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Funny you should mention scraping, if I'm going over 50 MPH on a road with a V-dip in it, when the front wheels come out of the dip I'll hear a brief scuffing noise. Problem is I got the Eibach springs first which dropped the car 1.2" front and 1.4" rear, and I think ideally the wheels need more of a gap, maybe 1" drop would be better (or 40 profile tires). I think springs which don't drop the car so much and sports shocks would definitely help stop the wheel bouncing up and hitting the wheel arch. The only sports shocks I can find for this car are Showa Spoon Sports shocks in Japan, and they're over $1,000 for four. For now just watching how/where I drive is fine.
Thanks! I just watched a YouTube video on a fender roll as I knew nothing about it, and it's not as hacky as I thought it would be; there's even a special tool for the job! If I can find a place that can do it professionally, I'll likely try that.
As a side note, I probably won't choose BFGoodrich tires next time. They have a rim protector on them where the tire bulges out to protect the rim if the wheel ever comes near a kerb. I'd rather not have the bulge and have the tire flush with the rim. I went for AA grip rated tires, so maybe I'll try the Hankooks or Yokohamas next time.
Also, the AEM intake while it looks impressive really doesn't do much for power - it does give a nice trumpet noise at 3,000 RPM though!
Funny you should mention scraping, if I'm going over 50 MPH on a road with a V-dip in it, when the front wheels come out of the dip I'll hear a brief scuffing noise. Problem is I got the Eibach springs first which dropped the car 1.2" front and 1.4" rear, and I think ideally the wheels need more of a gap, maybe 1" drop would be better (or 40 profile tires). I think springs which don't drop the car so much and sports shocks would definitely help stop the wheel bouncing up and hitting the wheel arch. The only sports shocks I can find for this car are Showa Spoon Sports shocks in Japan, and they're over $1,000 for four. For now just watching how/where I drive is fine.
Thanks! I just watched a YouTube video on a fender roll as I knew nothing about it, and it's not as hacky as I thought it would be; there's even a special tool for the job! If I can find a place that can do it professionally, I'll likely try that.
Yeah it's really not that bad to DIY. I bought the tool from Amazon for pretty cheap and a heat gun and did my fronts. Just take your time. It will seem like nothing is happening at first but just keep at it and it will start to work. My first attempt was not perfect but it came out pretty nice.
Ah I see, I think the link you gave me is a coil over set?
The drop height is different. Showa's drop is less compared to the Spoon
The spring rates and damping rates are also different. Showa has a higher spring rate compared to the Spoon
The drop height is different. Showa's drop is less compared to the Spoon
The spring rates and damping rates are also different. Showa has a higher spring rate compared to the Spoon
I noticed, the Spoon kit is a 25mm/1" drop, but the Showa one is ~20mm.
Sadly, neither can be purchased in the US. I tried to buy through Nengun in Japan, but they said their courier now considers shocks/struts as "dangerous goods", so they won't ship to the US. The springs they'll ship, but not the shocks/struts. So at this point, I simply have no options in the US for a sports suspension.
I noticed, the Spoon kit is a 25mm/1" drop, but the Showa one is ~20mm.
Sadly, neither can be purchased in the US. I tried to buy through Nengun in Japan, but they said their courier now considers shocks/struts as "dangerous goods", so they won't ship to the US. The springs they'll ship, but not the shocks/struts. So at this point, I simply have no options in the US for a sports suspension.
Spoon is 25mm Front & Rear
Showa is 20mm Front & 15mm Rear
I ordered from RHD. They have no problems shipping the Showa Set. The box came with the declaration of Non Dangerous Goods.
I had the same scraping sound from the front with Megan springs/Koni Orange and the same size RPF-1 wheels. Even the same brand tires, but from the pictures it looks like you got the Comp2/AS where I got the summer compound. Likely to be a close match for shape, though.
My fix was camber bolts, a few degrees in at the top and it doesn't scrape at all. The bolts were cheap, installation was easy (although I put the shocks/springs in myself, not sure what you're comfortable with), and it's not a lot of negative camber, so it doesn't seem to affect tire life so far.
I had the same scraping sound from the front with Megan springs/Koni Orange and the same size RPF-1 wheels. Even the same brand tires, but from the pictures it looks like you got the Comp2/AS where I got the summer compound. Likely to be a close match for shape, though.
My fix was camber bolts, a few degrees in at the top and it doesn't scrape at all. The bolts were cheap, installation was easy (although I put the shocks/springs in myself, not sure what you're comfortable with), and it's not a lot of negative camber, so it doesn't seem to affect tire life so far.
Interesting, thanks for the tip! When it does scrape it's at the front, and it seems to be when I'm going over 60 MPH, even over a mild dip in the road. The real answer to this problem is slightly longer springs (20mm drop instead of 25mm or over) with sports shocks so my car doesn't bounce so much when going over imperfections in the road. I'll ask the local tuner who installed the wheels about camber bolts/plates, see if that can get over the problem until I get better suspension.
You may end up wanting camber bolts anyway, they give a max of less than 2 degrees, so they won't cause any serious problems with uneven tread wear, while still helping with the tire rub and maintaining outside tire grip in cornering.
