Project Super VIII - My build thread
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Evolving Member
Joined: Dec 2008
Posts: 134
Likes: 3
From: Canada
Alright I finally have some time to update this.
If there's one thing that I've learned while building all my cars is that suspension is probably the most important upgrade to make to a vehicle. Not just because of the performance benefits but if you drive your car everyday wouldn't you want the best ride quality available? That's where the cheaper coilovers differ from the high end ones and I'd rather spend more money on a quality setup of coilovers then add more power to the car simply because your suspension is used ever moment your driving the car as opposed to going WOT that happens sporadically.
Of course, I also wanted a set that would provide equally impressive results on track. After going for a ride in Ryan Gates track Evo X and 311 RS I knew I had to have a set of JRZ's on my next car. Plus, I had talked to Bryan Hise of JRZ and the new JRZ RS1 is a perfect coilover setup for my application. It blends JRZ's race technology with street use in mind and the result is a single adjustable mono-tube damper that is comfortable enough for daily use but still delivers serious damping on the track.
I love the simplicity of the JRZ's which results in a trim lightweight package.
Installation on these bad boys is simple, although I will say that one oversight JRZ missed is not provided a spanner wrench to adjust the spring height. I've talked to them about it and they admitted they need to supply them.
After finishing the JRZ install, I also had picked up a Whiteline anti-bump steer kit. It's the perfect addition to any lowered car as it corrects the front end geometry after you lower it.
A press is vital for this job as getting out the old ball joints and pressing the new ones in is a huge pain in the *** any other way.
A good comparison between stock and Whiteline's balljoint.
With both parts installed it was time to dial in the camber, align the toe, to somewhat respectable specs until I get it to Evasive for a proper alignment.
For better turn-in and a more neutral handling Evo, I recommend a stiffer rear sway bar. I used a Whiteline bar with great success on my Evo X so I installed one on the VIII. As you can see it's quite a bit thicker than the stock piece and has different adjustment points.
replacing the sway bar also gave me the chance to replace the old and tired sway bar endlinks with Whiteline pieces that are adjustable and will provide less give than the stock links.
I'm lucky enough to have access to proper weigh scales so I was also able to dial in the front/back weight distribution as best I could.
It's nice to have a car that weighs just over 3000lbs again. The Evo X was a porker!
And that's how she sits after the suspension overhaul. I'm hoping to get some wheels soon but there's pressing trip to the dyno that needs to be done before hand to see how much power I made over stock.
I'll try to update this again next week when I've got some more spare time.
If there's one thing that I've learned while building all my cars is that suspension is probably the most important upgrade to make to a vehicle. Not just because of the performance benefits but if you drive your car everyday wouldn't you want the best ride quality available? That's where the cheaper coilovers differ from the high end ones and I'd rather spend more money on a quality setup of coilovers then add more power to the car simply because your suspension is used ever moment your driving the car as opposed to going WOT that happens sporadically.
Of course, I also wanted a set that would provide equally impressive results on track. After going for a ride in Ryan Gates track Evo X and 311 RS I knew I had to have a set of JRZ's on my next car. Plus, I had talked to Bryan Hise of JRZ and the new JRZ RS1 is a perfect coilover setup for my application. It blends JRZ's race technology with street use in mind and the result is a single adjustable mono-tube damper that is comfortable enough for daily use but still delivers serious damping on the track.
I love the simplicity of the JRZ's which results in a trim lightweight package.
Installation on these bad boys is simple, although I will say that one oversight JRZ missed is not provided a spanner wrench to adjust the spring height. I've talked to them about it and they admitted they need to supply them.
After finishing the JRZ install, I also had picked up a Whiteline anti-bump steer kit. It's the perfect addition to any lowered car as it corrects the front end geometry after you lower it.
A press is vital for this job as getting out the old ball joints and pressing the new ones in is a huge pain in the *** any other way.
A good comparison between stock and Whiteline's balljoint.
With both parts installed it was time to dial in the camber, align the toe, to somewhat respectable specs until I get it to Evasive for a proper alignment.
For better turn-in and a more neutral handling Evo, I recommend a stiffer rear sway bar. I used a Whiteline bar with great success on my Evo X so I installed one on the VIII. As you can see it's quite a bit thicker than the stock piece and has different adjustment points.
replacing the sway bar also gave me the chance to replace the old and tired sway bar endlinks with Whiteline pieces that are adjustable and will provide less give than the stock links.
I'm lucky enough to have access to proper weigh scales so I was also able to dial in the front/back weight distribution as best I could.
It's nice to have a car that weighs just over 3000lbs again. The Evo X was a porker!
And that's how she sits after the suspension overhaul. I'm hoping to get some wheels soon but there's pressing trip to the dyno that needs to be done before hand to see how much power I made over stock.
I'll try to update this again next week when I've got some more spare time.
