Suspension Modification Complete....

[Gear_Head]

Finally got the time and the lift to complete the suspension modification. Configuration goes like this:

1. Eibach Anti Roll Kit
2. BTG Polished Strut Bar
3. Suspension Techniques Progressively wound lowering springs 1.3" drop Front & Rear.
4. Koni Adjustable (Yellow) struts & Shocks (adjusted + 2 turns F&R}.

I can't believe how much better the car handles!!! Add to that the 225x40x18 Michelin Pilot Sport PS2s and the handling is OUTSTANDING. I didn't lower it much, but the difference in handling is more than I expected. Pics aren't very good but its all I have at the moment.

Pics below....

Before:


After:

[SteelBlueGT]

I like I like a lot[8D] How much did the upgrade hurt the ride quality? I ask cause my wife cant handle anymore stiffness in the ride so I guess I should not opt for the lower srpings?? Think roll bars and strut brace and better tires will do a lot of good without hurting ride?

[Mike-in-Orange]

quote:SteelBlueGT Posted - 05/31/2004 : 1:52:34 PM
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I like I like a lot How much did the upgrade hurt the ride quality? I ask cause my wife cant handle anymore stiffness in the ride so I guess I should not opt for the lower srpings?? Think roll bars and strut brace and better tires will do a lot of good without hurting ride?

Making the mods you suggest should go a long way toward improving the handling because they address the twisting and flexing of the chassis as opposed to soaking up bumps. Keep in mind though, that if you go with a low profile tire you will, to a degree, negatively impact the ride quality. Let's face it, a tire with a really short side wall won't flex as much, which helps handling but hurts the ride - there just isn't as much impact absorption in the low profile tire. Just something to keep in mind. Gear_Head went with a 40 aspect ratio; that's a pretty short side wall. A 50 aspect would yield a slightly better ride, but there are so many factors to consider in the whole equation!

[RallyDRock]

alan,
do you get much freeway hop or bouncing at highway speeds. i found that i needed to turn the shocks way down to eliminate the bounce. have you tried them on a softer setting?

[gooberff]

From your profile i believe you have a 2003 gt. Koni hasn't verified if their front struts work with the struts on the gt. the gt carries a different part number for the front struts than the other cruisers. did you do the install yourself and if so did the struts fit the modified stock strut without a problem.

[Gear_Head]

RallyDock, I haven't really noticed any freeway bounce. The ride is stiffer, but not bone jarring. I'm happy with it...

Gooberff, I followed the instructions that Koni sent. It was a pain in the a$$. The PT front struts are 1 piece struts. Basically you have to remove the integrated strut cartridge, Drill a hole (14mm) in the bottom of the outside casing and the Koni Cartridge slides into the empty strut casing (I used a rubber mallet to coax the last 3 inches of the casing)and is bolted in through the bottom of the casing with hardware provided by Koni in the kit. I used a pneumatic cutting tool and a standard 3/8" drill to modify the casing per Koni instruction sheet. Be careful when drilling the pilot hole in the bottom of the casing the gas and fluid come out of the strut at that point. Nothing that can hurt you, but if its not expected it'll make a mess. All in all it took about 2 hours to do both struts. The second one went much quicker after getting the 1st one done...