I'm bout ot build a motor for my car and i want to have a good suspension setup shocks, springs, traction bars, etc. so can someone help point me in the right direction becuase i have researched on this but i still dont know what direction to go or what exactly i need to be going for...i will have aftermarket wheels on my car too if that should be taken into consideration...but all the help and tips would be greatly appreciated....thanks

 

whats your budget and what are your plans for the car?

 

i have no budget i just wanna do it right no matter how much it costs or how long it will take me to finish it...i mean my car is gonna be a semi street semi track car...i wont be daily driven but it iwll be driven a few times a week and it iwll be at a track at least twice a month...so i dont need the most expensive stuff out there but i do wanna do it right and no have any shortcuts...thanks

 

Anyone?

 

What track? Road track or a drag strip? Are you willing to sacrifice handling for drivabiliy? Do you want to be slammed or just lowered?

Too many variables.

 

i definately dont want to be slammed...justl lowered a little, it will be a drag strip, and yes iam willing to sacrific some handling on the road cause like i said i will only be driving this a few times a week if that

 

bump...

 

if it's just drag, then buy some koni race shocks and ground controls with really high rear rates (1000lbs ?). If you want it to handle around corners then its a whole different story.

There are lots of reviews of traction bars on here too, so you can search that.

 

can u give me an idea of a good setup that is good on a drag track and isn't **** on the roads? thanks

 

GC with somewhere around 350-400 rear would be tolerable on the street and usable on the strip, but not ideal. usually good on track and good on the roads are somewhat mutually exclusive

for drag you want very stiff rear setup to prevent squat on launch, most OTS drag kits are somewhere around 1000lb/in rear if not more

 

so there is no happy median between drag and street lol...the only reason i dont want a full drag suspension is because it will be drove on the road...so u say go with GC but what about shocks, strut bars, and all that

 

If you stay with streetable spring rates (Sub 500 lbs/in), you would do best to go with Koni Sport shocks. They are externally rebound adjustable, & strong enough to control springs that stiff. They also carry a lifetime warranty (to original purchaser), and offer awesome customer service. They have a rep on H-T almost every day that offers his advice anytime you have a question about their products.

If you do want to go with a Full Drag race setup, then your going to need some more serious shocks in the $1k range to control 1000 lb/in springs (koni makes those too)...

If you do go with Koni & GC, you have to make sure to get the special GC sleeves that only work with the Koni shocks. Regular GC sleeves are not compatible...

Also, strut bars don't do squat (especially for drag racing). Save your money for gas or something that will really help you go quicker...

 

koni yellows seem to be pretty much the shock to have

if the car is primarily a drag car and you only plan on having the car on the street a couple times a week for short distances, you could probably go higher than my previous guestimate for rear rates. those short distances will be pretty uncomfortable though.

strut bars are blingy... thats about it. in theory they help stiffen the chassis during hard cornering, but the flex between the typical mounting positions is minimal at best anyway. plus you'll just be going straight really fast.

 

ok thank you both for ur help...i know i see some people on here get braces and **** for there cars and all that...i dont know much about suspensin so i thank you all for you input...but what would u all suggest on lowering what would be a limit? i dont want it on the ground i just want to set it just above the rims and tires...thanks

 

With coil-overs its all up to you.

 

<TABLE WIDTH="90%" CELLSPACING=0 CELLPADDING=0 ALIGN=CENTER><TR><TD>Quote, originally posted by 94eg! &raquo;</TD></TR><TR><TD CLASS="quote">With coil-overs its all up to you.</TD></TR></TABLE>

well see that is where i get lost in suspension...since i am about to start on my motor and my goal is for around 400hp alot of ppl tell me not ot lower it period...and alot of people also want me to have stock wheels on it...to each there own but anyways i havent desided yet if i am gonna stick with 18's just for hte street and 16's on strip or have 17's for street...but either way i dont want my car to be really high off the ground but just for the fenders to set just above the tires i dont wanna tuck them...so with a high hp motor and is it really not a good idea to lower it evne if its just like .5" to 1.0"? thanks

 

????

 

He means keep a couple sets of springs and swap them around. That's the beauty of coilovers like the GC, you can even change the springs at the track, you don't need a spring compressor once you install the GC setup.

Stock Koni yellows are only good up to about 550 lbs/in. Revalved Yellows are good alot higher (don't have an exact number).

Basically I think your problem is, you're not doing any research on you own. This isn't really research. There's nothing rocket sciencey about this. Copy someone else and do you own thing once you know how.

I use Koni yellows, 550 lbs/in front, 350 lbs/in in the back. Decent sway bars front and back. The car's pretty neutral to under-steery depending on how I set the rear sway.

 

i was reading where some ppl was gettin asr frames to aid in not ripping there subframe apart...is this really necessary i couldnt find a whole lot on it...but i do see alot of ppl use GC and Koni yellows...thanks for hte tips and help

 

the asr kit is really only necessary if youre running a large rear sway bar.
large being &gt;18 or 19 on ek, somewhere bigger than 22 on eg/dc; those are sturdier and are fine with beaks for most applications.

since youre making a drag car sway bars arent going to do much for you. they can get pretty heavy once you get big enough ones, and for as littler purpose as it serves on a car that only goes straight, its just unnecessary dead weight.

 

so it wont afect my occasional driving either without one...thats good to know cause the less i need i more i can put towards my motor and tuning...thanks alot man, got any good suggestions on sites to go thru for GC and Koni? thanks

 

Shox.com sells both Koni & GC and they price-match any other on-line Koni/GC dealer...

 

good deal thanks alot 94eg!....would it be a bad idea to change bushings i dont read where alot of ppl do it but i am turing over about 85k miles and just wondering...thanks

 

Bushings are difficult to change. They require professional assistance to press them out & back in. I had a place charge me $10 each one (I only needed 4), and that seemed like a good deal. Only replace bushings that are obviously damaged or worn. Usually you can get the OEM bushings for a decent price online, and you will make out good in the end.

Sometimes it's cheaper to buy completely new suspension arms because they come with new bushings already pressed in. Rear LCAs have 3 bushings in them, so they are always cheaper to buy new ones. I am a big fan of OEM bushings, so I recomend you stick with stock rubber & OEM control arms.

 

ok thanks well i guess once i park my civic and start to pull everything out i will check the LCA's and see how good of shape the bushings and stuff are....i'm doing most of the work myself but somestuff i am leaving to a pro like the bushings...thanks for the advice