Want to start upgrading suspension on 05 GT
08-21-2006, 08:09 PM
#12
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Join Date: Feb 2006
Location: Littleton, CO
Posts: 600
RE: Want to start upgrading suspension on 05 GT
ORIGINAL: CrazyAl
I think you need to figure out what your goals for the car are. A lot of mods are tradeoffs or are specific for a certain kind of driving.
Several examples:
Drag Radials are great for drag racing, but are awful for driving that emphasizes handling, like autocross.
A heavier front sway bar is good for autocross, but is actually a downgrade for drag. In fact, for drag racing people generally REMOVE the front sway bar altogether.
Brake upgrades are good for road-course racing or autocross, but they are useless for drag.
Drag-valved shocks are going to be rotten for autocross....
I would do the basic, critical, mods first. In my opinion the #1 suspension mod should be LCAs. The next weak points are the rear sway bar, panhard bar, and panhard bar brace. These mods will be beneficial regardless of what kind of driving you are doing.
Lowering springs and shocks can be a great handling mod, but it depends on what you want to do...if you are lowering the car for performance, I'd go with a mild drop and the D-spec adjustable shocks. If you are doing it more for looks then you don't need that fancy of a shock setup and your goals for choosing springs will be different.
...but beyond that, you need to identify your goals for the car before you can decide what route to take.
I think you need to figure out what your goals for the car are. A lot of mods are tradeoffs or are specific for a certain kind of driving.
Several examples:
Drag Radials are great for drag racing, but are awful for driving that emphasizes handling, like autocross.
A heavier front sway bar is good for autocross, but is actually a downgrade for drag. In fact, for drag racing people generally REMOVE the front sway bar altogether.
Brake upgrades are good for road-course racing or autocross, but they are useless for drag.
Drag-valved shocks are going to be rotten for autocross....
I would do the basic, critical, mods first. In my opinion the #1 suspension mod should be LCAs. The next weak points are the rear sway bar, panhard bar, and panhard bar brace. These mods will be beneficial regardless of what kind of driving you are doing.
Lowering springs and shocks can be a great handling mod, but it depends on what you want to do...if you are lowering the car for performance, I'd go with a mild drop and the D-spec adjustable shocks. If you are doing it more for looks then you don't need that fancy of a shock setup and your goals for choosing springs will be different.
...but beyond that, you need to identify your goals for the car before you can decide what route to take.
As far as my personal goals... I'd love to set it up for the track, but my car is a daily driver and there isn't a track within 250 miles of here. So my goal is pretty much to have a solid high performance street car. One that can excellerate to the best of it's ability without sacrificing too much drivability (which I think I've done pretty well so far) and one that corners as well as possible (again) without sacrificing too much drivability. Ultimately, I think the S197s are very well balanced for performance vs. drivability, I just want to amplify that balance (make sense?). Not necessarily "go hard in one direction" (i.e. drag racing, autocross, gas mileage, etc.). But just improve it proportionally across the board. Does that make sense? Anyway... that's where I'm coming from. And with your help (and others) I think I have a very good idea what I'm gonna do to get there. Thanks a million.
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