ws6-speed

Hi all,

I've got an 02 WS6 manual transmission. I put SFC's in when the car was new and lowered it by cutting the stock springs. Drove it like that for 9 years and 110k miles with no issues, but we've been overseas since 2011 and it's been sitting in storage for 6 years. It gets driven a weekend every few months and then for a month every summer.

The suspension is definitely shot, as the front and back both float and it bottoms out all the time on bumps, so I want to do a full replacement.

I'm still overseas, so I obviously can't take a look underneath to see what needs work

However, I'd like to order parts so that I can do the work this summer while I'm back.

Goal is a comfortable road car with a decent lowering. No track or auto-X, just a comfortable daily driver.

What parts should I look at ordering?

- Springs / shocks - BMR springs? Koni SRT? - I'd like to get a progressive spring so that I don't have a terribly stiff ride.
- Adj panhard bar with rod ends
- LCA relocation brackets
- New front upper shock mount (I'd like to use the UMI piece, but it requires rod bearing on the front shocks and the Koni SRT's don't have rod bearings, can you add rod bearings to the Konis?)
- Bushings? Which ones?
- Replacement factory bump stops

Appreciate the help all!

Thanks,

Russell

stp001

Most aftermarket parts are geared towards the performance oriented driver. With those parts, you have to compromise a little bit of ride quality. Reading your post, I will assume a slightly improved upon ride but similar to a new car would be ideal. This would be my suggestion. Buy the best set of shocks you can justify, they make a lot of difference. Don't buy any springs that don't list lbs. per inch ratings. Most performance springs will run 140-220 on the rear, 550-750 on the front. Most people use these but it does "tighten" your ride up. Stock is about 115 rear, 290 fronts. You will have to figure out where you want the new springs to fall. There are options available. As far as bushings go, poly ended new pieces are the easiest, and work pretty well, but they come at a compromise in ride ever so slightly. Steel rod-end connections are hard-core. That doesn't mean people don't use them though. New rubber bushings will offer a big improvement over your old rubber, bringing back a new car ride. You might even be able to find 1LE bushings somewhere. They are the best rubber available.
Don't forget to at least check the maintenance items such as ball joints and tie rod ends. If you need them, get good ones. The price between quality products and economy stuff is only $20 each, and I guarantee you the effort to replace out weighs the cost in materials.
Last item.....adjustable stuff. It is indeed nice to have, but in my opinion it is geared towards a more "competitive" grouping of cars. For a "fun" car, you probably won't see or need the adjust-ability and the fine tuning capabilities it brings. If you put all these new items on your car, you will certainly be amazed at the difference. The only place you will ever notice the minor shortcomings of rubber bushings, slightly softer springs, and non-adjustable suspension parts will be at the very edge of the performance curve.
Heck, we didn't even touch on tires, the biggest difference yet!!

JD_AMG

Thats what poor shocks will do, new stock shocks are pretty bad, with mileage and now less travel to work with they will be terrible and act as you are describing.

Progressive springs do not necessarily give a better ride at all. Also last I checked BMR springs are not progressive.
Koni STR.Ts should do fine with your choice of moderate drop springs (1.25in at most, any lower and ride quality is really compromised).

You might want to consider poly/rod or rotojoint as rod ends can make noise, if not right away then overtime.
Not needed.
Get a stock replacement, moog maybe.
Rubber replacements. Poly = binding, rod ended = potential noise.

ws6-speed

Shocks / Springs - Okay, so just stick with Koni STR.T and Strano or BMR springs.
Upper Coil Spring Insulator - Moog K6573
Lower Coil Spring Insulator - ???

Adjustable Panhard Bar - I want to go adjustable because the car will be lowered. I wanted to keep away from Poly joints because of squeaking, but maybe that's not an issue with the panhard bar? I guess the panhard doesn't need the rotational flexibility of tie-rods?

LCA relo was really just to give better hookup due to the changed center from lowering. They're optional and relatively cheap so I figured why not

Front Upper shock mount - I've been reading threads where even the Moog pieces aren't fitting properly recently. I love the design of the UMI piece, but I don't know how to put a rod end on the Koni shocks?

Bushings/etc - I've identified most items, but have some questions. Can anyone validate?
-Front Upper Control Arm - Moog K6689
-Front Lower Control Arm - Moog K6490
-Rear Lower Control Arm - Moog K6178
-Front Upper Ball Joint - Moog K6145T
-Front Lower Ball Joint - Moog K6462
-Front Tie Rod Ends - Moog ES3238RL
-Front/Rear Sway bar bushings - ????
-Front/Rear Sway bar endlinks - BMR ELK003?
-Rear LCA - Moog K6178
-Rear bump stops - ????

Thanks!

