Evo Suspension

[Brunoboy]

I need to know a couple things, My car is a POS to everyones eyes lol, all my friends rock show cars and track cars and blah blah, I am going to do the Evo suspension mod, but all my homies who track are telling me since its not for our car it isnt as effective as a suspension made for our car. I dont feel like spending 1000+ on suspension at the moment, what are the comparisons for specs between both our car and an Evo VIII/IX, spring rates? and all that good stuff. I want facts to prove that it works.
Thanks
-Shane

 

[jepherz]

Compare the weight of an evo vs. our cars as well as the front/rear weight bias.

 

[Brunoboy]

I looked at weight yesterday, mine i think is 4199 and my boys evo is 4222.

 

[jepherz]

Damn, that is a heavy pig. You sure you guys aren't driving Mercedes? Mine's somewhere around 3200 lbs...

 

[turbowop]

Is that with a trunk full of dead hookers? My car weighs nowhere near that.

 

[jepherz]

Evo 8 ~3,200 lbs. Vr4 ~ 3270 lbs.

 

[Brunoboy]

i was reading stickers on the inside of the door /ubbthreads/images/graemlins/dunno.gif

 

[jepherz]

You read the car's capacity, probably.

 

[Brunoboy]

top left of the sticker

 

[jepherz]

Here was the weight from one of my cars:
On the scales.

 

[Brunoboy]

so now that I know the weight differences, what does that have to do with the suspension

 

[jepherz]

If the overall weight of the two cars was the same, and the front/rear split of the weight of the cars was the same, then the suspension designed for the Evo may just as well have been designed for the vr4. Does that mean it's as good as any aftermarket coil-over? No, that's a whole different ball game.

 

[cheekychimp]

^^^ TRUE! But what actually constitutes 'better'? I don't know if I posted it before, but I sent a few emails to a coilover manufacturer asking which type of coilover would be best for my car given that I drove on a lot of different road surfaces. I explained I wanted a reasonable amount of suspension travel to deal with the bad backroads, potholes and speedbumps but that I didn't want the car to wallow on the smooth well maintained highways at high speeds.

I was basically told that the coilovers were divided into rally, street and race etc because each set was 'tuned' for a specific type of terrain with street being simply a compromise. I got an extremely serious email back after a lengthy discussion that started off "Please don't tell anyone I said this but ..." and then went on to suggest that my best bet for ride quality and the best durability and comfort over a wide variety of road surfaces would most likely be a high end OEM setup. So I am beginning to think seriously that MR Bilstein EVO struts are the way to go!

We have a Hyundai patrol car at work. It is an underpowered slushbox but once it gets going it is pretty capable up to about 100mph. But the thing I love about it is the suspension. It is very firm on the highway with almost no body roll despite having no strut bars uprated swaybars etc. I actually got under it one night to see if there was any chance the suspension would fit the GVR4 but it is so different it is unreal. But that without doubt is the ride quality and 'compromise' that I would like for a daily driver.

 

On my way to the shop today I was thinking to myself how smooth & comfortable my car rides. I've got the Evo Bilstein's upfront & Evo KYB in the rear (the stock struts for the Evo 8/9 non-MR is made by KYB) with Evo Espelir ASD springs.

Granted, the roads here are smooth & flat with some imperfections here & there. I had KYB AGX before & couldn't find a setting that was right for me. The Evo setup gives me the ride quality I've always wanted. I honestly don't think any aftermarket coilover can compare. If your car is more a track car than a street car, then you may want to consider a nice coilover setup.

 

[Brunoboy]

Thanks everyone, GW how is body roll with the shocks and springs itself?

 

Very, very minimal. Throw a pair of Whiteline sway bars on there & you'll be pleased. I only have the stock sway bars on my car, so with the Whiteline bars it would be even more predictable. I can throw it in a corner @ high speeds & know exactly what's it's going to do & when it's going to do it. The Evo struts are nothing to laugh at. There are many members here running them & a few dsm'ers too.

I'm also running 17x8+35 wheels with 235-45-17 rubbers. This helps too with the car's handling. I wouldn't hesitate to drive on these suspension for a long road trip.

 

[Brunoboy]

also reliability was in the back of my head. how safe is it to ride on suspension that has been welded? and how did you hook up the brake lines?

 

If the weld is done properly then it is just as safe. Just be sure that the person doing the welding knows what they are doing. It is possible to have a "pretty" weld with poor penetration.

I had a brake line stud broken off one of my struts and used a T-Bolt clamp with a hole drilled through the band to secure a stud to the strut.

Something as small as a stud could be welded to the strut when you have the bottom mounts done.

 

[Brunoboy]

nicely put, thanks. can you get a pic of yours?

 

[KiNgMaRtY]

I would like to ride in a VR-4 with the evo struts just to see how it compares. I like my Koni yellow / H&R combo. Comfort is A+ and handles great. That being said on crappy California roads.