Hi all,
I have been doing some research as to how I should go about upgrading the suspension on my 2.5i. It's of course my daily, but sees a lot of the hills and I plan on doing some light track work towards the end of the year. The current shocks are long gone and it bounces around like a soggy spring bed after any bump, and this is especially upsetting mid corner. The car has a lot of body roll and excessive pitching under heavy braking which also does not inspire confidence, but of course I understand that body roll is not always a bad thing. The rear end does step out fairly often in lower speed corners, but then tends to understeer in higher speed ones. I want to achieve a more neutral rear end setup that does not step out, but also a front end that enforces less understeer/more turn in. Comfort is also a factor of course, but the current setup is quite terrible anyway. I also do not care how the car sits and looks; as long as it is above legal height.
Currently the car is bone stock in terms of suspension hardware, on 17x8 +53 rims matched with brand new Michelin PS4 235/45/17. The tyre does rub on the strut under very heavy compression but it is nothing I worry about. I would also like adjustability of bound/rebound in the shocks, ride height (if necessary), camber (especially at the front) and hopefully a tad more caster too, but this would not be necessary if the car can be setup the way I want it anyway. My current alignment as follows, which I got done out of factory spec for a bit more toe out on the front http://i.imgur.com/KZqrMdg.jpg
The typical things I see are doing strut + spring matching, coilovers, relevant bushes, sway bars, bracing etc. A set of Shockworks or MCA purple coils seem tempting but I don't really see much documentation or info online about their application in comparison to their competitors as most just tend to shout MCA blue and Shockworks as loud as they can without actually having tried them. I have been eyeing the Whiteline caster (Anti Lift Kit) bushings and sway bar for the front, and some sort of coilover application to suit. Alternatively, I would buy some decent shocks and match them to some springs. I believe a corner balancing and properly setup alignment will need to be accounted for too.
Budget wise, I am looking to stick to around the 2k mark ideally but if it means spending a bit more to have a proper setup, so be it.
I am after any recommendations or suggestions!
Thank you!