Beginner suspension mods?`

nissanguy_24 · 02-05-2004, 12:33 PM

How far along where you guys when you first began to upgrade the suspension and what did you do to it?

also for those who are more advanced and experience, what kind of suspension set up do you run with? how much camber, ect.. do you run?

panda_3ight_6 · 02-05-2004, 02:42 PM

Depending one the age of the car, a new set of bushings is almost needed.

I was going to give you some pointers this afternoon but the teacher caught me before i could post..sorry...sounds like nightwalker got it undercontrol

banged240_drift · 02-05-2004, 05:31 PM

yeah he hit it pretty good
in my oppinion, ide go for the lsd after strut bars. i mean i dont realy have a valid reason for it except that you control the tire spin better when both tires are spinning. either way will probly work

banged240_drift · 02-05-2004, 05:34 PM

oh and again this is just form my experience but i wouldent get shocks and springs, liek agx+teins or whatever combo. i would get full coilovers from like JIC and SUSTEC or whoever

you get alot better consistancy and control with the coilovers

panda_3ight_6 · 02-05-2004, 06:00 PM

Coilovers are a bad choice unless you know how to correctly tune a suspension. You could spend upwards of 3K and only get 1000 worth of work. If you know how to correctly set them up they're almost unbeatable in performance.

nissanguy_24 · 02-05-2004, 09:15 PM

Yeah, thank you all for the advice.

I wasnt planning on spending any money on any upgrade until i felt i needed it. by that i mean, until i was consistent with the stock setup, and basicly 'maxed' it out.

Basicly until i was good enough to push the vehichle to its limits i wasnt planning on upgrading those limits. but i was curious to see what others had worked on. And its true, though i know a small amount about suspension setup, i wouldnt know enough to really tune a advanced coil over setup.

Anyways thanks for the info.

raging panda · 02-06-2004, 09:06 AM

I would recommend the lsd first. All my buddies say that LSD made the biggest difference in their ability to drift, even if its the crappy vlsd. I can't comment on this since I can't afford lsd yet. Being able to slide is nice and fun, but having it die by the dragging tire is not. Unless it rains everyday you drift, youre gonna want lsd. Then i would say springs/shocks or coilovers, bushings then stbs.

nissanguy_24 · 02-06-2004, 12:23 PM

thats kindof my first planned modification is a LSD. I've gotten to the point where i can pull a really smooth drift off , using hard breaking to shift the weight) about every third time, after some warming up. And the lack of a LSD kindof kills it on the exit especialy. When i get more consistent il look to buy one.

Any sugestions on what type? VLSD? a clutch type or helical gear type? what do you guys run/like?

CrazyHawaiian · 02-08-2004, 05:19 AM

I know alot of people will disagree, but I say stick with the stock suspension setup at first. From my experience, most stock suspension setups are very neutral. This is good when you are learning how to drift because you dont have a feel for the car yet. A feel for how the car reacts would be needed to understand what suspension changes need to be made for it to fit your style. In alot of cases, the stock suspension will have flaws. It will be neutral handling, but far from perfect. The biggest example would be bodyroll, which can mess up weight transfer. My advice is to solve the flaws of the stock suspension before making tuning changes. Changing the ride height, alignment, dampening force, and spring rate should be done after you get a feel for the car. These are the things that will change how the car handles. Fix the other stuff first. A new set of bushings is a great idea. If the car has too much bodyroll, solve it with better swaybars. If the chassis is weak, support it. Once you've fixed the flaws in the stock suspension, practice until you feel you've exceeded the limits of the car. Then get into the suspension tuning, but just remember to keep things balanced. So you pretty much got the right idea. Remember that big changes at once are usually a bad idea unless you are just experimenting. Always remember how to get back to neutral settings in case you dont like the changes you just made. Keep in mind that as the ride height changes, the suspension geometry changes as well. If this causes adverse effects, be sure to address this. Everyone has a different style, and different suspension setups work better for different styles of driving. Takes alot of time to get it down just the way you want it.

panda_3ight_6 · 02-08-2004, 09:32 AM

Read as much as possible about all suspension but besure to learn what -\+ camber, caster and toe in\out is..they are all important things.

balmo · 02-08-2004, 09:56 AM

stay stock. learn to drive the car for a while. once you get the knack for it, then try to experiment w/ diff. spring rates/shock setting.

prodigy · 02-08-2004, 11:55 AM

Basically, I think any suspension changes that you make are going to take some time to get used to, no matter how big or small.

mranlet · 02-08-2004, 01:47 PM

Strut bars and perhaps equal upgrades on sway bars front and rear will give you a more consistent profile of the car's performance. By minimizing chassis flex and body roll it will be easier to determine exactly what the traction is doing and to be able to visualize suension in your head.

I would suggest getting a LSD soon, since you will most likely be using an LSD eventually and the most time you can get in on the 2-wheels spinning rather than 1 will be to your benefit.

