Make it rear wheel drive?

You need to add grip up front, and (possibly) remove grip out back.

Front camber plates add grip up front.

A bigger rear swaybar does some combination of adding grip up front and removing grip from the back. If you lower substantially, you need rear control arms to remove the added negative camber in the back - because that added camber in the back increases grip in the back - which you don't really want.

But you're still not going to be able to get the back end out by adding throttle. You'll need to practice trail braking to get the back end out on command. Left foot braking can also work.

 

i found that there is no so such thing as a budget since there are some many go fast parts out there. i guess you can just buy as you go. i would start with springs to clean up the wheel well space and then a sway bar. i found the sway bar to clean up the body roll. good luck

 

_________________________________________________

...not to be picky Adam, but to be technically correct the reduced height springs lower the car's CG (as Scott says) and THEREFORE such a modification reduces the roll couple (the torgue applied about the roll axis) by decreasing the distance between the roll axis (the line between the two roll centers) and the CG...the roll centers front and rear are fixed based on the suspension geometry (MacPherson strut and multilink)

 

Turning it into rear wheel drive worked! But now I have only one speed forward and six reverse.

I had to look up trail braking on Wikipedia, only to find out that I've been doing it for years on my Mountain Bike.


Thanks for the advice, sound like I need to find a driving school.

 

if i got a swaybar, would i need to go in for an alignment?

I want to eventually get springs as well but im trying to stay on a budget. If i would have to get an alignment for each step, i would rather just wait and buy them all together, install them at the same time and just get 1 alignment.

 

No.

It only changes the resistance to sway.

Lowering the car changes camber and toe, front and rear. You may need an alignment then. If you lower a lot, you'll need adjustable rear control arms to dial out some of the camber.

Use the search function and you can get lots of suspension tuning info.

 

HOw does the sport suspension package do? What size and specs are the sway bars and springs?

 

I don't know the specs, but I am selling my sport suspension springs and rear sway in the For Sale section. It is a good improvement over the base suspension. You could later go with sport shocks or go aftermarket (koni, etc.) .

 

Is it true that the stock R56 control arms have a much greater ability to adjust camber than the R53 did? The R53 hardly had any.

 

After I lowered mine with the Mach V springs, the stock lateral links were able to adjust the camber to the required amount.

 

Ok - I think what I'll do is take things in steps. My 2008 MCS w/ lsd and 6speed arrives mid May or so w/ 16" wheels. So, I guess it makes sense to get some decent non-run flats and get the feel of them before seriously figuring out about rear sway bars and lowering the springs. I enjoy spirited driving and I won't be going to a track.

May I have your thoughts on these choices:
Goodyear Eagle F1 GS-D3 or Bridgestone Potenza G 019 Grid? I'm looking for something nice but still reasonable - I'm not going to spend $200 per tire ...

Thanks!

 

Yup, you'd be surprised what you can do with a stock suspension if you properly set up the tires and air pressure. The easiest way to make a car's back end come around is to decrease grip. There are a lot of ways to do that, increased camber, wider tires in the front, higher air pressure in the tire (I run 2-3 PSI higher in the back on the track).

Fiddle around with the air pressure. Honestly, race teams spend months sometimes coming up with the right tire pressures for given scenerio's. It makes HUGE difference.

 

On the R56 the stock rear sway bar with the factory sports suspension option is 18mm. Stock without that option is 17 (Same as the R53's SS+).

 

The R56 has front (Just a bit) and rear camber adjustment. The 05-06 R53's had limited rear camber adjustment.

 

What are you using the car for? If you want really sticky but cheap the Falken Azenis RT-615's are great tires. If you plan on driving in the rain though, I'd pass, they're pretty bad in the rain.

Hancook Ventus Z212 RS2's are pretty good as well, almost as sticky as the RT-615's but much better rain performance. The Ventus also have a softer sidewall, so if ride comfort is an issue, they'll be more plush.

Both of those tires should be available in either 205/45/R16 or 215/45/R16 and IIRC they're both under $100 (About 92-95 a piece + Mount and balance).

I've been running Yokohama Parada Spec-2's on my car now and they've lasted quite a while. They're not the stickiest tires, but they're a LOT better than stock, and I got them for around $75 each brand new (205/45/R16) so I can't complain.

 

I've not used the F1's, but was thinking of then for my next tires, until I started hearing that they are no longer made in Germany. Seems that they are now made in China. Rumor is that they do not have the same quality control and may be of a different compound. There have been complaints of them not being as good as they used to be. This is internet talk, so hard to know what the facts really are.

 

Thanks. I do need them to work well in wet as well - sorry that I wasn't more specific. I've never heard of Hankook or Falken. I'll have to look into them - tire reviews, google and me are going to have some quality time over the next few days.

Anyone else?

Jeff

 

Check out this thread too Jkling.

Probably going to be my next set of tires. They're not too expensive, and got GREAT reviews. Supposedly handled great in the wet as well.

Another tire for you to consider is the BFGoodrich GForce T/A KDW2. It's an excellent tire in the dry and wet. I had a set and was quite pleased with them.

You might want to either PM minihune (LOTS of experience and good info on tires) or make another thread specifically about tires, that will likely get more responses.

 

Guys,
could you please clear this up for me.

On the stock Sport Susp, i already find the R56 nimble and twitchy enough.

Won't the 19/22mm rear bar make it overly twitchy.

The only mod i've made is changing the Runflats to Toyo T1R tires and i get lift off oversteer. I'm assuming i'm going to get lift off spinout with a thicker rear bar.

Confused.

 

I haven't pushed the R56 so I'm not sure, a 19mm is only 1mm thicker than the sport suspension bar on the R56. If you're concerned with too much oversteer try dropping the pressure 1-2 psi in the rear, that should increase traction.

 

oh, i didn't realise the OEM Sport ARB is 18mm.

I'm running 34psi on my tires now, what are you guys running?

Please note i am in tropical Malaysia where the ambient temp is around 105 degrees F.

 

I run 31 front and 33 rear. You could drop your rear pressure down to 31 and leave your fronts a bit higher. That'll keep the rear firmly planted.

 

Excellent! Will definately give that a go.

Thanks!

 

Sounds great!

Keep me posted!

 

Keep in mind the 19mm vs. the OEM bar is significantly different in length, torsional rigidity etc. You may want to check out some information on our website:

CLICK HERE

Then click on Charts.

Let me know if that helps!