Suspension opinions and recommendations

[Y2kSlvrVert]

Forgive my noobness...I bought my car used with some mods more tasteful than others. Currently I'm trying to improve the suspension/ride on a budget. Keep in mind it's more of a weekend warrior than an all-out racer. It has Intraxx sport springs (almost 2" drop) but stock struts/shocks, 18x8.5 wheels w/1" spacers wrapped in Nitto 555 extreme 255/40's. Looks good but ride is pretty harsh. I can get Tokiko HP struts/shocks and Energy Suspension coil isolator kits for $289. Then I was thinking MM c/c plates for about $189. Ace the spacers, Hypercoated FR500's 18x9 265/35 front 18x10 295/35 rear will be here in 7 days.

Do you all think this will make worth-while improvement?

 

[san~man]

You want straight line handling or handling in the turns?

 

[EPIK]

The struts should improve the ride. When u say the ride is harsh, is it bouncy, or is it too stiff? Im not too familiar with the intrax springs, but i know they drop you pretty low. Im sure they must have a pretty high spring rate for that kind of drop. I recommend spending extra & just getting the Bilstein HD's because they will easily outlast & outperform the Tokicos. Also the MM cc plates are a wise choice.

 

[Y2kSlvrVert]

The car corners really well and is smooth on smooth surfaces. But LA freeway patches and changing elevations beat you up on longer drives. More stiff than bouncy ie hard rebounds.

My partner has Tokiko HP's, they perform better than Bilteins IMO.

I read that C/C plates are a must for lowered cars...is it true they go out of adjustment frequently? MM or Steeda 4 bolt?

 

[EPIK]

The car corners really well and is smooth on smooth surfaces. But LA freeway patches and changing elevations beat you up on longer drives. More stiff than bouncy ie hard rebounds.

My partner has Tokiko HP's, they perform better than Bilteins IMO.

I read that C/C plates are a must for lowered cars...is it true they go out of adjustment frequently? MM or Steeda 4 bolt?

Honestly, no matter what you do to your car, stiff aftermarket lowering springs are gonna feel harsher than stock, especially with performance shocks. Eibach pro kit springs dont ride much different than stock, but they arent as low as intrax springs, therefore they arent as stiff. Im surprised that with the stock shocks, your car isnt bouncy or bottoming out all the time. CC plates are a must, & ive never had mine (MM) go out of alignment at all.

 

[san~man]

The car corners really well and is smooth on smooth surfaces. But LA freeway patches and changing elevations beat you up on longer drives. More stiff than bouncy ie hard rebounds.

My partner has Tokiko HP's, they perform better than Bilteins IMO.

I read that C/C plates are a must for lowered cars...is it true they go out of adjustment frequently? MM or Steeda 4 bolt?

You're not serious, are you? Tokiko HP's are the same as Mach/Bullitt (sans slightly different valving), which are fine for the average driver but nowhere near a "performance" strut/shock.

 

[TweekedGT]

Get Tokico D-specs. Best Shock on the market bar none. 45way adjustment. Bilsteins don't even come close. They go from full on drag to full on road course. Whatever you want to do to the car they can accomplish it.

 

[san~man]

Get Tokico D-specs. Best Shock on the market bar none. 45way adjustment. Bilsteins don't even come close. They go from full on drag to full on road course. Whatever you want to do to the car they can accomplish it.

That would be a matter of opinion. Name one winning AI or AIX car that runs Tokicos? Most have Koni or Bils.

One question most people will ask you is if you even know what you're doing when adjusting them? 45 way adjustment may be nice, but do you actually know what result you get you change the settings one way or the other? And your butt-o-meter doesn't count. And as others have found out, it isn't that easy going from track to twisties, adjustment wise.

Unless you really know what you're doing, I would stick to a standard unit like a Bilstein or a Koni red.