suspension (bare with me)

[crazybrightman]

hi ive done a search and come up with some useful bits of info and suspension for a b model but cant seem to find all the answers im after as all the info is in bits and bobs. what im after is a list of all the avaliable bits you can get. ive seen that you can get the kyb dampers cheap from the usa so thats the dampers sorted and there are plenty of springs to choose from from loads of uk suppliers. a bit of a grey area is the bushes and arb. im assuming powerflex do polly bushes but from previous experiance these are never cheap but are very good are there any cheaper but just as effective options? also for the arb i see demon tweeks do some but they are not cheap i was wondering also if there are any other options out there? this is all for my track car so things like ride quality etc are not important, performance and cost being the main criteria.
cheers, neil.

[cartledge_uk]

http://www.twosrus.com/catalog/

cheaper ARB and bushes at the link above.

other bushes include
TRD set avaiolbe here http://www.imoc.co.uk/forums/viewtopic. ... trd+bushes
Powerflex
superflex
H & T

[Jim-SR]

prothane bushes (they get their bad reviews, but theyre so cheap it just doesnt matter). see twosrus.com

whiteline ARB's from demon tweeks

droplinks youve got a few options, definitely go adjustable though

as for dampers, if youre on a strict budget then get KYB's, but personally id rather forget about anti roll bars and spend more on dampers, theyre far more important. if you can, stretch to a set of Koni Yellows. the KYB's are barely an improvement on the stock dampers

[crazybrightman]

so which kyb's do people say are very stiff then? and as the chepest option has anyone tried a thicker oil in the standard shocks? the price of the bushes from twosrus does seem very good so thats the bushes sorted. one question i forgot to ask and cant seem to find the answer to is which are the lowest and stiffest springs avaliable? one last thing adjustable shocks are out of the question as if i do the challenge next year ill have to change them again.
cheers, neil

[Jim-SR]

if you can get the standard shocks apart and back together again with renewed oil in them then go for it lol. youll never get hold of seals to replace the knackered ones inside with though, and they will be knackered unless you buy brand new units first

for the time and effort its easier just to stick Koni's in there. if youre after specifically non-adjustable units though then your options are rather limited. you can either buy something like KYB's on a strict budget, or spend a fair bit bigger and get some custom non adjustables made up to a similar spec to adjustable dampers, and actually get some performance out of them. the difference between a couple of hundred quid and a grand or so. and also the difference between an average MR2 challenge car thats the same as all the others, and one that will have a massive advantage and if driven half sensibly should walk the championship.

[HT]

so which kyb's do people say are very stiff then? and as the chepest option has anyone tried a thicker oil in the standard shocks? the price of the bushes from twosrus does seem very good so thats the bushes sorted. one question i forgot to ask and cant seem to find the answer to is which are the lowest and stiffest springs avaliable? one last thing adjustable shocks are out of the question as if i do the challenge next year ill have to change them again.
cheers, neil

There is different spec KYB's. The cheapest silver one's aren't much of an upgrade over stock - I think its the orange one's that are mega harsh IICR. HTH

[alfiembra]

I just swapped orange with silver inserts and they both had the same code numbers stamped into them, don't know if that makes them the same or not but ride wise they don't feel any different.

Alan

[HT]

^^^ Oh well thats shattered another urban myth

[nicedude1976]

Why not go for the Koni kit - adjustable dampers with lowering springs can be bought for £350-£380. So many people seem to have gone for KYBs and then whinged about the ride etc. I'm quite happy with my Konis even at the hardest setting on the road, I find them less crashy then my original 19 y.o. shocks (mind you they seem to have hardened), and obviously more sporty.

[crazybrightman]

well ive got to take the shocks apart to fit new inserts anyhow so maybe worth a try changing the oil ill have a look at the workshop manual tonight to see what oil is fitted as standard then see if i can get some thicker oil. failing that ishould imagine a new set of kyb's have got to be better than the 120k 18yr old originals. how long does delivery usual take from twosrus.com? im trying to avoid adjustable shocks and if i was going to spend nearly £400 for only £500 plus delivery i could get a set of coilovers with adjustable damping and adjustable top mounts but im trying to keep costs to a minimum im saving the coilovers for the mk1 turbo may have in the pipeline but more research is needed on that subject first.

[Jim-SR]

oil inside will be damper oil, cheaper dampers tend to use hydraulic oil. proper dampers use dedicated oil for the purpose, but you wont come across it particularly easily. first off id see if you can get the strut apart without damaging anything, and then see whats going on inside. you might find that theres no way youll ever get the damper back together in which case purchasing oil will be irrelevant

[crazybrightman]

ive already have the workings of some a model shocks lying around and nothing fell off when i took them out so cant see why i should have any difficulties with mine, but we will see i never see to have much luck modding my own cars.

[crazybrightman]

well ive been looking at the inserts and as mentioned the kyb's are just oe replacement. ive seen the guy in the states also foes tokico shocks are these any good as they are only an extra £25 over the kyb's and are suposely sports shocks?
cheers, neil.