StoneColdLT1

iTrader: (8)

OP, this is what I ordered and am putting in my car right now

Bushings
Moog Balljoint, Front Lower - K6145T
Moog Balljoint, Front Uper - K6462
Moog Control Arm Bushing Kit, Front Lower - K6490
Moog Control Arm Bushing Kit, Front Upper - K6689
Moog Control Arm Bushing Kit, Rear Lower - K6178
Moog Strut Mount Assembly, Front Left - K6516
Moog Strut Mount Assembly, Front Right - K6517
Moog Coil Spring Insulator, Front - K6573
Moog Spring Seat, Front Lower - K80927
Moog Tie Rod End, Outer - ES3238RL
Moog Tie Rod End, Inner - EV260
Moog Hub Assembly - 513090

The only thing I would look for which I didn't do, I believe the front lower control arm bushing kit I ordered has the old style vertical bushing, and I believe Moog makes a problem solver for that location but you need to buy the bushing separately.

I'm also doing just about everything you are and logging it as I go along, if you want to follow, my thread is here https://ls1tech.com/forums/suspensio...lots-pics.html

landstuhltaylor

iTrader: (6)

The Moogs are fine. You may have one of the captured bolts spin freely in the mount if you tighten it too much. If that happens you can just remove that one piece and replace it with a standard bolt/nut of the proper grade.

The cost of putting a rod end on a Koni makes it not worth it. The UMI/AFCO/whoever upper mounts will add NVH simply because it is replacing a rubber mount with a solid mount. Not needed at all from what you have described.

ws6-speed

StoneCold,

I've been following along your thread for sure! Thanks for the part numbers on the lower isolator. Curious what you mean by the problem solver though?

I'll check the hub assembly, but don't anticipate having to replace it.

Same thing with the inner tie rods. If I have to replace those, I'd probably just go with a whole new rack as it's nearly the same price

landstuhltaylor, I'm hopeful with the Moog upper shock mount, just wanted to be prepared. And frankly, the design of the UMI piece seemed nicer as it looks like it won't result in the rusted frozen shock mount bolts. I definitely don't want to add NVH as this is will be a daily driver and don't want to be clanging down the road I already have some annoying metal rattle at idle which I can't seem to pin down.

Any feedback on the panhard bar with regards to Poly vs rubber vs the fancy rotojoint? Is that a part that needs to be able to flex perpendicular to the bushing?

landstuhltaylor

iTrader: (6)

Just put a crapload of grease in the upper pocket of the shock mount to prevent water intrusion from happening and treat any rust that may be starting on the chassis side. I haven't personally noticed increased NVH from the spherical mounts on my car, but between the exhaust and other parts it would have to be pretty terrible for me to notice.

Poly is fine on the panhard bar, it's one of the only places it works. Basically there and the front upper arm and just the front bushing on the front lower arm. Back when my car was a real street car, that's what I ran. Never noticed any noise or harshness from it.

ws6-speed

As a followup, just ordered the following:

Koni STR.T shocks all around
Moog K6516 and K6517 Upper Shock Mounts
2 Moog K6573 Upper Coil Spring Insulator
2 Moog k80927 Lower Coil Spring Seat
BMR Lowering package including:
-SP001 street springs
-PHR002 on car adjustable panhard bar with greasable poly bushings
-CAB002 LCA relocation brackets
BMR AA001 Front Upper A-Arms with greasable poly bushings
BMR RH011 Upper A-Arm hardware kit
Used Factory front lower A-Arms (so that I can do the prep work etc. in advance)
2 Moog K6490 front lower control arm bushing packs (only using the front horizontal bushing)
2 Moog K200790 front lower control arm "problem solver" vertical bushing
2 Moog K6145T front lower ball joints
BMR RH011 front lower control arm hardware set
2 Moog ES3238RL front outer tie rod ends
Energy 9.5166G 32mm front sway bar greasable poly bushings
Energy 9.5156G 19mm rear sway bar greasable poly bushings
2 BMR ELK003 poly sway bar end link kits (front and rear)
BMR TCA001 rear Tubular Control Arms with optional NB001 polymer bushings
BMR RH005 control arm hardware kit
UMI rear rubber bump stop set
UMI welded steel shock tower brace (just for fun)
POR-15 starter kit to clean-up and paint the factory front lower a-arms
VHT Roll Bar & Chasis Black enamel paint to top coat the POR-15
Anti-Sieze to put on all the new hardware, and on the shock mount to chassis mating surface.
Synthetic marine grease for all the greasable parts.


Should be a fun project

Hoping to tear it all apart in a couple weeks when I'm in the states.

I won't do a detailed writeup, as StoneColdLT1 has that covered already:
https://ls1tech.com/forums/suspensio...lots-pics.html

Thanks all, for the great input and advice as always!