[200q20v] H+R/Bilstein Upgrade Revisited - milder options?

[Max Conover]

Tom,

I am in the auto parts industry myself and I can tell you one thing for sure:
replace all rubber bushings and mounts with whatever route you go. Don't buy
the line: they look good to me. In order to really check the condition, one
would have to take them out and put them on a jig that measures the resistance.
For all that work, you might as well just replace them. As a rule of thumb, all
the rubber bits should be replaced at 10 yrs or 100 k whichever comes first.

The rubber bushings are a hard sell on our customers as they want to purchase
something more exciting such as springs and shocks. They see the girl in the
Eibach ad and think: I want those !!! Good marketing.

But the sound engineering is just good math: If you start with bushings that
are only 70% in spec. and add 100% in spec. shocks and springs, the bad
bushings are going to wear out your new parts faster and you will not get the
real results that you paid for.

My two cents worth.

Good luck,
Max

"Forhan, Thomas" wrote:

> Last month there was a nice thread on upgrades, including suspension, pretty
> much directed at maximization.
>
> My 200 20V Avant is the primary family car, and I don't want to go all out,
> but at
> 125000 miles the need for new struts, and maybe springs, seems obvious on
> the streets of Washington DC.
>
> So what would be a good intermediate upgrade? I don't want to lower the car
> a lot, though a little would be ok, and I don't want to hear complaints
> about a harsh ride, though stiffer would be just fine. Eibachs instead of
> H+R? Bilstein HD instead of Sport?
>
> What do you think? Anyone done something similar?
>
> Thanks
>
> Tom F.
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