Suspension, Brakes, and Wheels! OH MY!

[Jeff]

Ok guys, I need some help picking out some suspension, brake, and wheel stuff. I have some stuff already set and/or ordered.
1. GLH 5-lug conversion
2. GLH brake upgrade w/ drilled rotors and 200mm rear drums.
3. 96ÔÇÖ Sebring 16X6 aluminum wheels

NOTE- The brakes will be upgraded later to ÔÇ£stage 2ÔÇØ with minivan front brakes (60mm single piston caliper!!!) and ACR, SRT-4, or Lebaron rear discs. But I need the GLH kit to get to five-lug for now.

So here be the big questions. Seeing as this car will be for the HPDE and Auto-x as well as for street use I need to pick a suspension combo for it.

FWD performance (<!-- w --><a class="postlink" href="http://www.fwdperformance.com">www.fwdperformance.com</a><!-- w -->) is the only vendor offering L-body suspension right now. I am poor so bare in mind that I have about $700 going into the engine and tranny already.

Package 1-
1. Koni coilover struts (front) - $450
2. Koni coilover struts (rear) - $325
3. Eibach front springs (8", 2.5" diameter 400#) $109
4. Eibach rear springs (9", 2.25" diameter 300#) $109
5. 1 1/8in Swaybars (F&R) $378
6. Busings, mounts, etc. (est) $150
Package 1 total- $1521

Package 2-
1. KYB GR-2 struts (front) - $120
2. KYB GR-2 struts (rear) - $86
3. LRE Springs (front) - $152
4. LRE Springs (Rear) - $130
5. 1 1/8in Swaybars (F&R) $378
6. Busings, mounts, etc. (est) $150
Package 2 total- $1016

Package 3-
1. OEM GLHS Konis F&R ÔÇô (used, est) $350
2. Rebuild on Konis ÔÇô (est) $200
3. LRE Springs (front) - $152
4. LRE Springs (Rear) - $130
5. 1 1/8in Swaybars (F&R) $378
6. Busings, mounts, etc. (est) $150
Package 3 total- $1260


Some of the package 2 and 3 stuff I know I can get cheaper. I have a friend who can order me the KYBs cheap and I know a guy who has Mopar front springs (ÔÇ£auto-xÔÇØ style) for $50. ONLY FWD performance can get the Koni stuff, they are contracted. Mix and match between the 3 packages and comment on any of my possibilities or any others you may know of. Also, do I need the swaybars?

I am also looking into that NASA deal with the Konig wheels. I would use the 16in for the street and the 15in Konigs for the track. Which do u guys think would look best? The car will be staying red (most likely a custom pearl or metal flake Garnet red) and it will have a GLH body-kit in flat black. (trivial but anyway)

[.RJ]

#1

Konis are "t3h win"

You can probably go with a regular lowering spring and save some coin - you may not need the adjustability of ride height adjustment and easily swapped spring rates.

[.RJ]

Oh! And replace all the busted ass bushings in your suspension too. Which ones are busted? All of them.

[ViPER1313]

I would consider doing just the front at first in the correct fashion, then doing the back when you have the dough. That way you get a good performance boost to start and the car will be done 100% correctly when you get the cash. To my knowledge, KYB GR-2 struts arenÔÇÖt very stiff at all (at least they arenÔÇÖt for the SHO.)

[Chris]

if you're buying wheels, find the lightest ones for the money. (ones on the top row of wheels to the right in that pic are light weight).

[Dave]

okay, my .02
GR-2s suck ass. Don't waste your time or money with them. They are marketed as OEM replacements and be treated as such...thrown away
i know you'll hate me for saying this but I'm going to anyways. Don't do it all at once if you can't afford it. Personally, I would do the sway bars and bushings and be done with it...for now. You will notice a dramatic difference with just those. Drive it for a while and enjoy that while you build up funds for the coilovers. 1500 is a lot of coin to drop all at once on a suspension. I did the exact same thing that you are doing just 2 years ago with the mkIII. When it was all said and done and I drove it, I hated how it drove. It was a whole new car, but I didn't like it and I regret it a lot. Doing the mods one at a time let you see what difference each mod makes and lets you ascertain if you want to keep it or change it much easier.
Really and truly, my advice would be to save that money in the "oh-shit" fund that all engine builds require, buy the bushings and get the car running instead of wasting all the extra time doing this stuff. Go ahead and get those wheels while they are wicked cheap.

[Arcana]

Dude, if you're gonna go with Konigs....get some Rewinds! Hottness to the max.... 8)

[Jeff]

okay, my .02
GR-2s suck ass. Don't waste your time or money with them. They are marketed as OEM replacements and be treated as such...thrown away
i know you'll hate me for saying this but I'm going to anyways. Don't do it all at once if you can't afford it. Personally, I would do the sway bars and bushings and be done with it...for now. You will notice a dramatic difference with just those. Drive it for a while and enjoy that while you build up funds for the coilovers. 1500 is a lot of coin to drop all at once on a suspension. I did the exact same thing that you are doing just 2 years ago with the mkIII. When it was all said and done and I drove it, I hated how it drove. It was a whole new car, but I didn't like it and I regret it a lot. Doing the mods one at a time let you see what difference each mod makes and lets you ascertain if you want to keep it or change it much easier.
Really and truly, my advice would be to save that money in the "oh-shit" fund that all engine builds require, buy the bushings and get the car running instead of wasting all the extra time doing this stuff. Go ahead and get those wheels while they are wicked cheap.

