so here's what i'm thinking. next summer, i want my car to be closer to being able to compete in autocross events (i know it can already, but it'll be a lot better with some of the upgrades i want to do by then) as well as getting rid of that ugly wheel gap and brining the car closer to what i want it to become... a fantastic handling rear wheel drive japanese sports car. here are the things i'd like to accumulate by spring to make my suspension/breaks/overall handling and look of the car that much better.

1. new suspension (obviously ) i was thinking either tokico shocks and espelir springs, or preferably, coilovers. obviously coilovers would be the better setup, but i'm weighing cost vs benefit. i could always upgrade to coilovers later if i went springs/shocks, or do i just want coilovers from the start? the obvious choices are tein flex coilovers, but i'm also open to other options as well.

2. sway bars. i think most people get daizen sways, but i'm also open to ideas!

3. strut tower bars. i'd love to get front and rear both, but i hear so many opinions about what works best and what will accomplish the most benefit to the car. i also don't really know too well what will fit (i.e. do i have to get one for the SC300, or can i use one for a supra or supra TT?). i'm still open to options here!

4. rotors. i want to get a good set of drilled rotors because i've heard so many better thngs about just drilled rotors as opposed to drilled and slotted. i heard there is a good set to buy on ebay all the time, i forget the name off hand. anyway, those are something i want to throw on too.

5. calipers. i don't think i'll change these, probably just powdercoat them black or something like that and MAYBE put a lexus logo on it. not sure yet.

6. brake pads. i figure if i'm doing all this brake work, why not upgrade the pads as well? i don't think i need anything too crazy, but i want a really nice set i can throw on that'll do well on the street and on the track as well.

7. SS brake lines. these i've heard GREAT things about, but again i'm not familiar with the brands to look for.


did i miss anything? i'm open to any and ALL suggestions, as i want to amass this stuff over winter and get myself ready for spring time. i want to hit the novice driving school in april and go head on into autocrossing next summer (as i mentioned earlier), so i want to get ready and look GOOD doing it at the same time.

 

does anyone here have a rear STB installed? kinda tough with the gas tank in the way

 

i have no idea, but if you can somehow... i'm so game.

 

Something that I want out of my Soarer! I want a nice handling Soarer. yes it's comfortable but no it doesn't handle so well.

1. I had Espelirs. They're great for normal cruising but not for AutoX (I wouldn't think so anyway), they seem way too soft for that type of use. Plus I think the drop of the Espelir ASD would be too much for you to be successful in AutoX.
2. Swaybars would be a thing I would DEFINITELY upgrade. This is the first upgrade everyone points to on the Aussie forums when it comes to making a Soarer handle better. I'm looking at getting a set of front and rears as the car feels (to me) a little unstable going around corners at mid speed.
3. In your case it may be worthwhile, but for a normal day to day car I don't see a point.
4. X-drilled vs. slotted rotors. I heard that X-drilled rotors were more susceptible to cracking?
5~7. I'd upgrade the brakes yes. Also chuck in the SS brakelines (ChronoJ1 put up a post about these), they're a worthy upgrade. The brakes feel too soft for any type of aggressive driving, and I really think that a good brake set up should be one of the things an SC modder should be looking into.

Then get some Supra wheels to fit over your brakes and you're set.

 

now that you've responded to my points, i'll respond to yours.

1. one reason i really am considering coilovers now (tein or otherwise) are for the obvious reasons of a better stance and handling, but also because i want to be able to adjust them for the course and do fun things like that. while i do want a drop, i want it to serve a functional purpose, not just "look" good. i want my stuff to work their magic as well on the track.

2. i haven't seen one person go for sways other than daizen yet (which kinda says either they are amazing or there are no other options ) so i'll probably pick those up. they're definitely on the lis.

3. well i guess it depends on who you talk to as far as brakes go, but usually all performance rotors are drilled, slotted or both so i don't see how they can be that bad then. i forget why i heard drilled are supposed to be better than having slots in there (or in addition to) but increased brake pad wear seems to come to mind.

4. i'm definitely going for the SS lines, i've heard nothing but good. i want the whole brake setup to not only look better than now but i want them to perform better as well and that's part of why they're going on as well.


i'd love for anyone who's done suspension to chime in and suggest what's on their mind!

 

I agree on getting a set of coilovers. I went for a ride in my cousin's ride (he just fitted Tein Flex) and I was very surprised on the ride comfort considering they're stiffer than the Tein SS etc. Since you're going to go AutoX getting coilovers would be your best bet. I'm not sure which one to go with though as I've never gone AutoX myself but I'm guessing something with mid-high spring rates?

