Dumb Poll: Which first? Wheels or Suspension?

[PHeller]

I won't be buying anything until after winter, but I was thinking.

I'm going to start saving my pennies now, but what should I buy come March. Wheels or Suspension?

[nightsauce]

suspension....no point in having good wheels with 4x4 status

[simmode1]

Dammit! I was too quick on the gun and voted before I saw all the options... Wait longer and buy both at the same time...

[Elbowblk]

i'd say suspension

cause being dumped with stock wheel isnt too bad

but nice wheels with 4x4 status looks horrible.

[mRodiek]

Id rather have my car dumped on steelies than baller wheels with fender gap that could fit a tombstone

[S13_love]

Wait longer and buy both at the same time...

[S14toRPS13]

Just like everyone says. A dropped car on stock wheels looks 100x better than a 4x4 status car with some nice wheels. Hell, stock height and stock wheels looks better than stock height and aftermarket wheels.

[Bumnah]

Looks: SuspensionHandling: tires

Tires are the only part of the car that touch the road, upgrading those will net you the most return on your dollar.

Truth be told, suspension and tires go hand in hand.

Option 3 of everything at once is the best choice, although difficult to obtain for many.

[Spiffy240]

im going to have to disagree with the last post

yes tires are important, but suspension work is an even greater improvement overall. I went with spl coils, 5 lug, and s14 se wheels with practically bald tires. The handling increased exponentially and i can do turns 10+15 mph faster even with bald tires. I bought new tires now so i cannot wait what the performance boost will be but suspension is DEF. not just for looks.

[PHeller]

While I would agree that tires are the keystone of a good handling car, your going to replace them when you have to.

wheels vs suspension is not a required decision of driving the car every day. When my tires are bald (like they are now) I'm going to spend money on new tires.

When I've got $1000 bucks floating around, I'm not going to buy new tires to replace my perfectly good ones, but I will need to decide between either wheels or coilovers.

[cdkilla]

Yeah dump your car and screw your suspension geometry completly up, just for looks!

[PHeller]

Hellz ye!

because I'm sure all those hot rodders, rat rodders, muscle car dudes, and about a gazillion other auto enthusiasts out there are completely concerned about their suspension geometry.

I do not race, therefore I do not care.

[cdkilla]

Huh, well in that case, more power to ya!

I guess I'm just not into that all looks stuff, but if thats you, cool beans.

If you aren't into racing, buy them both! Get some cheap coilovers, dump it, and get some sport max wheels or sometheing aesthetically pleasing.

[Nali]

togetherness!

[Gabes13]

Wait longer and buy both at the same time...

Truth

[93240cooool]

togetherness!

[PHeller]

Huh, well in that case, more power to ya!

I guess I'm just not into that all looks stuff, but if thats you, cool beans.

If you aren't into racing, buy them both! Get some cheap coilovers, dump it, and get some sport max wheels or sometheing aesthetically pleasing.

Thanks dude for not being a complete internet toolbag like some people who just go completely nuts when you want something different than them.

I am a former "performance over looks" guy, but I've also realized that part of car culture and auto enthusiasm is the whole idea that you stand out sometimes. I did auto-x for a few seasons, learned the correct way to set up suspension and didn't give a ratsass about what the car looked like.

It really pissed me off when people would come up to me and be like "that's a nice car, anything done to it?" and for the most part I'd say "no", but I knew full well its potential on a closed course.

I'd rather have a car that others can take at face value. Lowered, "aesthetically pleasing" wheels, obnoxiously loud exhaust, coilovers and other cheapfun bits. When I do an auto-x and get destroyed, I'm comfortable with that because I'm not aiming to compete. When I have money to do that again, I'll start worrying about performance.

On another note, I'd do both wheels and suspension at the same time, but I'd really like Koni/GC kit or used Stance setup and with wheels that'll cost more than I have invested into the car. Plus my $250 a month income doesn't support that kind of expenditure.

[mckmnstr]

id say suspension and handling first, just my 2 cents

[24j0hn]

i'd say suspension

cause being dumped with stock wheel isnt too bad

but nice wheels with 4x4 status looks horrible.