Nah, I agree. It makes a lot of sense. But the problem for me is that I wanna build this car up on all levels, that is why my focus sways so much. The brake upgrade came to me like a gift and it made me start thinking about suspension. This car is a commuter car, so the suspension is not in anyway sporty. A stock Supra would have some sort of performance oriented suspension, where as an Omni isn't even close. A friend of mine who deals in the KYBs was told by a KYB rep that the shocks sold to him are different then the ones sold to autozone. This may be BS but that is what he said. But I agree that doing it all at once would give me little appreciation for the money spent. Why will the swaybars be the money-shot?

[Dave]

sounds like BS to me; a GR-2 should be the same no matter who sells them
i believe sway bars are usually the most impressive change in a stock suspension car. I understand that the Omni was a commuter car, but so were civics and sentras. I chose the sway bars b/c they are cheap (keeps money in the fuckup fund) and should still provide a good change in handling.
In all honesty, the best thing you may want to do is get it back up and running without tampering with anything else. Don't touch the brakes, suspension, no race seats, no bling stereo. Once you have sorted out one area, move to another. It makes it a lot easier on your wallet, you'll enjoy it more because there will be less downtime and you'll see the difference each mod makes, and it allows you to focus.
When I did the supra, I put in the motor, suspension, sway bars, and had plans for more. The car was down for over 6 months and I loathed it by the time it was done. If I had gotten the motor done and sorted, THEN focused on the other stuff, it would have been done faster and properly, and it would be very likely that it would have been right. Instead I rushed b/c I wanted to drive it and wasted a load of money.
If you want specifics on how much I wasted and where, and what I got for it, then PM me. I still despise looking at that list, but if that is what it takes to convince somebody to do it "right" then I will.

[Jeff]

Don't take my questions as argument. It is actually quite refreshing to hear just that. It helps the focus and the method. Money down on the engine first. I got a set of $200 rods for $55 yesterday!!!! I'm snapping up deals as I find them though. The wheels and the body kit would be hard to get later. By the way, which wheels do you like Dave?

[.RJ]

Dave is pushing out some pretty good advice here - I'd follow it.

I plan on dealing with the entire suspension (shocks, springs, bars, booshangs, etc) on this new car I'm getting - but - I know exactly what I want out of it and I will be using parts I can adjust and proabably start with pretty soft springs (500/600 lb) and go from there.

[Dave]

for your wheels, I would choose the darker, hollow 5-spokes that are on the bottom row of your choices, except I'm not a huge fan of the polished lip. Doesn't look bad, just not my flavor.
Don't worry, I'm not taking offense to any of this, just dredging up old feelings . I understand the snatching up of good deals, that's how I'm going about with my new projects. However, now that the car is down, I'd take the money that I had and get it back up and running with the new motor. That will leave you with more time to sort it out and get back into the game before you get burnt out. Trust me, it is the worst feeling to hate a car and have to see it everytime you leave (I'm kinda feeling that way toward the 240 and she is still pretty reliable ). In all reality, unless you know the car inside and out (which you will before this is done), I would try to get it running perfectly for ~2 weeks before delving into another project.
I'm not sure how much space you have, but if you can I'd leave the brakes and hubs, body kit, and any suspension goodies off to the side until the car is running correctly. That will make you focus on the real problem at hand.
I feel like I'm preaching to you, and against my own actions at that, but I've found it to be the better way to go about things. Your engine swap sounds pretty intense and really doesn't need to have anything else attracting your attention away from it, or it may never get done.

[Jeff]

Thanks Dave! I will put all the extra stuff in the basement and wait on it. I had a guy tell me (owner of 15+ Chrysler Turbos) how he would go about my build with the amount of money I have and my goal. He said what many club members have been saying the whole time, that huge power numbers won't help in an auto X or track race. He gave some good recommendation that I think will get the engine done quickly and with a high level of reliability even at near 300hp. One more thing I wanna ask of Dave (or anyone who may have experience in this) should I do a manual transmission or stick with autos and see how that goes? I have a HD auto in the garage but I havenÔÇÖt rebuilt it yet. I think I can get a 5-speed and all I need to put it in (shifter, pedals, etc.) for under $300.

[Nick325is]

I would stick with the 5 speed. You will regret putting in the automatic later on.



Nick

[Mike]

Definately go 5spd. 300hp is totally unecessary... I have ~140 at the crank and was throughly rolled by people with ~120 this past weekend.

[Jeff]

But 300 is easily attainable so I might as well. Its got 175 stock. Lol...turbo...hehe. But you also need to be able to be in touch with it, thats where the 5-speed is nice. I just learned I can use an SRT4 shiter mech too!!! YAY!!!

[Chris]

how can 175hp in a light car be bad at all??

If you can wait on the swap or whatever you're doing with the engine, and get a 5spd in, you will appreciate it much more.

[Dave]

I'd go with the manual. Since your pile is b00sted, you should be able to regulate the amount of horsepower, and if you've got too much then just tone it down some. After thinking about, a lot of the fastest cars at the autoX, except for STis, are pretty low in power.

[Jeff]

I got a guy who is willing to ship me the whole suspension from a GLH, the brakes, and the clutch and brake pedals. He says the whole rear axel (including the GLH swaybar ) and the front K frame with the steering rack and all. So like half of a GLH for $200 plus shipping from Iowa. So about $300. Should I go for it as a temp setting for the first year or so? I know I will need to get some OEM shocks or some kind...GR2s or something. Any ideas here?

[HAULN-SS]

do it
do it