About the X-drilled and slotted brakes, here is a link... just FYI though.
Planet Soarer... Brake Upgrade

Jose

 

hmmmmm... well now i need to some research before i go buying something, because now i'm kinda confused as to what is better.

 

That's what I was thinking too. I was always thinking that cross drilled and slotted brakes would be the best but apparently not (according to DBA, a brake rotor specialist in Australia).

All up to you though. I'd be interested to see how the car handles once all the sussy gear is fitted.


Jose

 

well i talked to a few of my friends and they seem to love their rotors... i can't remember for the life of me if they said slotted or drilled, but i remember they both use one or the other. all i can remember at the moment is that they said definitely get cadmium plating. i'm now trying to come up with what order i'd like to get things in, but i definitely need coilovers by spring... somehow.

 

well here is my opinion on your questions...

1. I hear that espiler springs are great but if you want to go to the track plus have adjustability options then i would go with coilovers for sure. Plus, why spend money on something now when you know you're going to spend it later on coilovers? Just buy what you want right then and there (ie : full coilover suspension) and you'll be good to go and go to other aspects of fixing up your car. I hear that Teins are good but I also hear that the JIC's are pretty good with a decent spring rate, not too soft and not too stiff.. plus you'll have the adjustability option as well.

2. I think that Daizens are like the only options Plus it's hard to find a decent set used and I don't want to go with TT sways so I'll end up getting TRD sways or another brand... doing research on them as well! But, from friends, they tell me sways make a better difference then any strut bar... bar none.

3. I was originally going to get struts first but was convinced to get sways first so this will probably be one of the last suspension mods I do.

4. I'm with 25_GTT on this one.. i originally thought that X-drilled and slotted would be the best combination. However, I heard that X-drilled is likely to crack after awhile so I'll go for a slotted setup.

5. I probably won't change it either.. just powdercoat them like yourself

6. Any brake pad would be fine... I've heard Endless makes great pads

7. I've heard great things about SS lines as well. Hopefully if I have enough funds.. I'll upgrade to SS lines when I get the TT setup....

I actually have time @ work so I decided to give my opinion on your situation good luck!

 

In no particular order; Stainless Steel brake lines (Goodridge are widely available) cost about $105-115 for a set of 4. Makes a very pronounced improvement in pedal feel. Axxis MM pads about $80 for all 4 wheels good stopping power, quiet (no squeal) and minimal dust. If you want help with suspension mods contact Tod at TM Engineering. He is a sponsor here on CL also posts under the sn of DoubleWhoosh. Tod is an expert in SC suspension issues. He helped design and test the Daizen sway bars. (which by the way are an excellent upgrade. I have them on my GS with L-tuned shocks and springs. Ride and handling are great. Struts and braces will add some but less noticeable improvement. Don't forget GOOD tires.

 

You have a similar schedule of things that I wanted to do for my car.

For the suspension, I went w/ Tokico Illumina (set at 4 in front, rear in the 3) and Eibach Pro for the Supra TT. IMO, it's drops the car too low. I'm back to the earlier days where I have to angle my car down slops and bumps (really annoying). I would go for TEIN coilovers if I had the choice to redo it - plus it's easier to install.

For the sways, I think they are built up as it is. They look thick enough. I don't know too much about the pros on this, so I won't comment

Brake upgrade is the next thing on my timeline. I would go for the post 95 Lexus LS400 brakes and SS lines. It's such an investment to get new rotors w/o calipers to go with them. I don't believe slotted or cross-drilled will give you any serious performance improvements while retaining existing calipers. I'm hearing x-drilled is better since slotted shreads your pads fast. You also have to plan ahead and think what you going to do when it time to re-surface the rotors. I'm using PBX/AXXIS semi-metallic pads for my rears. Definite improvement in stopping power.

Hope that helps.

 

Cross drilled and slotted rotors will eat up your pads quicker, they are also both weaker and more subsecptible to warping and cracking. Their main benefit is only helping brake fade and looking cool. I'd suggest trying out your stock brakes for awhile first and if you do have problems with fade, go ahead and upgrade as constanly changing pads and rotors is a big PITA.

 

i'm a brake newb.. how is the slotted rotors weaker? thanks!

 

from what i've learned so far slotted will eat up pads like no tomorrow, and drilled are supposedly "weaker" but i have a few friends who use drilled rotors and haven't had any problems, so i'll probably go with just drilled.