stock suspension

[bbqsauce]

is there anything I can do to a stock suspension to stiffen it up. I plan on doing the upgrades later but would like to do something for the mean time.

[gomer]

The best low or no $$ changes you can make are to crank some negative camber into the front end ,, about 1.5 degrees is fine ... do something to add more rear anti-roll ,, keep your front tire pressure up and transfer all the weight you can to the back (battery) ... these cars don't have much of a suspension.. they basically understeer you to death.. you will also want to make sure all your suspension bushings are OK and not rotted out,, particularly the front anti-roll bar to a-arm donuts...

[mechanicaldj]

KYB struts and and a front strut tower brace, easy to do and a big difference.

[bbqsauce]

Thanks.

[bbqsauce]

speedo cable

same car, diff subject. Any clues as to the exact length of the speedo cable. Can only find cut-to-length repair cores and Pepe came only with the cable housing.

[bbqsauce]

forgot to ask

How do I go about cranking negative camber. Should the battery be located dead center in back. If so how do you reroute the cable and how long should it be. If the bushings need replacing, reg rubber or urethane. And where might I find a strut tower brace.

Thanks Mucho.

[Roboskittle]

Here is a how to me and my buddy did on relocating the battery to the trunk region. And for the speedo cable just go to the junkyard and snag one out of an Aspire. It is a 2 piece design and a little bit longer. Gives you more room to play with and if you swap to a Tach Cluster it comes in handy to have the extra length to reroute the cable. Here is the site.....

http://blackoutperformance.com/fuckstiva3.htm

[gomer]

Re: forgot to ask

How do I go about cranking negative camber. Should the battery be located dead center in back. If so how do you reroute the cable and how long should it be. If the bushings need replacing, reg rubber or urethane. And where might I find a strut tower brace.

Thanks Mucho.

Front anti-roll bar to lower a-arm bushings can be bought at any auto parts store ,, they might have to order them but they aren't a budget buster.

As for more negative camber you can grind the bolts that attach the spindle to the strut so they have a flat side or you can elongate the holes they run through... you don't need too much ,,, you just want to see the top of the tire about .25" farther in than the bottom when the car is sitting with it's weight on the suspension...

For the battery relocate it is best to use a "battery box" (available at Walmart or any auto parts store) ,, In a Festy I would place it either in the spare tire well or if you have a spare I'd place it against the side of the hatch... you probably should use #2 welding/battery cable for the run to the front of the car but #4 will probably do since the cranking amps on the starter are so low..

At the front of the car you want to connect the current red cable to the red from the battery ,,, just ground the black in the area where the battery originally was... at the back do the same ,, black to frame... measure the length you need with string or some other throwaway and then buy 2-3 feet more than you need. I would route the cable over the wheel well ,, along the frame under the plastic sill cover and then through a rubber grommet in the firewall, in other words protect it well...

[bbqsauce]

Are there any commercially available strut tower braces for a Festiva that are sold as a Probe, Escort or Mazda toer braces. I can find all of those but am leary of buying something I am not sure of.

[bbqsauce]

Great advice! Now to find the time. I've been looking at the sturt bars available and must ask what the diff is between a hinged bar and a solid brace. They both attach to the same area. I have to ask because I'm thinking of just making them from some old stuff I've got laying about. I'm talking serious economy all around. I'm definitely going front and rear but did see something called a body brace. Does it make that much of a diff to make one. I've got another question about exhausts but I'll find a similar thread and post there.