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no need for new OEM springs... Posted by Snowmobile [Email]  (#686)  [Profile/Gallery]
(more from Snowmobile) on Mon, 30 Sep 2013 07:05:54
In Reply to: Re: no need for new springs, Bill h., Sun, 29 Sep 2013 14:24:03 Members do not see ads below this line. - Help Keep This Site Online - Signup |
... but I think these cars need cargo springs if you load them!!!
like saabsince93b, I used Koni Sports. I have them set halfway and they are fantastic. I like a firm ride, but they are in no way excessively firm or harsh. Much less harsh than our stock c900's (which are not SPGs either). I used the GS spacers that are designed for the Konis (I bought the konis at GS). I did not do bushings but probably should have. I did put in new wagon springs (this is an 04 arc sedan) because we frequently load it up (kids, bikes, gear). I didn't get them new because I wanted new - I got them new because it was easier than getting them used and pretty much as cheap, at least factoring in my time. Both front and back were low initially and re-done, but no spacers can fit the front really, so I set things up so the back was only a little bit higher than the front, but both were slightly lower than spec for an Arc (but higher than an aero iirc). Make sure you drive the car over some speed bumps before measuring the ride height after you have had it jacked up! The initial height when you lower the car is not accurate. After driving, get it aligned for the lower end of the camber spec (closer to 0 is what our Saab indy does instead of -2 which is too much). Also make sure you locktite the top nuts on the shock if they are not lock nuts to begin with! They can come loose!
We have about 2 years and 20k on the setup and it was great for a while but we have alignment issues again (inside edge tire wear). This only happened after a long heavily loaded trip. What is interesting is that the rear end is not excessively sagged when not loaded now (front and back are the same ride height), and the tire wear is not bad again now that the car is not loaded... but we need new tires now after that 1 trip! Fortunately they were getting worn down anyway...
My conclusion - I probably should have done the bushings as saabsince93b suggests (though it is a pita - need to get a rosebush tool I guess!). The "new" aspect of the springs has no benefit (and some drawbacks because they will sag more over time than old springs). That said, I should have sought out some cargo springs for the 9-5. There is precious little in that regard, but someone posted a link to some recently - looked like a second spring iirc? On the c900 moog makes ones that are just a variation in the coil. Imho, this is a necessity if you load the car often! Ours is not that low unloaded, but sags greatly when loaded... and by a normal amount: 2 adults, 2 kids, a couple week's luggage and gear, bikes off a bike rack on the hitch. All the same stuff we used to put in a c900 (which probably sagged some too, but no unusual tire wear at least!)...
, Fri, 27 Sep 2013 21:10:55, Mon, 30 Sep 2013 07:05:54 <-- Viewing This Message
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