View Poll Results: What should I do?
Turbo Upgrade (K24/18g)
17
26.56%
GT2 front and GT2 deck lid with HUGE wing
5
7.81%
Suspension Upgrade such as JIC coilovers
29
45.31%
Give the money to the poor... :-)
13
20.31%
Voters: 64. You may not vote on this poll
Decisions, Decisions - Help me!
I have 4 kids under 10 and I have no idea what you are talking about...
Thread Starter
|
Registered User
Joined: Jan 2009
Posts: 2,251
Rep Power: 166
LMAO that is awesome!
Registered User
Joined: Sep 2008
Posts: 311
From: Italia
Rep Power: 38
Well, you've had "IT" at least 4 times in the last 10 years. 
My head hurts thinking of every 2 1/2 years. DAMN MAN!!!
Trust me, your "kill" count will IMPROVE A LOT!
My head hurts thinking of every 2 1/2 years. DAMN MAN!!!
Trust me, your "kill" count will IMPROVE A LOT!
Registered User
Joined: Apr 2007
Posts: 3,633
From: Maryland
Rep Power: 277
Here's my .02 about the suspension upgrade. I had PSS9's as my first coilover upgrade. I found them to be too soft for the track I usually run on. Jon is a way more experienced driver than I, so maybe it doesn't bother him as much as me. Whichever brand you decide to go with, the spring set is what makes the most difference, so do your homework before spending your money, otherwise you will end up like me upgrading again. I didn't believe it when I was told, but it is cheaper to do it once the right way, even if it means not buying the cheapest parts. Sway bars were the second most noticeable improvement. Get the upgraded drop links with these. TRG makes a very stout set and I have been very happy with them. The GT3 lower control arms get you the camber you need for the track. Is your car lowered yet? Doing that and getting a proper alignment and corner balance will improve handling. The rear toe steer arms and upper dog bones also help. Have you read the suspension thread that Mikelly started? A lot of good info in there.
I can't emphasize the proper springs enough. I bought Motons with a 450/700 spring set which still gives a decent street ride when the shocks are dialed back, but makes a big difference on track. I still wonder if I should have gone to 600/800, and may in the future, but then I don't much like driving my car on the street. I'd rather be hauling *** at the track.
I can't emphasize the proper springs enough. I bought Motons with a 450/700 spring set which still gives a decent street ride when the shocks are dialed back, but makes a big difference on track. I still wonder if I should have gone to 600/800, and may in the future, but then I don't much like driving my car on the street. I'd rather be hauling *** at the track.
Registered User
Joined: Apr 2007
Posts: 3,633
From: Maryland
Rep Power: 277
I fully agree. Wish I would have done it in my 20's.
Registered User
Joined: Jan 2008
Posts: 122
From: Albuquerque NM
Rep Power: 23
I voted suspension but would you not prefer a nice exhaust to enhance your EPL flash and set you up for that future turbo upgrade?
Are you already used to your Flash and now seek more power grasshoppa?
Are you already used to your Flash and now seek more power grasshoppa?
Thread Starter
|
Registered User
Joined: Jan 2009
Posts: 2,251
Rep Power: 166
Here's my .02 about the suspension upgrade. I had PSS9's as my first coilover upgrade. I found them to be too soft for the track I usually run on. Jon is a way more experienced driver than I, so maybe it doesn't bother him as much as me. Whichever brand you decide to go with, the spring set is what makes the most difference, so do your homework before spending your money, otherwise you will end up like me upgrading again. I didn't believe it when I was told, but it is cheaper to do it once the right way, even if it means not buying the cheapest parts. Sway bars were the second most noticeable improvement. Get the upgraded drop links with these. TRG makes a very stout set and I have been very happy with them. The GT3 lower control arms get you the camber you need for the track. Is your car lowered yet? Doing that and getting a proper alignment and corner balance will improve handling. The rear toe steer arms and upper dog bones also help. Have you read the suspension thread that Mikelly started? A lot of good info in there.
I can't emphasize the proper springs enough. I bought Motons with a 450/700 spring set which still gives a decent street ride when the shocks are dialed back, but makes a big difference on track. I still wonder if I should have gone to 600/800, and may in the future, but then I don't much like driving my car on the street. I'd rather be hauling *** at the track.
I can't emphasize the proper springs enough. I bought Motons with a 450/700 spring set which still gives a decent street ride when the shocks are dialed back, but makes a big difference on track. I still wonder if I should have gone to 600/800, and may in the future, but then I don't much like driving my car on the street. I'd rather be hauling *** at the track.
I definitely agree to do it once and do it right. I am just looking for a good street/track setup. I would probably lean more toward track - I can handle a little more harshness around the street. It isn't my DD so I don't have to be all that comfortable...
What do you guys think about the JICs? What parts besides the coilovers, sways, and end links would be good for a beginning DE? Are GT3 control arms a must have to get the proper geometry or can they be added later?
