Monday, August 10, 2009 - 03:18 pm, by: Mark Tierney(Mark_t)
maintenance update #2): suspension replacement with coilovers.
For months I have also been plagued with the left hand rear airbag sagging as soon as I turn the engine off. Upon inspection, the strut was leaking from a small split. I've tried all of the options pertaining to air strut replacement, ending up with Arnotts in the US & their US$350 per strut & US$130 shipping per strut. Considering Murphys law, I know as soon as I replaced one, there would be potentially 3 more to go plus compressor failure etc etc. I just wasn't prepared to potentially fork out 3-4 grand for suspension on a car with a market value under $10K (even though I adore it) & also post the $800 air con fix. For a couple of months I have investigated the options of a coilover replacement that would be cost effective yet still ride ok'?? I wasn't happy about sacrificing the air ride, but it was time for action. I went with the Megan Coilover LP's (luxury performance), based on much positive feedback on the forums around the world. Clublexus had many great reviews. They came down to US$860 +US$180 shipping (US$1040 = A$1240) Fitting took around 5 hours in total & was straight forward. They have 32 dampening settings & also ride height adjustment. 1-8 are for track, 9-16 are for track & hard street, 17-32 are for street. I have set them at about 20 front & 23 rear. There is no loss of comfort & the handling is 10 times better. Ive dropped the height so there is about a hands width between tyre & guard. The only real difference is that I can hear the ride a little more. The feel when driving is much more responsive & no longer floats. All in all the megan coilover project has also been a success, both practically & monetarily. Here is the Megan site, http://www.meganracing.com/ or check the guys out from LSD motorsports here on ebay http://myworld.ebay.com/ebaymotors/lsd_motorsports/
Monday, August 10, 2009 - 03:49 pm, by: Rich O'neil(Kiwiinaus)
A lot of people have or have had the same prob as you . Air or coilover ? And a lot that go the coilover path come on and say...oh it's so much much better . But better than what ? 16 to 18 year old air struts with no dampening !!! Of course they are going to be better . There are very few people that have a real term of reference , I know of a couple in the Sates that have gone coilover and have not been totally happy with it and then gone to NEW air struts and they have come on and said NEW air struts are way better than coilovers !! Also take in mind that you will need to refresh your coilovers about every 3 years as those in the States have found. I have new air struts on the back and low mileage UCF21 air struts on the front and I tried a set of CS Tein coilovers for a while just to see and I can say that fresh air struts beat the hell out of coilovers all day up and down hill !! I also believe that long term the air struts will prove to be more cost effective , after all they do last 15 odd years . It will be interesting to see how they go after you have had them on a while . At least you have fitted decent quality units , the cheap ones blow out very quickly . Also be wary of the Arnotts front air struts that are rebuilt , I had a new pair on the front of mine and the dampening lasted 12 months , nothing wrong with the air ,. just no dampening . That's also the reason that I wouldn't run their rears either , however if I need new fronts I think their units with the new Bilstein dampeners would be the go . As of yet I'm not aware of anybody who has tried them , bound to be some one in the States who has fitted them will be interesting to see how they go long term.
Tuesday, August 11, 2009 - 08:56 am, by: Mark Tierney(Mark_t)
I suppose its a cost/performance based decision. We have only put about 15 thousand k's on the car in the last three years. I wanted the car to still roll nicely without massive expenditure & this has been overachieved. I just couldn't justify the 4 grand for new air suspension on an 18 year old car. I've ridden in a Celsior with the air sus completely redone, & I don't believe there is another 3K's worth of ride over & above the Megan coilovers. This solution will see me out for the next few years until I upgrade to a 430 or a 460.
Wednesday, August 12, 2009 - 03:47 pm, by: Robert Timson(Rjet)
I booked my car into Pedders about a year ago to get a quote for coilovers but the salesperson who had over 20 years experience said he could not believe the complexity of the celsior airbag suspension. He said it leaves everything else for dead and would be a shame to remove. I managed to get a new set of front bags (good price) and placed Arnotts on the rear (mistake should have gone for original) and changed all of the bushes. I matched this to a decent airbag controller with pre set memory and TEMS control and the car is a jekyll and hyde ride. My wife drives the car and likes the normal (not too normal in comparison to other cars) feel and when I drive I like to slam the car and choose HARD mode and the car tracks like a train and is heaps of fun to drive. It is hard to believe it is the same car. The airbags are only half the issue the bushes, and tyres etc have such an influence on the ride as well. The supercharger will be the icing on the cake.
Wednesday, August 12, 2009 - 08:10 pm, by: Ryan Posselt(Yakusaryan)
Oi Timson your car would look sweet with my rear bar and skirts!! That front bar looks really similar to the one that got smushed in the accident. Any more pics of the front?? Pm me if your interested in the kit (Price is coming down as I would really like the kit to go to an enthusiast)
Thursday, August 13, 2009 - 12:16 am, by: Robert Timson(Rjet)
Hey Ryan, I do need that little adjustable rear suspension thingie (not sure what it is called). It is about 4 cm in length and is the adjustment for the rear sensor. I attempted to adjust manually and shortened it in an attempt to drop the car before I got a decent controller. I will get more details later.
Hey Con. Practically everything ie upper and lower control arm bushes front and rear and ball joints plus heaps of other stuff. I had this done a few years ago and it took a long time and many adjustments for the lot to settle. The arnotts were particulary bad as the remanufacturing process involves a thicker diameter rubber (stronger and more durable) but wont drop as low and requires less air to pump up than the front so the whole lot gets out of wack. I practically need a controller for the balance as the rear needs to be set lower than the front. I would defs go OEM if i did it again
Saturday, August 15, 2009 - 07:56 am, by: Rich O'neil(Kiwiinaus)
Yes I have done the Arnotts thing but only on the front , the dampening on both fronts went after only 12 mths, so it's a big no to rebuilt Arnotts struts front or rear , however their new option with a complete refrabricated top with NEW Bilstein shocks would be the go , but not the rears as they are a recon unit . I have near new rear units now and 97 model low mileage fronts and they are excellent .
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