help with wheel specs

[jvincent]

Saved you some searching. Here's the thread.

http://www.ft86club.com/forums/showthread.php?t=70624

[KidRed]

Thanks! Your car looks awesome.

Figure I'll ask here, I also want lowering springs. I don't want to get coils right now, maybe when I have a larger budget. So if I wanted to get springs which are the preferred brands and lowering specs to keep it decent?

I think 1" drop will be enough for me. Would I need to do anything to my suspension with these springs (said to work with stock dampers) like camber bolts or alignment specs? These are the choices that I'm looking at based on what I've read. I might have missed some but thoughts?

-RCE yellow
-Eibach Prokit

[gramicci101]

I have RCE Yellows and I love them. They're about a 3/4 inch drop, which isn't a lot, but it removes the 4x4 look. They feel significantly better than stock, because they work well with the OEM dampers.

Another spring would be Swift Sports. I've heard nothing but good things about them.

Once you drop your car, you'll need an alignment. You should at least get camber bolts in the front, although that may not be enough if you have specific goals in mind. I didn't do anything for my rear camber because just lowering the car will provide some negative camber already. I lucked out that mine is even on both sides.

Here's a really good thread for all things suspension-related, with a lot of discussion about camber as well.

[jvincent]

If all you are doing is lowering it 1" you shouldn't need any extra hardware.

I am running camber bolts up front at the maximum negative, -1.5* IIRC, and I have about 3 or 4 mm of clearance from the wheel to the spring perch.

Lowering the car doesn't change the camber up front, but it does in the rear. However, there is a ton of room in the rear.

[KidRed]

So with just around a 1" I shouldn't need anything but an alignment? Are there optimal alignment specs to follow? If I went with a 8.5" wheel with like a +35 offset, would that change what I would need?

And thanks again guys. Both of you have been really helpful.

[jvincent]

Alignment specs are really a function of what you want to do with the car.

If you are tracking or autox'ing the car you are going to want at least camber bolts. For best results you would need to go to about -2.5* camber up front, which would require coilovers or camber plates for the PF01s in +45.

If you're not doing either of those, then you probably don't even need bolts. Just get the two sides aligned evenly and you should be fine.

[KidRed]

I've only autox'd once and I would like to do it again. However, it would be an occasional hobby, a few times a year maybe at most. My car would still be used 80%-90% as a DD.

There are so many wheel choices and widths and offsets vary so I'm trying to get an overall best approach for a fun streetable DD with rare/occasional autox that has a nice, sporty stance. I doubt I'd track due to insurance/wife concerns.

[gramicci101]

The wheel shouldn't affect your camber at all, since camber is a function of the suspension and the hub, not the wheel. Unless it's a clearance issue between the wheel and the spring, which is possible with bolts.

I would do camber bolts up front and take whatever the maximum negative camber they could give me. They're a cheap investment in the handling of your car, and decent camber makes a huge improvement in feel.

If you don't do anything camber-related to the rear, then you'll have whatever camber you get from lowering the car. I'm at -2 in the rear, just from the springs. I wanted to get about that or a little more in the front, so I got camber bolts. Those got me to -1.7 in the front. I'd like a little more, but I wouldn't like dropping a few hundred on adjustable top hats, so it'll do as it is.

[KidRed]

Are camber bolts in the front only necessary with a drop? What springs did you go with?

[gramicci101]

Originally Posted by KidRed

Are camber bolts in the front only necessary with a drop? What springs did you go with?

No, you could do camber bolts on a completely OEM suspension, just to get a little more front camber. It's just the cheapest front option, and if you're not dropping a crazy amount, trying to fit a huge wheel in there, or trying to get a lot of negative camber, it works just fine.

I'm on RCE Yellows; they drop about .7 inches.