Good morning everyone,

My 2006 non-sport is about hit 100k, and I've decided to keep it for the foreseeable future. Everything is in fine working order, but my sense is that the ride could be a bit more controlled and damped. This brings me to my question, if I wanted to refresh my suspension, what parts would give me the most bang for my buck?

I had the suspension recently inspected by a shop I trust and they told me it needed nothing. Springs were fine, struts the same, etc. They defined "fine" as not leaking or in some way out of working order. They conceded that at 100K it wasn't going to ride like it did at 20K, but there was nothing out of the ordinary. In fact, they were impressed with how well everything had held up over the years.

Thanks for the advice!

 

can't go wrong with OE KYB struts if you wanted to replace those. others may disagree, but i have always thought, if you replace the strut, might as well replace the strut mount since that all has to come apart anyway.

 

Don't forget front strut bearings. Buy assemblies. Ditto on KYB, just installed a full set a few months ago.

 

Thanks for the info everyone. Could you send me a link to the bearings you bought?

 

unfortunately, i have not actually replaced mine yet. that's going to be my next major thing to do. i have new lowering springs i'm going to put on at the same time. otherwise, i would have had my springs installed already. but i don't want to pay someone to put them on these old struts, and then do the whole job over again when i do finally replace the struts. but mine are well overdue (as far as i know they have never been replaced) since i'm sitting at 201xxx miles.

 

One suspension component that requires replacement due to age is the rubber stabilizer bar bushings, 2 on each axle. Cheap and easy to replace, unless the bolt snaps when you are trying to remove it (I did go very slow and undid both sides of the bracket equally and slowly, still snapped a bolt). I replaced mine because they were squeaky, not because I noticed any problem with the handling. Make sure they are installed dry - OEM bushings are rubber. If you use polyurethane aftermarket bushings, they require lubrication every now and then, otherwise they are inherently squeaky.

If you want your car to drive like it was fresh out of the factory, then you'll need new OEM springs, shocks, and associated mounting hardware, stabilizer bar end links, stabilizer bar bushings, stabilizer bar end links, engine mounts, transmission mount, all chassis, subframe, driveshift center support bearing, and transmission mounting bolts torqued to original specs, new lower control arm bushings, new steering rack bushings, 4 new wheel bearings, and 4 new Michelin Premier A/S tires. That should cover the vast majority of your suspension/handling components. But even then, if your components are still good, you probably won't notice any difference by spending all that time and money on new parts. I recommend replacing as needed, or just before the component goes out of spec.

 

i have not actually swapped mine out yet. don't have the cash to do the job, lol.

has anyone else actually used them that can advise?

 

Funny you should say this .. my mechanic said the same thing to me when I asked him to replace my struts