suspension questions

[MiltonHavoc]

So the Rio swap is better than the aspire swap right?
If I do the Rio swap I can retain the stock festiva lca's and stuff right?
Now if I want to keep the bolt pattern consistent I have to swap in the aspire rear? Link to that writeup please.?

And do the Rio rears swap on as well or what do you guys do for the rear?
I was planning on doing a wheel swap to 15x7 with fender flares, will that be a problem with the Rio struts?

[Gomez]

01-02 rio fronts. 03-05 Rio fronts. Both work but 03-05 are even bigger. Must use the corresponding outer tie rods.ALL BOLT ON pefectly. I have 2 of the 01-02 swaps and one of the 03-05 swaps on my cars.

Complete Aspire rear beam. remove 6 bolts on chassis and parking brake cable and lower shock ends. You will need to keep the drivers side Festiva brake line. EASY swap.

Rio rears do not work.

[Aaronbrook37]

Depends on what you mean by better exactly. Many high power cars on this board are powered by ordinary Aspire brakes with no issues.

As for the wheel swap with the fender flares... I suppose it sort of depends on the offset of the wheels and the size of the tire.

[Bert]

Find yourself a dead or dying Aspire before they become extnct. Everything you need will be there including a stiffer front sway bar, stiffer springs plus a freebie roller rocker engine thrown in. There is no ready substitute for a 4 x 100 pattern rear beam except from an Aspire so this is what I'd be trying to track down first and foremost. Front Rio goodies are almost identical to Aspire but there is no compatible rear beam set up on those.

[Larry Hampton]

Would the rear Rio brakes work on the Aspire beam?

[Bert]

Would the rear Rio brakes work on the Aspire beam?

Redundant question by my thinking. Generally a complete rear beam comes equipped with brakes. Now whether the linings and drums of early Rios are same as Aspire is unknown but a comparison of RockAuto stock numbers ought to give you a clear answer. I'm a fan of the KISS principle (keep it simple stupid) until something is together and works, then I'm willing to experiment.
Last year there was a member on here selling a fully cleaned up and rebuilt (new bearings and brakes) Aspire beam for mere peanuts.

[MiltonHavoc]

By better I meant newer I guess.
I saw the aspire beam last year, passed cause I didn't have the cash or my festiva at the time I think.

Gomez would the 03-05 be overkill?
Thanks for the how-to
There are two aspires here in my local yard right now.
Don't need the engines, I have a b6d.
So aftermarket aspire springs for a bit of a drop?
Or do you still just cut the aspire springs?

Wheel offset would probably be something like +38

[Gomez]

I am pretty sure Charlie is running Aspire fronts and modified Stock rears drums (to a 4x100 pattern), and he says he outbrakes most every car on the track where he races competitively. I am also doing his rear set-up on my new build but am using the 05 Rio fronts (bolted on as I type but have not tried them out yet). On my other 2 cars with the 02 set-up, it is phenomenal how good they actually are when you push them hard. Don't notice much driving like a granny but when pushed hard the brakes come to life. Overkill? Is that even possible? LOL Seriously though The '02 brakes will out perform most all season tires in a heartbeat. I also am using '02 Rio front struts with 1.5 coils cut to maintain stock ride height. I am not a fan of the super low cars.

The best selling point for me is exactly what Bert said. Aspires are getting harder to find. At my local PnP there are 2-3 Rios at any given time.

[MiltonHavoc]

So when doing the Rio swap what springs do you guys use?
If I'm gonna buy springs, new, all the way around; what springs should I go for?
And since I'm swapping the aspire rear in, can I still use the Rio rear struts as well?

[MiltonHavoc]

Should mention I'm looking for an inch or so drop below stock.

[Bert]

So when doing the Rio swap what springs do you guys use?
If I'm gonna buy springs, new, all the way around; what springs should I go for?
And since I'm swapping the aspire rear in, can I still use the Rio rear struts as well?

New springs are gonna set you back financially, especially if you're lucky enough to find some. Easiest is to go all Aspire (which you will then have to cut) or do like some folks here and shoe-horn Festy front coils into the back and put used Rio front coils (that have been cut) on the front. Stay clear of race springs or you'll shake loose your kidneys.
Struts are strictly for the front, shocks always go at the back.