The weather forecast changed for the better, so I drove the car to work. I really like it so far. I have an autoX coming up on the 13th and a track day at Eagle's Canyon at the end of the month, and am now really looking forward to both. Here is where it stands now:

 

Perfect. Nice work man.

 

Thanks. You have been very helpful, and I appreciate it very much.

I just skimmed through your build thread. Very informative and entertaining!

One question for the board: How much rake does the car have from the factory? Somehow I neglected to take that measurement before I started wrenching.

In other news, I can now swap a suspension in 2 hours flat, so if anyone in the DFW area needs help...

 

Man, I am not sure what the rake is, I would have to measure a stock 8.

 

Hey stvn, What part of the area are you in. I'm south of burleson about 15 miles

 

I think stock the rear sits .5-.75" lower than the front. It's been a long time since my car was stock though. I just think s-techs leveled it out with a 1.4"f/0.8"r drop.

 

A guy I work with has a stock 2004. I can measure his assuming I remember to take a tape measure with me one day. Not sure it can still be called 'factory' after 10 years and a few alignments though.

I have the service manual, and looking at the alignment specs, it appears one could deduce the rear is supposed to be ~0.3" higher since each like camber setting reflects this difference front to rear. This assumes measurement between the center of the hub to the high point of the fender well is meaningful. It may not relate to the frame at all. It is still a useful point of reference as I fine tune over the next several weeks.

I am in Frisco. I have family in Grandview, and my wife has family in Burleson. We also have a lake house near Whitney, so we are in your neck of the woods from time to time. There are some really nice, deserted, twisty back roads out there... :D

 

I suppose I should finish this thread with what eventually happened, which was pretty uneventful. I drove the car more than usual for about a month to settle the new suspension components. I raised the ride height 1/4" all around afterward, then took the the car back to Cobb for corner balancing and alignment. I also gave them a set of Whiteline adjustable end links, which they installed and adjusted free of charge. The car has been great, and Cobb's work has been very much appreciated all around. These aren't the greatest coilovers in the world, but they are getting the job done, and I am rather liking them for what they are.

 

Just out of curiosity, you mention that the Bilsteins are not the best coil overs so if you were to do it over again what would you look into? I am currently researching suspension options (goals are mildly lowered stance and more aggressive planted ride) so your thread was helpful.

If you don't mind sharing some of the details maybe regarding "spirited" driving and day to day use…I would be very grateful.

Since I am early in the research stage I am looking at the low cost options as well (KW, Tein, etc.).

 

KW is low cost? I wouldn't put that in the same ballpark as Tein.

 

FCM customs would be my first choice. KW would be my second.

 

confused,

are you not happy with the ss9?

if you change i would take them off your hands. btw, looks from the photo front could go down just a bit.. had a longer than short conversation with roar racing about the rake idea.

and i dont know more than a bit about FCM. i do have some koni adjustable yellows laying around..

but that is a track comment..

beers

 

The PSS9 is a good middle tier coilover IMHO. If you are mostly driving on the street and occasionally doing a track day or Autocross, it is perfectly suited for that and is all you need. I am tracking my car at least once a month and could now probably benefit from something closer to a top tier suspension. I recently had the chance to drive a Miata fitted with FCMs and had my mind blown.

To be clear, I don't hate the PSS9s, and they don't suck. I'll probably change cars before I change suspensions.

As for the stance, I had the car corner balanced about 60 days after I installed the PSS9s, so it sits where it sits. Corner balancing is the best $500 you will spend if you are tracking your car. It makes a huge difference.