Finally made an initial plan for my suspension upgrade. This plan is still tentative but i don't foresee how i would deviate much from it, unless stuff are unobtainable. Very open to suggestion. If you find anything seem out of place below, shout on the comments.
As my plan for The Dog is mainly a daily ride with the ability to support some aggressive driving, i don't see any need for coilovers. I am not saying coilovers aren't great for daily but they would be overkill for The Dog. By coilovers i mean stuff like Greddy Type-S, D2 Racing, Ksport Kontrol-Pro etc. Detailed explanation on why i chose this setup will be done on coming posts. Not really an expert on suspension geometry and stuff but i believe i've enough research to support my decision on below setup.
FRONT
Basically i'll go for short stroke conversion with RCA. Relatively medium rate springs for stiffer ride while retaining kidneys intact.
1. Weld-on Ground Control AE86 Coilover kit rated at 6 kg/mm
2. Stock strut case shortened 40 mm
3. AE92 Koni Sport adjustable strut inserts, custom bottom spacers will be necessary
4. 35-40 mm RCA to fix the altered geomety from lowered ride height
5. Camber Plates & Swivel Hats
6. Custom strut brace, unless i can get cheap used ones
REAR
Strictly no coilovers here for me! Uncomfortable with putting load on the damper mounts despite of some people say they're strong enough. Thus, divorced system with springs rated at slightly above the theoretical 66% Rear to Front ratio to ensure no understeer.
1. 4.5 kg/mm rear linear AE86 lowering springs
2. Undecided rear dampers. Perhaps i'll go for Cressida dampers
3. Custom-made traction brackets
4. Custom-made adjustable trailing links and panhard rods, only if deemed necessary
I still have Prothane bushing kit eager to be installed. AE86 enthusiasts should be familiar with above setup. If you don't know already, Charmants and AE86s share similar suspension system. What do you guys think? If i do all the above points and include shipping costs, i would pay as much as, if not more than, said Taiwanese coilovers. Why bother DIY? Again, to learn something in the process and be sure that my system is cheaper in the long run. Cheaper? Yeah.. Try getting Greddy Type-S and finding out that they're not rebuild-able, let alone replacing the dampers when stuffed.
My biggest concern is that i still don't have a rear sway bar. My Corona axle and Charmant don't come with the brackets for one. I hope our local shops have a solution for me.
You can try ultra racing bars. They are very popular here in malaysia.
ReplyDeletei really disagree with your decision.
ReplyDeletebut hey its your project. you will definitly spend more money nd time on the DIY setup as you need to pay double for the labor.
and also. i can defintly rebuild and change anything on my D2
I agree with Yohann, but I still support you in someways in the decision you've just made, cause I think it takes a lot of guts to go for the DIY route, and that gets my respect!
ReplyDeleteBut on a more logical side, Yohann's suggestion would be the better, easier and also cheaper solution to the suspension setup. At least I know I'd be doing what Yohann does as well (if my Charmant ever wants any upgrades... hehe)
Anonymous: The problem is not which sway bar to use.. It's about how to fit one on a sway bar-less Charmant and Corona axle because you need brackets to hold it.
ReplyDeleteStan and Yohann: Again, i am all about learning something in the process. I wouldn't understand transistors, op-amps and soldering by buying readily-made electronics. I might f*ck up somewhere on the DIY process and end up with very expensive paper weights but at least i learn something out of it.
Besides, i am talking about tried and tested products here. Koni dampers, Eibach front springs (GC coilovers come with them), RSR or TRD rear springs etc. It may sound that i am trading cash for names only but i feel it's best way to go for suspension. Talk to the guys at club4ag, toymods or aeu86. The majority would definitely go with my setup.
Plus.. not sure if many guys locally know about short stroke conversion. This could be a business opportunity! lol
I'm now fitting rear sway bar to my ke70. If you buy ultra racing bar, they will give you the bush bracket because the bar is slightly bigger in diameter than ae86. You then need to weld the brackets to your axle. Done.
ReplyDeleteanonymous is right . but its way too much work for whats is worth.
ReplyDeleteanyhow. edgar i also am all about learning but if in the processe of learning im about to loose couple of hundred of dollars at least. and the setup will do much less that the other one. i dont see a point here.
Diy vs really great. electronic is very easy. but as the work comes too welding and things like suspention strut . i would recomend doing it as a diy as my friend who as done this a couple of time. did that on the last time. and on the way to work. the strut broke. sooo
Anonymous: didn't know about the brackets for the axle came with the kit. how about the end links, the brackets for the chassis? can you show me some pics?
ReplyDeleteYohann: interesting!
"and the setup will do much less that the other one" - can you point me a link which says this? that would be precious to my web research
breaking the struts is exactly what i am worried about this setup. need to find a good machine shop with sufficient skills to handle this job. will start asking around.
www.ultraracing.com.my
ReplyDeleteyeah.. a google on ultraracing would show that link as the first result. i mean can you show me how you put a sway bar on your ke70? AFAIK, KE70 don't come with sway bar either. my email's on the top of the page if you're ok with sharing.
ReplyDeleteI'm ok with sharing. When I get a chance I'll take some pictures for you. FYI, before I bought KE70, I was using a Charmant hence my email charmantgtr@yahoo.com.
ReplyDeleteedgar. if youll do your sugestion. you wont be able to adjust the rear height a the front.
ReplyDeleteand i dont really get you
you say that your all about learning new stuff. thought you dont even get a chance to look hows the work done. so what do you learn here?
Yes i won't be able to adjust rear height but i can adjust the front.I'll adjust the front height just to match the rear end.Adjusting height isn't something that i plan to do often so i can't justify me purchasing adjustable sleeve for the rear.
ReplyDeleteStruts are small enough for me to carry to work area so i'll be monitoring the conversion directly.That's if my car hasn't run yet by the time i gathered all the suspension components.If it has,it gets easier..i can do the conversion AND directly install the suspension.