Kazama Parts

[Dousan_PG]

Kazama Rear Upper Arms
i got these for my car sometime back. its relaly nice. and feels great. good solid for the street. i noticed a difference as i rolled out the driveway!!

i am also looking into their tie rod endlinks. right now there's a group buy on them too:

Zilvia Group Buy

more the cheaper, and if you dont have rear upper arms it makes a HUGE difference. same goes for the rear traction arm. the front one isnt as important i hear, but the upper and traction are great

i think for anyone who road races/auto-x/drift would love this group buy. good prices, excellent company

oh the rear upper arms are PRETTY MUCH same as cusco. it even has the rubber on the pillowbal to keep dirt out. something th JIC and BV dont have. but cusco has it also.

i want to the rear traction. but im poor
kazama also makes cool stuff (build to their specs) like turbos, body kits, coilovers. the coilovers are 10/8 though.

oh their products are a cool candy sparkly red:






i want a bunch ofp eople to buy stuff on this group buy so we can all get cheap QUALITY parts. and also because i think its something alot of us should have.


remember:

bushings are for the weak.


haha..

[Grant]

no, bushings are for the low budgeted hehe..

I love solid pillowball bushings

[CoasTek240]

i'd really like to be up on a groupe buy of almost ant kazama parts.. i had money set aside for new whitelines sways.. but they jacked up the price, so i'm waitign for a groupbuy in a set of sways as well. I love kazama!

[Foxcolt]

Does kazama make longer tie rods w/ the endlinks already in place?

If so I'd be interested in that.

[Dousan_PG]

ahh! you dont need sways with high spring rates! join the group buy! it will make a HUGE difference to your car and give you so much more adjustability. u dont need the sways with high spring rates (I sawy ou want HEs or 8/6kg coilovers)

sykikchimp and i dont use sways. a few other guys dont use sway w/ 8/6
dorifto180sx is another. body roll is taken care of with the springs

join the group buy! rear upper arms. ROCK SOLID rear camber. tc rods, better response up front. tie rod endlinks better response for turning.

[Zemus]

Originally posted by CoasTek240
i'd really like to be up on a groupe buy of almost ant kazama parts.. i had money set aside for new whitelines sways.. but they jacked up the price, so i'm waitign for a groupbuy in a set of sways as well. I love kazama!

SWAYBARS ARE FOR THE WEAK!!! BODY ROLL ROCKS! GO DRIFTING

But anyways, if i had freaking money and MOTHER ****ING LSD!!!! I WOULD GET IT, CRUEL WORLD!!!!

[Dousan_PG]

Originally posted by Foxcolt
Does kazama make longer tie rods w/ the endlinks already in place?

If so I'd be interested in that.

no, they dont
the HARD TIE RODS w/ endlinks in place. cheapest and best is TEIN
they are backordered, should have more next shipment. but i think Leo might be able to get some for you. email/pm him

tie rods are the s13 weak link. espeically on a heavily tracked car. i need to go to the junkyard and start bring one with me to the track. i know of 2 people who broke them at the track. suuucks.

[019]

i was thinking of getting the tc rods, but now i dunno. dousan, do you think tc rods would make a bigger difference than upper arms?

sway bars are for those with low spring rates (like me)

[Dousan_PG]

Originally posted by 019
i was thinking of getting the tc rods, but now i dunno. dousan, do you think tc rods would make a bigger difference than upper arms?

my PERSONAL opinion
get the TC rods first
the rear upper is more for those who adjust their camber/crazy settings. its nice for drifting espeically because camber stays constant and solid. but for people who have just normal 0 or slight camber on the stock i wouldnt go for it. its definately noticable. i think anyone who's really into racing/drifting will need them eventually because it keeps the camber constant. same goes for the rear traction, keeps it contant and no moving around. so evntually you'll want it if you race/track/autox a lot.

i say TC rods. better steering response and road discomfort is NOT THAT MUCH AT ALL. its really a good modifcation. andits adjustable so you can change to your settings if you desire too.

[sykikchimp]

I may be getting some sway bars in the future, once I start running some better tires.. I feel with some nice tires, I'm gonna be using up all of my suspension travel in the real tight corners.

The TC Rods made a bigger difference than the Rear Upper Arms. If you must choose.. get the TC rods first.

[sykikchimp]

Originally posted by dousan36
i think anyone who's really into racing/drifting will need them eventually because it keeps the camber constant. same goes for the rear traction, keeps it contant and no moving around. so evntually you'll want it if you race/track/autox a lot.

It's all about predictability. Once your skills advance to a certain point, you realize when the unpredictability of the rubber bushings shifting around starts limiting you. With the Pillowball joints everywhere, the car becomes much more stable, and predictable.

[Steeles]

yeah the TC rods made a HUGE difference I love the turn in response. cant wait for my cusco brace to get here. I dont track/autocross nearly as much as I'd like to but I'm working on that. so heres to future plans and stiff suspensions. now If I can get rid of the subframe bushings.....

[Dousan_PG]

ok i know a lot ofp eople dont know much were those kazama parts go so here:



this is the front suspension
you can see the lower control arm
now the long rod that goes right to left of car is the tie rod (it is what turns the wheels)
at the end it connects to the upright. that part is the tie rod end (you can see it cover the brake line w/ that picture's angle)
behind the front lower control arm you see a red rod, that's the TC rod. probably kazama tc rod by its color (guessing)

for the rear:
rats i'll get the pics tonight!!


tie rod endlinks:
advantages: faster and more responsive turning. no bushing. great for quick response. adjuatbility for your custom setups.

disadvantage: street cars will be more uncomfortatible. bumpsteer most likely increased. no bushing=less comfort. steering wheel maybe MORE responsive then you will like.


tc rod:
advantages: faster turn-ins. more responsive handling. adjustability for a custom setup

disadvantage: more vibration. road discomfort


rear upper arm:
advantages: no pillowball=no play of arm. MORE adjustability. can add incredible (or remove) amounts of camber. car will be more responsive in the back.

disadvantages. bumpsteer increased, car doesnt 'play' back there on the road meaning it grips mroe lines possibly. more adjustability can be problems for some (alignment $$).


rear traction rod:
advantages: toe doesnt change when racing/driving/drifting. more responsive, steadier rear end

disadvantages: repsonsive, no more play, increased bumpersteer??



anyone have more advantage/disadvantage to add??

