I've got a stock 5AT coupe with 17" wheels. I'd like to find options for upgrading the wheels, tires and suspension.

I am considering 18 or19" wheels, but my highest priority is improving the handling of the car. Before I consider upgrading the engine, I would like to get some extra "stick" from the suspension. I break the wheels loose way too easily.

I've read numerous posts from people with a lot of knowledge about suspenion and handling, but I can't find a discussion that combines all of the aspects (wheels, tires, springs, coilovers, lowering, sway bars, ...) of handling.

Can someone suggest a good setup that:
- Makes it harder to break the wheels loose
- Decreases the gap between the tire and wheel well
- Increases wheel size (18 or 19")
- Widens the rear tires (maybe 1")
- Prepares the car for future performance upgrades (CAI, exhaust, turbo?)

Thanks for any help you can offer.
Joe

 

joecross98 ()
08/29/03 10:03 PM

I've got a stock 5AT coupe with 17" wheels. I'd like to find options for upgrading the wheels, tires and suspension.

I am considering 18 or19" wheels, but my highest priority is improving the handling of the car. Before I consider upgrading the engine, I would like to get some extra "stick" from the suspension. I break the wheels loose way too easily.

I've read numerous posts from people with a lot of knowledge about suspenion and handling, but I can't find a discussion that combines all of the aspects (wheels, tires, springs, coilovers, lowering, sway bars, ...) of handling.

Can someone suggest a good setup that:
- Makes it harder to break the wheels loose
- Decreases the gap between the tire and wheel well
- Increases wheel size (18 or 19")
- Widens the rear tires (maybe 1")
- Prepares the car for future performance upgrades (CAI, exhaust, turbo?)

Thanks for any help you can offer.
Joe
__________________________________________________ _

I have worked my car's setup to do exactly what your looking for. I would like to have wider rear's but my wallet put the brakes on that early on. But I'd like to get into what I have and maybe it could be better for your purpose.

1. Wheels (and offset's). Pick wheels that are as light as you can afford. I set my goal to NOT buy rims that were heavier than the stock rim's at 23lbs. I settled for my Enkei's, they weigh 19lbs. I could have done better, but I gave myself a price cap per rim and that would have violated my price rule.
OFFSETS. If you want to run the widest possible tire width's and NOT have clearance issues run these offset's 40mm front and for wider rear's run 55mm. That would let you run 245's in the front and at least 265's in the rear. The 55mm rear offset is ment to clear 275's, but I'm worried about a recent post on 275's clearing in the rear, something to research if you want 275's in the rear.

2. Lowering or decreasing the tire/wheel/fender gaps. Given that performance is at the forefront of your desires, do not look to the current crop of progressive lowering springs. These are ride comfort based systems that use softer initial spring rates to accomplish this, followed my final rates that are the same as stock or slighlty stiffer. Any handling gains they get, comes from a lowered center of gravity. I would recommend one of several coilover systems on the market. The Tein CS coilover system or the Tein flex system, the Jic FLTA2a system (NOT THE RS SYSTEM) or the recently introduced HKS Hypermax II system.

Which one am I thinking about going with, once I want to change out my 350Z setup I'm running now on my sedan? I think I want something halfway between the like stock stiffness of the Tein CS coilover system and the much stiffer Tein flex system. I like the idea of getting the Tein flex system with slightly softer spring rates. That would mean spring rates that are the same as what the HKS II coilovers use, but I like the ability to add the EDFC controller on the Tein Flex system.

I have the 350Z springs and struts on my sedan. I got tremendious improvements. Partly from a slightly lowered center of gravity since the setup lowered my sedan 7/8" front and 1 1/8" rear. But your coupe runs the same springs as the Z., so they will not lower your car at all. Yet since the Z struts are allot more aggressive you will get some of the benefits I got, just no lowering.

Since your coupe does not have the performace tire and wheel package, you don't have a limited slip diff. Not having that may be part of your problems. I will say that one thing the 350Z struts did for my car was to greatly lesson the amount of time I needed the help of limited slip. But still, even then I do need to add one to my sedan,........on of these days.

I hope I've covered things for you. If I missed a point or you'd like like to talk about any one of the issue I brought up, feel free to do so. And sorry for the long reply.


Ivry 6mt sed
Crawford Pleneum
Injen CAI
22" resonator
Cusco sway bars
350Z springs&struts
Enkei RPM2