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Did a semi-DIY suspension overhaul on Saturday.
04 Aero sedan, 75 kmi, original struts still pretty healthy, but all 4 springs were nearly 1" sagged though. No uneven tire wear, but lots of front apron scratching and too stiff the ride for out poor roads.
So out went the old stuff and in came the Koni FSD set and new Arc Wagon springs.
The change was unbelievable. Tons of ground clearance (no more wary curb approaches), perfectly supple ride, yet totally controlled body motions. I cannot think of a better setup for an all-weather daily driver.
It only lost a tiny bit of that "on-rails" feeling of the original set-up, but that may be the result of misalignment, which is due in a few days. It still racks straight and is totally immune to grooves in the road though.
Now the job:
I found dip's write-up (platonoff.com) to be the best. Pulling out the struts was pretty simple, as was installing everything back.
Three tips I thought worth mentioning:
* Undoing the bottom bolt of a rear strut (140 lb-ft monster) in a garage can be achieved by using the weight of the car (same for tightening).
** When the top nut became totally uncooperative on both rear struts, I chopped off the shock rod with a grinder and squared the rod stub so that it'd clamp in securely with a vise. After that those fasteners did not have a chance.
*** If possible, find a friendly garage with the strut disassembly device - it is so much more convenient than using spring compressors. The impact wrench was a HUGE help too.
posted by 12.148.70...
, Tue, 31 Jul 2012 05:30:52
, Mon, 30 Jul 2012 20:49:53
, Mon, 30 Jul 2012 18:42:55
, Tue, 31 Jul 2012 04:40:53, Mon, 30 Jul 2012 20:38:45
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