need help on suspension upgrades and wheels

M.Bailey · 08-10-2008, 02:48 PM

I just got my 88 sc. I plan i racing the car and drivin it to school/work so it needs to do both. my questions are: what do i need to get a far as struts springs and/or add a rear sway bar to make it handle good. second question what size of wheels should I get. I have found 17s that would look great have found 15s that would look great but what would give me the best performance?? keep in mind like almost all working highschool students i am on a budget thanks for you help.

mr3 · 08-10-2008, 06:02 PM

From what I've read/heard 17's are to big for mk1's. You will feel every bump in the road and all that fun stuff. I'm no expert so I cant help with suspension.

Mista 2 · 08-11-2008, 05:22 AM

If you are looking at doing a bit of racing then a set of coil overs would be a good bet. They wont cost too much offer a lit of adjustment. Bushes would be a very good thing to look at too. Just remember if they haven't been changed then they are 20 years old. As for the wheels i would go for 15's. The rubber is cheaper and the added sidewall will give you a better ride. If you go for stiff coil overs then you will need this.

YellowJacket · 02-05-2009, 08:16 PM

Highschool on a budget? Then:

Go with 15's rims
15 " tires are cheaper and save gas yet improve handling over 14" stocks. about $400 for Yoko S.Drives.
Go with Tokico Blues and ST Springs for about $400 shipped for the set.
Prothane Bushings for about $100

If you do the work yourself, you could probably get all that for under $1500 and have a nice ride.

Rear sway bar, well, thats for someone else. SOmetimes it makes it snap happy on the back. Depends on the year of the Mk1 and your driving habits I think... again for someone else.

Gairloch · 02-05-2009, 08:44 PM

When you say race are you actually taking it to a track? If you're street racing it then sorry but I have no interest in helping you.

HoLun · 02-06-2009, 05:36 AM

I suggess you keep it stock untill you have save up at lease twice the amount you need, or else you will be walking to school/work.

because you will soon discover when you fix/mod 1 thing on a 20 year old car, another thing (could be completely unrelated to what you were doing) will break and require repair.

If you want to modify a car you best have another one that you can use as a daily, I have 2 car, I modified both, at the same time, long story short, one is in the middle of engine replacement, and the other is waiting for me to finish up the tuning the megasquirt, and fixing some wiring for the carb to efi conversion.

good thing i have couple of back up, plane jane grocery getter i can use to get parts and stuff.

randomxzero · 02-06-2009, 05:29 PM

To make it handle better you will need some decent wide wheels..
sidewall also affects the handling..
if you have a big sidewall there is more flexibility which will cause a greater slip angle on the turns..
if you want the car to be handle well and not be so much tail happy
get some wider wheels in the rear with a nice low sidewall..
only bad thing tires will go pretty fast..
sway bar in the rear will keep the tail more stable but will make it slide somewhat more
if you want to increase the grip in the rear
then get a beefy front sway bar...
i forgot how the physics of this works but i know its like this.
other than that you also gotta do a major part and when driving through turns and whatnot dont upset the balance of the car try to keep the center of gravity always centered haha

mk15mr2 · 02-07-2009, 08:29 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by randomxzero

other than that you also gotta do a major part and when driving through turns and whatnot dont upset the balance of the car try to keep the center of gravity always centered haha

So you mean get your braking done before the turn, follow a smooth line and don't hit the gas too hard coming out? That is what i was told when driving an mr2...

Jackstand Queen · 02-16-2009, 10:56 PM

Bailey:

The one thing no one mentioned is WHEEL Weight. There are tons of cheap blingy rims of all sizes that weigh as much as ten pounds per wheel more than your stock ones.

There are not so many wheels that weigh less than your 14.5 lbs OEM wheels. And the lighter the wheel, the higher the price.

Putting more weight into your axle, tranny, flywheel, wheel, tire, or brake disc adds a weight penalty that can be as bad as 600%. I.e. add a pound on one tire's weight, is like adding 6 lbs of lead to a part of the car that is not rotating. Remove 2 lbs per wheel (x's 4) and the result would be as if you removed in the neighborhood of 50 lbs from the chassis.

I found some 11.5 lb. alloy rims from an older Miata. You might could scrounge up a set from local junkyards on the cheap.

iceNine · 02-18-2009, 12:52 PM

I have an 87 MR2 with the following suspension mods: ST springs, Tokico adjustable shock inserts, ST swaybars front and rear (made front adjustable endlinks myself), TRD hard rubber bushings and strut tops, GAB rear strut brace.

