stiffer suspension without breaking the bank.

[lilbrudder]

today i've been experimenting with locally availible, cheap suspension mods and here's what i've come up with....

double oem rear swaybar: all i did was take an extra RSB i had laying aroung cut off the end loops, position it above the one on my car now and use a heavy cable clamp to sinch the ends to gether(tighten it down when the car is sitting on ground).
first impression= i just took it around the block....WOW! that's what i was hopeing for... much flatter in the corners.... decreased rocking when braking... more responsive steering.
the bad= noticed a couple of popping noises from setteling, went away by the time i got back home(lubed all touching parts we'll see how that works).... new RSB pushed up against tubing to gas tank(i reset it and tightened it harder, we'll see if that holds). concerned the stock end links won't last, we'll see.

next mod= spring booster blocks: got some booster blocks at the auto store for like $10. put one in top of rear springs and one in bottom of front springs.
first impression=around the block car felt stiffer and corners felt flatter
neutral=this one won't be for every one, it raises the ride hieght 1/2 to 3/4 inch(didn't actually measure, just noticed it is a lil' higher) this could be good for those who live in bad road areas or week end rally worriors.
the not so good= i'm going to ckeck my alignment while these are in because it most likely changed it.

next mod= top hat stiffening: i started a thread about this one already but basically on the T.H. there is a rubber cusion that can be made bigger hopefully to reduce play in that T.H. i haven't had a chance to test this theory yet because the rubber is still drying, will update tomarrow.

will post as i get more results with these mods this week.

[lilbrudder]

double sway bar= is great, no more settling noises, no rubbins on gas tank tubing, this way definatly worth it. car handles how she should have from the factory.

spring blocks= i'm a little self conscious about these, raises about 3/4". definately stiffer, feel more bumps on road=more rattling in car.

top hat= got rid of the bobble noise i was going after, steering might be a little tigher (could be placebo effect though) no extreme difference but worth it to silence some noise.

[Crazy_pilot]

Awesome stuff! The doubled up sway bar is definitely something I'd want to try.

[lilbrudder]

here's some pics...
double bar=0321081424b.jpg 0321081639.jpg
spring blocks=0321081428.jpg
top hat filled=0320081029.jpg

[It's Just Eric]

....Something tells me the first two are just really, really bad ideas...thats just me though

[SVXRide]

yes, they'll work, but I wouldn't put too much stress on them....

The spring spacers are more for providing more ground clearance. They definitely mess with the effective spring rate, as they're not allowing the spring to work as it was designed to.

The double swaybar will work, but it's hard to say exactly how much stiffer the combination is.

-Bill

[lilbrudder]

update: drove about 300 miles from phoenix to las vegas this weekend....
averaged around 80mph, went up to 110mph.
everything feels solid, high speed cornering felt stable. on entry to corners car felt confident and more agile, when accelerating in corners car sucks down nicely and corners better(easier, maybe more oversteer).
by the end of the trip i was getting a light creeking over small bumps that went away over 20mph, i suspect the end link failure, but it may just be rubbing at the bushings. i will check it out this weekend.
i'm thinking of putting an OEM busing(just the rubber, no bracket) on the second bar to keep it from rubbing on the back of the primary bracket.
i would also like to find an endlink strong enough to with stand the increased stress.

at your own risk disclaimer: i don't recomend anyone anyone trying these mods, as they are what some people on this site consider "unsafe" because i am modifiying the original design of components.

[Nevin]

I have used the rubber spring block spacer dealies before when going drag racing. Helped me by about a tenth in my ATX FWD car, just cause the weight wouldn't transfer. I left them in when I left the track, and they were missing within the next 200 miles. They are not meant to be used everyday. Other people I know that used them had them fall out too.

[lilbrudder]

i figured that would happen so i drilled a hole in it and wire-tied to only the above spring.

[lilbrudder]

the creeking was from the second bar rubbing on the back of the primary bracket, grease stoped it for now, but i am going add a bushing there to eliminate the problem all together.

end links don't seem to be a problem yet but i've been doing the research to make my own. it seems i could make my own that would be stronger and more durible than OEM for about $100 to make all 4(fronts & rears). it could be a pretty strait forward DIY in about 2 hours +or- 1hr dependant on skill level and tools. not sure if i'll be doing that though since i'll be moving to Alaska in late May and my baby will go in storage for years and years.

[lilbrudder]

bushing installed, kinda tricky to do but solved the problem.... and even firmed things up more.

so far the double bar has been the best mod i've done for handling improvement, now for the ultimate test...longevity, the test of time.

as for the spring blocks, they're still there after 500+miles. i noticed once wired to the spring you can move them up the spring to keep from jacking your ride hieght up and it seemed to make the spring even stiffer, likey because there is less spring being used.

i've been thinking, there has got to be a light truck/bigger sedan shock out there that can be easily moded(grind off some tabs or brackets) to fit in our strut like the koni insert.

[lilbrudder]

one month update on my cheap suspension mods.

double RSB set up is great, OEM endlinks haven't failed yet, the brackets and bushing holding up good too. i haven't track tested these and don't think i will, but city driving is greatly improved.

spring blocks are still right where i left them, and that's where i'll be keeping them. the stiffness these add makes driving sportier but also makes me realize there are lots rattles(over bumpy roads) inside the car that need to be addressed.

filled top hats still holding up, though not as much WOW differance as the two other mods, this one does sharpen steering response a little. this one is kinda hard to notice since there is so much slop through out the SVX's OEM suspension, but it's worth the 10 bucks.

all in all these mods have really improved my svx's soggy handling making it tons of fun to drive. since the mods she's become my every day driver over my leggy GT, my wife says it's like driving a go-cart now. i love it, by far the best $40 bucks i've spent on her yet.

[black beast]

I have a dumb question (well might be dumb to you) Does the WRX, Imprezza, etc, sway bars fit our car, how about the strut tower bar? If they do, instead of paying $45 for the new OEM sway bar (I dont know if my price reflects everywhere) pay the $105 for a aftermarket one (yes, it is more expensive, but at the same time it would be safer to use, and would be much stiffer.)

[wawazat??]

Neither the front nor the rear anti-sway bars from the WRX will fit our cars. The strut tower bar might be close but depending on how it attaches to the strut tower it will probably need some fabrication as the WRX has more clearance between the hood and the towers and the mounting holes are not the same for the front tophats.

[lilbrudder]

^^^yup, also i had extra of these parts, can't get cheaper than free. as of now the only way to replace the OEM one with a larger one is to have it fabricated ($$$) or (have a hook up) as some on this net have, too bad though because the improvement is unbelieveable.