Hi guys.

Due to some camber issues, i decided to install Rear lower control arms (Helix) and H&R 19mm Sways.. still tuning the suspension.

Ive changed the tires to Eagle F1, CROSS c/o, rear sways and rear lower control arm.

Now it is really the fine tuning that i need to do. Still need to do some spirited driving to really guage what i want more. Ill tell you that I want more oversteer and im still feeling "leaning" when turning...

As far as dampening on the Cross coilovers, i have it dead middle comfort setting... any suggestion which setting you guys tried? It is a little bumpy right now but i may want to tighten up the front a little and make the rear softer. Also make the rear sway a little tighter to induce more oversteer...

 

Nice job! I have my Alta control arms and KW V1's ready to install this weekend.

 

And you are going to report back to us after the install and test drive and let us know how they feel, right? Of course, you wouldn't leave us hanging.

 

if you want more oversteer... the rear end should be tightend up, not softened. The front should be softer.

 

I'll be sure to post my impressions, along with pics

 

Ya.. sorry for the mix up.. you are right.. tighten the rear... Im going over to the shop this weekend to fine tune.. ill still wait for the alignment as im tuning this.

I wanted a "go-kart" handling. That's my objective. No show... all cornering. hahah

 

I figured out why i have the leaning problem and only fix was with the stiffening the dampning I set it at MAX stiff... the car turns like a train on a railtrack.. so tight and stable.. (but my lower back is pinching now)

SImple physics... im running 205/50/16 Side wall is huge... it is having too much "give" during a left right transition.. thus giving me a "leaning" sensation and laggy response on a tight corner....

Now... i just cant get a lower profile tires since i just got some Eagle F1s. But in the mean time to compensate, i think im gonna save my back and set the dampening at 7/8 out of 15 on the Cross and be a little aggressive on my alignment.

Yes that will have some aggressive wear on my tires... but at least that is an excuse to get new tires and maybe a 17inch wheels with it.

What do you guys think?

 

Sounds like a plan! If you haven't yet, I'd stiffen the rear sway bar too. (maybe disconnect the front one?). Other ways to increase over steer: higher rear tire pressures, more (negative) camber up front, remove weight from rear.

 

Today, i changed my front dampening on my CROSS from 15(stiff) to 11. Rear is still at 15 (I didnt want to take off the shock off the frame.. too much work). Ride around my neighborhood felt a lot comportable.. but obviously any sharp corner, i felt that it wasnt as crisp as full stiffness.

I plan to correct the responsiveness in two ways
1) ALignment - i have any range from -1.25 to -2 that i will play with.. but ill start will -2 in the front and -1.75 in the rear. Toe wise.. very minimal.. probably 1/16 (throwing out a number). I dont think toe is that important for my street/freeway driving and some spirited twisties.

2) Obviously the major problem is the side wall of the tires. 205/50/16 is fat. I will need to go lower profile to get a little more crisp in left/right transitions. Ill probably wait until i wear out my Eagle F1 before going up to 17inch tires/wheels.


Im trying to think of how the dynamic will change if i left the rear stiff and soften the front dampening... will i lose some steering feel on turns since it will "give" or "dive" in more in the front? Front is already heavy on this car. I think i really need to soften the rear. Maybe ill try 10/11 setting. I still need to find cable adjusters for the dampening (need to order from JIC and drill a freaking hole...

I dont understand why CROSS has dampening dials on the top in the rear. They should have put it on the bottom with a weather resistant cap and have the front dampening dial on the top or bottom. Annoying design... if it wasnt for their quality of the system...

but so far... it rides good!

 

Did you get your parts installed? I am doing this soon and want to get some feedback

 

Sure did - NO issues so far from the control arms. Haven't even had the car aligned yet, just set them to the same exact length as the OE control arms - rides great. Here are a few pics (that's K-huevo in one of the pics - he did an awesome job in helping me install the parts )

 

Looks great..are those Alta's? So do you feel the diffrence and was it worth while upgrade? I want to do the upper & lowers.

 

Those are the Altas - they are very nicely made - high quality. Can't say I can break out the feel of the control arms from the coilovers, since I swapped both out at the same time. I CAN say is that the two items are working together to give me a vastly improved ride over stock. The best part is that the suspension upgrade has greatly reduced torque steer.

 

I also did the coil overs and the sway bar together so it was really hard to tell on my end as well. Looking good...should be getting to mine pretty soon. I already have the end links from Alta just waiting to get the rest of the bits and I am going to do it all together

 

MiniTauro and Doc...How low did you end up going? Will you post front and rear ride heights? Thanks!

Did you need the rear control arms to achieve the ride height with correct alignment that you are riding on? Thanks!

 

About 1 and 3/4" all around. The control arms will help bring the alignment back into spec. I haven't bothered to get an alignment yet because the car is tracking perfectly!

 

Hey guys.... I notice, Minitauro, that you have your lower control arms installed opposite of how ALTA has theirs installed. Can they be flipped either direction? See the pics for comparison.... Just curious because Im installing mine @ the end of this week. Thanks for any input!

YOURS:


ALTA:

 

Hmmmmm.... I'll pm Adam and get back to you on that

 

i love how the alta control arms look... those are definitely down the road for me but id rather get some cross coilovers first.

 

Makes no real difference other than cosmetics. So no big deal!

get em both at the same time

 

Hmmm...you have a set up that is somewhat similar to mine.

I run my crosses on full soft up front and about 5 from soft in the rear. At least I THINK that's how i have it set. In order to tighten the adjustment you turn the **** clockwise, correct? Anyway, with 17's on my car and 1 1/2 degrees neg. camber all around, the car does not feel like it leans too much at all. But then again, that may be a completely subjective observation on my part. But perhaps your tires are flexing more. I used to run the same tires on mine, only in a 17 as well and they felt tight to me. You might try lowering your right height a little bit more. I think I dropped mine about 1 3/4 - 2inches if I remember correctly.

I also have a set of Swift springs on order from forum member Ninjlao to replace the stock cross springs. I will post my impressions after I get them installed.

 

I figured as much since they work perfectly Thanks Adam!

19mm sway bar goes on Friday

 

haha, wouldnt that be the dream

 

Hey a guy has to try right? Also, we do have a HUGE sale going on right now! Might make sense?!

 

Got mine installed this weekend...took less than a hour to do! I also set my Alta 19mm sway bar to middle setting and love the results. Off to the shop monday for proper alignment.