Wheels & Tires: Too Close For Comfort
This was the first major money I spent on the car. The tires were already shot and needed to be replaced right away. While I was at it I thought it would be best to get new wheels too. The wheels that came on the car were the "Lace" wheels. They were 16" x 6" and and they weigh 20 pounds each bare. They aren't bad looking but they are too narrow, I like to see the brakes, and they are pain in the ass to clean besides. I replace them with a set of Konig Reasons 17" by 7" and they weigh 19.5 pounds each bare. I orginally wrapped them in Falken Azeni 215s and they were great but sat on the car for four years and they got really hard. I had to replace them and I went with a great close out deal on the Hancook Ventus RS-2 size 225/45. The Falkens were a little bit wider than the Hancooks and would actually run on the plastic that cover the side of the trans slightly at full lock. These wheels are hit or miss. Some people love them some people hate them. I like the polished faces of the spokes, and I love how well the graphite matches the moldings on the car. The tires will likely be replaced with something much more grippy when these are gone.
Suspension & Steering: Much Room For Improvement
Where to begin? This has to be one of the worst areas on the car. It looks real nice but it's not fun to drive at all. It follows lines in the road, it never misses a chance to make horrible sounds when hitting bumps, and shimmy all over at the same time. It's no wonder as all of the bushings and mounts are shot. Almost to the point of not being safe which is why I've only been driving when I have to take it somewhere. The springs and shocks actually do their job, but they aren't meant for what I want to do. Then there's the steering. The pump is shot, the lines are just like the rest of the rubber on the car, and the rack is probably shot to. It's all getting replaced. All the rubber bushings are getting replaced with polyurethane as well as the motor mounts. Everything on the steering is being replaced. And the struts and shocks are being replaced with Koni adjustable units and the springs are getting replaced with some from Eibach and should lower the car about an inch which is desperately needed. I even used Photoshop to drop it an inch. Hopefully it's that much of an improvement.
Brakes: Stopping Short
The brakes were the second trouble spot on this car. There was pedal pulsation and they were fading pretty bad. Plus they didn't stop as well as they're supposed to. This car came with the bigger vented brakes in the front and rear. I installed new front rotors and pads which made it stop much better but still had fade issues. I decided to buy some better pads, Hawk HPS. I then bought some new rear rotors as they were rested pretty bad, not just in the hub area. I also got some SS flex lines and I'm going to top it off with some fresh ATE Super Blue. This should remedy my problem and be good enough for auto-x and maybe an occasional track day.
