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I've done a fair number of mods and, like others, research the heck out of them before pulling the trigger so can't say I regret any. The closest might be choosing 11k/11k springs for the Ohlins coilovers. On the track they are fabulous and I love them. On the street, even with the struts set soft, they are on the edge of what I'd consider reasonable for a weekend drive with my wife. If I didn't track it as much as I do, I'd regret not going a little softer on the springs.
A lot of your issue is that you're setting the shocks "soft".
To answer the thread, the only mods in 12 years that I ended up looking back on with actual dislike were the blue rays engineering lug nuts (too colourful with gold wheels), and my AEM V2 (MASSIVELY ugly).
I used to have Skunk2 springs on stock shocks for like 5K miles too. Honestly...the ride was OK. And I tracked the car....and they worked ok. But...the way they made the car sit was laughable.
A lot of your issue is that you're setting the shocks "soft".
There's no issue here: it's just balancing the inevitable tradeoffs. Soft strut settings help reduce the constant jiggling from uneven roads. But that results in more float and less precise handling. Softer springs would support stiffer shock settings without as much jiggle. But they would not be as precise on the track.
Occasionally I forget to soften the struts after a track day and it's immediately obvious from the additional jiggle on the street. It gets old on long drives. If I didn't track the car then I'd be happier with softer springs that would enable stiffer strut settings without excessive jiggle.
One last thing: calling the ride "floaty" is probably overstating things. Soft strut settings are only floaty when compared to stiffer settings. The ride is still more tightly controlled than the stock suspension.
You do always ask for the alignment printout, right?
I did search to see what it looked like before my last post. I was just trying to see what it looked like though, so I didn't get as deep into the information is what you've posted here. I do get copies of the printouts because I keep them and write notes for future reference. Last time I went, I left and went back the same day to have him tweak it some more. Dude forgot to print it again before the screen cleared the second time. Went back today and had them do it again. Hung out in shop chatting with the guy while he did it. Got the printout. The car drives much better now.
Based on your description, I don't think it is the compliance bushings. They are able to adjust every setting. They say the difficulty is because it's lowered. He also said the extra dartiness is because of that. Tie rods aren't straight, but are angled up. Said it jacks up the toe over bumps. Thanks for the good info though, might consider preemptively greasing them up sometime!
Mods or upgrades? For my '01 AP1: improved oil banjo bolts, quick drain oil valve, oil filter lock, bought, yet not yet installed: AP2 valve retainers, taller, laser engraved windscreen (no effect with the top down, unless the windows are up (geeky), later model door cards to house tweeters in my upgraded audio system with amplifier, woofers and tweeters, S-pods and roll hoop speakers, sub-woofer in the passenger footwell, LED footwell lights (to be installed), alarm system, hard wired radar/laser detector (stealth mount), seat heaters, removable trunk luggage rack custom enhanced with oak slats (slats made by a fellow S owner), key hole covers, AP2V1 17" wheels, stainless steel brake lines, leather shift boot, leather console cover, leather shift knob sock, leather sun visor covers, cloth softtop with heated/defroster glass window. No regrets.
lol i KIND of regret getting the ap1v2 wheels, since they are a smaller size and have taller sidewalls. i got them because i wanted to keep the car "mostly" stock but that went out of the window real quick after my first track day. kind of wished i spent the money on 17" track wheels but they have been a good learning experience for me, and its not like i can't sell them later to somebody who wishes to compete in stock autocross. I am happy that i got the set of 6 instead of just the staggered 4 though, cuz the square setup is tons better out on the track.
i also kind of regret the AEM V2 Cold Air Intake since i'm afraid of hydrolocking my car, but i have a daily driver so its not like i'm carless. but man those intake noises are awesome, and i can't wait to tie everything together with a tune eventually.
and last mod i regret was a test pipe, the smell, the noise, mostly because i got a ticket for modified exhaust. HFC is the way to go imo
best mods so far has been switching to a square setup(i can only imagine how good it feels with 9-10in wheels), and changing out all the bushings for new ones, the car was pretty sloppy when i got it, and after changing them out it felt so much tighter and predictable.
lol i KIND of regret getting the ap1v2 wheels, since they are a smaller size and have taller sidewalls. i got them because i wanted to keep the car "mostly" stock but that went out of the window real quick after my first track day. kind of wished i spent the money on 17" track wheels but they have been a good learning experience for me, and its not like i can't sell them later to somebody who wishes to compete in stock autocross. I am happy that i got the set of 6 instead of just the staggered 4 though, cuz the square setup is tons better out on the track.
I think he means the BBS JDM Wheels. Its funny because he is saying he regrets that mod. He has them set up square I believe. I have a set of those wheels in my ap1 and I absolutely love them. I run them in the oem staggered set up. I'd say its the best mod I have made. I guess that is what makes the world go around.
02-24-2018, 05:18 AM
