Thread: Suspension build

Okay guys so I redid a good amount of my suspension... and I apologize for not taking pictures beforehand but I was so obsessed with getting this stuff on I forgot to take pics... A good friend helped me out and we did this stuff in about a weekend's worth of work
Here's what's new:
-Delco replacement control arms w/ Moog's problem solver bushings
-OEM junkyard front sway bar (28 mm) w/ energy suspension bushings and new links
-Rear ADDCO 22 mm solid bar w/ urethane bushings that came with it + Duralast links
-KYB GR2 struts all the way around
-Vogtland FRONT lowering springs 200# as stated in the forum (been almost 2 weeks, settled maybe a quarter to a half inch)
-WBS REAR HEIGHTENING springs 350# as stated by WBS (settled a little, about a little higher than stock, maybe an inch, probably less)
-ZZP shortened dogbones w/ poly motor mounts - Not yet put on
-245/45/17 Kumho Ecsta 4X II

Vogtland front springs


Rear ADDCO bar


Rear WBS springs


Front sway bar w/ new links/bushings



How the car sits as of now




Again, sorry for the bad images, like I said I was so obsessed with getting these parts on I didn't bother taking pictures, I had to go to a shop to get the new LCA bushings pressed in but other than that rust was a MAJOR issue, almost made me want to quit at many points
Other than that Mods still needed:
-Need to put on Dogbones/Mounts (already own)
-Need to buy the biggest front brake kit available and possible w/ the +32 offset 17" Mustang wheels
-Need to buy trailing arms and lateral arms
-In desperate need of a driver's mod, I'm learning to drive this thing all over again (Most major one here)
-Need any power mod, I want a turbo conversion when I have some money, I feel like a blower is the wrong kind of boost for a car setup like this... would love the precision 6262 kit from ZZP detuned to close to stock power
-Need transmission build before I get more power, hence IF I do the conversion first I'll have them tune it to about stock power or maybe a little more (210-220 whp would be lovely), but most likely will do trans build first and go straight to about 300 whp

Feels/handling
-The ride is stiffened up a little but it's still fairly decent... but there's no way of getting around it, the shocks are way to soft even for the Vogtlands
-The OEM front sway bar is too soft, at highway speeds the rear will want to overtake the front with aggressive lift off or trail braking (NOT SAFE!!!), I thought with the energy suspension bushings up front the sway bar would be 100% effective and stiffen the front up a little, but the front rolls still a bit too much, the front roll reminds me of maybe like a stock previous gen WRX.
-The rear end is very very tight and under hard trail braking the rear tires WILL lose traction, for example I braked a little too late in a corner today and the rear tires actually started squealing, the first time I heard these tires squeal on either end.
-The car is VERY responsive, the problem solver bushings probably made the most difference out of anything, the car LOVES to take a turn and it almost assists you in corners... the responsiveness is like no other 90s car (yes I know it's a 2002, but that's besides the point)

At first I was very skeptical of the handling, I even made a thread about how I didn't like that the rear tires wouldn't budge when I lifted off the throttle. But I was wrong about this car and all it needs is a driver's mod (and maybe a stiffer front sway bar)... this thing is surprisingly fast around corners and the tires provide incredible amounts of grip. I might be wrong but I'm pretty sure the Ecsta 4X II are one of the best A/S perfromance tires on the market, I assume this car grips as well as an older 328i like an E46 or something (should be about mid .8 Gs). I'm sure this will run circles around any stock OE GP fairly easily and I'm sure it's on the level of say a Cobalt SS. The front bar does not provide adequate roll resistance though... even with the polyurethane bushings it doesn't seem like 28 mm hollow is enough. I did want the front to have a little bit of roll so the rear end is stiffer, at least slightly. Most likely I'll have to order a Dorman bar.

Oh PS Does anyone know which bushings to use with the 33 mm Dorman bar? Can I possible reuse the bushings I bought for the OEM one?

There are better tires BTW.

If you think the struts are too soft, maybe you want to consider stiffening up the suspension via that better bar and some real arms out back.

Falken tires are just junk unless they make R compounds or something the like, those ziex are some of the cheapest for sure.

You need some pilot sports or potenza's that are made to grip the road.

Dorman would be 34mm so grab some 34mm energy suspension sway bar bushings..


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Let me tell you about Potenza RE960AS PP's

When you say grip..in corners, straight lines? A w body inherently sucks with traction from a stop based on weight transfer. You likely helped it a little with the stronger springs out back, but you didn't solve the issue enough either.

Stiffer and better in curves, go get those lateral, tow and drag bars in a tubular vs tinfoil stock piece. With two other guys in my Regal (L67, 1.9 rockers, plog and downpipe) I made a Comp G buddy who knew the roads better than I ... well I stuck right to him and he wasn't so happy. So yes.. the car can do better than a stock anything if you toss the right pieces in.

But when you keep talking about jap stuff it makes my eyes bleed

If you want some really good summer tires try Dulop Direzza ZII star specs, I run that same Mustang rim on our car and fit a P245/45ZR17 tire, has a 200 tread wear rating

Originally Posted by GTpEazy

It's gonna be difficult for me to choose from these tires. The Star specs are already in the list alongside the Ecsta XS, PSS and RS3s... all have their ups and downs. What production car would you compare your grips to so I can get a sense of what they're capable of?

No miles on the new setup but if I had to guess I'd say I can hang with a first gen CTS-V but mine is not a normal GP the 8 point cage and full BMR suspension is a bit different than your setup, chassie is very stiff, and to answer your second question on the front bar, we road race and have large sweeping turns that we take so for us a larger bar is more beneficial to keep the front end from washing out, we can still kick the rear end out by trail braking. For short solo racing a larger bar rotates you better.

Only way is to try it out, my car and your car will never feel the same in terms of how they handle due to the roll cage so I can't say for sure in your application it will be better or worse. For a full track I'd say try the Dorman or GMPP bar and see which suits you better

I wasn't hating anything.. but trying to compare two very different cars is silly. One point you made sounded like you wanted it to feel like you were driving a rock down the road as for feeling in seat. You might as well compare elephants and giraffes, only thing truly in common is they both have four feet and a nose.

As for playing all the cards on keeping the weight transfer to a minimum, you haven't played any of the common ones yet. Most guys don't do higher/stronger springs to stop it. They keep their springs consistent around the car and either do the cable mod or spring blockers. Me.. I had a Bonneville and took the drag bag route. Want a great ride and to reduce your weight transfer greatly, find a way to drop a set in the back of the car.