Hard Street Driving Suspension Needs, I would like a fun street car... Whats it going to take? Options

[jmill]

No way of knowing what front shock you have until you pull it apart. Lots of shocks fit in the Bilstein strut.

What I'm saying here is that the Bilstein strut is painted green. Different companies make inserts that fit into the Bilstein strut. You have to pull it apart to tell. AA sells an AX kit that includes the Weltmeister bar, KYB's, rear springs, etc. A popular kit if your into KYB's. Mine came with that kit installed by the PO. Your cars PO might have done the same. Since your springs are yellow I have no idea what they are. I've seen them black with colored dots denoting spring rate. I would think you can get them tested at a shop if they have the equipment.

[SirAndy]

I would like a fun street car... Whats it going to take?

[rhodyguy]

rebush the front anti-sway bar. looks like the bushing is non-existant in the first picture. figure out what proportion will be daily/street vs axing. plunking down a bunch of money, doing wholesale changes and making your car ride like a buckboard may make you less than happy.

[EdwardBlume]

Sorry to repeat. Drive it. AX it. You need time to get to know the car, save your money and do things that make the most sense for the money. You've got a great foundation. Go with it...

[pcar916]

(IMG:style_emoticons/default/agree.gif)

[tat2dphreak]

I'll go against the grain on this one... if you are just going on the street, not much more is needed than stock... new shocks, Bils or Konis, new tierod ends/ball joints, good working brakes. a stock front sway bar is nice... anything more than that is all at your desire/usage...

just my opinion.. the cars are a BLAST on the street as it is

[jmill]

Sorry to repeat. Drive it. AX it. You need time to get to know the car, save your money and do things that make the most sense for the money. You've got a great foundation. Go with it...

I'm all for driving the car but there are things you need to look at first. You don't want to push your car when it's not mechanically sound. Worn out bushings at key suspention points make handling unpredictable. Tighten up the slop with new bushings, get a four wheel alignment and corner balance. Then drive the heck out of it in a semi controlled environment ( track or AX ). You can then proceed from there. Your wallets the limit.

[pcar916]

I'd like to think that the fact that the car has to be safe and sound is understood, but it does bear repeating.

All suspension joints, bushings, bearings, etc must be in good shape, regardless of the usage and age. There are a bunch of rubber things that need attention in your car and those should be addressed first. Several times a month I like to go under my car, test torques and check for broken boots, leaks and cracks. I don't find many to be sure, but I'm constantly surprised to hear about folks who drive for months without a glance under the car.

I'd still lose the rear sway bar but that's just me.

[r_towle]

Your front drivers side anti sway bar bushing is about to fall out...and it looks very old.
Get new bushings, and get the proper sized clamps to go on the bar and keep it centered...or the bushings will keep getting pushed out. The bar slides side to side and pushes out the bushings.

Your rear bar rubber bushings are JUNK...get something new in there...they are all worn out. Delrin or new rubber, brass or bearings...they all work.

If you push the front drop link closer to the pivot point...closer to the anti sway bar, it gets stiffer.
Currently you are on a nice setting, if you go much stiffer, teeth will suffer. That depends upon what bar you have in there...you will figure that out when you measure for the bushings.

Tune up your two sway bars first.
If you need to replace the shocks, I would suggest koni adjustables...then you can play around with the settings till YOU like the way it handles. Bilsteins are super stiff.

On the rear springs. You need new rear shocks with adjustable perches to start...koni are adjustable, Bilsteins are stiff.

To figure out what spring rate you have, measure the spring, then put 140 lbs on it...if it moves one inch...they are 140 lb springs.
If you need 180 lbs to move it one inch, then they are 180 lbs.

I suppose if there is a race shop nearby, they may have the right machine to check this, but a bunch of weights work fine...or a 180 lb friend with good balance.

I had
23mm front torsion bars
22mm front anti sway bar
Bilsteins all around
180 lb rear springs.
Turbo tie rods.
Front and rear roller bearings (instead of rubber bushings)

That was super stiff and I had to tighten the suspension nuts weekly.

I went back to stock front torsion bars.
I will go back to 140 lb rear springs....maybe.

Rich

[slow914]

I had
23mm front torsion bars
22mm front anti sway bar
Bilsteins all around
180 lb rear springs.
Turbo tie rods.
Front and rear roller bearings (instead of rubber bushings)

That was super stiff and I had to tighten the suspension nuts weekly.

I went back to stock front torsion bars.
I will go back to 140 lb rear springs....maybe.

Rich

How did you like the roller bearings? Worth the money. Smoother or just stiffer. Sounds great in theory but pricey...