[NefCanuck]

darkpuppet,Jun 24 2005, 01:41 PM Wrote:

Flofocus,Jun 23 2005, 11:30 PM Wrote:

darkpuppet,Jun 23 2005, 09:57 PM Wrote:but then again, I haven't gotten a ride in any other setup...
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No? :huh: ;)

i may have lied... I've driven in other setups... my one line comments would go as follows:

stock car - I'm floating on a cloud... how do you steer a cloud?

no offense, as suspension can be somewhat subjective (since nobody here has taken their car to the skidpad - except for mine - in January - on a not-so-reputable tv show).
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Outta curiousity when you say stock what MY/suspension setup are we talking here? If you haven't driven an '05 sedan with the SES setup and you're coming to the BBQ I'd be curious to see what you thought of mine, with one warning...

Just remember, that's an extra gas pedal on the left side, not an upsidedown clutch pedal :lol:

NefCanuck

[darkpuppet]

i won't make the bbq for a number of reasons unfortunately....

the only '05 i've driven in was my brother's wagon, and the seats were so high, i swear i was driving on the roof of the car (and the suspension felt like i was riding on the roof of the car).

i wish this weekend (and next) could have worked out better... :(

[NefCanuck]

darkpuppet,Jun 24 2005, 03:29 PM Wrote:i won't make the bbq for a number of reasons unfortunately....

the only '05 i've driven in was my brother's wagon, and the seats were so high, i swear i was driving on the roof of the car (and the suspension felt like i was riding on the roof of the car).

i wish this weekend (and next) could have worked out better... :(
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Heh I had to crank the seat down a fair bit to get under the sunroof, so I'm probably sitting lower than you were (Did the wagon have 16" wheels on it too?)

Hey, things happen, until I'm actually at the BBQ tommorow I still fear getting The Call from my female friend which will include The Question:

Is your car and your net buddies more important than I am?

Maybe I should just leave my ringer off tonight when I get home from work <_<

NefCanuck

[Drivesthebeast]

Well, I certainly love the ride height of Darkpuppets car...loses the fender gap, but doesn't look slammed at the same time. My only other questions are...Do you drive the car in the snow, and if so, how do you find it...is the car still easy enough to get around in, even in deep powder with snowtires? Also, how is the clearance underneath? I would imagine that a 1.25" drop won't affect that as much as other kits/supensions that go lower...

I think I'm in agreement with most of you for suggesting the suspension kit as a higher priority...besides, I could leave the rim/tire purchase for the spring of next year (gives me a new toy to get pumped up about...lol)...

Thanks for the advice everybody! :D

[martinfan]

About having a low car during the winter. I have progress springs which have a 1.8" drop with eibach dampers and i dont have any trouble getting around in the snow. I do have winter tires but i havnt had any snow actually hit the front bumper or hit the underside of the car.

[ZX3TUNING]

ok, i gotta say something... why is it you or anyone on here is willing to spend $1000+ on a suspension and want the cheapest possible tires?
can anyone say "a 3 dressed up as a 9"?

you can spend $5000 on your suspension, if you put shitty $120/corner tires on it you just wasted all that time and money on your suspension. think about it, there are only 4 points in which your car is connected to the road usually about 5-8" wide and 1-3" long depending on tire size and what not. this is the front and final line between you and everything else on the road.


simply put, tires are the most important piece of equipement in making a car handle better, stop faster and accelerate! ask anyone who races or has been modifying cars for years... seriously, if you are going to buy a $120/corner tire, just go get some $99 Ebay springs and call it a day! anything else is a waste of time!

if you are serious about making your car handle better you should be looking at quality brand names: Kumho, Falken, Toyo, Bridgestone, Pirelli, BFG, etc... and nothing less than an ultra-high perf or a max perf tire. right now the best "performance tire" on the market is the Falken Azenis RT615, it's also very nicely priced compared to other tires it competes against. i should note that when i say best tire, i mean best as in it will outperform other tires in agressive or emergency handling/stopping tests.

tires i would suggest and nothing less if you have even the slightest idea about making your car handle better...
Falken ST115s good
Falken FK451s better
Falken RT615s best
Toyo T1-S better
Toyo T1-R Best
Kumho 712s good
Kumho MX better

all of the above tires are killer tires and reasonably priced. the quality performance tires from Pirelli, BFG and Bridgestone cost more and do not perform as well as the ones listed above compared by tire class.
stay away from fuzion, cooper, federal or any bargin brand tire as they will not perform like a quality tire will if you are looking for performance.

to be fair the people that rave about how great their Fuzion/cooper/federal/bargin-brand/bottom-rung tires are have probably never tired a real tire to compare to. so to them, they are an improvement and almost always noticable when switching from a most likely worn out, tall profile, dirt cheap economy tire than had on their little rims.

it's like anything else, people will always give you their opinion, but what is their opinion worth? what else have they tired and compared against? the worst advice is advice is uneducated advice... if someone is telling you what to buy and what not to buy based off what they have heard from someone or read online or for any reason that does not come from persoanl exp in testing between choices, that person is probably the last person you should be listening to. i'm not saying anyone on here is doing that, i'm just saying is all! :)

i'm lucky enough to have tired many different setups on the focus, i think i have driven over 30 different Focus' all with different suspensions, tires, rims and engine mods.... if you ask for my opinion i will give it to you.

please don't think i'm trying to sell you something here, i'm not and i could care less if i get a sale out of this post. i just would rather you all are happy and know you got the best possible part at a good price, be it from me or any other source. but when it comes to tires, don't cheap out!! there is a reason those cheap tires are cheap... please don't buy them unless you are just going for looks or need a cheap tire because you put on tons of mileage and cannot justify a $200+/corner tire that will last maybe 20-50k when a $100-150/corner tire that lasts maybe twice as long would suit you better. yes there will be an improvement in handling combind with a suspension but it will never handle as well as a quality tire on the same setup.

quaility tires stop faster and shorter, grip more in corners and have better wet weather compounds than the cheap tires... just something to remember. :)


happy motoring B)

[naz]

i don't know how the RT615 azenis are.. but based on RT215 i would say.. know how much tread you have.. slow down in the wet and watch for standing water

[Drivesthebeast]

I already have Bridgestone Potenza RE950's, 195/60 HR 15...an absolute quantum leap over the goodyear eagle RSA's that the car used to have on it. I am looking into the Firestone Firehawk Wide Oval tires...they retail $250 each...also I was looking into the Bridgestone Potenza RE 050's...but they are rather quite expensive. I am not planning to cheap out on the tires by any stretch...

I'm interested in the $1000 level of suspension kits because they are all matched components...I hate mix matched dampners and springs...not only that, but it offers a mild drop, leaving the vehicle useable all year...

I appreciate the advice all the same...