Help me with my handling MODS!

[chrisjunkie]

Hi all,

So as it stands I currently have stock bilstein suspension in my BH. I have no upgraded sway bars etc so fully stock.

I have some MY01's on the front and something weird on the back.

When I do a hard takeoff (rare) I get a doof that happens in the back which I believe to be something in the suspension (a bushing maybe)?

I have a budget of about 1k and can either get some cusco coilovers in v. good condition or I can put RE050's all round. (obviously in the future more upgrades will come)

I have had advice from a few people already but I have no idea what my best option should be and I am kinda stuck in the middle for a decision.

Help and experience greatly appreciated.

Cheers

Chris

[dubbedup]

diff bushings clunking in the back, maybe fix that 1st, then maybe better swaybars front are rear.

[nztintin]

yup thats diff clunk, be nicer to your clutch and it will go away

[Shale]

+1 diff clunk. You has teh powaar.

I vote two bigger swaybars, investigate strut braces (or a rear brace like Mark's) and upgrade tyres. The RE050s probably last longer on a well-aligned BH than they do a badly aligned Impreza so you'll be sweet as. They have a low treadwear (140) so they are STICKY as heck.

Get an alignment while you're at it, if it's been a while ;D

Definitely tyres and stiffening. From there you can probably start considering harder suspension, but the difference bang for buck is in the rubber ;D

[chrisjunkie]

I can get the clunk to happen if I am accelerating in 1st (slowly) and then just taking foot of pedal. if the car jolts the clunk occurs. What will this cost to fix?

The thing is the suspension may disappear sometime soon. SO STUCK

??? :-\

[Shale]

Have a peek at that suspension. It may be forked like Drunken's, it may not. Bang for buck it won't make as huge a difference as having real tyres on there, but it's up to you. Coilovers for these things come and go, as do replacement Bilsteins.

Get the clunk looked at by Highbrook maybe

[chrisjunkie]

Yeah thats true I suppose, tyres will make the world of difference plus some stiffening plus a wheel alignment etc

Maybe go see firestone this weekend ;D

Also, Anyone on here know about the clunk. Would rather fix it myself if possible. Is it critical?

[Shale]

Firestone, or go see Bruce Gemmell Tyres and tell 'em Amy sent you

[Guest]

Firestone GI did me a nice deal on the 050's.

I get the occasional clunk from somewhere in the drivetrain if I lift off. I've had a look at the diff bushes and they look fine so I just figure it is a little bit of slop somewhere in the massive drivetrain that these things have.

If it wasn't so much effort, I'd lend you my larger rear swaybar to try out but it is a pain in the arse to swap over lol!

If your Bilsteins really are poked and the cost of a rebuild is more then $500 then go for the coilovers but budget for the tyres soon after. With a better suspension setup you'll discover the limits of adhesion more quickly and will be wishing for the better rubber. I went from Dunlop DZ101's to Toyo Proxes 4's to Bridgestone RE050's in the space of 4 months cos I just wasn't happy with the level of grip.

[chrisjunkie]

Well the only reason I think they're stuffed is because of the doof. But if it is just the diff then I'm not too too worried.

Rubber FTW

[Bumpty]

Got Firestones on the New Holland tractor I didn't know they made a car tyre, let alone a good one!?

[Shale]

Firestone car tyres are sh!t. Firestone sell Bridgestones though, which are win ;D

[dvs-b4]

yea i got some bridgstone adrenalins for mine and am prity happy with them probly one of the beter tires for there price. i didnt want to go to expensive for tires as i will probly cut thru them quick with the camber i have

[Bumpty]

 Shale said:

Firestone car tyres are sh!t. Firestone sell Bridgestones though, which are win ;D

Oh its like that ;D

[RSB]

I vote diff clink too.

Best handling upgrades to start with are as mentioned; tyres, swaybars + endlinks, strut braces, underbody braces etc.

[ReubenH]

If there were no issues with the car, i always reckon it's best to upgrade the tyres first, without a doubt. No point spending a grand on suspension if you still have shit tyres.

But yah, fix the clunk first. I had a clunk in my car on gear change. Was a busted engine mount. Could be lotsa things.

[Guest boostin]

 Shale said:

The RE050s probably last longer on a well-aligned BH than they do a badly aligned Impreza so you'll be sweet as. They have a low treadwear (140) so they are STICKY as heck.

Low treadwear and sticky doesn't compute. If they're sticky then they're generally quite soft, and wear fast.

[Shale]

Low treadwear being 140, vs 180 on my new semi-slicks. Did I ferk up my terminology? (ie: high treadwear?) If so my bad

[chrisjunkie]

Hmm ok, So I will have to have a look to try and find out what it really is.

Where do I start? (remembering I have a tight budget)

[Shale]

Send to either Ryan or Highbrook for a peeksie? Then tyres and bars.

[familyman]

 dvs-b4 said:

yea i got some bridgstone adrenalins for mine and am prity happy with them probly one of the beter tires for there price.

adrenaline are awesome!! Go tyres first. Suspension no good if tyres don't stick to the road.

[chrisjunkie]

Boostin, would you be keen to pretty please have a look? (or anyone with experience for that matter)

[me=chrisjunkie]hopes it doesn't end up being expensive!![/me]

EDIT: SMF supports IRC / me code hahaha

[Guest]

Another view on upgrades

"Oh, and one area where we've seen a lot of people get confused is distinguishing between grip and handling - particularly when a set of sticky tyres are involved.

All else being equal, changing to a set of four ultra sticky tyres does not change the overall balance of a car - only its grip levels are improved. This can be deceptive, because those existing handling characteristics are buried a little deeper and - without pushing harder to find them - you may think everything is fixed. Wrong.

Let's take a scenario we've heard many-a time. You've spent $1000-plus on a set of Yoko A032s road-legal slicks to replace your car's whailin' ol radials. You drive outa the tyre shop and corner after corner on the way home you can't believe how much better the car 'handles' - it doesn't move around at all. You can now haul on the wheel and the front-end won't scrub wide and you can jump on the power early without having the rear-end oversteer wildly. You're a convert; who needs aftermarket suspension bits when all you need is claw-like tyres?

You'll soon discover, however, your newfound religious beliefs in semi-slick tyres are flawed when that supposedly 'fixed' handling problem reappears - this time at a much greater speed or when the road surface is slippery. That mid-corner understeer you had forgotten suddenly pops up through a corner - which you now take at an insane speed thanks to the 'security' of those sticky tyres - and the chance of having a major accident goes through the roof. Believe us when we tell this story - we've seen it happen!

Needless to say, burying an existing handling flaw so that it appears only at very high limits or in slippery conditions is not a very wise approach. First, you should balance the car's chassis so that it won't do anything untoward - only then is it safe, and wise, to raise the level of grip with some serious rubber"

[chrisjunkie]

Once again I am torn to which side is the right one. Suspension or tyres!!!

PERHAPS, I work REALLY hard in the holidays and just do both ;D

[Guest boostin]

Well, tyres are your only contact with the road. Suspension keeps your tyres on the road. Think about that.