Need suspension advice

[kronk10]

Right iam getting my suspension sorted next year (prob january) and also set up. I first need to know the angles and cambers the front suspension should be at or what is best for the spec iam getting!!

Iam getting
2 front billstein gas shocks (allready got these not fitted)
2 rear billstein shocks
2 powerflex track control arm bushes
2 powerflex tie rod bushes
2 powerflex rear beam bushes
1 OMP front strut brace
It comes to about 214 quid including delivery which i think is dead cheap. I want to get 2 front anti roll bar bushes but dont know if i need 16mm or 20mm (its a nova sr mk2). Would all this lot along with my 40mm springs give me good handling or are there better components and other things i would need. All this is on a budget so i dont wanna go fully adjustable etc any gen/info would be great also would like to know if anyone has had good results from suspension mods on a budget???

[Stuart]

for a start its 4 ARB bushes.. but in all fairness try running without the ARB fitted and see how you like it.. saves some money too

[dannyb]

Front ARBs suck when used with uprated shocks!
What you have in your list sounds like it will gove a noticible change in handling for the better. A 40mm drop won't give you silly camber and therefore wont give you uneven tyre wear. Its also practical if all you are doing is tooling about on the road and having to go over speed bumps. One thing you don't mention is your wheel and tyre choice. As my nova is my everyday car and Im not bothered about looks, I have 14 inch cav steelies (light-ish and doesnt matter when you curb it) 185 55 14 Kumho KU31 tyres (cheap ish on my student budget), 40mm apex shock and spring kit (stiffer but not smash your fillings out hard), rear GSI ARB and new bushes. This would obviously be a bit soft for track use, but as I dont trackday this car, it makes sense as a reasonably well mannered, good road handling, cheap to do car.

[kronk10]

for a start its 4 ARB bushes.. but in all fairness try running without the ARB fitted and see how you like it.. saves some money too

My wrong it is 4 whats the difference in not running arb bushes iam not that gen'd up on suspension. The reason iam doing all this is that i have got my engine sorted but i want to make sure i can put it all down on the road

[Stuart]

really CBA to drag up the ARB discussion... the search should be able to churn something up

[kronk10]

Danny my wheels are off an astra lxi and my tyre choice is naff i have got some cheap 40 quid tyres on the front and have only had them a month or so. What good performance tyre can i get for under 100 quid each and will it be better to just run back arb bushes. heres a piccy of my wheels



and stuart i will have a look on the search and have a read thanks

[kronk10]

i still need to know the cambers and angles etc of the original suspension. Or will it be in the haynes manual???

[Stuart]

not in the haynes manual.

tarmac spec is in the nova build manual...

[Adam]

Im pretty sure castor/camber etc is in Haynes manual

[dannyb]

What good performance tyre can i get for under 100 quid each

Thats more than enough for some decent rubber. Are the wheels 14x6Js or 14x5.5Js?

If they are 14x6J wheels (you'll find this info cast onto the wheel somewhere). You could think about Toyo Proxes T1 R (not proxes CF1, it has to be T1 R) 195 45 14 tyres

If you have 14x5.5J wheels you'll have to go for a narrower tyre like a 185 55 14 or a 185 50 14. try 185 55 14 if you want a tyre which is going to be chepaer to replace everytime or somethign like 185 50 14 continental sport contacts if you are feeling flush!

Try My Tyres on this address:
http://www.mytyres.co.uk, you can get an idea of prices. Just rememebr that tyres are just as important as suspension, if not more so. They control every aspect of driving in all conditions and will be a factor in your handling, braking distance and acceleration. Try not to skimp on tyre expenditure with ditch seekers as decent tyres could literally save your life.