ongteckweng said:
excimo...if u r looking to keep ur stock rims (15") and improve ur handling, the best would be adjustables like Titan or Hotbits....these adjustables r really good at high speed n cornering but very sensitive to rough roads. however, with ur high profiles tyres, it shouldnt be a prob. u will still able to mantain some comfort on ur ride...titan is selling around rm2.8k while hotbits is around rm3.2k...
however, if u intend to upgrade to 17" or 18" wheels with low profile tyres, best would be getting Eibach Prokit n Koni abs...this is one of the best combination tested by many people but its quite expensive...Eibach its selling around rm1.1k while the koni its around rm2.2k...this combo its more like stock feeling but much more stable during cornering n minimal body roll...of course u cant compare with the adjustables...
my 2.5 has a speed limiter so 180km its the max...
one word of cautious...dont play with ur OD button too much...one advice to overtaking...first, floor ur pedal once n lift ur leg n floor again...u will feel a difference...
Ong is right about the rims. The best compromise I've managed to get is with 16" rims and adjustables. I had this setup in the Celica, and continued to use it in the Cefiro. Also, spacing out the wheels will help. The best would be to space so that they are flush with the fender. This will give it the max allowable wheelbase width and reduce body roll significantly.
I haven't tried the Eibach Prokit + Konis, but from what I have heard, it's a good combi. Both the Prokit and adjustables options lowers the car anywhere from 1" - 2" which contributes to stability as well. This should not give you any problems in daily usage.
You will also need pillar strut bars for the front, and maybe for the rear. Just because you have a torsion bar in the rear doesn't mean that there isn't flex.
Good tyres are a must. I currently use Bridgestone Turanza, the new type just launched this year and they are pretty damn good. About RM 360 per piece for 16".
Finally, the car handling will improve even more with increased negative camber. Any allignment shop can order and install camber bolts for the feilo. This is a replacement bolt for one of the knuckle bolts that will allow some small measure of camber adjustment to be made. Because of the limited space between the strut and the knuckle, I was not able to camber any more than about 0.75 degrees negative camber. Even then, there was great improvement in cornering.
As for the "OD" button, there is a way to use it. The effect of going from "OD On" (dash indicator light off) to "OD Off" (dash indicator light on) is like dropping one gear in a manual car. So, when you want to overtake, just toggle "OD Off" and floor throttle. Ong's technique of "double pumping" the throttle works as well. I am not sure how, but I theorize that the first pump allows some parts of the gearbox to gain oil pressure, and his second pump basically engages the gearbox.
IMPORTANT THING TO REMEMBER WHEN PLAYING WITH OD BUTTON : It takes the gearbox about 1.5 secs to respond, between the time you hit the OD button and the gearbox actually going into the mode (On or Off). DO NOT power up within that time. Wait until you are sure that the mode is engaged.
When I have time, I will have to research if there is a stronger gearbox that will fit our cars as I suspect my frequent KL-Sg laps are going to shorten the gearbox's lifespan by quite a bit. Not because of distance, but because of the strain I put it through at the speeds I drive.
