Suspension refresh

[RedAtom]

Hi guys,

I am pretty new here but have been lurking since last fall.

Purchased my first ZHP a little over a month ago, 86k on the clock.

The previous owner replaced the the rear struts already and he said his mechanic inspected the front and they were fine. However, with some recent road work on my street there are some bigger holes that I ride over slowly and I have determined that the front struts need to be replace too.

He put yellow bilsteins in the rear and I think I am going to go with Koni yellows in the front. I pulled the front wheel off to inspect bushing and everything looks fine. In the infinite wisdom of this board should I replace the fcab bushing as well? Seems like it is not much work to go back in later when they are worn, all bushings and rubber look really good in there.

BTW this is a Cali car so minimal exposure to elements.

Thanks for input mafiosi!

[Vas]

Have the fcab bushings been done before? At that Mileage if they are original then they are due for a replacement.

Also I would match the front struts to the rear shocks so they match.

[Prestovie]

Also I would match the front struts to the rear shocks so they match.

+1, I can't attest to bilsteins but I can say that Koni yellows are pretty damn stiff, so seeing as how many potholes you have in your area you might be replacing them in the near future(hopefully not).


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[RedAtom]

The street condition is temporary.

I had noticed some others had mismatched struts to no ill effect, I could always swap out it if creates an negative or unstable condition. Does anyone else have input on mismatched struts?

To be honest, the previous owner had done some things to the car, but the front suspension looks 100% original. I know in the rear he only replaced the struts.

I am also concerned about the cooling system, but everything looks to be in tip top shape.

[ELCID86]

If the cooling system hasn't been done do it before summer. The ET is probably the most vulnerable part but do all the pulleys and pump while at it.

[RedAtom]

Thanks Shawn, I was planning on doing some cooling system work in May, I only drive around 50 miles a week most weeks. But I have a back-packing trip coming in early June and will be driving through the hot central valley and don't want any issues.

My wife has an Audi A7 which we use for joint trips. She loves her Audis, they just aren't that fun to drive:)

Great GT car though.

[BCS_ZHP]

Visually, sometimes you can't tell if the FCABs need to be replaced or not. Had to replace my wife's ZHP FCABs at 40K miles even though they looked fine. Here's a way to check: jack up the front corner of the car, grab the front wheel at 3 & 9 o'clock positions, rock it/wiggle it, the play should be minimal. If there's a good bit of play, FCABs need to be replaced. Also while wheel is off the ground, grasp it at 12 & 6 o'clock positions, wiggle it, should be zero play. If any, your ball joints need to be replaced.

[BMWCurves]

Whatever suspension rubber that is original from the factory I would wager is due to be replaced. I replaced my FCABs and RTABs preventatively almost two years ago. They only had 50k miles on them but they were ready to be replaced. Age is as just as big a factor as mileage if they're original.

As for shocks/struts, I can't speak to mixing and matching. I can say I really like my Koni Sports (Yellows) and I find they have a very good balance between ride comfort and performance where I have them set. If you want some more info you can read my 50k mile suspension refresh thread: http://www.zhpmafia.com/forums/showthread.php?16182-Help-with-Suspension-Refresh-at-50k-miles-10-years