Assortment of Questions

[Anthony]

Call me stupid for asking this, but...

If my stock RS had 18 inch wheels and comparable tire width to stock, and was dropped and inch in the suspension, wouldn't the ride height of the car be the same as stock?

My main concern in terms of wheels/suspension is to fill in the wheel arches (with more wheel) without sacrificing too much ground clearance. I have already scraped several times in common practical situations. I'm worried that the aftermarket lowering springs will be too low and I would be more interested in personally modifying the stock springs to acquire a lower ride height. Opinions?

On to another topic, what type of paint is best to use when taping off parts of the car in order to cover chrome.

Performance modifications: I intend to get the car tuned, add a drop-in intake of some sort, and get a cat back exhaust system. Including rims, tires, and suspension work, what order should I consider doing all these mods in? What would you recommend?

Thanks for any input.

 

[sx sonic]

I'm going to break your post down into A=rims, B= ride height springs, C= chrome covering (three C's awesome ). and D= performance

Now many of these things have been awnsered in alot of threads but using the quick search can be challenging, literally. The best place to look for some of the things I'm going to mention is actually in the "build threads", vendor section, and engine & suspension section.

Now to business
A. I can't math that well, BUT there are some members that if you give them a tire & rim size they can figure out how that tire compares to stock. From there they can determine how your rim will affect ride height. Then it's a matter of subtracting an inch for "all's said and done" ride height

B. Sadly there's not much of a way getting around scraping with lowering springs/coilovers beside a driver mod. I.e coming into steep ramps slowly, at an angle/ avoiding crappy entrances. As you've discovered it's even an issue in stock format.

Personally I'm not having much issues with my -1.5" drop after adjusting my approach to entryways. I scrape sometimes but it's just the flexible rubber lip so no big worries.


C. Plasti-dip is pretty common on the forum for covering up the chrome trim (headllight/tail light rings, window trim, above the rear license plate, even rims). It's cheap, easy to work with, easily removable, looks pretty good, and is quite durable. Other than that it's either vinyls or paint.

D. Hands down best mod you can do is the Trifecta or VTuners tune. It's an instant +30hp 50tq and better drivability, it's literally a head turning mod, hands down. Further more every bolt on mod on the planet won't make any permanent power over stock without a tune thanks to GM's "torque based" management.

After that springs/coilovers or DDMs rear brace are a massive improvement over stock handling. All three make the sonic feel substantially more competent around turns and in general.

After that I have no specific recommendations aside from good tires. It's up to you.


I recommend you check out these links as well as my build (located in my signature under this post).
http://www.sonicownersforum.com/forum/general-discussion/8024-sonic-dyno-thread.html
http://www.sonicownersforum.com/forum/bad-news-racing/1063-official-trifecta-sonic-tune-thread.html
http://www.sonicownersforum.com/for.../5963-official-wheel-tire-fitment-thread.html

 

[laborsmith]

Stock springs are progressive so you will be playing roulette if you cut them hoping to get the ride height you desire while keeping the ride experience acceptable.

The national tires chains (Discount, TireRack, 10-10 etc.) have calculators. Discount is the easiest to use while 10-10 provides the most info.


Laborsmith

 

[severous01]

DO NOT CUT YOUR SPRINGS...simple as that.

second, rims have NOTHING to do with ride height. there's more involved in ride height than rims...however, if you change tires you 'can' change ride height by changing the ratio of sidewall to width. this is here: Tire size calculator

but...if you do it right, and change the width vs the sidewall you should/could be the same rolling diameter.

again, if you have a 255/55/16 you can go to 275/45/18. that is wider, yet 'shorter' in sidewall but rolling diameter is within 2% so it's the 'same. the width is 255 and the sidewall is 55% of the width. and the initial diameter is 16". equals about 24" rolling diameter. on the second you have 275 width but only 45% sidewall, but it's on a 17" rim taking a total of 1/2" sidewall. but it's on a 17" rim which gives you back you 1/2" sidewall. confusing? think of it as a ratio...which it is...and it'll be clear. use the miata site

ride height is described as the height of the car from the ground, not the wheel to the arch. you can buy tires and change the distance from the tire to arch...but that would also change ride height. so...if you buy lowering springs and keep stock sized tires you would go lower. but if you bought 'bigger' tires you would go higher. understand? ride height can be measured from the tire to wheel arch, but not if you change tires and springs at the same time. you're talking apples and oranges. you can get definite ride height measurement from the chassis...or something else you havent changed. muffler to ground, lift point to ground, engine support to ground...get my point?

 

[Danny5]

OP didn't say he wanted to cut his springs. But of course, this is what most people think when you talk about modifying stock springs.

First off, you can't cut the stock springs! They are wider in the middle than at either perch. This means if you cut the spring, it will be too large to fit the top or bottom perch.

You can have your springs *reset* This takes a competent company that can heat the entire spring, reset it to the ride height you desire, and then temper the spring back. Yes, you can heat up a coil and sag the spring, but the only way to retain the integrity of the spring is to do the entire thing.

Now for the kicker. Pulling out your springs, having them reset, and putting them back on will take you a few days with the car in the air, and $2-300. The end result?

Just buy some springs with the drop you're looking for. So much more convenient.