Stagea Suspension

[Sydneykid]

Had a chance yesterday to put the Stagea up on the hoist for half an hour and have a look around. I will post up some pictures on Monday, I left the camera in the workshop. Some things I noticed;

The front shocks look to be the same as R33 GTR, as is the rest of the front suspension

The rear shocks look to be the same as R33 GTST (eye at the bottom)

No HICAS, yahooooo

The front stabiliser bar is 22 mm hollow, like an R33 GTR.

I am fitting a 24 mm Whiteline adjustable bar (Part #BNF27XZ)

The rear bar is 19 mm and solid, like an R33 GTS

I am fitting a 22 mm Whiteline adjustable bar (Part #BNR11XZ)

The front caster bushes are the same as R33 GTR, it definitely needs mores caster (it was getting the front end wanders at 170 kph)

I am fitting some Whiteline adjustable polyurethane bushes and adding about 2 degrees positive caster (part # KCA332).

Ours sits a little rear down (maybe carried stuff in the back a lot)

Has around 2 degrees negative camber, which is more than the standard adjusters can remove

So I am fitting some adjustable Whiteline bushes in the rear upper arms (Part #KCA347).

The front looks OK for camber, should have a little negative when I lower it.

I didn't remove the shocks to check the spring rates, I will do that when I remove them to swap to the Bilsteins. The front springs look to be a similar rate to R33GTR, the rears are different though. I will machine a couple of extra circlip grooves into the Bilsteins so I can lower it just enough.

Hope that is of some help :type:

[Jay95R33]

Thanks for the info SK, lots of good stuff there.

Mine seems to sit lower at the back as well, maybe by about 15-20mm.

J

[ICE12]

Thanks for that will be coming back to this thread when the time comes

Cheers ICE

[Guest]

They sit a bit low on the back, we measured it and it is level, I was told it just looks that way.

The only difference with R33 suspension and Stagea is the rear top hats are a different shape, the R33's are a perfect circle and the Stagea is a oval shape.

They do fit as I have done it a few times.

[Sydneykid]

They sit a bit low on the back, we measured it and it is level, I was told it just looks that way.

The only difference with R33 suspension and Stagea is the rear top hats are a different shape, the R33's are a perfect circle and the Stagea is a oval shape.

They do fit as I have done it a few times.

The front guard cut accentuates the nose up look, but I measured the sills on ours and it is definitely 5 to 10mm lower at the rear. Most cars look better with ~10 mm rake to the front.

[GTR-Ben]

So the suspension is the same as an R33 GTS-25T? Both Eye front and back?

What is the difference between R33 GTR and GTS-25T front's? I'm sure aftermarket adjustables would fit the front for both models? as for the rear the difference is the GTR has a fork?

Would this also be the same for the RS4 Stagea?

[Sydneykid]

So the suspension is the same as an R33 GTS-25T? Both Eye front and back?

What is the difference between R33 GTR and GTS-25T front's? I'm sure aftermarket adjustables would fit the front for both models? as for the rear the difference is the GTR has a fork?

Would this also be the same for the RS4 Stagea?

The Stagea has all the heavy 4wd stuff at the front like a GTR, so I wouldn't suggest that GTST springs or damper rates would be OK. Much better to go for GTR front components in that regard. The rear is GTST, lower eye style, again if you are going to use a Stagea as a waggon, carry passengers and stuff you would need to choose the right rate of variable spring for the rear. A long stroke, big bore (large piston area) shock would be my suggestion (something like a Bilstein).

[GTR-Ben]

I'm just looking for the adjustables I sell through work..

The fit is fairly universal and they come with different spring rates as well as having adjustable damping and spring preload so initial spring rate shouldn't be too bad. The Stagea is quite a tank however.. 1600+KG dry..

I just mean for fitting though, a GTS-25T setup should bolt in?, not worried about anything else.

[Sydneykid]

I'm just looking for the adjustables I sell through work..

The fit is fairly universal and they come with different spring rates as well as having adjustable damping and spring preload so initial spring rate shouldn't be too bad. The Stagea is quite a tank however.. 1600+KG dry..

I just mean for fitting though, a GTS-25T setup should bolt in?, not worried about anything else.

