Protege 5 Suspension upgrading

[Simply Silver]

I am considering upgrading the suspension on my P5, but I am really not sure where to start (i.e. sway bars, bushing, adjustable end links, springs, shocks struts...). My car is current all stock and has 60k on it. Just curious if anyone has any suggestions? Thanks.

 

[Action Jackson]

Is this to be a "fun" daily driver, or do you plan to occasionally do the odd trackday?

 

[WRCprotege]

rear sway bar.. AWR 21.5mm adj .. then springs, or go with a sleev over coilover like ground control or skunk2, i have skunk2s - then buy shocks last or get a full coilover kit with shocks like KWs,tein,JIC etc.. i hate teins but many people have had good luck with them, 3 close friends have them and every one has had problems... at the point of springs and rear swaybar, the car is stiff and sus good enough that upgrading tires is key.. and dont go spending 1-2k on sus and stick some 195 bulls*** tire on the car, get some meat, 215mm plus --(GRIP)--. NO 18" s*** ether say 16", less mass and weight, the sus will work better, the car will go faster, and stop harder, id say 15" but thers no good tire choices more than 205mm

 

[JoshP5]

Is this to be a "fun" daily driver, or do you plan to occasionally do the odd trackday?

(mswerd)
Suspension tuning is the art of compromise. Comfort is inversely proportional to performance, and aesthetics are in the mix, too. It really depends on what you want to do with the car.

 

[Simply Silver]

Daily driver

Is this to be a "fun" daily driver, or do you plan to occasionally do the odd trackday?

This is for a "fun" daily driver. I am unaware of any auto-cross events in my area. I do not mind giving up a little comfort for performance.

 

[ProtoType5]

Tokico HP's and Espelirs.....Then the rear sway bar and endlinks, maybe the rear strut tower bar, if you don't mind losing a bit of hatch space...

Also...Probably the #1 improvement would be a good set of summer tires and 7" wide rims...

 

[JoshP5]

This is for a "fun" daily driver. I am unaware of any auto-cross events in my area. I do not mind giving up a little comfort for performance.

First off, a lot of information is available from the Protege FAQ and the spring buyer's guide.

Here are the options I would consider for springs/struts:
10% stiffer than stock - MP3 springs (0000-88-C03-KT) and struts (0000-88-C04-KT). Drop 1/2." People commonly run MSP springs on P5s but the MP3 springs more closely match the P5's weight distribution.
15-20% stiffer than stock - Tein H-Tech, iON sport, Racing Beat springs and Tokico HP/Illumina struts.
More stiff - Tein S, Espelir, Eibach, Tanabe GF, etc. with HP/Illumina.
Then there are high-dollar coilovers which offer lots of adjustment but probably overkill for a street car.

Sway bars (most people just switch out the rear to reduce understeer):
MSP rear sway bar (BP7H-28-151A) with AXR clunk fix bracket - no adjustability but also no clunk. If you mount the MSP bar on stock mounting points it will clunk eventually.
AWR rear sway bars offer adjustability but may make noise.

Linear rate springs are better for performance driving; progressive rate springs attempt to improve comfort while increasing stiffness (this sorta works). A lot of guys use lowering springs with stock struts. This is ok for mild springs (since stock P5 struts are pretty sporty), but the struts will wear faster. With more aggressive springs, this will actually hurt suspension performance.

Hope this helps.

 

[dharman]

What is this AXR Clunk Fix bracket you speak of ?

I have a Racing Beat with the MSP endlinks and the clunking is starting to make me really hate my car.

 

[JoshP5]

Here's the url; I think there have been a couple of group buys for them too.

EDIT: Try searching "axr clunk fix bracket."

 

[P-Funk!]

At 60K any solution should include new struts. I have been quite pleased with the eibach/Tokico set up. Get the wider tires and you are 80% there. The rear sways and beefier front sways would be next.

 

[Simply Silver]

So what...

So what is the best, single item that would give the most notable improvement that I would notice?

 

[JoshP5]

Springs and struts. Your car will be lower and look better. It will reduce dive/squat while braking/accelerating and body roll while cornering. Handling balance will also improve since most aftermarket springs bias stiffness toward the rear, reducing understeer.

EDIT: P-Funk! makes a good point--if you have crappy tires you probably won't corner any better with upgraded suspension.

 

[Brian MP5T]

I am considering upgrading the suspension on my P5, but I am really not sure where to start (i.e. sway bars, bushing, adjustable end links, springs, shocks struts...). My car is current all stock and has 60k on it. Just curious if anyone has any suggestions? Thanks.

I am very pleased with my setup.

Tein-SS
AWR Swaybar

Don't forget tires make a huge improvement.

 

[GNO]

So far, I've ordered the front MSP strut mounts, Espiler springs, and Illuminas. I'll also be ordering new rear mounts. I found some A arms with new bushings and ball joints and will probably get those as well.

Sway bars (most people just switch out the rear to reduce understeer):
MSP rear sway bar (BP7H-28-151A) with AXR clunk fix bracket - no adjustability but also no clunk. If you mount the MSP bar on stock mounting points it will clunk eventually.

I'm considering this sway bar with my suspension upgrade. At 150k miles, I'll also be getting new endlinks. Should I get the MSP endlinks, since I'll be lowering?

Any noticable benefits with GTSPEC trailing arms? I'm not building a track beast, but would like some improvements while I'm in the process of upgrading.

I'd like to conclude my ordering tomorrow, so I can install the following weekend. As mentioned earlier, I've got 150,000 miles on the chassis, so there are going to be some worn parts. If there's anything else recommended for please advise.

 

[DE31]

i'm running tein s-techs, tokico illuminas, racing beat rear sway with delsing brackets (the original anti clunk) car feels great if i would change anything it would be stifen up chassis or H&R springs (stiffer springs)

i'm also running 17 x 7.5 (width not sure but i think its 7.5) 48 offset
falken azenis rt-615 215/45-17

 

[LostSoulx316]

so then what size will would you want and what size tire so you can corner better

 

[DE31]

i'm happy with my setup i'd say something similar, definately tokico illuminas (if not coil overs) with racingbeat + axr/delsing brackets

 

[~JoJo~]

For my p5, I've got Progress sway bar, Tokico Blue and H&R spring. The ride is very smooth, you can feel the bump when they are deeper, but normal freeway ride is butter. Corner like the car is on rail.

 

[GNO]

For my p5, I've got Progress sway bar, Tokico Blue and H&R spring. The ride is very smooth, you can feel the bump when they are deeper, but normal freeway ride is butter. Corner like the car is on rail.

Did you replace the endlinks or reuse? Reuse is not an option for me and I was wondering if I have to order the MSP/MP3 ones or the P5 ones. I'll be using Espiler springs, Tokico Illumina, stock front sway and Progress rear sway.

 

[whitemp5seattle]

remember that the Progress rear sway bar for the p5 was made for the p5 and uses stock endlinks. MSP/MP3 endlinks are longer than the stock p5 ones, so I'm not sure if the Progress bar would work with longer endlinks...(dunno)