Advanced Suspension Mods

[moz]

Re: Advanced Suspension Mods

In order to give you a better indication of what you need, we need to know what suspension you are running currently (eg. Stock, stock with cut springs, aspire). When the car is empty, does it sit at its normal height? If you were to put weight on the back of the car, does is sink instantly?
If you can't answer these questions, then for the sake of safety, I can only point you to a suspension shop.

[Huli]

Re: Advanced Suspension Mods

Please advise on an oem spring that will work until I can get the coilover setup together.

[Advancedynamix]

So, if not black magic, what spring can I use. Just need somthing to make it driveable. Right now, the tires rub if I hit a bump with groceries in the trunk. Height is fine with two people, I am guessing 4 will be impossible. So until I can get better setup all together, a nice 150lb progressive 8inch would do... if I could find one!

Help!
Gotcha, well that all depends on the questions moz asked. Some people on here have been able to use different combinations of certain oem springs. Civic and Miata ring a bell, but I have no experience with doing these swaps. Hopefully someone who has done this will chime in.

Lol

Love your work, mate!!!

I took my gr2 rears to work last week. The guys in engineering are shortening the shafts as I type this.

Will be putting them on along with the aspire rear end shortly.

Awesome! Glad to hear, keep is posted on your progress.

[moz]

Re: Advanced Suspension Mods

With the 1 7/8" coilover mod and camber/toe plates the fenders that were intended for those little humble 145/12's can be stuffed with 7" of hoosier at a 4+ inch drop.

Love your work, mate!!!

I took my gr2 rears to work last week. The guys in engineering are shortening the shafts as I type this.

Will be putting them on along with the aspire rear end shortly.

[moz]

Re: Advanced Suspension Mods

Your suspension bottoming out when under load could be caused by a few factors.
What suspension have you got in there at the moment?
How old is it?
Is it modified in any way?

[Huli]

Re: Advanced Suspension Mods

So, if not black magic, what spring can I use. Just need somthing to make it driveable. Right now, the tires rub if I hit a bump with groceries in the trunk. Height is fine with two people, I am guessing 4 will be impossible. So until I can get better setup all together, a nice 150lb progressive 8inch would do... if I could find one!

Help!

Lol

[festyfreak39]

argh that festy looks so gangster.

[moz]

Re: Advanced Suspension Mods

For the black magic springs, can they fit on the stock rear strut? Which one will give stock (or close enough) height with increased rate?

Also, do you have a source for the lower mount bolt? Mine are a bit shabby.

Thanks!

I might add that even if you were to machine a stock shock. Only the kyb ones seem to have that ring welded to then.
I looked at 3 brands here I'm Australia before I ordered the KGB shocks from america.
basically, without that ring, there's no perch to support the weight of the spring.

[Advancedynamix]

With the 1 7/8" coilover mod and camber/toe plates the fenders that were intended for those little humble 145/12's can be stuffed with 7" of hoosier at a 4+ inch drop.

[Advancedynamix]

K, sorry for taking so long to reply to this guys. I've been swamped lately.

The Black magic springs wont fit the stock shocks without modifications.
Before I did my rear shocks I was riding on stock rear shocks with the rear springs cut so they just barely fit snugly on the shock. It raised the spring rate slightly and lowered the car a couple inches. It didn't handle any better than stock, but it looked better. Springs alone won't make a festiva handle (I'm talking lap times and corner speeds, not how it feels) any better than stock. Lowering the car on stock shocks will only make the car more unstable during high speed cornering. This is due to the fact that it increases the amount of sag, which will result in less control of body roll. Raising the spring rate only aggravates this. This is not easy to feel during even spirited street driving, but it's very easy to see and feel on the limits of traction on a skid pad or a race track. The only way to truly make a festiva handle well is to shorten the rear shocks( whether that be by actually modifying the stock shocks or by finding a replacement from another vehicle.) Spring rate is then used to fine tune the way the car rides and handles. I'm in the process of finding and testing a number of shorter shock options, unfortunately I can't seem to find anything that is cheaper than a set of stock fitment KYB's. After I do some testing, I'll post the list, but if anyone has any ideas or has tried something then by all means post away.

Okay, my latest generation of rear camber/toe plate is living happily behind my stub axles on Tweak, but I do have some pictures of the first generation plates. This will give an idea of what they look like. Be advised that your best bet to making these is to do so at a machine shop, because this is a structural part and could create safety issues if not done with precision. I haven't posted much about this because this is not a part I advise be made at home with hand tools. Can it be done? Yes, am I going to tell you how? No. With enough time and attention to detail anything can be made from hand tools, but this is an art. However, if you have access to a mill, and a Blanchard grinder then these plates can be made easily in a couple of hours.





They are ground at a 2.5 degree angle with the thinnest part 10 degrees counterclockwise from the bolt hole that face up. My latest ones are round and have slotted holes rather than threaded holes, and they are adjustable (by rotating them). I replaced the 10MM studs in my stub axles with 7/16 grade 8 bolts but drilling and tapping the holes in the stub axles. The beam required no drilling as the holes are big enough to accept 7/16 bolts. These work to give about 2.2 degrees of negative camber and zero toe at around a 4" drop.

[Huli]

Re: Advanced Suspension Mods

For the black magic springs, can they fit on the stock rear strut? Which one will give stock (or close enough) height with increased rate?

Also, do you have a source for the lower mount bolt? Mine are a bit shabby.

Thanks!

[moz]

Thanks again Charlie.
There's blck magic in my house!!!

[Mandalore]

Funnest thread I have read in a long time.

Would also love to see pics of the rear camber spacers...

.....<Must buy Festiva!>

[jake88maro]

hey charlie!! im just wondering when you were gonna put pics up of those rear camber spacers that you made!!!?? im just trying to get ideas of how to fabricate my own set!!! Thanks a lot for all of your info that you posted so far as well man! its been an overwhelming amount of great info keep it up!

[festyfreak39]

WOW!!! that festiva looks mean now.