+1... i dont have coilovers, but i am lowered... i couldnt stand 4x4 look, but i can live with stock steelies and go 5 lug later...

[simmode1]

I do not race, therefore I do not care.

OMG yes. Thank you for saying it.

I mean, kudos to the guys with immaculate suspension setups (like Bumnah ), but for the rest of us, we'd be happy as long as our excessively low car doesn't cause premature tire wear.

[asoomal]

Suspension-> Brakes -> Wheels -> Chassis -> Performance.

After the car has been restored back to tip top condition.

[Bumnah]

im going to have to disagree with the last post

yes tires are important, but suspension work is an even greater improvement overall. I went with spl coils, 5 lug, and s14 se wheels with practically bald tires. The handling increased exponentially and i can do turns 10+15 mph faster even with bald tires. I bought new tires now so i cannot wait what the performance boost will be but suspension is DEF. not just for looks.

I have no intention to argue with you, but I must ask did you even read my post? I stated, suspension and tires go hand in hand.

Lastly, there are lots of things that come into play for a suspension build. Simply swapping in coilovers and an arm here and there, doesn't mean the suspension is rebuilt. You've got bushings to replace all over the place. What good are coilovers if your bushings are from 1989? How good are oem sway bars when you've changed the roll stiffness of your suspension?

You can always track a car with a compromised suspension. Get on the track with sub par tires and see how poorly it will react after a few hot laps.

[spooled240]

if it were me i would get the suspension first then get wheels later. Enjoy drifting with cheap tires on the stock rims for a while

[mattblancarte]

Where's the option for not buying anything at all? If I read correctly, the OP said his current monthly income is $250.

How could any reasonable person spend their money on their car when that is the case?

I won't be buying anything until after winter, but I was thinking.

I'm going to start saving my pennies now, but what should I buy come March. Wheels or Suspension?

More income in spring, I hope?

If you do modify your suspension, just go cheap and buy lowering springs until you have an actual need for expensive performance parts (i.e. coils).

It'll give you the lowered look and you can keep some of the $1000 you plan on having. Put the left over skrilla towards the wheels.

[PHeller]

thanks for financially conservative advice, Matt.

Yes, being a college student lucky enough to pound out 18 credits on a full-ride scholarship/grant and avoid working more than 10 hours a week has my hobbies in recession.

I've actually got Tien S-Tech springs sitting around that I got for free but I really don't feel like spending the time to put them out if they aren't worth it and will be torn off to replace with coils next year anyhow.

Basically I'm just trying to figure out some spending plans for next year because I'm doing alright on a minimal income, so I think I'll do better with a full time job and a degree. Plus I'll want to give myself a graduation present!

[hbpignosePA]

suspension

honestly

coils are a waste unless you are planning on tracking the car

not worth it for a daily driver or a hard parker

ya i said it

i rocked a spring strut combo for a year and a half and it served me well. loved the feel for a daily driver. only selling it since i no longer daily my s13 and it is on a long term project status

[PHeller]

I do hope to track the car once I have some income. I would have this year but I instead chose to work for less than minimum wage at a YMCA Summer Camp. In my opinion it was worth the sacrifice because the experience had a positive impact on my life. Spending the $40 bucks at an autocross wasn't worth it either because I know how the car will behave and I know it won't be competitive. Fun sure, but I can have fun for free in an empty parking lot at midnight.

I was actually curious to see if a "low rate" spring setup on Koni/GC setup could be done. Something that rides no worse than spring/strut combo on the street but utilizes some of the best dampers in the market.

[hbpignosePA]

well you could start with koni's and a drop spring, and get G/C sleeves later

i want to run z32 rear uprights or i would have gone this route

keep an eye out ill be posting some of my stuff for sale soon

sorry didnt want to jack your thread/ just trying to help a local guy out

[PHeller]

dude, no problem really.

I'm just lucky that one of threads has generated any amount of interest. Usually they are on the first page for about an hour before getting booted to 2nd page by build threads and other more important material.

I have actually really considered going with Koni inserts up front then doing the rest when I can afford it.

[180sxdrifter187]

Why not both at once?

Seriously though, setting low in stock rims is nasty looking, and same thing with the oppisite. i do it all at once.