Make my car handle better, CHEAP!!!!!! Options

[Bleyseng]

Tires (IMG:style_emoticons/default/agree.gif)

[majkos]

I (IMG:style_emoticons/default/agree.gif) with tires!then second "stock" sway,they're cheap! Then alieghment!:beer3:
Never mind me it's St patty day!I love "U" all!
O'Shea,of the clan of O'Shea! (I always wanted to do that!)Sorry!

[Brad Roberts]

I think we should ask him a few questions:

1. What do you feel the car doing right now ?

a. does the car push in corners (goes straight even though you have the wheel turned) (this will tell us how he drives)
b. does the ass end like to swing out when you are on the gas.

To answer your 300-400$ question I need to know what you want to correct.

Tires are a good start (depending on what it has now)


B

[jonwatts]

I feel this thread has definite "flame war" potential (IMG:style_emoticons/default/fighting19.gif) I'll try not to be the first person to hurl a grenade at anyone even tho Ben pretty much called me an idiot flat out.

PS - Don't listen to me, I'm just regurgitating what advice I've received. I haven't driven my car in 2+ years and even then it wouldn't pass a state vehicle inspection in Arkansas (no offense to Arkansites).

[airsix]

I feel this thread has definite "flame war" potential (IMG:style_emoticons/default/fighting19.gif) I'll try not to be the first person to hurl a grenade at anyone even tho Ben pretty much called me an idiot flat out.

Hey! I didn't say anything about your comments! Are you kidding? You took the correct aproach - asking more questions like:

Find out (or tell us if you already know) what you have. You said suspension is 100% original. Do you mean original as in it's 30 years old or original in that all original spec parts were used during the restoration?

What year is the car?

Do you have swaybars?

These are all questions that needed answering before a valid recomendation could be made. I thought you were doing good.

-Ben M.

ps - I know you are joking around.
(IMG:style_emoticons/default/chair.gif)

[rhodyguy]

the 4 koni's and the spring swap with adjustable perches is going to run 8+ bills. the rear setup with 100 lb springs and perches alone were over 5 with shipping (the group buy). when the dust settles you will need over $1200, depending what you pay locally for a 4 wheel alignment and corner balance. that's not including tires either!

kevin

[ninefourteener]

I think we should ask him a few questions:

1. What do you feel the car doing right now ?

a. does the car push in corners (goes straight even though you have the wheel turned) (this will tell us how he drives)
b. does the ass end like to swing out when you are on the gas.

To answer your 300-400$ question I need to know what you want to correct.

Tires are a good start (depending on what it has now)


B

1. The car rides great.... no oversteer, but a bit of understeer in hard corners. Plus, I feel the car "lean" more than I'd like it to around curves as well.

a. a little bit
b. no, the ass is planted well, the only time I feel it swing out is if I have to BRAKE in the middle of a curve.. under acceleration, its the front I'd like to improve, not the rear

2. My car DOES NOT have a swaybar.. I looked last night.

Tires are ok I think. I'm running a 205/60 on all 4 corners. The tires grip just fine.... so squealing or sliding around hard corners.... it's the way the car itself responds to turns, that I'd like to improve.

To give a specific example..... there's an on ramp to the highway that I drive almost daily.... it's nearly a 360 degree perfect circle. I go into it a maybe 45 mph, constantly accelerate, and come out at about 70 mph. The car handles it fine (no tire sqealing), but it feels like it WAY leans around the curve.

Plus.... if I have to let off the gas, or if I have to brake... THEN the car gets all squirrely. I guess I just want better stability. Does that make sense?? Forgive me, I'm trying to explain it the best I can.

Matt

[Brad Roberts]

Good job. You explained how you drive the car and how you would like it to be improved.

My questions to walk up customers are always "loaded questions." I "prod" them to answer me.

First things first. Lets get the front end down. This will help "plant" the nose in corners. It is WAY to high right now.

Let me know when you get this. Start looking for a local alignment shop or start another thread asking anyone in your area for a known good shop. I can give you alignment specs for your 205/60's. We setup cars with 205/60's quite frequently.


B

[jonwatts]

Was there a link to pictures of ninefourteener's car somewhere in this thread? I must have missed it.

Well it looks like a flame war was avoided after all. Here I thought people were gonna get all (IMG:style_emoticons/default/Yack.gif) but instead we're just (IMG:style_emoticons/default/chatsmiley.gif) happy folks.

[ninefourteener]

Good job. You explained how you drive the car and how you would like it to be improved.

My questions to walk up customers are always "loaded questions." I "prod" them to answer me.

First things first. Lets get the front end down. This will help "plant" the nose in corners. It is WAY to high right now.

Let me know when you get this. Start looking for a local alignment shop or start another thread asking anyone in your area for a known good shop. I can give you alignment specs for your 205/60's. We setup cars with 205/60's quite frequently.


B

Here's a pic of my car as it sits right now. One of the reasons I used such a dramatic front spoiler was to plant the front end down (and I thought it was cool looking)... but if I drop the front end more, I'm gonna have to drop the back end as well.... as the back end already sits a tad bit higher than the front anyway.

If I drop the back, do you think I'll run into tire clearance problems?

I'm worried about drop[ping the front too much, as I'll turn my teener into a snow plow (IMG:style_emoticons/default/laugh.gif)

[ninefourteener]

Let me know when you get this. Start looking for a local alignment shop or start another thread asking anyone in your area for a known good shop. I can give you alignment specs for your 205/60's. We setup cars with 205/60's quite frequently.

You know.... Brad Mayeur doesn't live too terribly far from me...... you think he'd be a good guy to call to help set up (drop) the car??

I spoke with him once over the phone quite some time ago.. he seemed friendly enough, and I know he has a good reputation.

[Dave_Darling]

You may turn your 914 into a snow plow if you lower the front end. But aero doesn't do much for a 914 at any kind of sane speeds for the real world, so a huge spoiler like that is a waste IMHO. Lowering the nose will definitely give you more front grip, and it should reduce body roll slightly.

Lowering the rear shouldn't cause tire fitment problems that weren't there to begin with. Probably.

Braking in the middle of a corner is always going to cause the rear end to try to step out. Always. Even in a POS front-driver, if you brake hard enough. Letting off the gas in the middle of a corner will cause the rear end to get light at the very least--at least it's not a 911, where letting off in a corner spins the car... But those issues are more driver-related IMHO than car-related.

If you are looking for less body roll specifically, then better tires aren't what you need. They will actually increase body roll by giving you more grip. (What you said first was "better handling", which to me means "better grip".)

Lowering the car's ride height will reduce body roll. So will stiffening up the suspension--adding a front sway bar if there isn't one already (or going up in size if there is one), putting stiffer torsion bars in, putting stiffer rear springs in.

So you've got just a few choices here, from what you have said. Since you don't want do drill the holes required, sway bars are out. So you can lower the front of the car somewhat, and go with the 100 lb/in rear springs which will also lower the rear of the car slightly. Get an "aggressive street" alignment afterward, and that's it.

I still recommend that you take the car out and autoX it. Tightening the loose nut behind the wheel is always the number one improvement you can make. It won't help with body roll, but it will help you to get the most out of the car. And trust me, you haven't even gotten near the most yet...


...Brad M is a great guy, very very very knowledgeable. You'll pay more than if you did the work yourself, but you won't have to make all the standard mistakes and fix them... You could do a whole lot worse than to take the car to him.

--DD