Suspension ideas for my Lemons Festiva

[majo8]

Hi guys. I've been contemplating my suspension/wheel tire combo for my Festiva that I'm prepping for the Lemons series. I've already purchased two 323 13" rims ( looking for two more ), and I'm thinking of running 175/50/13 tires vs. 175/60/13's -- less weight and stiffer sidewalls. I'm not interested in doing an Aspire swap, gonna run it with the stock Festiva underpinnings.

Well......with two exceptions: I'm also planning on buying the FMS springs and some KYB's. Not looking for "the best" system, just something easy to install and ready to roll. Also thinking about the performance sway bar bushings.

What do you guys think? This car will be track only, so ride quality doesn't matter. Any rubbing issues? Anyone run anything similar to this?

Thanks......

[FestYboy]

stay away from the FMS springs and KYBs, they are NOT for track use. you'll need something MUCH stiffer. try cavalier or accord rear struts, 323 fronts and Del Sol or Rio springs. you really need to stiffen the rear to make it want to rotate. if not, the car will just push all over the track and you'll loose valuable time and speed.

also, try 195/45/13 instead on the fronts.

[bobbyspider]

^ yea civic/del sol springs are a peffect set up

[thered56]

195/45R13 won't fit a 5" wide rim. Are you suggesting he get wider rims for the front? I've heard of FWD guys running skinnier tyres on the back to help the car rotate. If you're not going to do an Aspire swap, I'd look at throwing an Aspire-type rod through the rear beam and brace the strut towers. Again, to help the car rotate.

[FestYboy]

yeah i would recomend a 7" wide wheel in the front, even with the 175s. a slight stretch in the tire will help with tread squirm.

[majo8]

Thanks for the replies.

Why the recommendations for the del sol/civic/323 springs? I'm more of an engine/body guy, and still learning about suspension set-ups. Are these springs a direct swap?

Also, what are the benefits of the struts mentioned vs. the KYB's? And are they a direct swap as well?

While I'm looking to improve the handling, I'm not looking for a full-race set up ( I'm trying to stay within the concept of the 24 Hours of Lemons series! )

[mattman]

yep im watching this one i want to get my festy to handle decent or great me n some friends got a plan to amke a vid but its got to be able to turn good an track well cuzz it will be on the asphalt an a lil dirt road action to but it has to function good in everyday driving too so i'm with Mojo on this one

[Damkid]

The FMS setup will probably work for what you want, they're not the stiffest springs out there, but they will be a big upgrade from stock and they are direct replacements

[FestYboy]

Thanks for the replies.

Why the recommendations for the del sol/civic/323 springs? I'm more of an engine/body guy, and still learning about suspension set-ups. Are these springs a direct swap?

Also, what are the benefits of the struts mentioned vs. the KYB's? And are they a direct swap as well?

While I'm looking to improve the handling, I'm not looking for a full-race set up ( I'm trying to stay within the concept of the 24 Hours of Lemons series! )

the del sol springs because of their rate and you cna get them cheap (much stiffer than FMS but still very streetable and progressive or so iv;e been told). the springs sit in the factory cups (if you don't cut them too short (Bobby...)). the struts are designed for much heavier cars where the KYBs are under damped even for stock springs let alone the FMS springs. if you're racing, you want as much control as possible and the KYB/FMS system doesn't cut it. the perches on the accord struts are just like the Festys, the cavaliers are an open bell design, but if you keep the tight final coil on the del sol springs intack, that won't be an issue and you can cut the unwanted portions away.

[bobbyspider]

civic/del sol springs are streetable and good for a stiff cornering set up because of the progressive rate aspect of the spring. i have the prelude springs on and they are great until i hit a dip deep enough for the spring to compress into the heavier part of the spring then it just has too sharp of a bounce for my taste. so prelude may be good for a race set up but civic/del sol will be a good all around spring. i have a set and i will be swaping them on in the next week or so and ill let you know the outcome. when is your lemons? also because of the progressive aspect of the springs they work great for having passengers

oh yea forgot to mention. just like arty said you can get them cheap, i got each of my sets (prelude/civic) for $25 a peice so even though i messed up my prelude springs im only out 25 bucks and about an hour and a half of my life.

[fastivaB6TG25MR]

195/45R13 won't fit a 5" wide rim.

why not? i have 225/50/13's on some 5.5" wide enkei's they buldge a bit but if you up the tire pressure it works fine.

[festyfreak39]

post a bulid thread of your car! lemons festy seems like a wicked idea

[majo8]

post a bulid thread of your car! lemons festy seems like a wicked idea

I will. The race isn't until October, and it's mighty cold in NE Ohio right now, so as soon as I get really into the prep, I'll start a thread. All I've done so far is strip the interior, buy a few wheels, lots of research, and searched for a shop to weld in a cage.

If you're familiar with Lemons, then you know that the organizers enjoy a wacky theme. Our Festiva will be Beatles themed, and the car will be designed to resemble the Yellow Submarine, complete with periscopes, propeller, and the proper paint scheme. If it works out as planned, it should be pretty cool, or at least pretty dorky.....

[alpaccino]

try cavalier or accord rear struts, 323 fronts and Del Sol or Rio springs. you really need to stiffen the rear to make it want to rotate.

this is very interesting, i only see people using the ford aspire (impossible to get in Ja) shocks with coil-overs.

could you please be a bit more specific, as these cars are abundant here:

accord rear struts which year?
323 front strut which year/type?

could the accord or 323 front strut damp 200-250lbs/inch coil overs?!!!

[FestYboy]

for the accord we're talking about the 92-04ish rear struts (the long ones).

the 323 can be from the first or second gen (88-94)

the struts mentioned above can handle a 200-250 lb/inch spring easily