Questions on Struts and tires.

[Jim Prower]

Well, after the exhaust gets fixed, I think the next thing I'm looking at doing on my '88 Chevy Nova is replacing the quickly-wearing-out struts. I am considering swapping to Twin Cam strut assemblies instead of the standard ones, but don't know if I have to look into other new suspension components. If I have to go new suspension components, I'll probably stick with standard replacements. Also, would springs need to be replaced?

The Other thing: the tires are getting a bit worn, and don't have too many more miles in 'em. While I'd like some cool RS Watanabes or Minilites, It's out of the budget at the moment, so I've decided to stick with the stock 13" wheels. I wonder: What's the best-gripping tire in the size 175-70R13?

 

[Joey D]

Are you looking for summer/winter tire combo or are you looking for all seasons?

 

[homeforsummer]

Re: Tyres, that profile doesn't lend itself to manufacturers making nice grippy tyres, at least here in the UK. I thought for a second that those are the measurements for my Fiesta, but my car is 165/70R13. 175/70R13 is what Ford put on the very base model last-gen Escorts over here. Most of the tyres I'm finding are either economy ones or winter ones.

Actually, I lie - look what I've just found:

Firestone FR380
Goodyear GT2

Can't find much more, though it's the same tyre size again as the base model first-gen Honda CRX, so maybe look around for what those people use, for the ones still running on original wheels.

 

[Azuremen]

Struts = shocks and springs. Well, the whole assembly. If you can get the whole assembly from, say, an AE82 GT-S, they may built in.

What are wearing out on your car are the shocks. Not the struts. You can get insert replacements that will just replace the dampening part of the assembly.

And for wheels... and tires... Yeah, get new ones. Go to a junk yard and find some at least 14 wheels off a Civic, Miata, Corolla (FWD) or a million other cars with 4x100 lug patterns. Because a 70 series sidewall is a joke.

 

[Jim Prower]

Okay...I still like the Rallye-wheel look I have with the stock wheels: Don't want steelies that I can't paint black and put a chrome trim ring and center cap on.

I'd like a summer/winter combo. Might have some spare Corolla wheels lying around for the winter tires. Ice is the main problem around here.

ON the shocks: Certain that the shock inserts won't hurt the stock strut assembly? I know the Twin Cam struts have an extra bolt: this hole is provided in the strut tower, so the top part should at least bolt in. Just wondering about the bottom.

I might look at 14" wheels from the junkyard if I can find any Aluminum wheels. Any preferable stock ones? I've had Honda wheels on another car, but they didn't sit on the spindle end well.

 

[eiriksmil]

There should be some AE82 coilovers around, and they should be bolt-on.

Regarding wheels, just make sure the center bore of the wheel is bigger than the spindle.

 

[Jim Prower]

I'd like it to fit well, though, as I don't like the thought of the wheel riding on the studs.

 

[Troux]

http://www.tirerack.com/tires/tires.jsp?tireMake=Sumitomo&tireModel=HTR+200

Got them on my AE86 and they really are a great tire, not to mention crazy cheap. You might want to look into a slightly wider size than stock. If you've never used TireRack before, you can look at reviews (this tire got 1st in its category), and under specs, you can see the range of wheel widths that will fit each tire size. Really helpful.

By the way, Azuremen, a strut isn't a combination of a shock and a spring, it's basically using part of the shock body as a mounting point for suspension links. A shock that isn't a strut will have mounting points at the top and bottom. This is a more ideal performance setup, and an example can be seen in double wishbone suspension systems. A strut setup will have an additional mounting point for a lateral link.

See this example. This kit is for the Toyota Supra, which uses shocks in a double wishbone setup up front and a McPherson strut setup in the back. You can easily see the difference in the shock bodies.