Hello All,

I have a 2005 Ap2 Silverstone that I owned for the last 4 years. I basically never did anything to it because i was more than happy with the performance. Lately however I been mulling the Ideas of engine mods,transmission upgrades,flywheel replacement,intakes and etc.. but then I came to a decision that I don't need to make her go faster in anyway cause I get speeding tickets regularly as it is lol! So I made a somewhat mature decision that if i wasn't going to make her go any faster i was going to make her handle even Better. So before I start buying things i have no idea on i figured i might as well get an education from you guys on the boards. I live in So Cal so I'm lucky that there are plenty of Curvy Mountain passes I frequent so handling became my primary upgrade path. With that said I'm hoping that I could get some advice from you guys about how I should go about things, I have been reading the boards for years now and I know that this is the place to come to get any kind of insight worth getting. Last Thing to keep in mind guys is that iam 38 years old but a very young at heart 38 lol..so i guess what I'm trying to say is I just want my favorite toy to handle even better when I hit those canyon roads after a long week in the office playing grown up. Thanks Guys!

 

first big step is coilovers. provides a stiffer suspension and lower center of gravity. don't waste you time with springs or spring/strut combos 'cause you'll just want coilovers after that anyway! but i guess firstly the most basic step is wheels/tires. what are you running?

 

Im running on stock 17 offsets that came with the car.

 

Any brands you could recommend on those coil overs?

 

and what tires/sizes?

there are a million different brands of coilovers for this car. depends on how serious a set you want and how much you have to spend. might search around this forum for coilover comparison threads. also just shop around online and see what kind of options are out there. i've only ridden on basic coilovers... BC, H&R, and megan. they run maybe $950-1,200 or so. if it's just for DD and weekend runs then you probably don't need anything too hardcore! it is nice to have something with a damper adjustment so you can soften them up and/or stiffen them as need be.

 

Tires are going to be one of the biggest changes (IMO) that you can make. Going from stocks to like RS3's or StarSpecs would make a world of difference. You can safely at stock height rock 225/45 and 255/40 on the stock wheels and gain a little extra rubber while you're at it.

 

^ agreed. although if you lower the car you have to be a little more careful. i'm lowered about 1.5" and ran AP2 V2 wheels with star specs in the sizes you mention. rears were ok but the fronts were rubbing on the inside shoulder of the tire on hard corners. offset was too high. guess it depends on how low the OP goes and his driving style...

 

Might be a silly question but here goes..Im running 215/40 in the front. If i go to 225/45 size will my handling change. I really like the way it feels now..but then what do i know never changing anything lol..educate me.

 

Thx for your input man

 

With slightly wider tires up front you'll have a little bit better turn in grip, but I dont know if you'll notice it really. It'd be worth it more to upgrade your tires and keep the same size, than to stick with crappy tires and go wider if you know what I mean.

So if you've got some cash to burn, maybe start looking at some lightweight 17" wheels, and make sure to get them in proper offsets (the lower the number the farther it will stick out / more fender modifications your gonna need etc.) then get some proper rubber to compliment them. Like these guys up here said, RS3's and Star Specs are nice, I also like Hankook V12 Evos.

For suspension, if your trying to upgrade an already good handling car, you'll want to go coilover like the guys above me said. I would reccomend the Bilstein PSS9's as they are one of the few coilover systems that are actually UPGRADES to the stock set up and dont cost a fortune (over $3k *cough KW v3 cough*) All coilovers have adjustable ride height, but the Bilstein's wont let you go SUPER low like the Megan's or BC. This may come as common knowledge but since your asking for an education, I figure it's good to fill in all the blanks and let you know that modding the suspension will lead to a lower ride height, and sometimes a stiffer and less comfortable ride as well. If you go too low, or have really low offset wheels, you may start scraping your tires on your fenders as well, which can lead to a whole bunch of problems and modifications needed to resolve the issue.

Best advice is to do your research, and do it right the first time