The perfect B-road setup?

[BFannon]

As title says I want to set my car up to be "fun" around B roads. The reason is I quite often go for a spirited drive on my own and I find these are the best places for it!

At the moment I have

D2 coilovers (needed repairing)

cusco rear brace

standard front brace

Grooved disks

Braided hoses

Yellow pads

Currently on look out for

Front and rear anti roll bars

Anti lift kit

Poly bushes

Prada spec 2 tyres

Also wanting to get suspension set up correctly one everything is purchased and on the car. Or would you recommend doing it myself?

Would anyone else add anything to the list or change anything? Have read D2 are very harsh would you recommend changing to a softer set of coillies?

Many thanks

Bill.

[WallaceGlanza]

Definately get rid of the D2's and stick on a set of Meister's. The rest of your list is fine, although you may not need the front arb as it does make the front end a little twitchy I find - I have everything on your list suspension wise and mine does handle very nicely, I also drive some good but not smooth b roads most of the time.

Also there is no way you can set up the coilovers yourself unless you have the alignment equipment, go for a little bit of negative camber (I run 1.2 but gonna bring it down to 1deg as it likes to tramline and follow the camber of the roads a lot) maximum castor possible (adjust the antilift kit out fully) and neutral toe.

It makes for a fun car with that setup.

LSD is what I really need now too as I spin up an inside wheel occasionally.

EDIT: Add a lower arm brace to the list too, they're awesome for taking out rabbits on the b roads. Plus they tighten up the front end nicely too. ;)

[shorty]

Id second the miesters! Lovley coilovers.

[morgey]

dont go for pradas if u use your car daily, brilliant in the dry but the 1st sign on damp and there terrible. you really have to slow down on them ;)

[BFannon]

Ok what tyres come recommended then? Only ever had parada's.

LSD is prob last thing will be able to afford in fair ess but am not running silly power only have stage one breathing mods! Want to sort handling out first then brakes then up power to what I am comfortable with!

Yea I had been chatting to a mate who recommended slightly soft coillies as as mentioned before the B in B roads I think stands for bumpy lol!

Yes I did think about under braces are there any that are better than others? Is it best to stick with one? I.e. all white line or all ultra racing?

Bill.

[Amjad]

LSD is very important imo, mine is only CT9 but it grips a silly amount, I've not really pushed my car on the road that muc but I could properly feel it working on track, one of the best mods you can do I reckon.

Any under brace will be decent enough, but just make sure it clears your exhaust and your roads are not bad enough for it to catch

Meisters ftw also, the ride is amazing but they handle crazy too

[stavros]

I really noticed a difference with the rear anti roll bar, but a diff will help you immensly imo.

[akyakapotter]

Uniroyal rain sport 2's FTW

[ste91]

I'd ditch the Parada S2's and get some Toyo T1R's, they're "cheap but good" if you're on 195/50/15's.

And I'd change the D2's for a set of MeisterR's. With those and the rest of the kit you're looking for you should be able to fly round most roads.

Don't go too harsh on the damper settings though, my old Starlet had a good springs/shocks combo which were excellent on flat roads, it was like a go kart but on bumpy roads it just skipped about (not nice when you try braking on a bit of bumpy road and it just wants to lock up).

MeisterR's on the CRX were great, perfect for the road, it was firm but not harsh.

Now I'm on standard suspension in my current car, however I can still go nearly as quick. I wouldn't worry TOO MUCH about having this mod and that mod, unless you're really pushing the car to it's limits. You'll probably wont go much quicker, but you'll feel a lot safer.

With B roads and lanes I'd always go for a softer setup, just watch a few touge vids on youtube, you'll notice the cars that have hard suspension tend to just bounce around.

Edited January 24, 2012 by ste91

[BFannon]

Yea I notice at the mo I am like you say "bouncing" about like a go kart not the best. As my d2's have been over tightened (to the hard setting :@ ) on damper settings as the adjusting screw had been rounded off so I need them rebuilt! Anyone know how much? And where I can get them done?

I will have to try the toyo's how much are they as I can get prada's about 45ish pound a corner!

What are rain sports like? As I currently have winter and summer wheels! So I could keep prada's on the summer and try toyo's or rain sports on the other?

I would love an LSD but won't have that sorta cash spare for at least 12-18 months were as all the above listed am hoping to have done within a couple of months!

Cant remember if it's on here or on TGTT but I remember reading one member was trying to find the "ultimate" handling set up wondering if anyone can remember reading it or anything about it! Wouldn't mind having a proper read about that! As I am not a drag strip man I much prefer a better handling set up and cornering speeds!

Bill.

[ste91]

Last time I got some Toyo T1R's were just under £35 a corner.

I know what you're trying to get at with the "perfect setup" but what works for some might not feel right for you.

Not trying to sound like a lecture as I'm no expert but from experience I've found that a car that gives you confidence is better to drive than one that makes you feel on edge all the time.

Just as an example, my first Starlet had uprated shocks/springs, front and rear strut braces, and 195/45/15 Toyo tyres. It was good to drive because I knew the car and it was very predictable, the tyres would squeal a bit near the limit, and then it would just progress to some controllable under steer.

The Honda CRX however, which had MeisterR coilovers should have easily out handled any other car I've ever owned, but it gave me very little confidence, I didn't know where it's limits were, don't get me wrong it was much more fun than the Starlet but I didn't ever use it's full potential (in saying that though I hadn't had it on the road for very long compared to my other cars).

My current car is a Rover 200 on completely standard suspension, and it's the best of the bunch. I have changed my driving style a bit now, so maybe not pushing it as much but unlike the other two cars I don't feel the need to alter the suspension at all. I might do in the future just for the sake of having it a little bit lower but the car is fine as it is, there's no point me spending money on it as it's well within my limits as it is.

Hope that helps, but in short, as long as it's a good dry day you should be able to have plenty of fun with what you've got.