Ours came in at 1,658kgs with no fuel in the tank, with a full tank, some stuff in the back and 2 passengers it went over 1,900 kgs.

Sorry, maybe I need to be a bit more frank. Sure the R33 GTST stuff will bolt in, but the spring and damper rates will be wrong, very wrong. There is no way I would be using a twin chamber, small piston Japanese shock on a Stagea Especially not together with a reduced travel, high rate spring designed for a car with 30% less weight. The combination of chassis weight, plus potential passenger and luggage capacity make a Stagea very different from an R33 GTST, which is after all a 2 door coupe with appropriate passenger and luggage usage patterns.

My 20 cents worth:cheers:

[GTR-Ben]

I got ya

[Gary1]

the 33 gtst front shock is completely different. I found that out the expensive way. 33GTR shocks are the correct ones to use. I had Kings springs make a set of rear springs for me, they are a little soft than i would like but they should have the rates they used for when they made mine. Just ask for them to be a little stiffer, the height is perfect. The top of the tyre is about 1.5 cms from disapearing under the guard. I used 30mm lowered heavy duty 33 GTR springs in the front.

Works pretty good. And I used bilstien shocks.

Cheers

Gary

[Sydneykid]

Hi Gary, do you know the spring rates? What was "completely different" about the R33 GTST shocks, other than length of course?

[Gary1]

The difference is the length from the bottom to the spring seat. I put gtst shocks in the stagea first time around and wondered why it lifted the front. Then we decided to actually take a look at what we pulled out, and hey presto, we found the problem. Other than that, that is all that is different.

Sorry couldn't tell you the spring rates, I think they are the same as 33 GTR, cause the front springs are lowered 30mm heavy duty Kings, and I got Kings to make a set for the rear to match, but they are a little softer than the front and in my opinion, need to be a little stiffer.

If you rang Kings and ask them they might remember, it was only a couple of months ago that they made them.

Cheers

Gary

[burkey22]

So if I buy some R33 GTR suspension. It will bolt straight in?

[Gary1]

burkey22,

Yes that is correct for the front only. The rear is different. S15 shocks are the same but I had to get custom springs made...

Cheers

Gary

[Sydneykid]

So if I buy some R33 GTR suspension. It will bolt straight in?

Hi Burkey22, as I previously posted, R33 GTR front and R33 GTST rear. The front GTR spring rate will be OK. But, personally, I don't think the rear spring rate and travel from a 2 door coupe is a good idea in a 4 door waggon.

[Happymeal]

I've got a 1996 Stagea RS4 myself. Been lowered on springs alone in Japan (factory shocks). Front shocks were a tad weak so I opted to replace them for KYB NewSR replacements, suitable for the R33 GTR as stated in the thread. The suspension place also came to the conclusion they were the recommended shock for the Stagea RS4 front. Sweet as, got em bolted in there, used the original bump stops, and rubber boot (they were in good nick) Installed them and find now the car is hitting the bumpstops a LOT! Anyone else replace the fronts with R33 ones using factory bumpstops and having same grief? Suspension place is looking into it for me, left them the factory one out of the car this morning to take measurements from and compare. Hope it can get sorted or else I'm going to go back to the factory shocks for now, even though they are tired as they don't hit the stops (well not as noticeably as the new ones do).

Any thoughts for a newby to the stagea?

[BoyWhoCriedWolf]

As SK said - the spring rates are crucial and need to be correct - if not you will have probs. I ahve a set of Tein S tech springs swimming their way over at the moment, will keep you posted.

Ken

[Gary1]

No problems with the bilstiens.

Cheers

Gary

[Happymeal]

thanks would aprecaite that. If anyone finds out required spring rates looks like afew of us are keen for the information

I'm confused though how my old factory tired shocks didn't seem to have the problem as severe as the replacement KYB's. They have confirmed that the factory and R33 GTR ones are identical lengths in every aspect though, so it's rulling out a difference in the body of the shock. Springs are my next port of call, seeing as I really do not know the history of the chosen springs, (Blue coloured with Type R written on them) all I know is they are from Japan. For all I know they came off a Toyota Starlet