melis

I drive a '92 5-speed SC300, still bone stock [unless you count being on the second brake pads and clutch], and I've finally been looking into modifications beyond just 'Ooh, someday I'd like to do _____'. I've been reading all the information I can find, but haven't run across specific information on what I think I'm looking for [though I might've missed it too; this isn't a tiny forum and running terms through search tends to either be too general or too limiting, depending on the keywords used]. Most threads I've read on suspensions talk more about ride quality/height and price and don't go into much detail about handling.

I'm trying to find the best-handling coilover suspension. To me, 'best' is the most capable of taking corners fast with minimal body roll and hopefully much, much less oversteer than currently happens [fun as it is, I still like being able to drive all the way through my chosen lines]. I'm willing to go pretty stiff; I'm planning on 17s for the wheels [probably x8 in front and 9.5 or 10 rear] and I'd stuff some nice fat tires on them, which would give a bigger contact patch for traction and more sidewall which'll help ride comfort a bit too. Most of my performance car seat-time [some driving, more passengering] has been in a Porsche 993 Ruf BTR-2 with Bilstein PSS 9s and Recaro A-8 racing seats, so I'm fairly certain I can deal with stiffness and my *** not being overly pampered. And don't worry, I know my SC is never going to handle like that, but I'd still like it to do as well as possible. Plus, like many people I'd love to eventually do the 2JZ-GTE swap so in theory this won't always be my daily driver. I figure by the time I get old and brittle I'll be driving something a little less stiff.

I'd prefer around 1" of drop on ride height, hopefully no more than 2" unless the Truly Perfect [for me] setup puts the car lower. I know a lot of people on these boards like Teins, but I have to admit I'm not really sold on them. Price isn't too much of a factor in this case; I figure if I'm going to do this I ought to really do it right [and those PSS 9s have spoiled me pretty good]. Obviously aesthetics never hurt, but ultimately performance and driveability are higher priorities.

So.. Yeah. Any advice? Or just links to other threads or pages with good reviews and such regarding what might be useful? Or anything like that?

And sorry for rambling. I'm sure you all understand how easy it is to get carried away when it comes to cars.

/melissa

Erukian

i'm in exactly the same boat, 92 sc3 5spd, looking for the best coilover package.

I have a friend with koni yellow sport shocks in his E36 m3, that thing handles like a dream and it's a comfortable daily. I could only hope I can find something i can road race on the track that i can also comfortably daily drive. I've been in some stiff cars and everyone who uses a stiffie for their daily says they regret not getting something with better dampers.

Since we both are looking for good road racing/handling suspension, thought i'd say hey, me too.

-Joe

Kaydee

teins are good, I have them...but I'll be upgrading to Stance in near future.

Check Matt's (RedPhoenix) Bilstein/Gixxer setup. Lots of people gave it positive review and it is not too expensive

andrewwake

iTrader: (1)

if price isn't an issue go with
http://www.vividracing.com/catalog/z...0-p-23534.html
http://www.vividracing.com/catalog/j...99-p-1130.html
http://www.l-tunedparts.com/product/?id=2823

the last one would be my number one choice. ride handling of coilovers with the ability to change ride height on the fly.

sc1jzgte

if price isnt an issue and you want the best then you should research a lot more, but I am running the tein HA coilovers made for the supra. on 18's x 8.5 front and 9.5 rear. Not sure the drop right now but they are adjustable.. .so its up to you and your tuning.

I am very satisfied, but i havent had hardcore tracking or tuning, so im sure there is a lot better. But for a daily driver its smoother than more hardcore cars ive been in, but definitely more towards the stiff racing setups.

i needed camber kit for alignment, but this was probably the best mod ive done to the car, even over the turbo motorswap, its just way more fun to drive, i was kicking my self in the *** for buying other crap first.

5sp_jzz30

iTrader: (2)

if money is not an object and you want to do it right you need to set clear and defined lines for your car.

if you get a set of coilovers that are made custom for your car they may handle amazing on the track but might actually be worse on the street. they might be too stiff and thus create a lot of bouncing with uneven roads. this may cause loss of tire contact with the road thus a slower cornering car. on the other hand if you have a suspension that is very good on a street car it may be too soft for hard core track racing.

if you are going to do a lot of suspension work on your car make sure you replace all your bushing first either with polyurethane or get spherical bearing links. sway bars are also a big part of your suspension.

you seem to be a bit more like when it come to the whole performance and lexus thing. i dont really care that much for a comfortable ride. as long as its some what okay and the car handles amazing im happy

if i were you i would do the following before buying coilovers:

1. inspect all suspension components for wear
2. check front LCA for worn ball joints(if good then keep. if bad replace)
3. replace all bushings for polyurethane(all control arms and sway bars)
4. replace rack bushings for poly or solid
5. solid diff mounts
6. solid subframe mounts
7. get the car corner-weighed and figure out if you need to relocate/remove certain things to get the most optimum weight distribution you can
8. learn how to read damper curve charts
9. start calling up suspension companies and request damper curves for their products
10. look into sway bars(not all sway bars are created equal)

while you do all that you need to look into what wheels you want to run on the car and tire size.
wheel weight is a crucial factor to suspension response and in general less unsprung weight is better.

the whole process of setting up suspension on a car is one big loop. you go from wheels and tires to suspension and back again.

oh and also dont forget about brakes. find wheels that will clear brakes the chosen brakes.

i dont know if any of this was helpful and it might sound like a big deal because it actually is.

if you want a few excel files on corner weight calculators and suspension stuff let me know.