Refreshing old non-oem suspension setup
06-11-2014, 02:13 PM
#1
Refreshing old non-oem suspension setup Out with the old. From '97 to -'01 I did most of my suspension mods and now its time to freshen things up. Some of these parts have upwards of 150K miles on them and the car now sits with 201K! A note- the rear passenger side of the car sits lower than the rear driver side by about 3/4 an inch- not sure why. Although I did replace both rear rubber spring seats 2 years ago. Both front corners are at the same ride height.
Up until recently, the car was getting track time at Road America. This is a big and very fast road course that does work every part of the car hard. I'm not looking for a full blown competition setup where everything needs to be adjustable but obviously I want a good & solid platform. I don't autocross the car and it never goes to the drag strip. I take it to work on nice days and don't care about road noise.
Looking for feedback and ideas for this project.
On the car are: Eibach Sportlines, KYB non-adj shocks & struts, boxed Edelbrock LCA's, LG double adj PHR & PST sway bars.
The shocks & springs are definitely going away and am thinking Koni single adjustables with BMR SP001 springs.
The LCA's are the boxed Edelbrock and I'm wondering how much bushing wear they've experienced over this much time. Should I just call it a day with them and get brand new? I have LCA relocating brackets and those are staying put.
Sway bars are PST. I asked in another thread if anyone is using them. The bushings in the endlinks are pretty worn so replacing them at least is needed, or again... change out to new & contemporary? These are 1 1/4 front and 1" rear. Does their 'memory' and flex characteristic alter with time and extreme usage?
PHR is a double adjustable LG unit with the spherical bearing on one end but the bushing does have wear in it. Are these serviceable or no?
The Torque Arm is OEM and its bushing is kaput, so I'm deciding whether to replace the bushing with a new poly one or get a BMR TA.
It does have a BMR k-member that's about 5 years old now, and that's fine. Strut tower brace is also BMR.
Up until recently, the car was getting track time at Road America. This is a big and very fast road course that does work every part of the car hard. I'm not looking for a full blown competition setup where everything needs to be adjustable but obviously I want a good & solid platform. I don't autocross the car and it never goes to the drag strip. I take it to work on nice days and don't care about road noise.
Looking for feedback and ideas for this project. On the car are: Eibach Sportlines, KYB non-adj shocks & struts, boxed Edelbrock LCA's, LG double adj PHR & PST sway bars.
The shocks & springs are definitely going away and am thinking Koni single adjustables with BMR SP001 springs.
The LCA's are the boxed Edelbrock and I'm wondering how much bushing wear they've experienced over this much time. Should I just call it a day with them and get brand new? I have LCA relocating brackets and those are staying put.
Sway bars are PST. I asked in another thread if anyone is using them. The bushings in the endlinks are pretty worn so replacing them at least is needed, or again... change out to new & contemporary? These are 1 1/4 front and 1" rear. Does their 'memory' and flex characteristic alter with time and extreme usage?
PHR is a double adjustable LG unit with the spherical bearing on one end but the bushing does have wear in it. Are these serviceable or no?
The Torque Arm is OEM and its bushing is kaput, so I'm deciding whether to replace the bushing with a new poly one or get a BMR TA.
It does have a BMR k-member that's about 5 years old now, and that's fine. Strut tower brace is also BMR.
06-11-2014, 02:45 PM
#2
If you have Eibachs and KYB's, there is a lot of room for improvement. Especially if they are old and tired. We have had a lot of success with our 1.25" springs and either Bilstein of Koni shocks. Our springs carry a lifetime warranty against sagging or fatigue, and both brands of shocks are some of the best in the industry. This is a good time to get into a Koni setup as they are on sale at 25% off.
Sway bars can fatigue after years of abuse and can tend to lose some of their spring tension and not be as effective. Not to mention the mounting bushings and endlinks wearing out as well.
As for the control arms, the only real wearable part of them is the bushings. If they look intact and have been maintained with synthetic grease, you can probably get away without replacing them.
Give us a call and we can put you together a custom package to refresh everything and probably save you some money doing so.
Sway bars can fatigue after years of abuse and can tend to lose some of their spring tension and not be as effective. Not to mention the mounting bushings and endlinks wearing out as well.
As for the control arms, the only real wearable part of them is the bushings. If they look intact and have been maintained with synthetic grease, you can probably get away without replacing them.
Give us a call and we can put you together a custom package to refresh everything and probably save you some money doing so.