Thanks guys! This is all greek to me! I am a quick learner, but I have no experience with this and I don't want to screw it up with all the $$$ that goes into it!
Thread Starter
|
Registered User
Joined: Jan 2009
Posts: 2,251
Rep Power: 166
Yeah, I think I have the exhaust in progress... So hopefully that is covered! Can't wait to get it and hear the "music"!
Registered User
Joined: Sep 2008
Posts: 311
From: Italia
Rep Power: 38
I DID!!!! My girls were born when I was REALLY young, had the ol' snip, their Mom and I divorced and then I was living life like all those dudes that talk about the 60's and 70's and FREE LOVE!!!!
My girls were born when I was REALLY young, had the ol' snip, their Mom and I divorced and then I was living life like all those dudes that talk about the 60's and 70's and FREE LOVE!!!!
Registered User
Joined: Apr 2009
Posts: 1,444
From: San Jose, CA
Rep Power: 101
2nd the exhaust comment, we have similar setups and I have been searching for the right exhaust for some time. Too bad our cars will never have that GT3 sound, but for me it's my next mod. Just did the 997 shifter and airfilters... Suprising difference!
Registered User
Joined: Jul 2008
Posts: 6,453
From: CT
Rep Power: 439
Registered User
Joined: Jan 2008
Posts: 557
From: DC
Rep Power: 43
I voted for giving the money to the poor. Also, vasectomies have a rather high adverse event rate down the road...
My advice - always do the suspension work first, but it is difficult to get it right.
My advice - always do the suspension work first, but it is difficult to get it right.
Thread Starter
|
Registered User
Joined: Jan 2009
Posts: 2,251
Rep Power: 166
There is a lot of really good advice in Landjet's post. I'm still not making any recommendations for particular parts, but I thought that I might be able to add some things to help you think about the choices...
These cars have a built in push that is very hard to dial out. Adjustable sway bars are the best remedy for this. Most people run them full stiff at the rear, and nearly full soft at the front to compensate. You need aftermarket drop links, especially in the front where the bar fits between the axle and control arm to avoid interfering with one or the other. Sway bars are about the biggest bang for the buck in terms of handling improvement, since they aren't all that expensive.
You need to have about -2.4 degrees camber in front, and -2.0 degrees in the rear to keep the tires flat on the ground during heavy cornering. You can tell if you have enough camber by looking at tire temps across the face after a session, or tire wear across the face after some days. The car handles much better when you use the entire face of the tire. And they last a lot longer. When I first got my car, 3-4 days and the shoulders were corded. Now I get 9+ days. It took me a long time to get the setup right for this.
The bigger problem is the front, where the geometry makes it very difficult to get the necessary negative camber. With the stock control arms, most of us seem to max out about -1.9 degrees, at which point the strut/spring is hitting the inside of the body, even if you extend the upper adjustment holes for the camber setting. To get more camber, you need the split GT3 lower control arms to push the bottom of the strut out. When you make that change, you usually also have to re-adjust the caster by changing the bushing in the control arm. You might have an interference of the tire and the fenderwell up front, as well, which can be fixed my moving the radiators slightly forward. Not everyone has this problem. And some guys say they can get enough negative camber without the lower arms. I couldn't, and neither could Larry Landjet.
At the rear, you can either go with the GT3 lower control arm (same part as in front) or adjustable upper control arms (dogbones) to get more camber. I have the latter on my car. You'll also want to change the rear toe link to make it easier to adjust.
You might be able to do some of this in sequence, but if you keep tracking your car, you will eventually do it all. With the exception of the sway bars, all of the other changes are going to require an alignment, and perhaps a re-balancing of the ride height. Since those cost around $200, it can save some money in the long run to do it all at once.
Hope this helps.
Jon
These cars have a built in push that is very hard to dial out. Adjustable sway bars are the best remedy for this. Most people run them full stiff at the rear, and nearly full soft at the front to compensate. You need aftermarket drop links, especially in the front where the bar fits between the axle and control arm to avoid interfering with one or the other. Sway bars are about the biggest bang for the buck in terms of handling improvement, since they aren't all that expensive.
You need to have about -2.4 degrees camber in front, and -2.0 degrees in the rear to keep the tires flat on the ground during heavy cornering. You can tell if you have enough camber by looking at tire temps across the face after a session, or tire wear across the face after some days. The car handles much better when you use the entire face of the tire.
And they last a lot longer. When I first got my car, 3-4 days and the shoulders were corded. Now I get 9+ days. It took me a long time to get the setup right for this.The bigger problem is the front, where the geometry makes it very difficult to get the necessary negative camber. With the stock control arms, most of us seem to max out about -1.9 degrees, at which point the strut/spring is hitting the inside of the body, even if you extend the upper adjustment holes for the camber setting. To get more camber, you need the split GT3 lower control arms to push the bottom of the strut out. When you make that change, you usually also have to re-adjust the caster by changing the bushing in the control arm. You might have an interference of the tire and the fenderwell up front, as well, which can be fixed my moving the radiators slightly forward. Not everyone has this problem. And some guys say they can get enough negative camber without the lower arms. I couldn't, and neither could Larry Landjet.
