Tungsten06
Member
I received my new strut mounts on Friday so I decided that was a good time to go ahead an start putting in the new suspension. I wanted to change the strut mounts because of the pop/clunk I've been having that is notorious in our cars. And since you have to remove the struts and springs, I thought it would be a perfect time to replace them. In the past few months I've grown increasingly tired of the bounciness of the stock setup.
The parts I chose were the GT500 "C" strut mounts, Koni STR.T shocks and struts and Vogtland lowering springs (1.2" drop f/r).
Just a few thoughts on the install since this was my first time ever doing suspension work. Its not very difficult at all, just time consuming. I did it with a good size collection of hand tools, but air tools are your friend. Secondly, you can do this without a spring compressor (like I did), but I would NOT recommend it if your new to this like me. Just buy the spring compressor. When you see statements that these springs store a lot of energy, they aren't kidding. One small slip and they can release all at once. I was lucky and was able to avoid getting nailed. If you have a convertible, the stock subframes are going to have to be removed. If anyone wants me to write up how to do the swap, I will be happy to.
Now, without further hesitation, here she is (crappy pics):
It lowered the rear a little more than I would like, but I was advised that convertibles typically will typically drop about 1/4" more in the rear. I didn't take measurements before, but using a tape measure and measuring from the ground to the center of the wheel well I got the following measurements after the install:
Driver side front: 27 5/8"
Driver side rear: 28.5"
Passenger side front: 27 3/4"
Passenger side rear: 28"
I dont know why there is a half inch difference in the back. The springs were positioned on the spring perch the in the same manner the stock ones were installed. Any ideas? I know some cars aren't even with the stock equipment, so is this something I should go back and take a look at? Will the springs settle a little more in a week or so?
As for the ride, night and day. Not harsh, but you definitely feel more of the road. Body roll, nose dive and squat are hardly noticeable. A great improvement over the bouncy stock suspension. So far no clearance issues.
Unfortunately, the new mounts didn't seem to resolve the clunk/pop noise I have coming from the front of the car going over small bumps. I've seen that the strut mounts are often the cause, but where do I start looking since the new ones didn't resolve the issue? Did I not tighten something down enough?
The parts I chose were the GT500 "C" strut mounts, Koni STR.T shocks and struts and Vogtland lowering springs (1.2" drop f/r).
Just a few thoughts on the install since this was my first time ever doing suspension work. Its not very difficult at all, just time consuming. I did it with a good size collection of hand tools, but air tools are your friend. Secondly, you can do this without a spring compressor (like I did), but I would NOT recommend it if your new to this like me. Just buy the spring compressor. When you see statements that these springs store a lot of energy, they aren't kidding. One small slip and they can release all at once. I was lucky and was able to avoid getting nailed. If you have a convertible, the stock subframes are going to have to be removed. If anyone wants me to write up how to do the swap, I will be happy to.
Now, without further hesitation, here she is (crappy pics):
It lowered the rear a little more than I would like, but I was advised that convertibles typically will typically drop about 1/4" more in the rear. I didn't take measurements before, but using a tape measure and measuring from the ground to the center of the wheel well I got the following measurements after the install:
Driver side front: 27 5/8"
Driver side rear: 28.5"
Passenger side front: 27 3/4"
Passenger side rear: 28"
I dont know why there is a half inch difference in the back. The springs were positioned on the spring perch the in the same manner the stock ones were installed. Any ideas? I know some cars aren't even with the stock equipment, so is this something I should go back and take a look at? Will the springs settle a little more in a week or so?
As for the ride, night and day. Not harsh, but you definitely feel more of the road. Body roll, nose dive and squat are hardly noticeable. A great improvement over the bouncy stock suspension. So far no clearance issues.
Unfortunately, the new mounts didn't seem to resolve the clunk/pop noise I have coming from the front of the car going over small bumps. I've seen that the strut mounts are often the cause, but where do I start looking since the new ones didn't resolve the issue? Did I not tighten something down enough?
