R34 GT-T: COMPLETE suspension makeover

[SS8_Gohan]

Hi everyone,

Well car has been bought and as usual, modification plans are underway before the car even lands in Oz!

Basically i've decided to do things backwards from the norm. Before i touch exhaust/intake/engine/boost, etc i thought i'd trick out the suspension. Firstly, is this a stupid way of going about things?

Car currently has 255/40/17 on the rears, not sure what up front, but most prob 235/40/17 - Tyres are Advan Neovas and rims are AVS Model 5's. So rim/tyre package seems to be pretty good.

Now, i don't really know a lot about shocks, springs, coil overs, camber, castor, bushes, pineapples, strut braces, control arms, etc. so i've come to pick some brains. Basically the car is going to be chasing complete and utter response (inspiration from Mines R34 GTR ) and a will be used on a real track (one with corners) so what am i going to need? Car is completely stock at the moment, except for rims with the Advan tyres.

Don't really have a budget (but lets not go nuts ) but don't have the faintest idea where to start, there seems to be a lot of suspension areas to modify.

Just trying to make the car faster, without making it more powerful

cheers!

EDIT: Just reading through a few threads in this section, some saying things like a good track setup can be quite dangerous on normal roads, especially in the wet, etc.

This is my first hi-po car (currently driving 57kw FWD pulsar ) so it's another reason why i wanted the car to be more stable and have more grip, rather than make it more powerful. I want to make it safer and more predictable... i've been thinking about a brake upgrade too.

[Yotis]

I'll be watchin tis one with interest too..

Congrats on your purchase dude... any pics?

[Roy]

Go for rides in as many other cars as possible, it will help you get a feel for what spring/shock combination you like the feel of.

Reading what you have posted it sounds as though you want a car that has plenty of grip. Handling and grip are not always the same thing... People seem to state that a certain coil over setup results in their car handling great, but in reality the cornering gs that can be sustained by the car may not be all that high, and the level of grip may not be all that flash depite the car riding very firmly and having what feels like crisp turn in etc.

My thoughts arent that original, avoid rose jointed susp parts due to wear and NVH, for a road car using R compound rubber, you can get the adjustability you need using offset bushes like those from Whiteline, Nolathan, Noltec etc etc.

Id grab some adjustable height, rebound and dampening shocks from Bilstein, Koni, Ohlins, Whiteline Group 4s, and combine them with bigger swaybars and new urethane bushes throughout the suspension.

In all reality i dont think you even need adjustable height, dampening etc if its a road car that you want to do club activities in, as if your like me your tinkering will only make the car slower. If you are dead serious about club motorsport and circuit work, where you are not only in it for fun but also to win the class you are in, then perhaps its worth the added expense of fully adjustable shocks.

And the most important thing will be rubber....

My car aint the quickest car around, but it does pretty well for what it is, 1:56 around Eastern Creek with std turbo and 180km/hr speed limiter all down the straight and turn 1, and 1:13s around Wakefield, thats with road rubber and what was probably around 150rwkws. I suspect with fresh D01Js and no speed limiter, then i would have been able to get down to 1:54s around Eastern and into the 1:10s or 1:11s around Wakefield. Thats with me driving so car could very well be capable of better times if a more competent steerer was behind the wheel.

As for track susp being dangerous on the street, then id say something is wrong with your setup. Like i mentioned above, hard susp doesnt mean good handling, and hard susp on the street almost definitly means skaty handling and nervy feel to car on bumps/rough roads...and in the wet the problem will only be exagerated.

So shouldnt be dangerous, but can be hard on tyres due to the susp angles and geometry you run to get the grip out of the tyres. So if you are clocking up over 250kms a week, it may pay to have a spare set of rims, so you are not unevenly wearing out the tyres.

As for brakes, what does an R34 weigh? They come with front rotors in the 330mm vicinity, so with good pads, fluid and braided lines i think you will have all the braking capacity you will need for 10 laps of hard driving at a circuit with around 200rwkws. Good susp and tyres in themselves are good brake upgrade

... others may disagree, but thats my buck-fitty

[knore]

Get a full whiteline handling kit.. Swaybars, Camber kit front and rear, Strut brace, urethane bushes etc

But do that after suspension,

Ide get the new Tein type flex with the EDCD or whatever its called.

It basically has a controller inside the car, u can adjust the height and damper with the press of a switch. And ude be suprised, its not that expensive.

Then add some good tyres, and youll be darting wherever u wanna go

My opinion anyway.

[SS8_Gohan]

Thanks Yotis, thread for it is here: http://www.skylinesaustralia.com/forums/sh...ead.php?t=42472

Thanks guys for the replies.

Looks like i've got a lot of reading to do, a few things went straight over my head I probably won't be going to the track too often, maybe a couple times a year.

I don't do a lot of driving. I think i worked out i do about 5,800km's a year. So if the suspension setup i go too is going to be hard on the tyres, i guess that's offset by me not doing a lot of driving.

I've had to buy standard rims for compliance so i've got the AVS Model 5's, and also the stock R34 GT-T rims. So maybe i can have one for track and one for street use.

How much are we looking at for the adjustable suspension type?

Are these sought of components hard to install? Cos a mate of mine is an apprentice at a workshop (use to do a lot of imports) and said they could install the stuff for a good price if i supplied the parts. Or is this something that only ppl like Whiteline should be doing?

once Uni settles down i'll look into all the different brands and post up some pics/details of each, see if we can narrow some stuff down.

cheers

[SS8_Gohan]

255/40 rears - i think i've got some good rubber already

[SS8_Gohan]

255/40/17 Advan Neovas (rears) Not sure what up front? Assuming 235/40

[Roy]

The Tein EDCD (?) is the ultimate in rice...and it only adjusts the dampening or rebound, not the height...i seriously dont think its worth the money...hell its a controller for 4 stepping motors...