Of all of the things that I did above the most dramatic handling improvement was from the TRD bushings. I did them when the car was about 12 years old (I'm original owner) and even at that age the stock rubber was obviously worn out. I'm thinking of taking off the rear sway bar since my teenage daughter may be driving it and the rear bar makes the car a little "tail-happy" for a novice driver.

ebouwman · 02-25-2009, 03:02 PM

How hard is it to put in the rear sway bar?

I've got the little tab things on my rear shocks.

tjmr2 · 03-06-2009, 02:50 PM

Re: Rear Sway Bar - It's just a bolt on (how many times have we heard that one?) I had to build my own links and angle iron brackets to get the rear sway bar to line up correctly.

I'm running KYB GR2 struts, Eibach springs -1", Prothane bushings, Addco 3/4" sway bars front and rear. Stock basketweave 14" wheels and 185/60 R 14 sport tires. Stock front strut tower brace and custom Rear brace. Moved the battery to the Frunk, put in a compact spare tire and a Black Top.

The car handles like a big go-cart. But the suspension is so stiff that I feel every dip and bump in the road. People routinely flash their brights at me thinking I'm flashing at them when it's just dips in the road. It's the price I'm willing to pay to have a car that can be beat in 1/4 mile, but the corners are another story.

Once you drop the car 1" you will be constantly on the look out for every curb, gutter, speed bump, or rock on the road because if you aren't careful you will scrape or bottom out on them.

08-10-2008, 02:48 PM	#1 (permalink)
M.Bailey wrenching skills Join Date: Aug 2008 Posts: 118 Thanks: 0 Thanked 1 Time in 1 Post iTrader Rating: (0/0% )	need help on suspension upgrades and wheels I just got my 88 sc. I plan i racing the car and drivin it to school/work so it needs to do both. my questions are: what do i need to get a far as struts springs and/or add a rear sway bar to make it handle good. second question what size of wheels should I get. I have found 17s that would look great have found 15s that would look great but what would give me the best performance?? keep in mind like almost all working highschool students i am on a budget thanks for you help.

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08-10-2008, 06:02 PM	#2 (permalink)
mr3 unskilled Join Date: Jun 2008 Location: Plymouth Mtg, Pa Posts: 2,408 Thanks: 24 Thanked 98 Times in 93 Posts iTrader Rating: (7/100% )	From what I've read/heard 17's are to big for mk1's. You will feel every bump in the road and all that fun stuff. I'm no expert so I cant help with suspension.

08-11-2008, 05:22 AM	#3 (permalink)
Mista 2 Cage Fighter Join Date: Nov 2006 Location: Adelaide, Australia Posts: 463 Thanks: 16 Thanked 21 Times in 21 Posts My Google Map iTrader Rating: (0/0% )	If you are looking at doing a bit of racing then a set of coil overs would be a good bet. They wont cost too much offer a lit of adjustment. Bushes would be a very good thing to look at too. Just remember if they haven't been changed then they are 20 years old. As for the wheels i would go for 15's. The rubber is cheaper and the added sidewall will give you a better ride. If you go for stiff coil overs then you will need this.

02-05-2009, 08:16 PM	#4 (permalink)
YellowJacket 1985 16v NA 6-speed Join Date: Sep 2008 Location: Nashville, TN Posts: 415 Thanks: 8 Thanked 31 Times in 24 Posts iTrader Rating: (1/100% )	Highschool on a budget? Then: Go with 15's rims 15 " tires are cheaper and save gas yet improve handling over 14" stocks. about $400 for Yoko S.Drives. Go with Tokico Blues and ST Springs for about $400 shipped for the set. Prothane Bushings for about $100 If you do the work yourself, you could probably get all that for under $1500 and have a nice ride. Rear sway bar, well, thats for someone else. SOmetimes it makes it snap happy on the back. Depends on the year of the Mk1 and your driving habits I think... again for someone else.

02-05-2009, 08:44 PM	#5 (permalink)
Gairloch Dreaming of apexes Join Date: Aug 2005 Location: Minneapolis, MN Posts: 5,313 Thanks: 139 Thanked 296 Times in 264 Posts Blog Entries: 4 My Google Map iTrader Rating: (7/100% )	When you say race are you actually taking it to a track? If you're street racing it then sorry but I have no interest in helping you.

