gen 1 best upgrades to improve handling

[laney487]

What and where would be the best place to start to upgrade the suspension? Poly mounts? Shocks? Ball joints? i did the poly bushings on the sway bars already and noticed it improved it greatly.

[fuzzystig]

I've done a handful of things, and find the balance of the car to be really nice on track (neutral, and really stable) and find the feel of the car to be great too - quite lively, but as mentioned still a confidence inspiring ride.
The things's I've found with the biggest effects, in order:

1) tires! A good set of tires will completely transform the car. I ran R888R's for track, and they were great ofcourse. Currently have a set of Conintental ExtremeContact Sport 02's (thanks JonB!) that I like a lot for the street.
2) Dial in your alignment. I've found these cars to be sensitive to castor (they have a lot of castor dialed in) both in front and rear, and same with toe. Everyone's got recommendations for alignments, I got my setup from Dan Cragin. Front: -1.2 camber, .014" toe in, and 8 degrees castor (important for caster to be bang on side to side, or else the car will veer one way!). Rear: -.75 camber, .24 toe in and 1 degree castor. this is a good street setup, and I usually start there and then go more aggressive (more camber, more toe out) for track days!
3) shocks! I have a set of MCS shocks in the car, and they rock.
4) Billet steering mounts. These didn't make a night/day difference, but anything to really fix the steering rack to the chassis helps improve steering feel IMO.
5) poly suspension bushings. I wouldn't recommend these, I have the energy suspension units and found that the upper-rear bushings aren't actually made to fit the car very well. the sleeve in the middle of the bushing is too short, which results in a ton of binding when torqued down which completely ruined the ride of my car for so long. I suppose the work fine up front, but I can't say I noticed a night and day difference before and after, and it wasn't worth the trouble I had to deal with in the rear.

[laney487]

i did do tires last year. i can drive this car pretty well honestly some people laughed when i said i felt it handled as good as the newer gens but i kept right up with everyone hauling ass in the tail of the dragon just fine.. it just takes steady concentration on the car and driving you can drive these things well on the street and hold the corners at great speeds.

good info on alignment i havent messed with mine honestly.. ill save that information.

shocks is something i was definitely looking to upgrade.

i did the poly sway bar bushings as i stated it did seem to help handling nothing night and day but you definitely feel a bit more planted when she hits a bump and gets a lil squirrely..

is it worth any effort with upgraded a-arms? or lighter ones i guess.. i know in the gen 2 it was less unsprung weight is the key in those..

[dave6666]

Replacing worn or old parts, like tires and shocks and bushings, is not called "upgrading." It's called correct maintenance. You're gagging everyone by wearing out the most overplayed word in the history of automobiles.

[capevettes]

How are you guys liking the Continental Extreme 02's? Considering them for my 01 GTS. I'm getting a little tired of blowing through Toyo R888r's every 5,000 miles.
I like a good handling, aggressive tire that I can get more miles out of. Seems like these are as close to the Michelin SS's as I can get now.

[GTS Dean]

On a 30 year old high performance sports car, you can just about bank on the suspension bushings being heavily worn and the center bolt guide tubes having taken an off-center set in the bushings. Changing them is not very easy, but very worthwhile to do.

THIS IS MOST IMPORTANT: With OE-style rubber bushings, whenever you pull shocks or wishbones off the car you REALLY need to follow the ballasting and pivot bolt torquing procedure. All the wishbone and shock bolts are final-torqued in a fully ballasted condition. This has a huge impact on rebound dynamics.

The rear suspension on the Gen 1 is TOTALLY DIFFERENT than the Gen2-5 cars. The design rear caster angle is NEGATIVE 6 degrees. This is directly out of my '93 service manual:

[fuzzystig]

How are you guys liking the Continental Extreme 02's? Considering them for my 01 GTS. I'm getting a little tired of blowing through Toyo R888r's every 5,000 miles.
I like a good handling, aggressive tire that I can get more miles out of. Seems like these are as close to the Michelin SS's as I can get now.

Big fan of them so far! I was in the same boat with the Toyo’s as you. I am really impressed with the conti’s in the wet, they’re way quieter in the dry, and they seem to have the grip in the dry. They’re comparable to PS4S’s from Michelin, which are universally loved on sports cars. I’d recommend them, especially if not tracking. I haven’t tracked them yet.

[capevettes]

Big fan of them so far! I was in the same boat with the Toyo’s as you. I am really impressed with the conti’s in the wet, they’re way quieter in the dry, and they seem to have the grip in the dry. They’re comparable to PS4S’s from Michelin, which are universally loved on sports cars. I’d recommend them, especially if not tracking. I haven’t tracked them yet.

Thanks very much fuzzystig. I've always loved the Michelins in the past, so I'm sure I'll like these. I drive almost 5,000 spirited miles a year, so I'm changing tires every year or so. I'm ordering them.

[capevettes]

Shout out to Jon B. Ordered my Contis on Friday afternoon. They were in my driveway Saturday morning. Great price. Better than anywhere else. Also appreciated his advice to upsize from 275's to 295's on the front of my Gen 2 GTS for better handling. These are "sexy" looking tires. Can't wait to get them mounted.

Thanks Jon!!

[Steve-Indy]

I am sure you will like them, Paul...JonB sent a set to me for the 99 ACR. They made a difference in ride...and looks.

[capevettes]

I am sure you will like them, Paul...JonB sent a set to me for the 99 ACR. They made a difference in ride...and looks.

Thanks Steve. I'm sure I will. Mounting them on Tuesday, then going to my favorite roads for an extended test drive.

[laney487]

thanks dean this is exactly needed info!

[white out]

Coilovers: set ride height, spring and damper settings to your personal needs
Solid steering rack mounts
As sticky & wide of a tire you are comfortable with
Replace if worn: ball joints, endlinks, sway bar mounts, control arm bushings
Center steering rack
If have wheels more aggressive offset (or spacers) you can remove the steering rack stops to get more steering angle
After all that: corner balance & align

Not suspension related but will help with controlling weight transfer: polyurethane engine & transmission mounts