On the topic of suspension , what should I look for if I want hardcore cornering stick and grip , high speed stuff , not autocross but like wide open tracks and such.

What kinda setup should I look at for that ? Also what other parts join in on helping handling , like I have heard of sway bars and such but dunno what they do. Someone wanna gimme a little tutorial ?

Here's the extent of my knowledge , I had a Acura Integra , handled great. Back end was really loose though. Stuck 17' x 8's on it , with Yokohama Parada rubber ( Z rated ) , helped tonnes in the handling. But the rear end was still waaaay loose. Any hard left to right type corners totally unloaded the back end and made it feels as though it was drifting but it wasnt' ( get my meaning ). So anyways how would I clean something like that up ?

I am looking at getting a 240 ( S13 or S14 not sure yet ) and dropping the RB25 in it. After that it's all handling. What should I look at for Killer handling at high speed ?

I am not a total n00b when it comes to cars , so you can use some pretty complex terms and I will come out ok.

Thanks guys , love this site and Nissan Power

 

for high speed stability you need a nice relitivly low suspension with mulit-rate adjustable dampers. if you are talking about wangan style then you'll want your complete suspension to be adjustable.
pillow-ball mounts(adj)
tension rods
height/damper rate(coilovers)
upper and lower rear control arms
and sway bar end links
then of course some nice wide sticky tires

the 240(S13) was designed for high speed stability, you've made a good chioce

 

So , I wanna drop the right a little for high speed , and then stiffen it all up ?

As for tires , should I got with 17's X 8 , or 17's X 8.5.

Or any other suggestion , bigger wider ?

 

sure...or some 9 inch wide wheels...dont forget to upgrade the brakes too

 

sounds like your acura needs a rear sway bar upgrade

 

Yah that's what the part was called someone told me but I couldn't remember. I sold the Acura though to some ricer kid. He has made it ungodly ugly now. ( Poor Car )

But I wanted RWD power. Was looking at Domestics and such till I came back across the Nissan 240. RWD and Import power. I love it.

So sway bar will stop the pitch and roll effect ? What do tower strut braces do ?

I think that's what I heard.

 

strut bars will make the chassis more rigid...btw its not good to get a sway bar for only the front or back cus that will make ur car oversteer like crazy...sway bars need to be installed together (front and back)

btw yes sway bars help stop pitch and roll..but of course springs/shocks play a roll as well

 

You can install sway bars individually - it's one of the easiest ways to tune your suspension the way you want it.

Generally, stiffening the rear will increase oversteer. Stiffening the front will increase understeer.

All S13's have front and rear bars stock. Only S14 SE's had a rear bar. Changing the diameters of the bars or moving the point where the mounting link attaches to the bar will make the bar stiffer or softer.

-Justin

 

Ok I am starting to get it. So will a JIC system come with sway bars and struts ?

What's all in a complete suspension setup ? How stiff would I want it to be for high speed ?

Like I am talking hard left to right when doing 110 MPH or so.

 

What are you planning to do with the car?

If it's going to be a track only car, its setup will be much different than a street car.

If you're going track only then you can make the thing as stiff as you want. You won't be travelling far and track surfaces are smoother than any public road I've encountered.

On the street an overly stiff suspension will be painful at best, dangerous at worst. for a few reasons. A track car only has to handle minor deviations in surface. At high speeds on a highway, you may find yourself skipping across the road surface because the suspension simply cannot absorb the dips and rises encountered on the street.

The car that garcefully glides through the last turn at Limerock may get airborne if you try the same maneuver over two travel lanes on an offramp. I'm not talking about flying awa, but I am talking about the tires losing contact with the road long enough to have devastating consequences.

Short of the extreme, an overly stiff setup will also be uncomfortable and will send excess vibrations through the chassis. This will cause stresses in the body and will rattle fasteners loose.

Personally, I always wanted a full race setup. After a while I came to realize that my cars hardly ever see competition, but are street driven every day. I'll likely be going with AGX dampers and Eibach springs.

My reasoning (yours may vary, of course)

Non height adjustable - I don't own corner scales. You cannot eyeball or count the threads to properly adjust the spring seats on adjustable setups. My history of adjustable mods seems to be install and leave it alone - so adjustability is something I wouldn't use anyway.

Maintain rubber upper strut mount - I don't want a pillow ball there. Any caster/camber adjustment I need can be accomplished with adjustable t/c rods if needed and eccentric bolts. Front camber isn't a problem on the 240 anyway. Pillow ball upper mounts can be brutal, and I want the car to be enjoyed for a long time.

Price - I can probably have the setup for ~$600. That leaves plenty of money for good tires that will make more of a difference than the extra suspension would.

Ease of installation - I don't trust the mechanics I can afford and I can't afford the mechanics I trust. Sad but true; I'm in this alone.

The setup will give me easily adjustable damper stiffness front and rear, which is probably going to be used very rarely, and a suspension plenty stout enough for time trials and autocross without rattling my car to death (it's got over 140k on it already, she needs to be treated with a litle respect!)

Your goals and needs may be different, but I wouldn't recommend going full rac for the street. That money could be better spent on a few power mods that you will be able to use stoplight to stoplight.

-Justin

 

Damn... all that and I skipped your question!

A complete suspension setup will usually include:

F/R swaybars. Whiteline makes some adjustables that are relatively cheap.

Springs

Struts / shocks

Bushings - you can go with polyurethane or Nismo's stiffer than stock rubber. Also be sure to replace the t/c rod bushings.

Tires - these will make the most difference of any single handling mod. Do not skimp, the payoff is well wort it. Great tires can be had for ~$100 a corner in 15 or 16 inch sizes.

Brakes - Brakes and their use has as much to do with getting through a turn quickly as any other part of the suspension. Go with at least upgraded pads and fresh rotors. If you want to upgrade go with some crossdrilled/slotted rotors in stock size or the Z32 front brake upgade. Stainless braided lines will give you better pedal feel and don't forget to change the brake fluid as well. Catrol GTLMA is cheap and gives a better feel than dot3/4 stuff without having to make other changes to go to DOT 5.


LSD - Your car feels like it handles soooo much better when you're tripping. Just kidding. A limited slip differential allows you to apply power earlier coming out of the turn. It can also help you string together a nice drift if that's your thing.

-Justin

 

yea but if u were to put a big diameter rear sway bar and leave the front stock, you'd have so much oversteering problems it won't be fun to drive

 

what are pillowball upper strut mounts and what is their purpose?

 

Well the car will a daily driver. With occasional track runs. So you are saying just upgraded from stock suspension should be good enough for that ?

I am sure there are plenty of places I can get that done around here. So they will know what I need , cuz when it comes down to suspension I haven't the foggiest.

Like I said I am only starting to learn.


LSD is going in when the engine goes in. No worries there.
17" inch rims are going on with the best rubber I can find. Bigger brakes fully upgraded also. I dont wanna have no way to stop 300hp.

My goal is around 400 Rwhp. Anymore then that and I will take it off the road and just track drive it.

Anymore suggestions and thoughts would be most helpful. Thanks again guys.