my suspension... what else?

[Gallagher]

ok my question is i want MORE out of my handling and better turning what else should / can i do and wat is the best options for me .. ... i have so far.. roush front struts , roush rear shocks , H&R lowering springs , maximum motorsport caster/camber . what else SHOULD i get ? what is not neccesary, this is my DD as well but i just want more out of it , thanks!

 

[DusterRT]

Good tires.

 

[Kaldar142]

+1 on good tires, I just bought a set of nitto nt05 285/35s all around... Can't wait

 

[Gallagher]

i alredy have good tires lol

 

[RedMosesSC]

- Lower Control Arms, Upper Control Arm & Mount - Stop the Hop

- Ball Joints & Tie Rods - Correct the Geometry

 

[Gallagher]

thanks ... wat about sway bar?

 

[Kaldar142]

What tires do you have and what size?

 

[Gallagher]

255/45 front 285/40 rear goodyear eagles

 

[DusterRT]

Bigger front tires to dial out understeer? GT500 takeoffs I assume?

 

[Kaldar142]

255/45 front 285/40 rear goodyear eagles

IMO those are not good tires nor is a staggered setup.

 

[Gallagher]

Well regaurdless of tires lol im NOT getting new tires these are still brand new so forgot that idea .. wat else lol

 

[Kaldar142]

Fair enough...

Why not some driving classes...?

Sign up with NASA and do an HPDE... Then you can figure out what you need, if you need anything instead of just throwing parts at it

 

[Gallagher]

well not persay that i NEED things its what i want in it that will make it perform its best... again such as stated above


- Lower Control Arms, Upper Control Arm & Mount - Stop the Hop

- Ball Joints & Tie Rods - Correct the Geometry

those are tyhe kind of answers im looking for ..

 

[Kaldar142]

All the suspension mods in the world don't matter when you still get schooled by a bone stock miata.

If you must though...

Sway bars front/rear with endlinks
Upper and lower control arms

And most importantly... A GOOD alignment, something with atleast -1.2 camber upfront.

 

[RedMosesSC]

Sway Bars will def help with the body roll but since the GT already has decent sized sway bars i would recomend the Control arms first. Pretty much anything that has a bushing needs to be swapped, it will help get rid of the slop and make things tight and firm.

 

[mykim72]

dont get too nuts with the bushings if you want to keep this thing a daily driver

 

[DusterRT]

You're not going to like hearing this, but tires will give you the best cost-to-benefit ratio (unless you're just looking to buy parts). You've already done springs and dampeners, those are the big ones. If the tires are that new, sell them..or keep them for the off-season/winter/etc. They're what connects you to the ground, everything else just plays supporting roles.

 

[RedMosesSC]

People get offended when a driving class is recomended but you should not be, everyone thinks they are a great driver until they get on the track. I have not done open track yet but have done plenty of Autocross and it IS a very humbling expereince when you " get schooled by a bone stock miata. ". Along with the suspension mods your doing, try and make it to a few Autocross events. I was able to go several times before i swapped my suspension and get a good feel for the car and its limits and have also gone several times after the suspension swap and thats when you really get a feel for the cars potential and what the mods have done for it.
Seat time at the track makes us all around better drivers.

 

[Gallagher]

Thanks for all the advice, but ya this car will not be drivin in the winter got to much power for a winter car it wont go anywhere . and im again not saying im going to drag race, drift it or anything crazy.. . i want the most comfort with best handling ..money isnt really a issue so id just like the best parts i can get for the most comfort / no clunks noises anything , i bassically just want best of the best feel i can get

 

[SoundGuyDave]

Just to echo a few of the other posts:

1) seat time is where you will make the BIGGEST improvement. Parts are great, but until you push the limits of the stock pieces, you're really not gaining anything. To be able to push the limits, you (generic, not specific) need to get some high-performance driver's ed training. It is NOT the same as driving on the street, not even close. Unless you have a lot more seat time than most, a trained/experienced driver will KILL you in a stock car, even when you're in a fully-prepped racer... It takes some time before the car really comes into the picture in terms of overall performance.

2) Tires, tires, tires. Sticky R-comps or softer (100-140 UTQG) compound tires will out-handle any "maximum performance summer tire" on the market, all other things being equal. They make the single largest impact on the vehicle grip of all other modifications, period. Also, on the S197, the staggered tire size will induce a bit of understeer, which is actually preferable when learning to approach the limits, but will quickly become the limiting point of the car's performance. Ask me how I know...

Seriously, no matter what hardware you throw at the car, the tires will define the limit of the mechanical grip, and the level of driver ability will determine if the limit can be approached, and if so, done in a safe manner. There IS a reason that after only one weekend, the average HPDE-1 driver can increase their corner-exit speed by 25-30%...