advice on suspension and handling setups

[turbominicooper]

I am at the phase of the suspension, handling and braking of my car.



at current I have:

15x7 rims

full set of ohlins suspension (rebuilt)



with having a strong mini background I like my cars to handle like its on tracks, also I live on a small island where windy and narrow roads are the majority (we have 1 A road which is 4 miles long).



I kind of know what im doing form a braking point of view - drilled and grooved discs with green stuff pads but I really need advice on the handling as whats best to do for a solid, heavy cornering suspension setup?



I want it to handle like this - https://www.youtube....h?v=CiONW1ULqzc

 

[Gryzor]

better calipers and disc are a must on these cars , grooved discs with green stuff don't really cut it. a set of twin pots at the very least.

suspension modification is a very personel preference thing, with some folk really liking keeping everything stock, others modified everything. Key is trail and error, I'd recommend a cusco lower front brace to start but some folk believe it causes understeer...try one and see

 

[MarcoGTTurbo]

get yourself the following

rear strut bar
rear panhard rod (adjustable)
Rear sway bar
front strut bar (if not already fitted)
antilift kit with new poly bushes
new droplinks for your sway bar
New bushes for your control arms

remove power steering and loop the rack

I have done this and dropped the suspension around 30-50mm

My car handles like its on rails and little to no wheelspin and high boost take offs

Ive got 14inch wheels also

 

[turbominicooper]

better calipers and disc are a must on these cars , grooved discs with green stuff don't really cut it. a set of twin pots at the very least.

im not making huge power and read that the std calipers with d+g discs plus set of green stuff is the way to go, u think twin pots necessary on approx. 160-180 bhp?

 

[turbominicooper]

get yourself the following

rear strut bar
rear panhard rod (adjustable)
Rear sway bar
front strut bar (if not already fitted)
antilift kit with new poly bushes
new droplinks for your sway bar
New bushes for your control arms

remove power steering and loop the rack

I have done this and dropped the suspension around 30-50mm

My car handles like its on rails and little to no wheelspin and high boost take offs

Ive got 14inch wheels also

Solid list mate thanks! not sure about removing the power steering might leave that to last but can imagine the grip without

 

[Gryzor]

im not making huge power and read that the std calipers with d+g discs plus set of green stuff is the way to go, u think twin pots necessary on approx. 160-180 bhp?

yes , i'd say you get close to halving your stopping distance. It doesn't really matter what power you have, but what speed you're doing.

 

[turbominicooper]

yes , i'd say you get close to halving your stopping distance. It doesn't really matter what power you have, but what speed you're doing.

this is true. I will consider further braking mods aswel then. cheers

 

[Paul_JJ]

Well, I have a great Tein set for sale - brand new... If you're interested. I even got the rear shocks as well - used condition, very stiff ones. (Look up for sale thread) Like I explained to Matty - here
http://www.toyotagtturbo.com/forums/showthread.php?108772-Advice-wanted-on-suspension-setup

In my opinion it's best to have high quality lowering springs rather than the coilovers, due to the amount of potholes on the roads... As of the wheels - for handling it's best to have 15 inch -) they're slightly wider and give better handling and better braking as well - I have both sets 14 and 15 and used both -)

 

[dac69er]

yes , i'd say you get close to halving your stopping distance. It doesn't really matter what power you have, but what speed you're doing.

i would say that un-seized stock calipers, fresh fluid and some decent discs and pads will be fine for a fast road car.

most people change to larger calipers, new discs and pads, new lines and fresh fluid and then say its all about the calipers making the difference.

i went from some fully rebuild standard calipers, 3g discs and pagid pads to a set of rebuilt twin pots with all new discs and pads. they are better, but not a mega improvement over a decent fast road stock setup imo.


my ep85 has those same stock rebuilt calipers, second hand standard discs and pads and i can hold my own round twisty roads against quicker cars without any braking issues.

 

[Gryzor]

i would say that un-seized stock calipers, fresh fluid and some decent discs and pads will be fine for a fast road car.

most people change to larger calipers, new discs and pads, new lines and fresh fluid and then say its all about the calipers making the difference.

i went from some fully rebuild standard calipers, 3g discs and pagid pads to a set of rebuilt twin pots with all new discs and pads. they are better, but not a mega improvement over a decent fast road stock setup imo.


my ep85 has those same stock rebuilt calipers, second hand standard discs and pads and i can hold my own round twisty roads against quicker cars without any braking issues.

so you find the stopping distance the same for the stock calipers compared to a set of levin twin pots ?

I went for a st165 setup and its a huge improvement.

 

[WallaceGlanza]

Depends on the driver I guess, when I was running 190bhp I had 3G discs, mintex 1144 pads, 5.1 fluid, braided lines and stock calipers and they would be overheating within a few heavy stops and the pedal would soon be on the floor, I'd say larger discs are a must, that's the problem, standard sized don't have enough area to dissipate the heat.

 

[dac69er]

so you find the stopping distance the same for the stock calipers compared to a set of levin twin pots ?

I went for a st165 setup and its a huge improvement.

i have never tried it. if you would like me to test it then i can do when i have the chance. All 3 of my GTs have different setups, and all i can say is that i dont need to adjust my braking distances if driving hard on the road. on a track you may gain, but no point telling this lad to change calipers when it is completely unnecessary for what he wants to use the car for.


I have the st165 twin pots on one of mine, and whilst they are good, i dont think they are a mega difference between a decent set of discs and pads with the stock calipers. even completely stock in good condition the standard brakes are pretty capable, on the road.


99% of people who uprate their brakes tend to start off with a pretty tired setup anyway. just a good overhaul of the current setup would generate noticeable gains for most people.

 

[Gryzor]

I suppose it boils down to cost if he can pick up a set of twin pot or st165 setup for around £100 he'd be mad not to.

 

[dac69er]

if the price is right, then it could be cheaper to get a set of twin pots fitted if the current brakes need some work. but either way you would need discs and pads and a bleed through so it just depends what the lad wants from the car.

 

[Gryzor]

As we don't know exactly what the plans are for the car I can't see any harm in recommending an improved braking option even if its may only be from a safety point of view.

 

[dac69er]

As we don't know exactly what the plans are for the car I can't see any harm in recommending an improved braking option even if its may only be from a safety point of view.

he said that already:

"I live on a small island where windy and narrow roads are the majority"


with that in mind, good standard brakes are perfectly adequate and safe.

 

[turbominicooper]

chaps,

ive recently as Jan/Feb this year rebuilt the rear calipers aswel as a fresh set of standard discs and pads. braking is good but I feel could be improved.

as mentioned this is only a fast road car, no tracks or motorway driving so think I will start at just uprating the discs and pads before going for bigger calipers etc.

cheers

 

[dac69er]

rear calipers do very little. how are the front ones? all sliders working fine? piston moving freely? all fluid replaced and fully bled on all 4 calipers?

 

[turbominicooper]

rear calipers do very little. how are the front ones? all sliders working fine? piston moving freely? all fluid replaced and fully bled on all 4 calipers?

calipers are good move freely, I haven't changed fluid but braking isn't really what I was looking for in this thread, saying that I have a good idea of what I need for both areas now. will close thread.

thanks all