16" wheels. What's needed to "sharpen" it up again?

[NWFRS]

About a year ago I swapped the stock 17x7" wheels for a set of 16x7.5. I did this both for comfort and cosmetics. Personal taste. The wheels themselves were 2.2lbs lighter than the stock so probably nearly identical to stock weights after tires. The tires are Yokohama YK580 225/50R16.

I'm more-or-less satisfied with the ride quality now, but I'm starting to wonder if the car could be a little "sharper" with some suspension, bushings and/or sway bar modifications. I'm also having a difficult time finding specs on the OE struts/shocks, and with virtually no baseline for comparison, it's difficult for me to understand how the aftermarket shocks stack up. I think I'd like better "damping" but again, I've got very little real world experience, so I'm trusting everyone's reviews.

I'm doing most of my parts browsing on http://www.ft86speedfactory.com

I guess specifically, I'm wondering if these Bilstein b6 shocks would offer an improvement without sacrificing comfort: http://www.ft86speedfactory.com/bils...l#.VbuaDCm9LCQ

Or am I totally misguided? Maybe I should be looking at some bushings and sway bars and an alignment? I just have so little experience here, and most of the builds here seem to be geared more for performance than comfort. This is my daily so I'd rather keep it cozy so I don't spill my morning latte.

Thanks so much for the help.

[8R6]

have you tried running tires with a stiffer sidewall? that would help a lot and be immediately noticeable, especially since you have a bigger sidewall now... and you wouldnt even have to touch your suspension. yet.

[venturaII]

Is that a typo, or are you really running 225/55-16s? You should be running 225/50-16. That would account for a lot of the loss of sharpness you're looking to regain.


Regarding the Bilstiens, their Komfort line of shocks (B4, I think) would be worth checking out if you're running otherwise stock suspension. I ran them on my W203 Benz and thought they were a perfect match for the sport springs and aftermarket swaybars I had on it. Noticeably tighter valving, but still compliant enough for crappy New England roads.

[NWFRS]

Originally Posted by 8R6

have you tried running tires with a stiffer sidewall? that would help a lot and be immediately noticeable, especially since you have a bigger sidewall now... and you wouldnt even have to touch your suspension. yet.

No. I actually missed that "squishy" sidewall feel in hard cornering. I know that's the reason for the lack of sharpness at this point but the ride quality is a bit nicer now. The ride is less harsh on rough paving and repaired sections of freeway, as well as quieter. No. I know I created this problem for myself but I'd hate to go backward now. It's worth it to me just for the quiet.

I was hoping I could compensate with a better dampened shock or bushings or something...I'm pretty ignorant though...

[NWFRS]

Originally Posted by venturaII

Is that a typo, or are you really running 225/55-16s? You should be running 225/50-16.

Oops! You are correct. It was a typo. Thank you.

And I'll look into that B4. That might be better. Thanks!

[Racecomp Engineering]

I don't think Bilstein offers the B4s for this car.

Bilstein B6 would help, and you've probably got some decent mileage on your stockers so why not.

But a good alignment would be where I would start. Some decent camber up front is very noticeable.

A few key bushings would improve things as well without a negative impact on ride.

IMO start there. Swaybars yes can help (perhaps RCE swaybars ) but they are easy to add later if you want a little "more."

- Andrew

[makesdrivingfunagain]

He needs tires dearly!! Those are all seasons with a UTQG of 580.. Those are your issue. I have 225/50/16 but a continental extreme contact dw. Your tires are also very heavy weighing at 24.6 lbs. I would reccomend tires asap and hold off on the suspension. Tires, tires tires.

[Racecomp Engineering]

Ouch, yeah those tires certainly aren't helping.

- Andrew

[makesdrivingfunagain]

I watched both of these videos before I purchased my tires. I didn't realize tires could make such a massive improvement.


I like what is said in this video from 1:48 - 2:03




[ame="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8NxpV3PX68c"]3 simple ways to make your Scion FR-S go faster - YouTube[/ame]







I also thought this one might be of help as well




[ame="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QQwWdZ00HYQ"]Modifying the 2013 Subaru BRZ! The First Change a Driver Should Make - Wide Open Throttle Episode 39 - YouTube[/ame]

[venturaII]

I used to autocross my w203 wagon on Conti Extreme ContactDW and they hung in there well enough to start crowding E36 M3s on RS-3s with similar type mods. There's nothing wrong with those tires at all. Geometry will definitely help keep you from destroying your current tires, but won't do much for ultimate grip. Stock suspension with 225/50-16s definitely needs some negative camber in front to keep the tire in contact; more caster would help as well which makes the Whiteline offset upper strut bushings sound appealing, but I haven't seen any glowing reviews about their long term durability... Next I'd suggest moderate sway bars.


Edit: The Conti DWs are some of the lightest in the sticky tire categories, too...

[venturaII]

Originally Posted by Racecomp Engineering

I don't think Bilstein offers the B4s for this car.

Bilstein B6 would help, and you've probably got some decent mileage on your stockers so why not.


- Andrew

That's a shame - the B4s are perfect, IMO, for street biased driving, at least with the M-B version of their struts (my limited experience). Tighter valving was obvious; really perked up the low speed damping which gave it great stability, but left the high speed-harsh stuff reasonably compliant for handing crap roads and the like. The FT86 valving is much tighter right out of the box, so the B4 wouldn't be as drastic a change.


If his current stockers are bagged out, then there'd be even a bigger difference between those and the B6s vs B4s...might make them seem even harsher.


- Andrew also

[venturaII]

Originally Posted by NWFRS

No. I actually missed that "squishy" sidewall feel in hard cornering. I know that's the reason for the lack of sharpness at this point but the ride quality is a bit nicer now. The ride is less harsh on rough paving and repaired sections of freeway, as well as quieter. No. I know I created this problem for myself but I'd hate to go backward now. It's worth it to me just for the quiet.

I was hoping I could compensate with a better dampened shock or bushings or something...I'm pretty ignorant though...

I've said it in other posts, but, I swear the engineers tuned this car around 16 inch wheels, not 17s. They just make the car so much more enjoyable with stock suspension - ride quality, predictable breakaway, balance, etc..

[Calum]

Originally Posted by venturaII

Whiteline offset upper strut bushings

Can you find those available anywhere?

[Racecomp Engineering]

I would hold off on the Whiteline COM Cs...not sure you can get them anyway.

I'd go with camber/caster plates (we just came out with some) or get camber bolts with the WL ALK lower control arm bushing for a little caster.

- Andrew