Suspension upgrades for a GTX

[Scott@USRT]

Aha, thanks for the comments. That's very helpful info.

im still having some pretty nasty oversteer. but that i think is more a problem with the swaybars or the alignment.

Did you add new bars or something? As for street alignment, I typically run something like -1.5deg/0deg camber (& 0deg toe) front/rear. It's fairly balanced on dry tarmac when run along with Bilstein inserts (VW Rabbit Sport/HD) and Pedders lowering springs. I've also got 205/50/15 tires mounted on 15x7" rims (Rota Grid w50mm ET + 6mm thick outboard rotors). Tire pressure is maintained at 44psi/40psi front/rear.

I'm curious to know what others have preferred.

[Talkurt]

nope, no new bars added by me. i bought the car used so im not too sure what i have on there. are there any distinguishing marks on the stock sway bars that anyone knows of? with my luck i would order some and end up swapping the same stuff out.

As of right now im just hoping and assuming my alignment is so far out of wack that thats the problem. ive been doing some looking and i see most people with 1.5/1 or 1/0 front and rear. i like a car that is balanced, all wheels let go at the same time. your 1.5/0 seems to come up quite a bit for street and occasional autocross. ive been going with 34psi all around but haven't had worthwhile suspension to get to the point of dialing that in yet.

[redheddude222]

Any more details on the Ksports? (price, company that imported them, etc) I have Tokico rally struts with stock springs on my GTX, but I want to build it up more for tarmac. Will lowering springs hurt the rally struts?

Also, I was told that the car has Mazdaspeed aftermarket sway bars front and rear. Is there any way to tell?

[trailrider098]

ya, the mazdaspeed bars will be thicker then stock

[Talkurt]

ltclloyd@yahoo.com is the guy that got them for me, im gonna keep pricing to myself since i think he gave me a pretty good deal. i forget the name of his shop now, something like 1st place engineering i think. the guy was on the ball with emails though.

what are the stock bar sizes?

[redheddude222]

ya, the mazdaspeed bars will be thicker then stock

I don't know what the stock sways look like, so I have nothing to compare to. Do you have any specs on the stock sway bar diameters?

[Talkurt]

got the car aligned. -1.15 in the front and it ended up being +.4 in back since i dont have any adj back there. after that it is a totally different car. i know what you guys are talking about when you say they handle like go-karts. im gonna start messing with the tire pressures and shock settings but overall im very happy

[redheddude222]

So I measured my swaybars:
Front 1 3/16" diameter
Rear 11/16" diameter

I'm thinking the front may be aftermarket, but the rear seems way too small not to be stock.

[trailrider098]

is the front one hollow? my FSM and spec books are all back in CT at the moment. However those do sound like both stock sizes, not mazdaspeed. The front one is pretty big stock, just hollow and flimsy. the aftermarket ones are solid, or way thicker steel and just slightly larger

[redheddude222]

I don't know how to tell if it's hollow without taking it off. I guess I could tap it with something, lol.

[99EJ6T]

i forget the name of his shop now, something like 1st place engineering i think.

based on his email....

Tampa Rally and Performance

Description A private Club dedicated to the advancement of Rally and motorsport events in Tampa and the surrounding areas. Events are Created with an emphasis on Fun and driver skill

2109 Bayshore Boulevard
Tampa, FL 33606

http://tamparally.com

Phone 813-477-7096

not sure if its 100% accurate through. which model of the ksports did you get? cause they supposedly offer two different types. one with a upper camber plate, the other with out. my GTX needs some love in this department

[Talkurt]

i ordered them as KS-M023. Though the box says CMZ241-KP. though if you email that guy he will know what you need. My fronts are camber adj, the rears are not.

[99EJ6T]

i ordered them as KS-M023. Though the box says CMZ241-KP. though if you email that guy he will know what you need. My fronts are camber adj, the rears are not.

the order/part number you gave is from this website:

K-sport Racing Co., LTD
Office address:
No. 108, Fuciang St., North District, Taichung City 404,
Taiwan R.O.C

the box part number is from:

Autoline Industries
Ksport Suspension Div.
115 N. Sunway Dr.
Gilbert, AZ 85233

same company, just different websites listing different part numbers. the ksportusa site is just a bit more "flashy" then the one from taiwan.