[Foxcolt]

One thing to add:

Before purchasing any of these products. Make sure your suspension if free of problems.

If you feel slight vibration at high speeds that will only be componded when you replace bushings with pillow balls.

Just FYI

[019]

aight. i guess i'll be getting me some tc rods thanks for the advice guys. i like the pro's and con's of all the parts, dousan. that was really helpful.

[SimpleS14]

WTH is bumpersteer?

[West]

Bumpsteer is when you have to consistently correct your cars direction while going over bumps or any imperfections in the road. You car hits a bump or imperfection and you get sent into the direction/groove of the imperfection in the road. Its not the end of the world. Good for smooooooth road. Bad for most public roads.

Anyone want to explain why my Cusco Tension Rod Bar is giving me a big amount of Bumpsteer? I have installed tons of my other suspension components without any problems, but this bar has made it go crazy. I am going to adjust the bar some this weekend to see if that helps, i maybe have over extended it.

[Dousan_PG]

hmm nah cusco bar SHOULDNT
i have mine and it didnt feel A LOT
its like a poor man's version of the nismo power bar.
bumpsteer SUCKS. i have it with my wheels offset and car's setup. trust me IT SUUUUUCKS. specifically in the RAIN it is SCARY

[Kid Zelda]

about the GB

If I buy two items, do I count as 2 buyers ?
It'll help get teh 10+ buys sooner.

Also, any idea of how many ppl are in the GB, or how many have made somekind of payment ?

[019]

Originally posted by Kid Zelda
Also, any idea of how many ppl are in the GB, or how many have made somekind of payment ?

http://www.jdmspecperf.com/specials/kazama.html

the items now have a list under each of them to show how many people are in.

[240fluke]

http://www.jdmspecperf.com/specials/kazama.html

On the website it shows how many are in for which items and the price of the items with both (1-9 people) and (10+ people).

BTW, looking over the items I am trying to figure out exactly how much adjustments are given by each item and what exactly they adjust. From what I can tell:

Pillow Tension Rod: front caster
Rear Upper Arm: rear camber
Rear Traction Rod: rear toe
Tie Rod endlinks: ?

Tim '95 SE

[Dousan_PG]

how much? depends on car setup
i have the rear upper arms and its at -4 i can EASILY go -8 i think. that's A LOT of adjustment. also can go WELL into positive adjustments

endlinks give toe adjustement on front wheels

[Rennen]

The other day I was under my car and noticed that one of my TC bushings was shot. So I may be interested in this GB. But first I have a couple questions.

Is the group buy price for a pair?

My suspension is completely stock, I do not have whole lot of $, so I am trying to upgrade as I break stuff. What ill effects will Kazama Tension Control Rods have on an otherwise stock suspension.

Most of my driving aggressive street driving on some of the worst streets in America, and I may begin autocrossing this summer. So would the Kazama TC rods or PDM racing TC rods with Whiteline bushings($75 each) be better for my situation?

-Matt

[1fasts13]

thanks to aaron for the pros/cons writeup

all pieces are priced in pairs/complete sets.

its also updated with where we are at now and with a few more added goodies!!

[Dousan_PG]

UPDATED
tie rod endlinks
i was wrong above, i found out more info to revise, but since we cant go back and correct stuff, i REDO it here

pros:
can eliminate bumpsteer (possbily, uses a spacer, no one will really know until we get it on the car and play with it-in theory, it MIGHT)
also it is good for very lowered cars-this is because of its design, it can allow more angles/pivot points which can possibly help eliminate bumpsteer

right now that's theory. when we get it on we'll know.

cons: er...after reading that stuff and talking with someone knowledgeble, i cant find any. seems like the best thing in that whole group buy next to the subframe spacers!

[240fluke]

How difficult is the install of the Kazama subframe spacers and collars? Is it like the Greg Dupree subframe spacers install or is it more like, dang I can't remember the other one right now (wasn't it like NISMO or something like that?) where these entirely replace the bushings and need to drop the entire subframe in order to be installed?

Tim '95 SE

[Wiisass]

The kazama set is like the greg dupree set, in the sense that the install is basically the same. It's installing spacers between the bushings and the subframe , it's not replacing bushings. Here's a page that someone made when they installed it. It's not my page and i can't remember whose it is. here it is: Kazama subframe spacers/collars install

[byroll01]

Does anyone know how the Whiteline subframe spacers would compare to the Kazama subframe bushing set?

I want to get rid of bad wheel hop and I'm wondering what to try first.

thanks
byron

[Dousan_PG]

first:
if you have bad wheel hop you MIGHT have blown shock(s)
check that FIRST.


my GUESS:

kazama=solid aluminum (no play)
whiteline=polyurethane

id say go kazama for high quality/no play/hard core (of sorts)

whiteline if your on a budget=need to keep it streetable

[AKADriver]

heh... bumpsteer... blown out stock TC rod bushings give my car plenty of it. I can't wait to get my new TC rods on... I didn't buy Kazama, though, I got Battle Version.

Kazama stuff looks nice, though. And way less expensive than I thought.