Project STurdteen: Ultimate Drift Suspension with Parts Shop Max, Part 1
If you've been keeping up with Project STurdteen, you know that there are some pretty extensive changes that needed to be made to transform the turd into the beautiful, performance-based s13 we all know it can be.
I had initially purchased this vehicle from a friend who had a small budget for the build. Rather than buying an off-the-shelf steering angle kit, he had cut and extended some knuckles in an attempt to increase steering angle. Although was more angle than an OEM setup, it was still pretty horrible. The steering oftentimes bound while I was drifting because of these mods. Since I'm trying to get more serious – even with the missile car – I figured it was time to upgrade my steering angle and suspension overall.
Having used Parts Shop Max products in my competition 350z, it was a no-brainer sticking with the folks who have spent the last several years developing their products to what it is today. Additionally, PSM products have a solid reputation in the drift world all the way up into the pro levels of driving, and with the Kojima stamp of approval, I knew it was time. Before going into the installation of the products, I'll start off with a brief overview of what's going onto the Turd.
Here's the S13 Limit Break front lower control arm, tension rod, and sway bar link set. We feel that the Limit Break Front kit is one of the best on the market for the Nissan S chassis. The Limit Break kit can rock up to 70 degrees of steering angle if set up properly to do so.
The Limit Break system is completely adjustable for camber, caster, bump steer, kingpin angle and track width. This gives the experienced chassis tuner tremendous flexibility in setting up the car, more so than any drift system on the market.
The design of the PSM lower arm is adjustable to be 35 to 90mm longer than an OEM S13 front lower control arm. The ability to greatly adjust track width is a huge advantage to gain clearance for additional angle without having to rely on spacers. Adding spacers to the front wheels makes the front wheel swing in a wider arc and often reducing wheel clearance rather than increasing it like a lot of people think. A longer arm also helps gain clearance without increasing the scrub radius. Excessive scrub radius can make the car darty and prone to turn in push. Today's modern drift cars have tightly locked limited slips or spool rear differentials and often run a front track width several inches wider in the front than the rear to help reduce turn in understeer and mid turn push. The Limit Break kit easily adjusts to accommodate this sort of set up.
After installation, PSM recommends a 50mm+ wide body fender and their LB coilover top plate / lower mount for the most adjustability and angle clearance to 70 degrees.
