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suspension upgrades for exa

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ctchme
Posts: 126
Joined: Sat Jan 08, 2011 9:07 pm
Location: Gosford, NSW

suspension upgrades for exa

Post by ctchme »

hey guys,
Just wondering where i can get strut braces (front or rear) and what is the best suspension available for my 84 exa, have just done the rear disc conversion, and would love coilovers but know they are probably not available anymore
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Callumgw
Posts: 2354
Joined: Fri Aug 11, 2006 12:55 pm
Location: Melbourne, Australia

Post by Callumgw »

Front coil-overs were available, but rears never were.

There's articles on spring rates, DIY koni inserts, adjustable rear ends, and brake upgrades in the articles sections. Read these to get some ideas.

Personally, it depends what you want to do with the car, but for a fast street-sometime track car I'd:

1. Install sway/roll bar - the Exa doesn't have a rear one and putting one on makes a big difference. You could also do the front, but not as big a change.

2. Change springs - probably go for peddars they seem the stiffest whilst maintaining height - the progressive rate on the Kings allows for a bit to much travel from my experience.

3. Shocks - This is an area where I think money is king (to a point!). Having run Monroe and other shocks before Koni's I'd now always use Koni/Bilstein/etc. They cost more but they really do perform better. You don't have to go up tot he super expensive racing ones, even just the reds are MUCH better than Monroes and Peddars and those other cheap brands.....

4. Tyres - This one can be done anytime and good tyres make a huge difference. Remember "brakes stop wheels, tyres stop cars" this applies equally to "accelerate", "turn" etc... If you've ever run on track spec tyres you'll know what a big difference they can have. Get the best your budget can afford at the time. Most of the majors have good tyres, you need to build a good relationship with a local tyre guy and get honest advice. Some excellent tyres I've had (on a range of cars) are Toyo T1-R, Yokohama ES100, Continentals (standard on the Golf R), Bridgestone Re001 Adrenalines (currently on the car).
I've had some issue with Bridstone Potenza's - they squirm a bit much, Yoko's tend to wear fast but give grip too!

C
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