If you get a tried and proven "kit" then you dont need the adjustability, as the ride height and valving/spring rate have been designed with model car in mind...

Adjustable shocks with springs aint cheap, and how much you spend really needs to be balanced against what you need form the car. You can easily spend $5000 on shocks alone, (fancy Ohlins/Bilsteins etc remote reservoirs etc etc, whether you or i could tell the difference i dont know, but if you give yourseld a budget of $2500 you will be getting some money shocks and springs.

[Roy]

The Tein EDCD (?) is the ultimate in rice...and it only adjusts the dampening or rebound, not the height...i seriously dont think its worth the money...hell its a controller for/and 4 stepping motors...

If you get a tried and proven "kit" then you dont need the adjustability, as the ride height and valving/spring rate have been designed with model car in mind...

Adjustable shocks with springs aint cheap, and how much you spend really needs to be balanced against what you need from the car. You can easily spend $5000 on shocks alone, (fancy Ohlins/Bilsteins etc remote reservoirs etc etc, whether you or i could tell the difference i dont know, but if you give yourself a budget of $2500 you will be getting some money shocks and springs....

None of the stuff is overly difficult to install, but setup i would deinitely speak to a susp place to help you set the car up...id even be speaking to them before you buy a thing, as they will be able to give you invaluable advice...

A place i have just started using in Melb is Centreline in Thomastown, and like when i used Race Brakes in Sydney i am so stoked in the service i have no problem steering others in that direction. I have heard excellent reports from others too who have used them, so if they offer you advice, then it is sound and relaible.

If you talk to them and mention me and anything i have said in any of my above posts i will emphatically deny any knowledge of the said conversation, As my effort at getting my car to handle qualifies me for unblocking dirty toilets... :Oops:

I suspect he cringes when he hears my name as my car was a bit of a problem child when it went in there, but came out better then i can ever recall, so if Chris says something will work, then he would know.

[mist]

i'm not sure about the R34, but if you can't adjust the damper easily (i.e. without removing the parcel shelf) then the EDFC is a godsend. I know several ppl with STi's that buy the Tein Flex with EDFC for precisely this reason... Luckily the R32 has easy access to the rear strut tops

suspension and braking mods first is a great way to go

1) Good rubber - buy the best street rubber you can afford, and put a set of semi-slicks on your other set of rims for the track.

2) Good brakes - gotta stop ya?

3) Coilover suspension - race spec if you're set on track use (e.g. APEXi N1 Pro, Zeal Function S6, HKS Hipermax PRO) or a street spec one for a good compromise - e.g. Tein Type HA, Type FLEX. The street spec coilovers, you can set fully soft without messing up the valves. I run JIC FLT-A2 drift coilovers, and I can't run it too soft for this reason. Makes my ride extremely harsh for a daily driver.

4) Suspension tower bars, front AND rear

5) all the suspension arms

6) spot weld the chassis

7) roll cage

8) .... ok i'm getting carried away now heheh.

as you said, there's a lot of stuff that you can change, suspension wise. suggest you do the mods slowly, then you can feel the effects of the changes. i know several ppl who just simply went out and bought race spec coilovers cuz 'they're the best' and end up finding the car hard to drive bcuz too many changes at once = unfamiliar car. just do the good rubber and tyres first, then decide based on your usage whether you want coilovers or a good set of springs and dampers (bilstein dampers + eibach springs work a treat). my 2c.

[mist]

hey where'd u get the Advan Neovas? I want a set so badly... they're sold everywhere back home overseas, but no one here seems to have the AD07.

[doxximus]

The Tein EDCD (?) is the ultimate in rice...and it only adjusts the dampening or rebound, not the height

word, i was considering getting them when i got my tein flex, but shit, not worth the money for it because its just too easy to adjust them manually anyway

btw, tein flex are a nice ride atm i have them on a setting where i dont need a kidney belt, once i go to a skid pan though i will mess around and just change to and from settings til i get one good for skidpans (the road setting is fine)

[Daz]

While we are on the topic anyone knows of any good suspension specialists in Melbourne?

[ed]

I'd get a set of stabiliser bars (anti-sway bars) and a good alignment as the first step

[Bass Junky]

Just go straight to Whiteline.

Jap coil overs are generally too hard for our conditions.

Get the full kit and you won't be dissappointed.

[Roy]

While we are on the topic anyone knows of any good suspension specialists in Melbourne?

Centreline in Thomastown, 03 9469 2914, ask for Chris.

Does plenty of work on Sports Sedans, club cars and road cars... cant hurt to give him a call and have a talk, i think you will soon feel pretty comfortable takign your car to them after havign spoken to them.

[Daz]

Thanks for the info Roy, yeah should be heading down later today.

[Sydneykid]

While we are on the topic anyone knows of any good suspension specialists in Melbourne?

As Troy said Centreline are good, alternative is Traction Tyres and Suspension, talk to Andrew.

[Sydneykid]

Hi SS8_Gohan, I suggest you have a read of the R33 GTST suspension article on

www.whiteline.com.au

Everything applies to R34 GTT equally as well.

[sidewaymambo]

I am using Bilstien + whiteline spring..but it's R33 GTST..very happy..