[jscramst]

hey crew,

FYI: I have searched the forum extensively so don't be too hard on me if something similar has been posted, but I feel my situation is pretty unique.

So here goes:

My ride has no engine mods, but the brake pads, fluid and lines have been upgraded.

Suspension tuning has been the focus and I have followed the path led my Scott Siegel and have been very pleased with the results. Whiteline 27mm front, 24mm rear, -2.5 camber alignment and Tein Flex coilovers made a huge improvement. (Kudos to Scott for the guidance) My lap times and speeds at track days were vastly improved.

So this brings us to now:

As I live in BC we have snow at least 4 months of the year I usually remove the coilovers each season. In addition, track days are not in the cards for me this summer ... I do not want to re-install the coilovers as the ride quality is less than ideal and I will be drinving a lot on rough tarmac as well as gravel roads (to go fishing) and snowed mountain passes over the course of the year... Also, after a winter the coilovers would likely be damaged in the threaded areas.

So here is the question: if I do a -2.5 camber alignment on the front suspension, and place the front and rear sways will I have a set up that is suitable for rough roads, some gravel as well as snow conditions when I go snowboarding in the winter. The goal would be to have a "all conditions set up" that is fun to drive, with a linear progression to mild/moderate oversteer. I just don't know much about creating a safe set up in gravel and snow conditions. In the winter I am often driving to interior BC alpine resorts most weekends, and there can be significant snow accumulations of 1 to 2 feet. (If you have never snow driven your ride you really should give it a try!!!!!!!!)

I know this is a tall order, and thanks to all for any input!!

[stretch]

The bars without coilovers will still feel decent, yes.

You could also sell your coilovers and spend that money on a setup that rides a little better. The TiC coilovers work well at full stock height so you can run them in the winter. I don't think many other coilovers can do that, although some come close. You could always run Ohlins with the stock springs or find someone with a used RB320 setup, too.

But most performance comes from the sway bars, and you may be happy with them alone. Just keep in mind that camber plates often raise the ride height, which you probably don't want to do. You'll need to run RCE non-lowering or Whiteline plates to not have a prominent ride height change. Also keep in mind that the handling bias of your car will change sans coilovers, and you will very likely need to stiffen your rear sway bar to once again get the car to rotate.

Group-N bushings for the lateral links in the rear will help your rear sway bar work better and give your car some of its immediacy back once you remove the coilovers. You may also consider a Whiteline roll center adjuster and/or anti-lift kit since both of those aid handling without affecting ride quality, although you might be happy without them (the cost-benefit isn't as high as some other items).

[jaydow11]

Yeah BC! I'm going to assume that you are in the lower mainland/Vancouver?

Get some coilovers that allow you to really raise and lower the hight while still able to handle the weather!

I think Stretch has the right idea!

Jay