02-06-2009, 05:36 AM	#6 (permalink)
HoLun ASE Master tech Join Date: Jan 2009 Location: Austin, TX Posts: 79 Thanks: 0 Thanked 5 Times in 5 Posts iTrader Rating: (0/0% )	I suggess you keep it stock untill you have save up at lease twice the amount you need, or else you will be walking to school/work. because you will soon discover when you fix/mod 1 thing on a 20 year old car, another thing (could be completely unrelated to what you were doing) will break and require repair. If you want to modify a car you best have another one that you can use as a daily, I have 2 car, I modified both, at the same time, long story short, one is in the middle of engine replacement, and the other is waiting for me to finish up the tuning the megasquirt, and fixing some wiring for the carb to efi conversion. good thing i have couple of back up, plane jane grocery getter i can use to get parts and stuff.

02-06-2009, 05:29 PM	#7 (permalink)
randomxzero 562 Understeer Join Date: Sep 2008 Location: 562 Posts: 1,171 Thanks: 10 Thanked 5 Times in 5 Posts iTrader Rating: (1/100% )	To make it handle better you will need some decent wide wheels.. sidewall also affects the handling.. if you have a big sidewall there is more flexibility which will cause a greater slip angle on the turns.. if you want the car to be handle well and not be so much tail happy get some wider wheels in the rear with a nice low sidewall.. only bad thing tires will go pretty fast.. sway bar in the rear will keep the tail more stable but will make it slide somewhat more if you want to increase the grip in the rear then get a beefy front sway bar... i forgot how the physics of this works but i know its like this. other than that you also gotta do a major part and when driving through turns and whatnot dont upset the balance of the car try to keep the center of gravity always centered haha

02-16-2009, 10:56 PM	#9 (permalink)
Jackstand Queen Cage Fighter Join Date: May 2008 Posts: 840 Thanks: 75 Thanked 64 Times in 60 Posts iTrader Rating: (1/100% )	Bailey: The one thing no one mentioned is WHEEL Weight. There are tons of cheap blingy rims of all sizes that weigh as much as ten pounds per wheel more than your stock ones. There are not so many wheels that weigh less than your 14.5 lbs OEM wheels. And the lighter the wheel, the higher the price. Putting more weight into your axle, tranny, flywheel, wheel, tire, or brake disc adds a weight penalty that can be as bad as 600%. I.e. add a pound on one tire's weight, is like adding 6 lbs of lead to a part of the car that is not rotating. Remove 2 lbs per wheel (x's 4) and the result would be as if you removed in the neighborhood of 50 lbs from the chassis. I found some 11.5 lb. alloy rims from an older Miata. You might could scrounge up a set from local junkyards on the cheap.

02-18-2009, 12:52 PM	#10 (permalink)
iceNine Some Skills Join Date: Jan 2009 Location: Maryland USA Posts: 61 Thanks: 0 Thanked 1 Time in 1 Post iTrader Rating: (0/0% )	I have an 87 MR2 with the following suspension mods: ST springs, Tokico adjustable shock inserts, ST swaybars front and rear (made front adjustable endlinks myself), TRD hard rubber bushings and strut tops, GAB rear strut brace. Of all of the things that I did above the most dramatic handling improvement was from the TRD bushings. I did them when the car was about 12 years old (I'm original owner) and even at that age the stock rubber was obviously worn out. I'm thinking of taking off the rear sway bar since my teenage daughter may be driving it and the rear bar makes the car a little "tail-happy" for a novice driver.

02-25-2009, 03:02 PM	#11 (permalink)
ebouwman Curve Hugger Join Date: Jan 2009 Location: BC Posts: 1,600 Thanks: 19 Thanked 51 Times in 51 Posts My Google Map iTrader Rating: (0/0% )	How hard is it to put in the rear sway bar? I've got the little tab things on my rear shocks.

03-06-2009, 02:50 PM	#12 (permalink)
tjmr2 Cage Fighter Join Date: Jan 2008 Location: Colorado Posts: 410 Thanks: 0 Thanked 62 Times in 59 Posts My Google Map iTrader Rating: (0/0% )	Re: Rear Sway Bar - It's just a bolt on (how many times have we heard that one?) I had to build my own links and angle iron brackets to get the rear sway bar to line up correctly. I'm running KYB GR2 struts, Eibach springs -1", Prothane bushings, Addco 3/4" sway bars front and rear. Stock basketweave 14" wheels and 185/60 R 14 sport tires. Stock front strut tower brace and custom Rear brace. Moved the battery to the Frunk, put in a compact spare tire and a Black Top. The car handles like a big go-cart. But the suspension is so stiff that I feel every dip and bump in the road. People routinely flash their brights at me thinking I'm flashing at them when it's just dips in the road. It's the price I'm willing to pay to have a car that can be beat in 1/4 mile, but the corners are another story. Once you drop the car 1" you will be constantly on the look out for every curb, gutter, speed bump, or rock on the road because if you aren't careful you will scrape or bottom out on them.