I know that a lot of people think it's stupid to do it, but I personally prefer to upgrade the car as much as possible and then adapt my driving to that rather than gradually upgrade your car. I find that by the time you've upgraded everything, you're hardly driving the same car anymore. This makes for a though learning curve, but you have the advantage of not having the car shift and change as your learning. It also allows you to discover things about the car rather than to determine on the fly whether it's you or the car that needs work. Then again, I drift AWD so who cares what I say

-MR

nissanguy_24 · 02-08-2004, 01:51 PM

Yeah thank you guys for the information. I've been driving the car for a year now, and i think i have a pretty good feel for it. But i dont know, it just seems like there is so much more to know about it and drifting in genral, so ill keep at it.

spirit taro · 02-14-2004, 08:43 PM

vandelx struts and then shocks then lsd

raging panda · 02-14-2004, 09:37 PM

It is said that most OEM suspensions are set up to understeer so that drivers do not spin out, so neutral suspension isn't a way to describe stock IMO. LSD will make it easier to start and maintain a slide no matter what other mods. I would also suggest a bucket seat. Very helpful in advancing your skills.

mranlet · 02-14-2004, 10:28 PM

Stock suspensions are set up to be a little pushy and have a tendency toward understeer, but not that much. Car designers also know that people will try and drive and turn faster than they should (especially young drivers) and they try to make the car handle as neutrally as possible. However, at the limits of the handling the car will ultimately understeer.

-MR

raging panda · 02-14-2004, 10:56 PM

Well, drifting is pushing the limits of the car, so in that sense you will almost definaltly experience understeer.

02-05-2004, 12:33 PM	#1
nissanguy_24 Guest Join Date: Jan 2004 Location: bakersfield, CA Posts: 3,197	Beginner suspension mods?` How far along where you guys when you first began to upgrade the suspension and what did you do to it? also for those who are more advanced and experience, what kind of suspension set up do you run with? how much camber, ect.. do you run?

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02-05-2004, 02:42 PM	#2
panda_3ight_6 Senior Member Join Date: Nov 2003 Posts: 612	Depending one the age of the car, a new set of bushings is almost needed. I was going to give you some pointers this afternoon but the teacher caught me before i could post..sorry...sounds like nightwalker got it undercontrol

02-05-2004, 05:31 PM	#3
banged240_drift Registered User Join Date: Nov 2003 Location: dallas/ft.worth Posts: 260	yeah he hit it pretty good in my oppinion, ide go for the lsd after strut bars. i mean i dont realy have a valid reason for it except that you control the tire spin better when both tires are spinning. either way will probly work

02-05-2004, 05:34 PM	#4
banged240_drift Registered User Join Date: Nov 2003 Location: dallas/ft.worth Posts: 260	oh and again this is just form my experience but i wouldent get shocks and springs, liek agx+teins or whatever combo. i would get full coilovers from like JIC and SUSTEC or whoever you get alot better consistancy and control with the coilovers

02-05-2004, 06:00 PM	#5
panda_3ight_6 Senior Member Join Date: Nov 2003 Posts: 612	Coilovers are a bad choice unless you know how to correctly tune a suspension. You could spend upwards of 3K and only get 1000 worth of work. If you know how to correctly set them up they're almost unbeatable in performance.

02-05-2004, 09:15 PM	#6
nissanguy_24 Guest Join Date: Jan 2004 Location: bakersfield, CA Posts: 3,197	Yeah, thank you all for the advice. I wasnt planning on spending any money on any upgrade until i felt i needed it. by that i mean, until i was consistent with the stock setup, and basicly 'maxed' it out. Basicly until i was good enough to push the vehichle to its limits i wasnt planning on upgrading those limits. but i was curious to see what others had worked on. And its true, though i know a small amount about suspension setup, i wouldnt know enough to really tune a advanced coil over setup. Anyways thanks for the info.

02-06-2004, 09:06 AM	#7
raging panda Registered User Join Date: Dec 2003 Location: Renton. Posts: 379	I would recommend the lsd first. All my buddies say that LSD made the biggest difference in their ability to drift, even if its the crappy vlsd. I can't comment on this since I can't afford lsd yet. Being able to slide is nice and fun, but having it die by the dragging tire is not. Unless it rains everyday you drift, youre gonna want lsd. Then i would say springs/shocks or coilovers, bushings then stbs.

02-06-2004, 12:23 PM	#8
nissanguy_24 Guest Join Date: Jan 2004 Location: bakersfield, CA Posts: 3,197	thats kindof my first planned modification is a LSD. I've gotten to the point where i can pull a really smooth drift off , using hard breaking to shift the weight) about every third time, after some warming up. And the lack of a LSD kindof kills it on the exit especialy. When i get more consistent il look to buy one. Any sugestions on what type? VLSD? a clutch type or helical gear type? what do you guys run/like?

