What are the best upgrades for ~$1500 ?

[Angus]

Hi Guys,

I just got a bit of $$ from a deceased relative and figured i should spend it on something i enjoy rather than being sensible and boring

Ive got a jdm aw11 with 4agze running 11.5psi (stock everything else)

what do you guys reckon would be the best way for me to spend $1500 on it ?

suspension ? prothane bushings ? 15 inch wheels ? sw20 brakes ?
NST180mm pulley and w2a ic ? ECU ?

I put it on the track occasionally

im all ears

[GrandpaGofast]

Hi,
I bought an '88 sc this summer. First upgrades I did was koni adjustable inserts + prothane bushings and a rear sway bar. Feels like its riding on rails. I love it.
Oh yeah, a pair of new tires too.
Grandpa.

[Raptor13x]

If the car still has its original bushings, that'd be the best thing to replace to restore its handling.

[Angus]

Its such a shame i just put new shocks on the front 6 months ago

Anyhow, as far as suspension goes, what setup do you guys recommend ?

I know heaps of you have those 5 way adjustable tokico illumina's like these;


anyone have any others they think are good too ?

I can also get these BC coilovers locally:


is anyone here using these ?

[goldluderay]

i have the tokico whites on my drag prelude and the setting for me are either ultra stuff or like stock all the setting in between did next to nothing,,but for drag raceing i like them


what pulley do you have that makes it run 11.5psi?
the nst pulley will net a few more psi and an intercooler upgrade will help......
a cheap way around the intercooler upgrades is to spray windshield washer fluid on top of the intercooler,,,winshield washer fluid has a methonal base too it.. so it cool's decently better than water but worse that n20.....just tee off ur factory winshield sprayer hose....but bee carefull it is flamable.....as fare as an ecu goes i think a decent method with theese cars is apexi afc or neo,,,just get a wide band hooked up to it and monior ur fuel ratio

[ToyotaTechGeek]

[QUOTE=GrandpaGofast;494924]Hi,
I Feels like its riding on rails. I love it.
QUOTE]
i can't remember who said it, but the quote goes something like this:
"if it feels like it's on rails, you ain't going fast enough!"
probably one of the many race instructors in my past...

[Davis]

Originally Posted by ToyotaTechGeek

"if it feels like it's on rails, you ain't going fast enough!"

I like that!

[ToyotaTechGeek]

here's another:
there is a very delicate line between being fast and being out-of-control.

strange how being a good 'grip' driver means that you are able to drive a race line on a sheet of ice (figuratively and sometimes literally).

[Angus]

Originally Posted by goldluderay

what pulley do you have that makes it run 11.5psi?
the nst pulley will net a few more psi and an intercooler upgrade will help......

ive got a 165mm crank pulley and when i boot it the water temp visibly drops a bit because the water pump is being over driven hahah

im not keen on getting the NST 180mm pulley as it will hasten the death of my 23 year old SC

and i don't want to spend big $$$ on adjustable shocks only to put them on one setting and leave them, whats the point ?

plus other factor is that the girlfriend already complains the ride is too bumpy, so anything that will further stiffen the ride is probably not that useful to me hehehe

[donnyavery]

it could be a good time to think about nitrous (i know the members of this site hate nitrous) set up right its safe and you'll have years of fun or there's always the 4agte option but nitrous is more fun (and easier in every way) i know posting this response will have a lot of members displaying their ignorance of the subject of nitrous (in no way is this to insult any one just do the research be for before saying something about this reply)

[Sh0ty]

Nitrous is an interesting idea, but essentially, you're carrying a consumable designed to boost O2 levels for more power. Forced induction works in a similar way (more dense O2 as opposed to higher concentration) and isn't consumable. Now a little of both...

I have a set of Konis in my MKII and I adjust them fairly regularly. Soft for weekday commuting and then stiffer on weekends. Also, the Konis can go softer than stock (iirc), it's the spring rate you'll notice if you change that.

[Angus]

Originally Posted by Sh0ty

I have a set of Konis in my MKII and I adjust them fairly regularly. Soft for weekday commuting and then stiffer on weekends. Also, the Konis can go softer than stock (iirc), it's the spring rate you'll notice if you change that.

What model are they ?

[goldluderay]

Originally Posted by Angus

ive got a 165mm crank pulley and when i boot it the water temp visibly drops a bit because the water pump is being over driven hahah

im not keen on getting the NST 180mm pulley as it will hasten the death of my 23 year old SC

and i don't want to spend big $$$ on adjustable shocks only to put them on one setting and leave them, whats the point ?

plus other factor is that the girlfriend already complains the ride is too bumpy, so anything that will further stiffen the ride is probably not that useful to me hehehe

where did u get the 165 pulley from

[Angus]

Originally Posted by goldluderay

where did u get the 165 pulley from

its custom made by a guy in NZ

same size as the Blitz ones i guess

about a year ago i was getting all excited about changing to a turbo setup, but then i read some feedback from people that did it and they said that missed the supercharger's instant pull

i guess a 3sgte swap would be the best option

[Sh0ty]

Originally Posted by Angus

What model are they ?

I'm fairly sure Koni only makes one model for the MKII. They're the schoolbus yellow adjustables and I think mine are gas filled all around. I've heard from some people that the rears were gas filled and the fronts were fluid filled, but then I've also heard that's been changed. Springs I have are Eibach Prokits.