Advanced Suspension Mods

[kumalaba]

charlie you are a sick man

[r31andy]

WOW very nice man! look's like fun !

[gergorian]

How much did all the parts cost you?

[Advancedynamix]

^ EXACTLY what I was hoping you would say. Thanks, I'll give it a shot then! I have one set of 150# and one set of 200# springs, I'll probably use the 150 first and see how it feels.

That sounds like a good range for the aspire since it's a little heavier than the festiva. You should get body roll before slide in a good neutral curve. When you notice traction problems exiting the apex ( with smooth rolling throttle input) then it's time for more spring in the rear. I'm not sure what my rake is at because I don't have a baseline to go off of, but the front seems to be a couple inches lower than the back, this helps put the cars weight on the important wheels.

[zoom zoom]

^ EXACTLY what I was hoping you would say. Thanks, I'll give it a shot then! I have one set of 150# and one set of 200# springs, I'll probably use the 150 first and see how it feels.

[leapin]

X2 this has got to be stickied! Great write up for sure! Glad to see my alignment set up is similar to yours!

[neanderpaul]

We all want to be your hos now.

[fastivaB6TG25MR]

that looks awesome...no wonder youre beating spec miatas.... thanks for the alignment tip btw. firestone could only get 1.3* of neg in the front but it alredy handles way better.

[Advancedynamix]

You can see in this picture that my spring hat rests on the stock shock rubber bushing. When you think about it this seems sketchy because the bushing was designed to support the shock, not the spring, however it works well. I have used similar setups on many different cars and never had a problem. My rubber bushings are original to this car and they aren't fatigued from doing this so it seems fine. I'm also running longer bump stops now too. I'll get pictures of the latest changes soon.

[zoom zoom]

I've got Miata Lowering springs for my Aspire. They're about 1/4" too wide to fit in the upper body mount, so I have to figure out a way to drop the upper spring perch below the body mount. I can do it with the top hats, but I'm worried about it bending the sheet metal in the body from only contacting the center of the spring perch up there, you have a pic of how yours is up inside the body mount?

[Advancedynamix]

The title of this thread needs edited to warn viewers of explicit sexual content.. That is some seriously sick stuff your doing!

Haha! Took me a second to get that. Thanks!

[Advancedynamix]

Sorry for all the typos above, it's late and I didn't proof read this very well. My internet connection likes to kick me off, so I have to post stuff fast before it looses it and leaves me wanting to toss the computer across the room. lol. I hope this helps you guys, and feel free to ask questions. Most importantly, if your uncomfortable performing mods like this, then get help from someone who has done work like this. Making mistakes with your suspension can put a lot of people in danger so take it slow and double check your work. Also, use a good torque wrench and make yourself familiar with the factory service manual for your car. Having a properly tuned Festiva starts with knowing how to properly work on your car, and the service manuals are cheap on ebay, so no excuses!

[zoom zoom]

The title of this thread needs edited to warn viewers of explicit sexual content.. That is some seriously sick stuff your doing!

[Advancedynamix]

Here is one of the little bushings that I made to tighen up the gap between the VW strut and the mazda strut bearing. It threads on to the strut and is held in place with loctite sleeve retainer.

Here is the top spacer that I made, I was trying to use the stock capri o-ring to seal the bearing but it didn't work. This piece isn't really necessary.

Here is the strut top secured to the strut

And this is the hollowed out festiva strut top. I glued them together when I had my ride height and camber set where I wanted them. This setup raises the strut mounting point about an inch up from stock location which means more shock travel at lower ride heights.

And here it is installed. I'm now using the filler springs, but I didn't at the ride height I ran with my 15" wheels.

[Advancedynamix]

Here is a picture of the front raceland strut. the strut top that I am using is a 323/capri top shaved downd to fit inside a stripped festiva strut top, I then glued them with polyurethane when I had the ride height and camber that I wanted, this just keeps the strut top from being stressed by the un natural suspension angle, and it allows the car to ride a little lower without sacrificing clearance, but honestly you can just use a 2002 Kia rio mount and you'll be fine.

here is a picture of how I modified the knuckle mounting holes to fit the Mazda pattern. Notice the slotted top hole. I can run over -3 degrees of camber if needed.