Upgrading The 5KS

[garyjh@bernstein.com (Gary Harris)]

I'm one of those read-only-lurkers who now has LOTS of questions.

I finally got my fathers '88 5KS (he picked up his new '96 MB E320 last
week...GORGEOUS, simply GORGEOUS inside and out!!!) and now the fun begins! 

Here are my questions...any opinions/advice will be appreciated:

1) Wheel Upgrade: This version of the 5KS came with 14" four-lug wheels.
Naturally the 4 lug setup limits my selection of 15" wheels.  So, what would
be involved in changing the hub to the 5-lug variety? Expense? 

2) Tire Upgrade:  With the current setup, tire flex makes itself known with
every aggressive steering input.  I love to *DRIVE* (this car will *now* see
the other side of 65mph on a regular basis), however I doubt if this car
will ever see competition (ie. racing).  What would be a good all-around
tire for this car?  Money is an object, but performance is important.

3) Suspension:  What are the prefered suspension components?  Shocks/Struts?
Springs?  Anti-Sway bars?

4) Lighting: The headlights on this car, at least for me, are only adequate.
Would the installation of high wattage bulbs (80w - 100w) cause any
electrical problems due to increased current flow...in other words: will it
burn up the wiring?  Should I install heavier gauge wiring?  What
after-market fog/driving lights work well on this car?

5) Power:  Is there a cost-effective method of increasing power output?
Chip? Exhaust?

6) How crazy is it to consider dropping the auto-trans and replacing it with
a manual-trans of the same model/year?  How hard would it be to find a good
used manual tranny?


This car is a real creampuff with only 63K miles.  I like driving it most of
the time, but when I drive it the way I really like to drive, it leaves a
lot to be desired.  I think most of my complaints will go away after the
wheels/tires/suspension/lighting has been upgraded.  The other two items are
kind of a wish list.

So that's it!  Let's hear the wisdom of the list! ;`)


Gary - NYC
'88 5KS
'93 K1100RS