At the rear, you can either go with the GT3 lower control arm (same part as in front) or adjustable upper control arms (dogbones) to get more camber. I have the latter on my car. You'll also want to change the rear toe link to make it easier to adjust.
You might be able to do some of this in sequence, but if you keep tracking your car, you will eventually do it all. With the exception of the sway bars, all of the other changes are going to require an alignment, and perhaps a re-balancing of the ride height. Since those cost around $200, it can save some money in the long run to do it all at once.
Hope this helps.
Jon
Thread Starter
|
Registered User
Joined: Jan 2009
Posts: 2,251
Rep Power: 166
There is a lot of really good advice in Landjet's post. I'm still not making any recommendations for particular parts, but I thought that I might be able to add some things to help you think about the choices...
These cars have a built in push that is very hard to dial out. Adjustable sway bars are the best remedy for this. Most people run them full stiff at the rear, and nearly full soft at the front to compensate. You need aftermarket drop links, especially in the front where the bar fits between the axle and control arm to avoid interfering with one or the other. Sway bars are about the biggest bang for the buck in terms of handling improvement, since they aren't all that expensive.
You need to have about -2.4 degrees camber in front, and -2.0 degrees in the rear to keep the tires flat on the ground during heavy cornering. You can tell if you have enough camber by looking at tire temps across the face after a session, or tire wear across the face after some days. The car handles much better when you use the entire face of the tire. And they last a lot longer. When I first got my car, 3-4 days and the shoulders were corded. Now I get 9+ days. It took me a long time to get the setup right for this.
The bigger problem is the front, where the geometry makes it very difficult to get the necessary negative camber. With the stock control arms, most of us seem to max out about -1.9 degrees, at which point the strut/spring is hitting the inside of the body, even if you extend the upper adjustment holes for the camber setting. To get more camber, you need the split GT3 lower control arms to push the bottom of the strut out. When you make that change, you usually also have to re-adjust the caster by changing the bushing in the control arm. You might have an interference of the tire and the fenderwell up front, as well, which can be fixed my moving the radiators slightly forward. Not everyone has this problem. And some guys say they can get enough negative camber without the lower arms. I couldn't, and neither could Larry Landjet.
At the rear, you can either go with the GT3 lower control arm (same part as in front) or adjustable upper control arms (dogbones) to get more camber. I have the latter on my car. You'll also want to change the rear toe link to make it easier to adjust.
You might be able to do some of this in sequence, but if you keep tracking your car, you will eventually do it all. With the exception of the sway bars, all of the other changes are going to require an alignment, and perhaps a re-balancing of the ride height. Since those cost around $200, it can save some money in the long run to do it all at once.
Hope this helps.
Jon
These cars have a built in push that is very hard to dial out. Adjustable sway bars are the best remedy for this. Most people run them full stiff at the rear, and nearly full soft at the front to compensate. You need aftermarket drop links, especially in the front where the bar fits between the axle and control arm to avoid interfering with one or the other. Sway bars are about the biggest bang for the buck in terms of handling improvement, since they aren't all that expensive.
You need to have about -2.4 degrees camber in front, and -2.0 degrees in the rear to keep the tires flat on the ground during heavy cornering. You can tell if you have enough camber by looking at tire temps across the face after a session, or tire wear across the face after some days. The car handles much better when you use the entire face of the tire.
And they last a lot longer. When I first got my car, 3-4 days and the shoulders were corded. Now I get 9+ days. It took me a long time to get the setup right for this.The bigger problem is the front, where the geometry makes it very difficult to get the necessary negative camber. With the stock control arms, most of us seem to max out about -1.9 degrees, at which point the strut/spring is hitting the inside of the body, even if you extend the upper adjustment holes for the camber setting. To get more camber, you need the split GT3 lower control arms to push the bottom of the strut out. When you make that change, you usually also have to re-adjust the caster by changing the bushing in the control arm. You might have an interference of the tire and the fenderwell up front, as well, which can be fixed my moving the radiators slightly forward. Not everyone has this problem. And some guys say they can get enough negative camber without the lower arms. I couldn't, and neither could Larry Landjet.
At the rear, you can either go with the GT3 lower control arm (same part as in front) or adjustable upper control arms (dogbones) to get more camber. I have the latter on my car. You'll also want to change the rear toe link to make it easier to adjust.
You might be able to do some of this in sequence, but if you keep tracking your car, you will eventually do it all. With the exception of the sway bars, all of the other changes are going to require an alignment, and perhaps a re-balancing of the ride height. Since those cost around $200, it can save some money in the long run to do it all at once.
Hope this helps.
Jon
Set of Coilovers
Front and Rear Sway Bars
Front and Rear End Link Sets
GT3 Front Lower Control Arms and Shims
Rear Upper Dogbones
Rear Toe Links
Am I missing anything?
Thanks again guys!!!