KEY FEATURES

* Certain application design for McPherson structure with inverted tube design. ∮55mm strut can bear outside strike, such as rock, sand, and water, and uneven roads or bumps. The ride height adjustment is made from steel materials to enhance the safety and durability. There are 36 different dampening settings to meet all drivers’ requirements.
* Certain application design for McPherson structure for inverted monotube design-The aggressive and reflection caused by uneven road or bumps are eliminated on φ45mm cylinder, φ55 mm strut design, and rubber upper mount. This design will not make oil leaking result from the rock and sand for the rally road.
* Lengthened cylinder design-The aggressive and reflection caused by uneven road or bumps are eliminated on lengthened cylinder design. The length of cylinder is 150mm-170mm.
* Lengthened spring design-The aggressive and reflection caused by uneven road or bumps are eliminated on lengthened spring design. The length of spring is 250mm-300mm.
* The most important function for ride height adjustable is avoided to compress the spring by the spring seat caused the unusual sound when you change the ride height or lower the vehicle too much caused the spring seat does not snug the spring, that will damage the coilover. The coilover can be adjusted 100mm~120mm from OE ride height.
* Use rubber upper mount to avoid the damage for the vehicle resulting from the uneven road.
* The point is this unit cannot for street usage but rally asphalt, snowy, rainy, and muddy road.
* Any application that doesn’t appear on our application guide can be customized to meet our customer’s requirements.
* All applications listed on our website are for 2WD model unless we specify 4WD.
* The "model year" defined for each application on our website might be different to the ones in each country; therefore, please confirm the "production years" with us if you cannot make sure.
* For certain custom rally gravel/snow strut, our company has right to determine to use inverted insert.
*
The number of manufacturers who can produce Rally Snow/Rally Gravel coilover kits is less than 5.
Four of these 5 manufacturers offer 2~600% much higher price than us and none of their coilover kits are covered by warranty.
It's very difficult to predict how much impact that Rally Gravel/Rally Snow coilover kit can undertake so we can not provide the warranty on our products.

Ksport Kontrol Pro Fully Adjustable Coilover Kits provide the ultimate in suspension technology for your street or track car. 36 levels of damping adjustment allow you to fine tune the ride to your handling and comfort needs. The damping adjusts compression and rebound simultaneously for ease of adjustment. Pillow ball top mounts in the front and rear on some applications allow you to maintain vehicle manufacturer suspension geometry design. The pillow ball top mounts also allow you a more direct feel for solid driver response. Where available, camber canbe adjusted via the Pillow-ball Top Mounts, which means no additional "Camber Kits" are needed.

Most applications utilize an adjustable lower mount, which means you adjust height without losing suspension travel like some other coilover designs do. With the mounts and most pieces of the coilover being designed for 6061 billet aluminum the kit is lightweight, durable, and rust resistant. The steel shock body is electroplated with zinc to resist rust and the elements. The valving of each set is matched to the springs installed for unmatched ride quality and reliability.

The Ksport system uses a Monotube design in which the oil and gas are separated within the cylinder. When compared to twin tube designs the Monotube dissipates heat better, allows finer damping adjustments, and requires more expensive design process. Aeration and cavitation are a lot less common in a Monotube design, which results in a better ride.

The Ksport Kontrol Pro Coilover kit has been designed with professional road racing in mind offering extremely high value and performance.

Key Features

1. 36 levels of adjustable damping
2. Made from high quality 6061 aluminum with T6 for increased hardness
3. Compression/Rebound adjustable
4. Adjustable spring perch for height adjustment
5. Adjustable body allowing maximum suspension travel
6. Pillowball top mount with adjustable camber (not available for some models)
7. Monotube high pressure design reduces oil leakage
8. Electroplated body for protection from corrosion and rust
9. One year limited warranty

there is a little discrepancy between the two sites as to if they are warrantied or not..

the second number, on the box, was the number i saw, recently, on their usa website. they didnt list BF before (in march/2010), but i guess they do now. **shrug**