Drag & Drift racing shocks and coilovers

[kalibwenm]

hi guys...i own an ep81 toyota starlet, which i converted into a GT, fitted with the 4efte engine. The engine is running fine with the added mods, but i seem to be having some handling issues. I've decided to go with a set of Drag & Drift shocks and coilovers, and to be honest, it handles as good as an F1 car, even on soft mode, which is a good thing, but lately it's been affecting the rest of my setup, for example unbolting my lower arms, CVjoints, affecting my wheel allignment, killing my wheel bearings...etc...at first i thought maybe it was set on too hard, so i softened it, but still no change...so, my question is, how can i avoid these from happening? did i choose the right set of shocks and coilovers for my ride, especially for a daily driven car?...do i need additional aftermarket parts?

here's my setup for now:

engine:
(it has never been opened since i bought it from malaysia, so idk what's inside, but it's reving above 8500rpm)

- Wallbrow fuel pump.
- Sard fuel pressure regulator.
- Irridium 6 sparkplugs, plus bigger leads.
- unknown fmic, with custom made pipe works, for less lag.
- Stock CT9 turbo (was at 1 bar when i bought the engine, but lowered to 0.7bar untill the handling problem is solved).
- HKS actuator ( 1bar ).
- boost controller.
- HKS SSQ Blow-off valve.
- stock manifold and downpipe, fitted with a 2" custom made stainless steel exhaust system.
- 2.5" stainless steel exhaust back box.
- stock ECU (not too sure if it was chipped in malaysia)

Transmissionmanual)

-TRD clutch
-LSD

Suspension:

- Drag and drift racing shocks and coilovers.
- stock front strut bars.
- stock stabilizer bars (front/ rear).

Brakes:

- stock rear GT brakes.
- at the front (big ass TRD brakes from a Levin)

Wheels:

- 16/45/205 Federal EVO 595.
- 16" GTR sports (black matte, with red inner lips)

...Still a work in progress...

It nearly killed me 2 days ago, so i would be very grateful if you all can assist somehow. Really need your views.

 

[weeJohn]

Did you get the alignment on all 4 wheels set up after the coilovers went in? If any bolts give you bother loosening themselves, try a little thread lock on them next time and ensure they are torqued up correctly. I have never heard of suspension destroying cv joints when it has been set up properly, only when camber is way out and extra pressure is being put on them.

 

[kalibwenm]

hmm...yeah, i had the allignment done on all 4 wheels, but now i just realised that i had the front stabilizer bars installed a few weeks after i had the engine replaced, ( my previous mechanic tried to steal it, claiming that i never gave it to him )...bastard...so, maybe that could have initiated the problem, whereas for the CV joints, you have a point there, but i'm still confused on how that could have happened...(mechanic's own negligence maybe)...

But, by looking at my setup, do you think it's practical enough, is it missing anything important?...

 

[weeJohn]

Your set up looks good apart from the stock exhaust manifold, especially if you plan to run 1 bar on a CT9. They produce quite a lot of heat in the charge at that pressure and with the stock manifolds restriction in #3 cylinder this can lead to problems. A decent aftermarket manifold or porting the stock manifold is a worthwhile addition to prolong engine life, but no point in spending a small fortune if you see a bigger turbo set up in the near future.

How long have you ran the 16s as this could possibly cause cv joint problems?

 

[Jay]

You don't mention what make/model the shocks and springs are and what sort of condition they are in?

Also worth mentioning that CV joints and bearings are generally considered wear and tear items so unless there is a definite connection you could just have been unfortunate.

I'd look at the geometry of the vehicle to begin with, did you get a printout when you got the camber and alignment done?

 

[kalibwenm]

well, i've been eying an IHIvf34 for a while now, but too bad a friend of mine just bought it, but he has a hybrid tdo4 installed already, i figured i'll buy that off him, it's still in mint condition, but i might need to forge the internals, right?...

I've been rocking those 16" for a month now, could it really be the prob? cuz i tried a set of 15" it didn't grip at all...

 

[kalibwenm]

Jay, i have D&D (drag and drift) racing shocks and coilovers installed, it was brand new, fresh out the box, when i got it, and it's been installed since early december last year...and the CVjoints, i had them replaced with new original GT CVjoints, since december, for the previous one was damaged due to a broken engine mount during the first test run, which almost fucked my driveshaft, causing evrything to pop out of their respectfull place...but it should all be good now, cuz i had evrything tested at Vehicle Testing Station, towards the end of May...but you're right about the geometry of my car, i need to get it checked again...