If shocks and springs changed...need struts changed?

Hi. I just posted yesterday about track prepping car and got good answers. Thx guys!

From that post, I just realized something: If I switched out stock stuff for Ford lowering P springs, Billstein HD shocks, an SR Panhard bar (man it makes a lot of clunking noise), do I need to change struts as well? I'm no mechanic but I pushed the car front up and down and it does not to bounce so I am thinking I don't need struts...that correct?

Also, since only a one inch drop and front wheels look even, do I need camber/caster plate changed? I thought I read somewhere they should be changed when lowering cars. But again my car only dropped one inch.

I am a title novice at this...but so far it's fun!!

I lowered my car 3/4 to an inch lower. You don't need camber/caster plates nor an adjustable pan head bar. You are at the max of lowering it before you need to do stuff. Don't forget front end alignment after springs as your toe will be off a little. If you change shocks you should do struts too. Always better to do them together. Any reason you are just changing shocks?

Hello. Thx for reply. Changed shocks cause haven't done so for awhile and tires were cupping. Thought I would do everything but mechanic at time said I did not have to change struts, which sounded kind of odd. So I went ahead and did the upgrades. Yes I will go ahead and do the struts. I read that I am also going to need to change the strut mounts?

It's a good idea to get new strut mounts when doing new struts, especially if the car is a few years old.
Careful when removing the old ones, they have a tendency to come apart and drop bearings everywhere.

The thing with lower a car is now you're gonna ask the stock shocks/struts to work 100% of the time in a range they were not designed for.
So they tend to wear out pretty quickly after that.

So, installing some upgraded front struts & rear shocks, something designed to work with lowered applications, would make the whole setup work better together.


Two questions for you, yoyo1:

- how old is your car, and how many miles on it?
- you said the SR panhard bar makes a lot of noise??? Can you explain what you meant?


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If you have new shocks, and you're taking everything apart to install springs anyway, you might as well put in new struts too and save yourself the hassle of doing it later.

The factory upper strut bearing assembly is a pain to deal with. I had a spare pair of stock struts so I decided I would rent a spring compressing tool and load the Strange struts with the GT500 springs one afternoon. I quickly found out that as GABE mentioned. I took the strut bearing mount off of the stock strut assembly successfully. HOWEVER! It was when I went to load up the strange struts with the springs and begin resealing the compression on the GT500 drag springs to seat against the installed strut bearing that it popped apart and bearings went everywhere. I was not aware that assembly was an open style bearing. I ASS-umed the assembly was completely captured internally. Apparently most speed shops have a $750 dollar device that makes this process a breeze AND keeps everything aligned such this doesn't happen. OF course purchasing caster camber plates would eliminate this problem but every caster camber plate I have seen cautions about additional NVH, so I will stick with the factory units.

If you try this make sure not to get in a big fat rush. That's what bit me in the buttocks, most likely. I thought it would be a simple compress/unbolt/uncompress/compress new spring/slide on new strut/bolt bearing plate/uncompress and done. That would have been the case most likely had I taken my time and not tried to do it all in an hour.

The GT500 stock mounts may be easier to work with, but since I purchased 11-14 specific struts that was not an option. Maybe I should have.

As for strut wear, I drove my 13 for 3 years and put 30K on it with no strut or shock issues. The car was lowered 1.25R/1.00F for 28000 of those miles. Struts will as mentioned wear out quicker but chances are the average person will either upgrade theirs or trade the car before routine strut expected life would expire on a stock strut and spring setup. Heck Strange front struts and rear shocks can be had for reasonable price of way less than $500 shipped and Tokiko packages for 05-09 aren't much more in cost.

Thx again for replies. Gabe it's a 2008 GT with 118K miles. I bought it new way back when and have loved the car since. So far, never any real issues and finally decided to give tracking it a try. Although a little concerned about wear and tear on car with those miles from the added stress tracking the car will create. Thx for all input guys! Great forum and site.

Gabe:

Oh yeah, the SR Panhard bar. I put it in same time with lowering springs and HD shock. When u first drive the car, especially going over speed bump, you hear the audible clanking that's sounds like from rear. I read it might be from the Heime joint on that bar. I think it's a lower quality bar from what I read and based on cost. But it did line up my rear end good. I can't be sure but it sounds like from the rear and only occurred after I stuck in the upgrades.

