Upgrading performance and handling without spending big

[BlackieS2K]

Hi. I'm picking up a 2005 Jazz VTi manual today and was wondering what people have done to upgrade the handling of the car without going all out on new suspension, etc. It's going to be primarily driven by my other half and I don't intend on buying bigger wheels, CAI, exhaust or adding cosmetic stuff to it. I do however want to sharpen the steering feel and handling and if possible the power without shelling out big $$$. So just a couple of questions if I may.

- Wheels are 14" and I don't intend on upgrading them at this stage. What are the best tyres available in the OEM size?
- What are the factory wheel alignment settings and has anyone changed them to different specs and what results did you get?
- Do strut tower braces offer a noticeable difference and if anyone has upgraded their anti-roll bars and with what effect?
- Any other good bang for your buck ways of improving the performance or feel of the car?

Thanks!

[UBH320]

Get the strut bars...it does help...Semi slick tyres should be good on dry but not no wet...aftermarket springs / coilovers

Get cold air intake...Apexi is OK... Header, downpipe, bpipe from Xforce...they quite cheap...

[JasonGilholme]

If your after a big handling improvement, go for an upgraded rear sway bar with heavy duty mounts.

You'll never look back.

After you have your fun with that the tyres should be worn out and ready for you to get new ones

[UBH320]

I didnt know they have aftermarket swaybars for Jazz =/

[JasonGilholme]

I'm sure someone will.

I don't own one so i haven't checked.

[UBH320]

Yeah...maybe in the near future...

[antonio]

They are many aftermarket strutbar outside there. you can choose cusco, tanabe, spoon & etc...

Then go for piggyback. Try safc2 or Apexi Neo, it will give u a

[anjingbalap]

1st.. what u do is reseting ur ECU.. by take out the ECU fuse.. for 10 min.. then.. plug it back.. (the ecu is RESET) then u drive like crazy/moron.. and the ECU will detect the maximum setting you drive. and store it in its memory...

there fore.. by setting this memory.. the ecu detects how many air/fuel ratio when u drive.. and sumtimes its better that factory ecu.. setting..

the downside is.. sum times u might feel loss of power

[vividjazz]

Cusco have an upgraded front sway available now. In Japan they usually just replace the factory front sway in the earlier models with the larger factory sway from the later models. We already get that larger factory sway. Then its struts and coilovers.

Strut bars work great on the Jazz.

[CJW07]

Hey Blackie, Welcome to the Jazz section,

when Jazzing up my little one, all i have done is-
lowered on king springs
added 16" Ray's Gram Lights
Xforce exhaust
and
Short ram intake with K&N pod filter.

not sure of the performance gains, if any, will be dynoing it in feb

everything else has been ICE or for looks etc.

i know it is nothing major, just makes it a little more fun to drive, don't need it to go at light speed, that's what the S is for.

[BlackieS2K]

Haha. No worries. I might look at a strut bar later down the track.

My first inclination was to change the rubber for something stickier (don't need semi-slicks) in the OEM size. Anyone got some recommendations? Or do most of you upgrade wheels before rubber?

Also, anyone changed their wheel alignment settings? I thought that would be the first thing you could do to dramatically improve handling for the best bang for your buck.

[Dylanamus]

It can be hard to find decent tyres for 14", for this reason I upgraded to 15". Light weight wheels and good tyres was the most noticible upgrade to my car's handling and I went from stock to fully strutted and coilovers!

Steering response is infinitely better from lighter wheels and good tyres. The main thing is you feel steering response in all kinds of driving, from cruising around the city to driving on the edge. Struts and chasis reenforcement won't be noticable unless you're pushing your car to the limit. So I say place a lot more emphasis on steering at this stage man... That's just my personal experience... ahh and one stiffer rear swaybar will make more difference than upper and lower struts put together. Just to put it into perspective.

And by the way, outfitting your car in decent rubber will be $500 or more plus another $500+ if you decide to change rims. It's not exactly the most budget conscious of upgrades, but at least you get constant feedback to reenforce your spendature!