Accent owners - whats your suspension set up?
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Member
Joined: Sep 2002
Posts: 56
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From: Savannah, GA
Vehicle: 01 Accent
Accent owners - whats your suspension set up?
Coil overs? Springs? What struts?
Looking to switch up from my stock suspension and KYB's to something that will lower the car some and give it good handling. Post up what your suspension is. Thanks all.
Looking to switch up from my stock suspension and KYB's to something that will lower the car some and give it good handling. Post up what your suspension is. Thanks all.
Senior Member
Joined: Mar 2008
Posts: 1,682
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From: Canada
Vehicle: 1991 Impulse RS
B&G lowering springs on stock struts. Front and rear strut bar and a center bar. I like the look of the lowered car, but I would like it a bit lower. The rear bumper of the LC2 is so high in the back it makes the car not look lowered. From the side, it looks nice (IMO anyway). The ride is a little bumpier than stock but nothing too crazy, handling is slightly better. Too be honest, I'm not too sure if the strut and center bars actually improve anything, but they look cool. lol. I took the 16's off my car (in avatar pic) and put them back on my 07, so I'm rolling on 14" steelies with crappy Kumho tires. I plan on investing in some GOOD tires, and leaving the steelies on. That alone will help my handling/ride. Don't under estimate what a good set of tires can do to help performance and handling.
In the somewhat near future, I'm looking at buying a rear sway bar and possibly a bushing set soon (maybe next winters project while in storage??). Once the OEM struts die I was thinking about buying some Ksports. I found some for under $900 a while back, just don't have the extra cash right now to spend on the car. And in all seriousness, I'm not sure if I want to put anymore $$$ into this car........ I kinda want a Genesis.
Anyone interested in an 04 Accent GT/GSi???? Never winter driven since new, low mileage. MINT MINT MINT!! Offers??????
In the somewhat near future, I'm looking at buying a rear sway bar and possibly a bushing set soon (maybe next winters project while in storage??). Once the OEM struts die I was thinking about buying some Ksports. I found some for under $900 a while back, just don't have the extra cash right now to spend on the car. And in all seriousness, I'm not sure if I want to put anymore $$$ into this car........ I kinda want a Genesis.
Anyone interested in an 04 Accent GT/GSi???? Never winter driven since new, low mileage. MINT MINT MINT!! Offers??????
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Joined: Mar 2006
Posts: 12,515
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From: Lacey, WA
Vehicle: Two Accents, Mini, Miata, Van, Outback, and a ZX-6
Ksport coilovers (bought used from 03-accent-03)
Whiteline adjustable rear sway bad
F&R strut tower braces
It handles like it means it. Only issue is that there is next to zero suspension travel, so it's easy to get stuck on rough terrain (like driveways lol) and it's bumpy. Also, if there is a bumpy road, the suspension's inability to extend when unloaded means that you're airborne a bit more than I'm comfortable with. You will never out handle this setup with struts and springs though, at least not with what's available for the Accent.
Whiteline adjustable rear sway bad
F&R strut tower braces
It handles like it means it. Only issue is that there is next to zero suspension travel, so it's easy to get stuck on rough terrain (like driveways lol) and it's bumpy. Also, if there is a bumpy road, the suspension's inability to extend when unloaded means that you're airborne a bit more than I'm comfortable with. You will never out handle this setup with struts and springs though, at least not with what's available for the Accent.
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Joined: Dec 2008
Posts: 3,837
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From: Floating around the AUDM
Vehicle: X3 Sprint, S-Coupe Turbo
On my 95 X3, I've bought all of these components used from 342four:
-Whiteline rear sway bar with poly links
-Eccentric rear bushing for the front LCAs to increase castor
-Kmac lowering springs
I also fitted a power steering rack and converted it to a manual system.
The handling characteristics are quite enjoyable:
Low speed corners: The car settles for neutrality verging on understeer. You can throw the car into turns aggressively, but the rear won't ever step out without left foot braking. Even with the faster steering rack, there's always an extra half-turn of steering lock (and resulting turn-in) available. Despite the increased rear bar rate and spring rates, there still seems to be considerable body roll when you really wring its neck.
Mid speed corners: For things like roundabouts and turnpikes, this setup really shines. Initial cornering attitude is understeer, regardless of how aggressively you throw it in to the corner. However, mid corner, the rear of the car becomes very adjustable with the throttle. A mid-corner lift will immediately bring the tail around, enough to let you centre the steering mid-turn. Power down is not a problem here, but applying the throttle early will bring the car back from a neutral attitude into understeer.
High speed corners: I haven't taken enough of these to really have much data, but at high speed in a straight line the car feels much more settled. Cruising at 80-100 is far less floaty and nerve-wracking.
The ride quality is fine with my setup. I can't directly compare it to stock, because the car came with siezed dampers when I bought it.
Anyway, I still need to get a wheel alignment after putting the car back together, so this is certainly just preliminary info. The car definitely needs some toe out and a good set of adjustable dampers. You can feel that the springs are mismatched to the existing (floppy) dampers.
-Whiteline rear sway bar with poly links
-Eccentric rear bushing for the front LCAs to increase castor
-Kmac lowering springs
I also fitted a power steering rack and converted it to a manual system.
The handling characteristics are quite enjoyable:
Low speed corners: The car settles for neutrality verging on understeer. You can throw the car into turns aggressively, but the rear won't ever step out without left foot braking. Even with the faster steering rack, there's always an extra half-turn of steering lock (and resulting turn-in) available. Despite the increased rear bar rate and spring rates, there still seems to be considerable body roll when you really wring its neck.
Mid speed corners: For things like roundabouts and turnpikes, this setup really shines. Initial cornering attitude is understeer, regardless of how aggressively you throw it in to the corner. However, mid corner, the rear of the car becomes very adjustable with the throttle. A mid-corner lift will immediately bring the tail around, enough to let you centre the steering mid-turn. Power down is not a problem here, but applying the throttle early will bring the car back from a neutral attitude into understeer.
High speed corners: I haven't taken enough of these to really have much data, but at high speed in a straight line the car feels much more settled. Cruising at 80-100 is far less floaty and nerve-wracking.
The ride quality is fine with my setup. I can't directly compare it to stock, because the car came with siezed dampers when I bought it.
Anyway, I still need to get a wheel alignment after putting the car back together, so this is certainly just preliminary info. The car definitely needs some toe out and a good set of adjustable dampers. You can feel that the springs are mismatched to the existing (floppy) dampers.
