I'd like to get something up on the main site for Handling upgrade stages. Suspension guru's please toss in your comments and ideas. Also, if you want to make your own upgrade path, write it up and send it to me or provide the link.

Just tossing this together to get things going:

Stage 0
- raise pressure in tires (34psi front, 31psi rear on stock tires to start)
- alignment (suggest 1/8" total toe out on fronts, 0 toe on rears to start)

Stage 1
- wider wheels and tires (especially if RS/ESi models), and preferably with light wheels and performance tires.

Stage 2
- upgraded shocks and springs
- camber correction

Stage 3
- Strut tower bars (order: front lower, upper rear, upper front)
- Upgraded rear sway bar or full sway bar set

Stage 4
- polyurethane bushings
- performance alignment


juan

you could throw an aftermarket steering wheel in there as a stage 5 addition. its not a handling upgrade but it upgrades handling. i put mine on, (13" momo as opposed to 16" stock) and it requires much less turning to steer, you can turn MUCH much faster with a smaller wheel. i noticed a much bigger jump in ease of driving through hard corners with this than i did with both strut bars combined.

http://www.geocities.com/blue2gnt

Looks pretty good, Juan. Maybe add an alignment to Stage 2 and a Rear Lower Tie Bar to Stage 3.

Lee
http://www.geocities.com/turbo99gs

Speed Kills!
If you want to live forever buy a Honda!

Add rear lower to the list of strut tower/tie bars.

And I run 35psi all the way around.

"To strive to seek to find... and not to yield."
Michael J. Kulaga
Michael_97RS@2gntDSM.zzn.com
aol IM: MJKulga
http://highlander.dsmpower.com/

I run 44PSI all around (99 GS Sport).

Lee
http://www.geocities.com/turbo99gs

Speed Kills!
If you want to live forever buy a Honda!

do you have to upgrade wheels, shocks and springs
before you get strut tower bars? since i am running on stock rims and rubbers, should i change those first before even looking at strut tower bars and sway bars?

i heard that you DO need a camber correction the moment you upgrade shocks and springs.. always?


marc
'98 GS Automatic
AEM Short Stack
Bored throttle body
Bored Intake
GS-T Exhaust
NGK Plugs and Wires
AFX underdrive pulley

Remember these are just recommendations. You can do them in whatever order you want. I will have all 4 strut bars on before I have done anything else. Then wheels/tires, then drop with struts and then bushing kit. Basically anything you do will help I notice the improvement with just the strut bars.

"To strive to seek to find... and not to yield."
Michael J. Kulaga
Michael_97RS@2gntDSM.zzn.com
aol IM: MJKulga
http://highlander.dsmpower.com/

Getting better tires is the single biggest performance gain for handling (especially if you have the 195 doughnuts). Ask anyone who prepares cars for track use, and they'll say that tires are the most important factor after driver skill.

All the other things like strut bars will have more significant of an effect once the tires are capable of generating more cornering force. The wheels are not as important from a performance perspective (aside from trying to minimize their weight) just get the widest ones you can. Most people get rims based on their appearance, but a lot of times the most stylin ones are the heaviest. I have Kosei K1 16x7.5 Racing rims, $170 each from TireRack, 15.5 lbs each, heat treated and shot peened cast aluminum.

As was said before, there are many different ways to go with this. A good argument could be made for making anti-roll bars as the first mod. But thats why I asked for other people to generate thoughtfully considered lists.

juan

The order I think it should go:

-New tires/wheels
-Springs/Shocks
-Front Lower, Rear upper bar
-Sway Bars
-Front upper, rear lower
-urethane bushings

Heres what ive done:
-Springs/Shocks
-All 4 bars (waiting on the lower front to get here)
-Sway Bars

NEXT: Tires and Wheels... I only waited on these because I felt like using up the tread before switching...

Right now, with stock 205/55s I can feel a HUGE difference in handling, and after the tires, I should feel another huge difference.

very true Juan, but I would consider putting shocks (but probably not springs) before rims/tires because they cost so much less, even though springs/shocks are best done at the same time.

My used RX-7 rims and michelin tires were more than twice the cost of the adjustable shocks. That can be a large amount of money for some people to put down, and most of the time rims/tires cost way more than what I've paid.

Todd Scungio
98 RS
15.803 @ 86.48 MPH

This brings up a good point. Maybe there should be two paths to follow. One more based on cost, for the money what helps. And then a money is no object path what order should they be installed. What helps the most and work your way down.

Just a thought.

"To strive to seek to find... and not to yield."
Michael J. Kulaga
Michael_97RS@2gntDSM.zzn.com
aol IM: MJKulga
http://highlander.dsmpower.com/

well the alignment should be in stage 5, not 1. as soon as you move to stage two and change springs, struts, sway bars or camber you would need another alignment and the stage one alignment would have been a waste

http://www.geocities.com/blue2gnt

Here's my 0.02 cents worth
** I consider brakes an intergral part of handling
How about this
the lines 1 -- 4 may be adequate for most people

1)tire inflation / perfromance brake pads/Brake fluid change --performance

2)Rear lower tie bar (Stock Rs, Compliment GS, Ect)
$30-60: Reduces (Major)Rear end sway

3)STB Front upper STB, then lower FLCA, then rear STB(opt)

4) Sway bars

5) Shocks - performance

6) Tires Plus 2 upgrade (16 inch wheels -- rim width: 7.5-8.0) tires wider the better. / Or a plus 3 wheel upgrade to 17 inch wheels - 18 ??

7) springs/rear brake upgrade (rs models)/ SS brake lines

8) bushings/Ground effects/Front chin spoiler -- RM prds)

9) performance aliment

10)BIG BRAKE UPGRADE....

11) Coilovers w/ adjust shocks for ultimate handling adjustablity.