I have an audible clank/rattle as well in the rear of my car, and haven't been able to silence it so far.

New pan-hard bar
new upper arm
new sway bar bushings
new rear diff center bushing

torqued everything as it should, rattle/clunk goes away for a day or so, then returns. I just turn the radio up, lol

pass1over said:

I have an audible clank/rattle as well in the rear of my car, and haven't been able to silence it so far.

New pan-hard bar
new upper arm
new sway bar bushings
new rear diff center bushing

torqued everything as it should, rattle/clunk goes away for a day or so, then returns. I just turn the radio up, lol

Click to expand...

A lot of times with the PHB it will come loose and the clunk will damn near sound like the rear is falling out. a little loc tite and that will go away forever. The Blue loc tite is what you will want as you will be able to break it loose if you need to get the part off for any reason.

dv8uagain said:

A lot of times with the PHB it will come loose and the clunk will damn near sound like the rear is falling out. a little loc tite and that will go away forever. The Blue loc tite is what you will want as you will be able to break it loose if you need to get the part off for any reason.

Click to expand...

i've tried that, as well as nord-locks on each end with lock nuts too. I found my old adj. panhard bar's bushings were messed up, replaced it hoping it would fix the problem, but it didn't. I think it's somewhere else.

pass1over said:

i've tried that, as well as nord-locks on each end with lock nuts too. I found my old adj. panhard bar's bushings were messed up, replaced it hoping it would fix the problem, but it didn't. I think it's somewhere else.

Click to expand...

As stupid as it may sound, and I am sure you have already done this, but in case you haven't , have either of you pulled the rear tire, jack and associated items our of the trunk and driven without them in place in the event they are clunking around? These things sometimes can shift, or something like a socket or ratchet falls down in there while doing something with the trunk open and starts clunking around. Its happened to me before.

A rear end clunk that appears after the UCA upgrade is the stock UCA mount flexing. My entire rear end is heimed up and it makes a little noise over say a difference in pavement level or a super small pot hole like spot in the road, but no clunking or otherwise annoying noises

Redfirepearlgt:

Good thinking. I went ahead and cleaned up the junk in my trunk. Noise is still there. I was reading some reviews of the SR Panhard bar and apparently the Heime joints are kind of cheap and most reviews indicated there might be some clanking noise. I wonder if some of that noise might be coming from the front end? Perhaps the strut mounts are worn after spring installation? Idk. I still got to stick in them Billstein HD Struts after I get them so I am thinking Ford GT500 strut mounts. Perhaps that might alleviate noise? Idk.

I lowered mine with H&R Super Sports which are damn near 2" and only had to install camber bolts to get my front end set right, along with a front end alignment.

New springs (especially lower) --> get new struts and strut mounts as well. Worth it, especially since the old ones aren't that great in the first place and you get to take care of 2 major suspension components in one work session.

Since you are thinking of taking this car out on the track, consider getting the Steeda HD strut mounts. They're more durable for lowered cars - and they feature some camber adjustability and they're more reliable than half-strength $30 aftermarket 'crash bolts'. And FWIW, they aren't noisy.

I don't think the mechanic was aware that you might start tracking the car. For that activity you want the shocks and struts to be comparable and in good condition. Aging OE struts with new Bilsteins might work OK-ish in mild street driving, but probably wouldn't work together very well on the track.


Norm

Ok. Sorry it took awhile to get back on this. Again thx for all replies. I FINALLY got enough money to get everything else I think is needed. So this is what I just bought:

-Billstein HD struts
-Ford performance jounce bump stops
-Ford GT500 strut mounts

I think I will have my mechanic put it all on as I am just too lazy...Lol. I'll have him do an alignment as well. Boy I hope all this works and is worth it.

I know the bump stops should work fine with the Ford racing P springs. I read somewhere that Billstein HD struts may not be compatible with the bump stops from Ford. I don't see why they wouldn't work? Thoughts?

The Bilsteins have a larger diameter piston so the bump stops won't fit over them.
https://vorshlag-store.com/collecti...rshlag-bilstein-street-pro-shocks-struts-only

Bujeezus: Interesting. I looked at that site...are the Billstein Street Pro struts the same as the Billstein HD struts? I guess if I can't use the front Ford Performance jounce bump stops I can still use the rear ones correct? And if so, there should be no uneven wear of any type? Thx