02-08-2004, 05:19 AM	#9
CrazyHawaiian Sample One Time!! Join Date: May 2003 Location: Hawaii Posts: 1,276	I know alot of people will disagree, but I say stick with the stock suspension setup at first. From my experience, most stock suspension setups are very neutral. This is good when you are learning how to drift because you dont have a feel for the car yet. A feel for how the car reacts would be needed to understand what suspension changes need to be made for it to fit your style. In alot of cases, the stock suspension will have flaws. It will be neutral handling, but far from perfect. The biggest example would be bodyroll, which can mess up weight transfer. My advice is to solve the flaws of the stock suspension before making tuning changes. Changing the ride height, alignment, dampening force, and spring rate should be done after you get a feel for the car. These are the things that will change how the car handles. Fix the other stuff first. A new set of bushings is a great idea. If the car has too much bodyroll, solve it with better swaybars. If the chassis is weak, support it. Once you've fixed the flaws in the stock suspension, practice until you feel you've exceeded the limits of the car. Then get into the suspension tuning, but just remember to keep things balanced. So you pretty much got the right idea. Remember that big changes at once are usually a bad idea unless you are just experimenting. Always remember how to get back to neutral settings in case you dont like the changes you just made. Keep in mind that as the ride height changes, the suspension geometry changes as well. If this causes adverse effects, be sure to address this. Everyone has a different style, and different suspension setups work better for different styles of driving. Takes alot of time to get it down just the way you want it.

02-08-2004, 09:32 AM	#10
panda_3ight_6 Senior Member Join Date: Nov 2003 Posts: 612	Read as much as possible about all suspension but besure to learn what -\+ camber, caster and toe in\out is..they are all important things.

02-08-2004, 09:56 AM	#11
balmo Registered User Join Date: Nov 2003 Location: Newark, CA Posts: 162	stay stock. learn to drive the car for a while. once you get the knack for it, then try to experiment w/ diff. spring rates/shock setting.

02-08-2004, 11:55 AM	#12
prodigy Broken 240sx Join Date: Aug 2003 Location: Saginaw, Michigan Posts: 695	Basically, I think any suspension changes that you make are going to take some time to get used to, no matter how big or small.

02-08-2004, 01:47 PM	#13
mranlet Smokes Dynamite Join Date: Dec 2003 Location: Tampa, CT, all over the place! Posts: 1,090	Strut bars and perhaps equal upgrades on sway bars front and rear will give you a more consistent profile of the car's performance. By minimizing chassis flex and body roll it will be easier to determine exactly what the traction is doing and to be able to visualize suension in your head. I would suggest getting a LSD soon, since you will most likely be using an LSD eventually and the most time you can get in on the 2-wheels spinning rather than 1 will be to your benefit. I know that a lot of people think it's stupid to do it, but I personally prefer to upgrade the car as much as possible and then adapt my driving to that rather than gradually upgrade your car. I find that by the time you've upgraded everything, you're hardly driving the same car anymore. This makes for a though learning curve, but you have the advantage of not having the car shift and change as your learning. It also allows you to discover things about the car rather than to determine on the fly whether it's you or the car that needs work. Then again, I drift AWD so who cares what I say -MR

02-08-2004, 01:51 PM	#14
nissanguy_24 Guest Join Date: Jan 2004 Location: bakersfield, CA Posts: 3,197	Yeah thank you guys for the information. I've been driving the car for a year now, and i think i have a pretty good feel for it. But i dont know, it just seems like there is so much more to know about it and drifting in genral, so ill keep at it.

02-14-2004, 08:43 PM	#15
spirit taro munky Join Date: Jan 2004 Location: san diego Posts: 91	vandelx struts and then shocks then lsd

02-14-2004, 09:37 PM	#16
raging panda Registered User Join Date: Dec 2003 Location: Renton. Posts: 379	It is said that most OEM suspensions are set up to understeer so that drivers do not spin out, so neutral suspension isn't a way to describe stock IMO. LSD will make it easier to start and maintain a slide no matter what other mods. I would also suggest a bucket seat. Very helpful in advancing your skills.

02-14-2004, 10:28 PM	#17
mranlet Smokes Dynamite Join Date: Dec 2003 Location: Tampa, CT, all over the place! Posts: 1,090	Stock suspensions are set up to be a little pushy and have a tendency toward understeer, but not that much. Car designers also know that people will try and drive and turn faster than they should (especially young drivers) and they try to make the car handle as neutrally as possible. However, at the limits of the handling the car will ultimately understeer. -MR

02-14-2004, 10:56 PM	#18
raging panda Registered User Join Date: Dec 2003 Location: Renton. Posts: 379	Well, drifting is pushing the limits of the car, so in that sense you will almost definaltly experience understeer.