tomocoloco

I'm looking for ride quality, and all season performance...with some style.

Springs: Stock
Struts/Shocks: Koni Yellow front and rear
Rims: Voxx MG3 15x7, 4-100, 38mm offset
Tires: 195/60-15 Yokohama Avid TRZ or Falken Zeix 912

Debating on tires-

Yokohamas will do the best in the snow, but have harder side walls some people complain about noise, this will mean good winter traction at the price of a little harder ride.

Falkens will help soften the ride, but I won't have as good of traction in the snow. I'm in wisconsin, sometimes it is bad, other times not so much, they do a good job clearing the snow if they can keep up. Might only spend 15% of the time in snow over 1". And it is my mother-in-laws vehicle she is retired and doesn't need to go out if it is too bad.

I plan on running the rear shocks as soft as I can. I read someone recommended a rear anti-sway bar upgrade. I didn't even look to see if it has a stock rear bar on it. TRD was mentioned, the person writing the post said the softer shocks made the back end want to come around more. This could be dangerous, and I would want to add a bar if needed to keep the same handling. I always thought that front drive usually wants to understeer and you add a (stiffer) rear bar to add oversteer, to get it closer to neutral handling.

Someone also mentioned energy suspension end links and lower control arm bushings.

I'm going to go with the 15x7 rims and 195/60-15 tires, koni yellow front and rear.

1. Which tires should I go with?

2. Do I need a rear sway bar with the softest rear shock setting? (my mother-in-law will be daily driving it, not pushing it hard, but I don't want her to spin into the ditch in bad weather.)

Here are the prices what do you think?

Rims $105 x 4 =$420
Tires $70 x 4 =$280
Hub centric rings = free
Lug nuts = $45
Valve stems = $3 x 4 =$12
Free shipping
Total =$707 (discount tire direct)

Struts $150 x 2 =$300 (on sale 'til 6.30.10)
Shocks $91 x 2 =$182 (on sale 'til 6.30.10
Shipping =$28
Total =$510.10 (tire rack)

RedneckwithanxB

two words and a picture:

lowering springs

tomocoloco

I would love to lower it slightly, but I don't want it to low for driving in the snow in the winter, and I don't want it to ride any rougher than it already does.

I have read some of the manufactures have close to what I would be looking for. I would do it if I could get away with true 1" - 1.5" drop and the same or better ride. It seems like from what I've personally experience with lowering springs on other vehicles I've had and from what I've read about the springs people have put on their xB's. It seems that once the springs settle in, it sits lower that advertised.

Zman

Drop needed!

bB2NER

Your setup sound almost complete. Depending on were you live, some Tein H Techs would lower you slightly over an inch after they settle which looks better than stock. They make no difference in ride quality tho so it's just for looks.
A rear sway bar from Progress or Whiteline makes a big difference in cornering. I love my Whiteline. But the Progress is easier to install.
Your choice in Koni was good too. I went with Monroes and love the quality of ride they provide.
195/60/15 tire size will add to ride quality and help lessen wheel gap if you choose to stick with stock springs.
There is another cheap mod where you can upgrade the front swaybar links with urethane bushings. Don't have the link but it's on here somewhere.
Adding some 1/2" rear hub spacers will bring the rear wheels out to match the fronts.

tomocoloco

Can I get a 0 degree hub spacer? I really don't want to deal with the added tire wear, and I don't need the added performance.

daneisthegreatest

iTrader: (1)

Yeah if you get a 10mm hub spacer in the rear and a slight drop you'd be sitting pretty, you don't have to worry about camber wear in the rear because the rear setup is a fixed axel, meaning that unless you add camber shims you should never have any camber back there unless you have a bent axel.

I am dropped 6+ inches on coilovers and have no issues with camber wear and I've never had an alignment since I bought the car (3+ years) and have no camber wear, but with springs I would definitely recommend an alignment.

I was dropped on skink2 springs before I went with the coilovers and it had a nice drop, about 1-1.5" but I wanted more of a drop so I got the coilovers.


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

bB2NER

I think he meant that the 15mm spacers add camber. No, you only get camber if you add the shims. Spacers only stay at 0 degrees, just 15mm out farther. You don't need longer studs or anything. They come with the longer bolts that go in from behind the brake backing plates.

tomocoloco

Ok, this is what I thought. Everywhere I've been looking I see -3 camber spacers in 10mm, 15mm, 20mm. I get the spacing and where they go, that I don't need longer studs, and that the rear axle is solid. I have the mechanical back round to understand that. I know that if they would have to adjust the alignment the only way to do it on this style of axle is to put shims behind the hub where the spacer goes.

So when I see "1st gen -3 camber spacer" I guessing there is a little bit of negative factory camber to begin with. I thought the spacer spaces the wheel out it specific width, this I get. And then it also added an additional -3 degrees of camber. Which I don't want to add any more camber. That is why I asked if I could get 0 degree hub spacers.

bB2NER

Hub spacers come with 0 camber. The rear wheels from the factory are 0 camber. If you wanted camber there is a special spacer that you would "buy in addition too" and would add behind the other spacer to achive the camber.
I have 1/2" spacers on mine in the rear and it didn't even change my factory alignment.

Here is a nice DIY install with pics.
http://www.clubxb.com/forums/f15/diy...ers-21678.html

Try contacting Mike (AllianceAutoSports). He is the one I got the 1/2" ones from. He should have what you need minus the camber.

Zman

I got the Koni struts on today. Wow, I feel like I can take any turn with no loss of grip! They are much smoother which is what I was looking for.

Murphys_Law

iTrader: (3)

^ what wheels are those? they look like corvette sawblades?