I'm looking for advice/opinions on replacing suspension components due to general wear/age. I have an '05 coupe with Sport suspension and 19" wheels. Mileage is just under 70k. The only suspension upgrade was a heavier set of antisway bars done in 06. The ride has (in my opinion) started to deteriorate (harsher) over last 12 months and I'm looking for thoughts on when to replace things like shocks/struts/springs and perhaps other suspension components. Dealer generally says everything looks good but it just doesn't feel or ride the same to me. I really don't want to wait until things just wear out completely or break. Any opinions on proactive maintenance versus waiting until things break?

Thanks in advance.

 

- Shocks definitely need to be replaced at this point - 70K miles is plenty on original shocks, especially given the stiffness of the stock sport shocks, and the fact that you live in a cold climate like Chicago. Most OEM shocks are designed to last to about 50K give or take, though you can go longer with poorer ride quality. I would definitely replace those at this point, as well as the shock bushings, etc.

- Springs should be fine and generally last quite a while - most likely you could go to 150K on springs and not have an issue.

- Bushings. At 70K and 8 years, you definitely notice degradation to bushings in the suspension, and replacing a few key ones will make the car feel like new again. Replace the front upper a-arm bushings, lower control arm inner and outer bushings, and compression rod bushings as those are probably shot by now. You can use something like Whiteline poly bushings for the a-arm and LCA's (make sure they are greased well during installation to eliminate squeak) or you can buy replacement control arms, though that's likely more expensive than the labor to replace the bushings. I installed whiteline bushings in my a-arms and LCA's last spring and have been really happy with the improvement in feel so far. There was a bit of creaking noise that cropped up after initial install, but my installer went back in and re-greased them and all is well now. I also replaced the compression rod bushings late summer. Those tend to only last about 20-30K at most and affect caster and handling feel.

- Ball joints: check if there is any free play on the ball joints for the LCA and replace the arm if needed.

 

Thanks so much for the info. Now I have a couple of projects to keep me busy!

 

I was going to say the same, but G35fromPA covered it well.

I'll just throw in my two cents about shocks. I went with Tokico d-specs adjustables. If you don't plan to really run the car hard or lower it, you can go with Tokico blues. They have a life time warrantee.

 

+1. Love the D-specs. I didn't want to lower my car as mine is my DD and I have to get up my (steepish) driveway and go over speed humps at work. I'm running D-specs on stock ('04) springs (same up front as '05 and a bit softer in the rear) and really like the combo and adjustability, along with stiffer sway bars. I run them slightly softer in the winter and stiffer the other 3 seasons.