Ok....I've got my mind set on a few ideas for my car but before I pick which path I will go down I want some help.

1. Is there a down side to light weight rims? I am going for 17" and have found a huge weight differene...lowest was 13.4 lbs the highest over 22 lbs each. I'd assume the lighter the better.

2. Exhaust...besides noise is there anything wrong with the dual out invidia n1 exhaust? Any power losses or anything? Dual I noticed is heavier, but I like the look a lot better.

3. Suspension...I like the price and features of megan ($900) and buddy club ($1200) setups.

goals of suspension:
lower
tighten up handling
not spend too much $

Any opinions on either or other suggestions?

 

Since you live in Va, I would strongly recommend NOT getting the Invidia.

 

Good idea...invidia was my original idea...after hearing about noise I actually meant to ask about the spugen dual out.

 

1: lighter rims = potentially weaker, easier to bend. also more expensive (ie magnesium = super light + very expensive) also depends on where on the wheel the weight is. you expend more energy rotating weight on the outside curcumference of the wheel than near the hub.

2: don't know about invidia specifically. depends on how well the exhaust was designed and the application. N/A likes a smaller pipe and more backpressure than a turbo application does. too much/not enough flow or the wrong timing/amount of backpressure and you loose power. also resonance can affect the noise alot. a nice loud exhaust quickly turns annoying/painful with alot of resonance.

3: don't know. heard good things about both. I do know if i could i'd want them corner balanced and some effort put in to finding the optimal settings for street/autox/etc. be sure to find out what spring rates are available and whats recommended. something good for the street may be bad for the track, or viseversa, or there may be one thats a compromise between both. personally i want something springed more for spirited/autox/track but that I can set soft enough to be comfortable if stiff around town.

 

Don't know much about wheels as I only have the 16 oems, I have heard the OEM 17s are much heavier with rubber.

Invidia is super loud and drony IMO, it sounds great WOT.

For low cost suspension Koni yellows and lower springs would get the job done. That low end JDM stuff is crap for the most part.

A stiffer front Sway bar is a great mod.

 

1. lighter wheels are better then heavier wheels... lighter the wheels usually the more expensive they are.. but if you stick with volk, works, yada yada... you know where i'm getting at, you'll be fine... if you cheap out and get some rotas, i'll be seeing you on the side of the street with a bent/broken rim...

2. invidia is loud so is spugen, if you want a quiet dual but louder then stock, stick with something that looks similar to oem.. (fujitsubo, comptech).. if you want a canister look, hks... the rest are relatively loud... if you go single. it'll be loud... (if you want hks, i'll sell you mine.. i'm going to be upgrading in a copule months or so...)

3. buddy clubs are a decent setup, many people use them on the track... if you don't want to spend much money just get some springs and koni yellows, and if you want some adjustability with ride height get the ground controls and pair them up with some koni yellows..... this will save you money over getting a full coilover system..

 

ok sounds like I was kindda going in the right direction. I was debating getting the konis with comptech springs but that ended up being around 1000 (600 in springs 400 in struts) too I think. I figured I would just go with megan or buddy since everything would be matched up.

rims - sounds like I'll go with the 13 lb

exhaust - I do want louder then stock but not something that screams pull me over. I love the sound of comptech but was trying to cut the price down....I should know better by now.

 

My Prodrives are very light. I think somewhere around 15lbs. They're also forged wheels. Mine are very good quality and I don't suspect any damage unless I run over something or Skip does

I have the Spugen dual and I love it.

 

If I had the money Buddy Clubs all the way

 

which rims are you going with?