs that won't drop the car much? (1 inch or less)
thanks again

 

[D_Eclipse9916]

A lot of the turning has to do with Driver Skill and know-how. I have a friend with a civic si with a nice suspension setup and im stock except strut bars(plus sub box in back that moves around) and I went through a turn pretty fast (not even squealing the tires) and I get to the end of the twisties and I literally waited like 15 seconds and he finally comes up around and says WTF to me. Apparently(he was following me) at the first turn I came in so fast on that turn he tried to follow me and he hit major understeer and tried to push it so much that he slid a little bit and tried to catch up (his car is faster than mine) but apparently I was nowhere in view. I was SHOCKED to say the least. I find this very common, ive raced quite a few cars that "should" be much faster through turns but they just cant keep with me. I dont even bother to follow people anymore because when I do, it feels like they are taking the turns so slow that I literally can take the inside lane very very easily. I mostly learned from watching trans-am races(most common) and also talking with my brother that races motorcycles. First off, that civic with an 80 dollar suspension should actually be handling worse than stock plus THREEEEEE INCH LOWERING!!! I dont care if the camber and toe-in are good for turning but to the extreme makes the car handle much worse. I would say start off simple such as strut bars, then go to sway bars, then go to shocks and springs. oh I forgot, good tires are a must...but come on those are maintenance items not performance. For me, my next suspension upgrade is bigger rear sway bar and then probably some Tein Flex or SS coilovers. haha if im rich enough than ill get the electronic dampener control box that I can control from inside the car.

 

[theycallmebruce]

anyone tried these springs and have some feedback?
http://www.dsmtuners.com/parts/product_info.php?cPath=3_76&products_id=339
they claim only a 1 inch drop.

i'm sorta in the same boat as korndogg.

i want minimal lowering (shitty roads, plentiful potholes, steep driveway entries and speed bumps)
slightly stiffer, not enough to warrant a bottle of Excedrin in the glove box every time i hit a rough bump.
better handling

do you think the illumina 5 ways+the h&r oe sport springs would do the trick?

 

[kxcntry99]

anyone tried these springs and have some feedback?
http://www.dsmtuners.com/parts/product_info.php?cPath=3_76&products_id=339
they claim only a 1 inch drop.

i'm sorta in the same boat as korndogg.

i want minimal lowering (shitty roads, plentiful potholes, steep driveway entries and speed bumps)
slightly stiffer, not enough to warrant a bottle of Excedrin in the glove box every time i hit a rough bump.
better handling

do you think the illumina 5 ways+the h&r oe sport springs would do the trick?

I think you said it best....stiffer but not a pain in the neck!!! I got a tip on here about exactly that combo, H&R OE sports and the illuminas. I just got the H&R's in the mail today so I will let you know how it works out once I get them installed.