Maybe I cut corners in the front but it was tight (w/o compressor)...I did use one to put my shocks in and it made it a lot easier to put the front suspension in vs when I replaced my springs w/out one...
Im all about making it easier esp if free .
Rear is brainless, my daughter could do it with no instructions in less time than it took to jack up the car...granted she is smart, but has no mechanical knowledge yet.

 

Thanks for the replies.

I'm still in the 'research' phase of this so I don't know exactly what I want but here is what I'm thinking:

1) Would be willing to spend about $1000
2) Want ride height at stock level
3) Ability to adjust height would be nice for track day, but not critical
4) I'm looking for similar ride quality to the stock 6MT or a little stiffer. I do not want a softer suspension. Would like less body roll. That might mean different sway bars or maybe new sway bar bushings.
5) I would probably do this myself. And if I can get spring compressors for free, then I probably would.

If I can accomplish this by just getting new shocks and struts and bushings then I'll go that route. Otherwise I'll look at coilover kits.

I'm still not sure how I'm supposed to know how the aftermarket stuff compares to stock in terms of damping, spring rates, ride height and all that.

Thanks for the help guys.

 

If you're stuck on the $1000 and lowering ability isn't critical, I'd go with the Tokico D Spec shocks and a set of aftermarket sway bars such as the Hotchkis or Motordyne. That will address the ride quality as the D Specs have adjustable dampening and handling as well. New sway bars really transform the way the car drives.

 

The shocks would just be for the rear? Or does Tokico make struts too? (I'll check out their web site).

Does anyone know the specs on the stock sway bars on the 6MT. I've got a pretty detailed spec sheet on the car but all it says is that the 6MT comes with 'larger' sway bars than the basic AT model. If the current sways are comparable to the Hotchkis I don't want to spend that extra money but if the Hotchkis are really better that sounds like a plan...I'll check out their site too...I'm just thinking out loud right now.

Thanks for the advice.

I doubt I could install the sways myself because I do not have a lift. I guess I could get it up on jack stands.

 

I would not change just the rears for any other make but OEM shocks,or you run a real risk of unbalancing the handling, if your going aftermarket stick to the same make intended for the model all round,

And if your looking for less roll but near std ride quality then sway bars are going to make for a harsher ride than a set of coilovers.

For what your after, less roll with near/or slightly stiffer ride, bur be able to adjust for track and ride hight i would go the coilover route.

 

Sways + tokico struts + oem springs could be an option for you since you don't want to lower at all.

Or coilovers like bc, function form, etc.

All you can install yourself if you have jackstands, jack, and normal tools and some time.

Both setups you would get adjustable dampening and less body roll with the same body height possible. But I personally would go with the coilovers first then go to sways later in case you still want to improve or decide you do want to alter ride height. But both are good options that it seems like you would be pleased with.

 

It looks like the Hotchkis sways are adjustable. That is very interesting. I think those plus adjustable shocks and struts would be the way to go for me.

I do like the coilovers but I think that is going to require more money than I want to spend and maybe a slight risk of having the car lower than I want it. Will do more research.

Tokico also makes 'sport' springs but they would lower the car at least .75 inches.

Excellent advice all around. Thanks guys.

 

I've done a good bit of research and here is what I have come up with:

I cannot find any coilover kits that do not lower the car, not even the ones that allow for height adjustment. I think this is a real shame. The Bilstein PSS 10 kit looks perfect in every way except that it lowers the car. If I could find a high quality coilover kit with height adjustment and two way shock adjustment I'd be willing to pay for it (up to about $1500). There may be some custom racing set ups that will do this, but probably not.

I don't know how you guys can drive these cars lowered. I don't think I could get out of my driveway if lowered an inch and I know I would have vaporized the dead possum I drove over on the interstate today if I had been 1/2" lower.

Anyway, since the 6MT already has considerably stiffer springs, especially in the rear, I don't really need new springs anyway. So the Tokico D-Specs look like the best bet. I looked at Koni's but I think they have to be removed from the vehicle to adjust them.

The D-spec fronts can be easily adjusted from under the hood. The rears would be hard, if not impossible to adjust on the vehicle, except that they make a flexible extension that goes from the top of the shock into the trunk which is waaaay cool. They show this part in their catalog but not on their website.

Does anyone have experience with the D-specs?

As for sways, Hotchkis looks right for me. And they now have a welded on collar to prevent the bar from moving side to side. Hotchkis gives numerical figures as to how their sways compare to stock. I like that.

So, the plan is, in this order:

New tires.
EBC Yellow stuff pads and EBC slotted rotors.
Stainless brake lines.
Koni D-Spec Shocks
Hotchkis sways.

To me this seems like the ideal setup for an occasional track day car that will still function comfortably as a daily driver/ weekend touring car. The only mods I would need to make at the track would be dialing in the shocks and moving the sway bar attachment points.

Am I missing anything obvious?

 

Carefully
Stickier tires would certainly help on the track

 

The tires will also have to be a bit of a trade off. It came with Kumho SPTs on it. They are summer only, "ultra high performance" but their wear rating is fairly high (i.e. not super soft).

I have actually been very impressed with them and will probably buy another set. The rears are worn but, even and okay. The fronts wore out on the inside edge. I had them unmounted and swapped to milk a few more months out of them. Will get new ones before going to track and will get a good alignment too.

 

Sounds like a great combo and is basically what I'm running on my '04. I put in Stillen adjustable sways plus Tokico d-spec shocks and really like the combo. It still rides nicely without being harsh at all, but the better damping of the D-specs combined w/the sways really improves the turn-in response and body roll. I kept my OEM springs too because I didn't want to lower the car due to my steep driveway entrance. My '04 rear springs are a bit softer than yours (fronts are the same spring rate), but I have an extra set of almost new '06 springs I could put in if I decide to at some point. So far I haven't seen any need to do so as the handling is the way I want it. I could always set the rear bar a bit stiffer if I wanted to dial in a bit more oversteer.

As for the rear d-specs, it's a fairly easy procedure to route the extensions up through the back deck and into the child seat latch covers (on a coupe). There's a DIY on here somewhere if you search this forum. I'm sure you could route them into the trunk too, but haven't tried that. you can get the extensions in a few different places, like Stillen.com or here: http://jdmengineimports.com/suspensi...art-T-TO00100/

Good luck!