SVT springs vs FRPP kit; comfort, ride & handling

[homey55]

Originally Posted by karmakc

I will do that. For the short term, I'm going to keep my current tires on to assess the wear vs alignment for the new set up.

I noticed that you mention Autolite 103's in your signature. Since you have the same motor as I do, what is your feedback on have the colder plugs?

Is there a noticeable power difference? How about fuel economy?

Try as I might, over the last year, whether I have a feather light foot or a heavy foot, my minimum has been 19.5 mpg to 29.0 mpg. The lower end was almost only in the city and the 29 was mostly highway. I've yet to crack the 30 mpg barrier and I was wondering if changing the plugs may help with that.

Your thoughts...

Some guys on the forum Dyno'd them and claim 5hp. I did notice a slight improvement and for $8 it's not a bad investment. The power definitely smoothes out but that will happen with any new plugs you install. Not sure if there was much improvement on MPG but I'll let you know after I burn the current tank of gas as I just changed my plugs last weekend and I check my MPG after each tank of gas.

[karmakc]

Originally Posted by homey55

Some guys on the forum Dyno'd them and claim 5hp. I did notice a slight improvement and for $8 it's not a bad investment. The power definitely smoothes out but that will happen with any new plugs you install. Not sure if there was much improvement on MPG but I'll let you know after I burn the current tank of gas as I just changed my plugs last weekend and I check my MPG after each tank of gas.

Yeah let me know! I check my MPG after each tank too...pretty detailed notes actually..call me anal but I like to know what is up.

What kind of driving do you do, that is, how much time/miles on highway vs city?

I'm in no rush to change my plugs per se, but with gas prices climbing, I'll take $8 to improve my efficiency by even 5%.

In other news, I just received my FRPP springs and SVT dampers today. The box with the SVT dampers was pretty chewed and gashed up but the contents look to be intact.
And my SVT rear sway bar is due to be delivered tomorrow.

I'll be doing the install this coming weekend...


Oh and, how did you end up spending money for the DIY short shifter? I did mine and I may have positioned the fulcrum point a little too high and now the ring at the base of my shifter is broken and regularly pops out of the holder...I don't want to spend $70+ for a whole new shift knob to just get a replacement for the transmission boot ring...any ideas?

[homey55]

I drive 60 miles a day on the freeway (~70-80mph). I fill up about every 5 days. I don't take notes on mpg but I just see what the total miles are when I fill up. Summer and Winter gas burns different too so you will usually see better mileage in the Summer...

I spent $5 on my DIY shifter and the exact same thing happened to my shift boot. Eventually I will replace the boot and lower the fulcrum on the shifter but for now I just took off the boot. Junk Yards and the classifieds on here will net you a new boot.

[mitchv]

so you went frpp lowering springs and then went with the svt struts and dampers? anyone recomend this for not so decent roads?

[homey55]

Originally Posted by mitchv

so you went frpp lowering springs and then went with the svt struts and dampers? anyone recomend this for not so decent roads?

That's what we all have. It's 1.5" lower than stock and the ride is decent.

[karmakc]

Originally Posted by homey55

I drive 60 miles a day on the freeway (~70-80mph). I fill up about every 5 days. I don't take notes on mpg but I just see what the total miles are when I fill up. Summer and Winter gas burns different too so you will usually see better mileage in the Summer...

I spent $5 on my DIY shifter and the exact same thing happened to my shift boot. Eventually I will replace the boot and lower the fulcrum on the shifter but for now I just took off the boot. Junk Yards and the classifieds on here will net you a new boot.

Found a leather boot with plastic ring intact. $25+shipping, not bad considering the item, when new is $45...

Any word on the mpg with the new plugs?

The weather will clear up enough for me to get the suspension install underway, this saturday. I B stoked :)

I've got two tires that have more wear than the other two, the previous owner never did the rotations - with the new suspension, I'm probably going to keep the old tires for a bit, and I'll move the newer tires to the rear and the older ones to the front.

The way I've had the tires behave with the older/less grippy tires at the rear in the wet has been hairy -- several fishtailing events even at low speeds...I figure the older tires, with the engine right over them, should wreak less havoc at low or medium speeds through the wet, however, I'm entirely unsure of their hydroplaning resistance...(sorry about the tangent, just wanted to get the words out)

[karmakc]

Finally got the FRPP kit (1.5" drop with SVT dampers and rear SVT sway bar) installed in the car. It took an epic 5+ hours to install with help from someone who's done this before...I took the car for a brief spin, which included the twisty Western Dr along the Pacific Ocean in Santa Cruz and some straightaway blasts.

Amazingly, all the reviews of the suspension being harsh were unfounded, at least on the roads around here. There is barely any brake dive and the sway bar is doing its job. I've fallen in love with my car, again! All I need now is some new rubber and I'll be stoked for a long while. I'm not even sure if my car needs an alignment, it still tracks straight as an arrow, I'll probably get it checked before I make any tall claims though.

A big thank you to all the folks who've replied to this thread and guided me along the way. And huge props to crazyjess for making the install happen.

[felixthecat]

Originally Posted by karmakc

Finally got the FRPP kit (1.5" drop with SVT dampers and rear SVT sway bar) installed in the car. It took an epic 5+ hours to install with help from someone who's done this before...I took the car for a brief spin, which included the twisty Western Dr along the Pacific Ocean in Santa Cruz and some straightaway blasts.

Amazingly, all the reviews of the suspension being harsh were unfounded, at least on the roads around here. There is barely any brake dive and the sway bar is doing its job. I've fallen in love with my car, again! All I need now is some new rubber and I'll be stoked for a long while. I'm not even sure if my car needs an alignment, it still tracks straight as an arrow, I'll probably get it checked before I make any tall claims though.

A big thank you to all the folks who've replied to this thread and guided me along the way. And huge props to crazyjess for making the install happen.

Get a 4 way alignment = to set your toe. Do the rear 1st, then the front & make sure the steering wheel is straight.

[karmakc]

How she looks now:


After a second drive today, I realized how much stiffer the springs are. It definitely is bordering on harsh, however it is quite a different car altogether.

Only Fronts w/CrazyJess's car in the foreground:


Jesse's car has a 2" drop with Koni's. When we took my car out for a test drive, he was plenty amazed by the lack of sway and the shock/strut combo. I think he may be reconsidering his own set up.

[homey55]

Get the Allignment! You may not think you need it but, when you get it you will notice a difference.

BTW, my MPG # didn't turn out so well...not sure if it was a heavy foot last week or what but averaged 24.6 MPG. I'll check it again this week and report back.