make me handle

[ozzie]

hi guys

i want to make my p5 handle before i make it perform at the moment it pretty stock i have got a set of 16" roh adrenalin with 16/205/45 toyo's on but with the stock ride hieght it looks like an outback with 1.5" of rubber and 2.5" gap to the gaurds so i want to lower it i as told i could just change spring and it would be fine but would that really make it hand alright because the shock is not designed to sit that low so i think it would affect the ride. whats your thoughts? and what would be the best product i really want it to handle like a race car because i want to turbo it after i make it handle.

what about sway bars and and nylon busher would any one recomend changing then as well and also with what products

is there any thing i have left out to make it handle

any help will be great

 

[KpaBap]

What Toyos do you have? If they are the T1S or RA1, then that's fine. If not, I would upgrade them.

If you want the best of the best then I would recommend the JIC FLTA1 or FLTA2 (the 1s are a lot more streetable, the 2s are full on race-track-only, beat-up-your-mom type stiff....)

Don't get just springs on the stock shocks, that's half-assing it and you'll be paying twice for the same labor once the stockies do blow out.

The AWR 21mm rear swaybar has proven itself to be THE swaybar to get.

Bushings....meh... unless your stock ones are really old, I doubt you would notice a difference. Might be good preventative maintenance anyway...


Some lightweight (<12lbs) 15s can really make a big difference as well.

 

[ozzie]

thanks kpabap

that was just what i whanted to know is there any thing else that you can do such as strut brace would that make a differance and i know some cars have front sway bars is it the same in the p5 and what about kamber kits to they help handleing

 

[KpaBap]

thanks kpabap

that was just what i whanted to know is there any thing else that you can do such as strut brace would that make a differance and i know some cars have front sway bars is it the same in the p5 and what about kamber kits to they help handleing

if you do go with the JICs, they come with camber plates, the GT-spec 4-point front strut tower brace would be the one to get, as far as how much of an improvement it makes, I think it's all subjective, some people will say "IT MADE MY CAR HANDAL AS BETTAR AS A FERARRI" when they really mean "I need to rationalize the multiple hundreds of dollars I just spent on 3 metal tubes welded together", so yea, your call

 

[ozzie]

cheers

that should give me enough info to make me handle like a train

 

[dmitrik4]

unless you're planning to track your car or autoX, the JICs are overkill IMO. a set of springs (racing beat, tein, etc...check out the "spring buyer's guide" thread) and tokicos, along with an AWR 19- or 21mm rear sway bar, will probably do a better job than coilovers, unless you want to go through corner weighting, etc to get the coilovers really tuned correctly.

there's no way you're going to safely approach the limits of either setup on the street with any frequency anyway.

as far as camber bolts or plates, same thing. not going to do much except at the ragged edge...so on the street you're not pushing the tires hard enough, often enough to make a difference. autoX is a different ballgame, and camber makes a lot of difference. if you really want more negative camber, i'd suggest the H&R TC110 camber bolts for $37.50.

a strut tower brace won't do much, if anything, esp considering your P5 already has one.

every protege has front and rear sway bars. changing the rear makes a big difference. tires make a big difference as well, and the protege is very sensitive to wheel weight. go as light as you can afford.

just my $.02. you should be able to get the setup i described for under $800. but if you want to spend the extra money to have the coolest shiny-shinys on your car, go for it.

 

[J dragon]

Eibach, or racing beat Springs
Tokico Struts
AWR Rear sway Bar
and a Strut tower brace will give you a big difference....

 

[Foolish]

My LX has Tokico Blues, Eibach Pro-Kit springs, the same strut tower bar the P5 got stock and the MSP (Racing Beat) rear sway bar. This set up dropped the car a bit, and stiffened the ride considerably, while keeping it totally street-driveable.

This weekend, I got to autocross it for the first time and I was completely amazed! No plow into corners, excellent responsiveness, and controllable OVERSTEER, rather than the massive understeer exhibited while autocrossing my wife's stock P5.

I'm completely amazed by the handling of this car. I've been autocrossing a Miata for the last 3 years, and this car is very nearly as neutral and responsive when pushed to the limits.

 

[FunkyBuddha]

Check it:

Tokico HP struts
Eibach Pro Kit, Goldline, H&R, Tein Springs
Racing Beat or AWR rear sway bar, Mazdaspeed longer endlinks (AWR ones rust and seize, not for wet/cold weather)

This should improve your handling quite considerably. Don't bother with the front swaybar. It's already thick enough. This will give your car a neutral feel and feels good indeed.

 

[kcbhiw]

Learn to maximize the abilities of your existing setup first (I.E. learn to drive). Then build .


--No offense was intended.--