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Location:
Gold Coast
Registered:
October 2002
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Location:
Adelaide
Registered:
October 2003
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Re: Suspension in a RA23 LOTS of questions :)
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Mon, 24 November 2003 09:19
 
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It all really depends on how much you are willing to spend and how good you want it to handle. when my shocks were worn they went hard and can cause the wheel to leave the road. not good for handling. Go the good shocks kyb's will be the way to go if they even make them. Koni dont make them anymore for your car but you can get them made for i recall 250 a corner. the thing with adjustable is you can adjust them to your setup so once they are right you can leave them.
The back end alignment can be sorted with an adjustable panhard rod, you can get them anywhere. I've heard and seen some dodgy things about king springs and their inaccuracy with height and rate but if you already have them your in the same boat as me. your bump steer could have a lot to do with spring/shock setup.
Go the urethane bushes, i've never heard a bad thing about them. The only difficult part in changing them is getting the old bushes out.
If you are after wicked handling buy a car with irs otherwise front camber (adj strut tops), caster (adj standard), sway bars and get the setup right.
Standard ra brakes have heaps of stopping power so if you can get vented disks for them leave them standard it will save farting around with front end stuff.
I have a ta23 with the ra struts so this is a first hand opinion. if i had a standard car to start with this is what i would do.
I have .25 and .5 front camber(big difference but not adjustable). Whiteline swaybars (nice and flat good balance), urethane all round and crappy kings and gt shocks.
I'd do the springs and shocks different if i had it my way but it all comes down to $$$'s
Good luck.
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I supported Toymods
Location:
Perth, Western Australia
Registered:
December 2002
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Re: Suspension in a RA23 LOTS of questions :)
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Mon, 24 November 2003 11:06
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The old style Celicas actually have 25 minutes positive camber set into the suspension to aid tyre wear, so it's not unusual to see camber results like yours. I can't comment on the bump steer - I've never had to combat it. As for your other questions:
1: Yep, 1/2" bigger than RA23/28 though!
2: Yep
3: Yep
4: Yep
5: Nope
6: Dunno, never had to bother with them.
7: Dunno, I can check for you if you can't get a definative answer, I have both type of struts here.
8: Yep, you can have them made by engineering companies cheaper than $250, show them why you want them and they can do it. You could even have them offset for more camber gain (some people say these are exposed to more shear force, however I've never seen one brake, but check for yourself on this matter!).
9: Yep, grease them up liberally when you put them in and keep them greased - they destroy themselves when they are run dry. I have always pulled my suspenbsion out and regreased everything every three or four years as a service item, and never had a problem with them splitting.
10: Yep, they're easy to install, however you will need a press and some drifts to remove the old press fit rubber items, again "grease is the word" when installing the new items!
11: Yep, get some good shocks that can do a better job of controlling the springs!
12: Ask question ads to what shops recommend around your area, it costs nothing. You'll soon learn to decipher the products they are trying to push, and the products that actually work! KYB's are a godd middle of the road brand, I'd recommend them over anything else, as many people also do!
13: Yep, adjustable panhard rods baby - set and forget!
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Registered:
November 2002
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Re: Suspension in a RA23 LOTS of questions :)
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Tue, 25 November 2003 00:12
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Agree completely with what Clint has posted and would only confirm that you need better shocks to control those springs, (KYB's are good) as your stiff springs alone combined with stuffed original shocks are contributing to your harsh/bouncy ride.
No need to worry about the four trailing arms at the rear when you lower the car, just the panhard rod which moves towards the passenger side.
Get an adjustable panhard rod from Whiteline, but make sure that you get the right bushes for it, tell them twice its an RA23, not 40, and not a Commodore, as the axle side bush I got with my adj. rod was the wrong size.
And thanks to Clint who helped me fit (read that as I watched while he did all the work) my Koni's and Lovells to my RA23.
Cheers,
Mitch.
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Location:
Brisbane
Registered:
May 2002
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Re: Suspension in a RA23 LOTS of questions :)
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Tue, 25 November 2003 00:20
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| ra23celica wrote on Tue, 25 November 2003 11:12 |
No need to worry about the four trailing arms at the rear when you lower the car, just the panhard rod which moves towards the passenger side.
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What about the diff pinion angle? Not worth worrying about?
Cheers
Wilbo
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Registered:
November 2002
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Re: Suspension in a RA23 LOTS of questions :)
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Tue, 25 November 2003 00:22
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i would think that the 2 piece tail shaft has the tolerance's to cope with that and people have been running lowered RA23 for 25 years and never had a problem.
Mitch.
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Location:
Madrid - Spain
Registered:
August 2002
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Re: Suspension in a RA23 LOTS of questions :)
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Tue, 25 November 2003 02:18
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Everyone seems to be on the money with their suggestions. Definitly look at changing shocks. The only reason you have shocks sole in your car is to control the springs, nothing more. You have installed stronger springs therfore your old shocks cannot perform their only function in life.
Ensuring that the bushes are in as new condition will make a big difference but nolethane is not essential. It depends on what your willing to put up with.
Anti roll bars will make a big difference but make sure that you get front and rear to match.
Just to clear it up with what clint said re point 8. Offsetting the RCA won't increase shear load but it will introduce an eccentricity which puts a prying load on the bolts. The bigger the offset, the more axial load you are putting on them. you could probably offset them a little without compromising the bolts, but it is better to avoid it if you can.
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Suspension in a RA23 LOTS of questions :)
