tnguye3

Hi all,
I have a 2002 tl-s and as you know the suspension can be a little better (more responsive). I purchased from this site (before the new site) the comptech springs only and now I would like to upgrade to the next level. Please let me know if I going in the the correct direction and do not hesitate to correct me with your wisdom.. I was planning to get the following:


KONI yellows (front and back).
Comptech sway bar (not sure if I need the rears?).
Comptech strut bar (front).


Is ACP still the lowest prices?
What should I expect to pay for the installation?
Where would you recommend installing the above in the bay area?

Thanks in advance..

dark inspire

your in the right direction

im not sure but i think installation shouldbe around 200 or so. someone correct me if im wrong

joseph_99tl

"Comptech sway bar (not sure if I need the rears?)."

if anything..u need the rear more than the front.

samkws

you can search around on the web, the more time you spent, the more surprise you got

yeah i agree rear is more impt

Koni yellow is gd, but expensive, you can look for Tokico adjustables

tnguye3

So after doing some research on the site, it looks like I will leave the front ALONE and not touch it. I will do the following:

1. rear sways (CT) only.
2. Get the koni yellows. (already have the CT srings installed 2002)

Do you folks agree with this.

There seems to be a trend not to install the front sways.

dark inspire

usually sways are sold in pairs, so im not sure what ur gonna do w/the front one. why may i ask do people leave the front one untouched?

samkws

Koni yellows are quite stiff, if you can live with it

dark inspire

well they are adjustable so u can change how stiff you want them

Pure Adrenaline

iTrader: (2)

Install both. They are engineered to work together. If you think you know more than Comptech engineers, then go ahead and install only the rear.

You won't need the strut bar, as there's no need to stiffen up the front. We're trying to battle understeer here, not oversteer. Besides, the stock 4-point strut bar is plenty strong enough.

Make sure the Comptech springs are not rusted, as the problem has surfaced a while back. Several people on the forums have had their Comptech springs replaced by Comptech. due to this problem.

Struts-wise, it's totally up to you. I would rather recommend a full coilover system, but Konis will be just fine.

tnguye3

I did not tell you but before I had the family (currently 2 small boys and the wife) and before I had the TLS I had a 94 NSX which I had mod with the KONI, plus size tires and CT springs. So you can see the issue I have with the TLS and again, I do not wish the TLS to be any way near the NSX but I wanted to try to optimize the current TLS.

I can not honestly say why the fornt sway is not needed but with a FWD card the weight is at the front and there seems to be less bending. The rear is lighter and tends to bend a little more so if I can distribute the forces back there, I can afford for the back to slide out a little (if my turns exceed the stiction of the tires and pavement).

BTW, the site also sells rear only sways for the 02 TLS..

Let me know if I off my rocker..

Pure Adrenaline

iTrader: (2)

If you're talking about autocarparts.com, then it does sell the rear bar only, but that's for '04-'05 TL only.

For '02-'03 3.2TL, they only sell it as a package of both front and rear.

That's great that you had an NSX, but this is a totally different car. General basic principles still apply, but it's different.

Basically, the rear bar was made stiffer than necessary to work with the stock front sway bar, and therefore, you need the slight reinforcement in the front with the front sway bar. But if you're looking for maximum stiffness in the rear, then don't change the front, and get an Eibach sway bar in the rear. It's thicker than the Comptech rear bar.

tnguye3

Hey PA,
you are correct, the rear was for the 04 and for the 02, they only sell the pair (my bad).. Since 02 (the springs) I have not done anything to this car but I do not feel solid during high seed lane changes (etc..) and its about time I did something to fix the issue. I also wanted to wait until the stock shocks and struts wear on the CT springs. I also figured I will get a break at the labor shops to get the KONI and the CT sways installed. Is APS (web sponsor) the best pricing I can get?

Thanks for letting me know on the rust issue. I am in the bay area and I do not know of any salt dropped here but I will keep an eye on the rust issue. I figure when the kids get bigger, I will get the vette or equivalent at the time..

Pure Adrenaline

iTrader: (2)

Gotcha. Your member information under the user name didn't list a location, so I didn't know where you were from. But I figured I would inform you just in case.

If high speed lane change stability is what you're mostly concerned about, then I would rather recommend getting a coilover system, or get new struts. Sway bars are not a big factor in lane change maneuvers; shocks and springs are. Sway bars play a bigger role in cornering. But either way, it will provide that sure-footed solid feel. It will only help.

I'm just concerned about people going too stiff in the rear and throwing the balance off. I personally think that the Comptech sway bar kit for our cars is a very good setting. It reduces understeer greatly, but doesn't produce too much oversteer. The rest can be adjusted/tuned with springs and struts. That's why I got the Tein SS (height and damping adjustable) so I will have the ability to fine-tune the suspension, since nobody offers adjustable sway bars for our cars.