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  Soarer Central * Suspension * Changing suspension, difficult? * Archive through November 11, 2005 Previous Previous    Next Next  

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Jeff Hogan
TryHard
QLD
Soarer TT

Posts: 221
Reg: 07-2005

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Thursday, November 10, 2005 - 04:12 pm, by:  Jeff Hogan (Hoges) Edit Post Delete Post Print Post   View Post/Check IP (Moderator/Admin Only) Move Post (Moderator/Admin Only)

Well with the xmas holidays coming up i am guessing i will be doing a lot more driving, probably including a trip to Parkes in NSW (3000km round trip) and it gets a bit frustrating driving all that way with my TT so low. Currently I have Bilstein struts with HR springs i think, and it is very low and stiff. The previous owner also included the stock struts and springs when i bought the car, and I am wanting to put these back in.
My questions:
Is it hard to take out the suspension and replace it with the stock units? i am going to do this myself.
The stock suspension has been sitting around since before the car came from japan (in 2000), would there be any problems with the stock shocks from sitting around for so long? can i get them tested before i install them?
thanks all
David Vaughan
DieHard
ACT
Soarer GT-L (4.0 V8) Lexus is300 (3.0 VVT-i 6)

Posts: 676
Reg: 07-2005

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Thursday, November 10, 2005 - 04:55 pm, by:  David Vaughan (Davidv) Edit Post Delete Post Print Post   View Post/Check IP (Moderator/Admin Only) Move Post (Moderator/Admin Only)

Are you sure you can not use the Bilsteins with the standard springs?
Are they adjustable for hardness like Koni Sports?
Jeff Hogan
TryHard
QLD
Soarer TT

Posts: 222
Reg: 07-2005

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Thursday, November 10, 2005 - 05:06 pm, by:  Jeff Hogan (Hoges) Edit Post Delete Post Print Post   View Post/Check IP (Moderator/Admin Only) Move Post (Moderator/Admin Only)

Im not sure about that, but i thought it would be easier to just take out the coilovers that are in there now and put in the stock ones, because dont you have to use a special tool to get springs on and off the shocks?
No theyre not adjustable i dont think, but its mainly the ride height that is the problem anyway, it bottoms out on pretty much any bump in the highway.
David Vaughan
DieHard
ACT
Soarer GT-L (4.0 V8) Lexus is300 (3.0 VVT-i 6)

Posts: 677
Reg: 07-2005

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Thursday, November 10, 2005 - 05:15 pm, by:  David Vaughan (Davidv) Edit Post Delete Post Print Post   View Post/Check IP (Moderator/Admin Only) Move Post (Moderator/Admin Only)

Yes, it was just a thought. If they are not adjustable you probably do not want their current stiffness with the stock springs anyway.

Never changed more than a shock myself so sorry I can not help you with changing the springs.

Wait right here for the cavalry....
Don Bagnall
Moderator
New Zealand
1991 UZZ30 GT4.0 V8

Posts: 1452
Reg: 05-2005

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Thursday, November 10, 2005 - 05:20 pm, by:  Don Bagnall (Baggs) Edit Post Delete Post Print Post   View Post/Check IP (Moderator/Admin Only) Move Post (Moderator/Admin Only)

Jeff, I don't forsee any probs changing back to the originals, BUT it may pay to get the old ones checked out with a Pedders shock test, or something similar.

I remember being told that shocks that've been sitting around in a horizontal position for some time, should be "Worked" up & down a few times to ensure that there's no air trapped.

Could be wrong
Ryan McDonough
Tinkerer
NSW
JZZ30 TT

Posts: 15
Reg: 07-2005

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Thursday, November 10, 2005 - 07:00 pm, by:  Ryan McDonough (Ryan) Edit Post Delete Post Print Post   View Post/Check IP (Moderator/Admin Only) Move Post (Moderator/Admin Only)

i just put coilovers into mine and its not very hard. The worst part i found was getting the rear ones out by myself. If you have 2 people you could do it in a day. Easy
Craig Webber
TryHard
NSW
TT

Posts: 183
Reg: 07-2005

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Thursday, November 10, 2005 - 07:54 pm, by:  Craig Webber (Soarr) Edit Post Delete Post Print Post   View Post/Check IP (Moderator/Admin Only) Move Post (Moderator/Admin Only)

Jeff do you have Nitrogen in your tyres, if not in may pay to look in to it.I have it in mine and the wagon and swear by it.
It makes a huge diff/to the ride comfort plus more, grip, tyre life.It's at all Bob Jane store
Cost about $7.00 per tyre it's worth it
Thads Cooke
Tinkerer
-
Soarer TT

Posts: 37
Reg: 07-2005

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Thursday, November 10, 2005 - 08:15 pm, by:  Thads Cooke (Thadz) Edit Post Delete Post Print Post   View Post/Check IP (Moderator/Admin Only) Move Post (Moderator/Admin Only)

changing struts is quite easy, for the rears, use a longish piece of 4x2 or sim to gently lever the hub down to allow the strut to fit out easily (get helper to hold down for you). The fronts are easy too, take the swaybar link off the bottom shock mount, then take out the through bolt for bottom of shock, and remove the bracket from the lower arm. just be careful not to ding the paintwork on the guards when swinging the shock around trying to manuovre it out!
Cihan Aday
TryHard
Victoria
JZZ30 Twin Turbo

Posts: 385
Reg: 07-2005

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Friday, November 11, 2005 - 10:55 am, by:  Cihan Aday (Cihan) Edit Post Delete Post Print Post   View Post/Check IP (Moderator/Admin Only) Move Post (Moderator/Admin Only)

Nitrogen filled tyres..

The air we breath is over 70% nitrogen.. The molar mass of nitrogen and oxygen is almost the same. The tiny portion of C02 and other trace gasses dont add to the weight of the air you put in tyres. At most, the difference is 2 grams per mol of gas in the tyre.

Its definately not worth $28 everytime you want to adjust tyre pressures. I adjust mine once a week depending on the weather, so its definately not worth it for me.

Cheers,
Cihan.
Jeff Hogan
TryHard
QLD
Soarer TT

Posts: 223
Reg: 07-2005

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Friday, November 11, 2005 - 11:26 am, by:  Jeff Hogan (Hoges) Edit Post Delete Post Print Post   View Post/Check IP (Moderator/Admin Only) Move Post (Moderator/Admin Only)

Yeah well there will be atleast myself and a mate (he doesnt know he's helping me yet :P) and maybe my brother, so that should be plenty of people. I have help a mate change the struts on his lancer before, it wasnt too hard, so hopefully the soarer wont be either (famous last words!)
So to remove you just undo the bottom and top bolts and maneuver the strut out while levering the axle down to allow more room? doesnt sound too hard.
I will give pedders a ring and see what they have to say about the standard shocks, and see if there is a test they can do before i install them to make sure they are fine.
Chris Davey
Tinkerer
QLD
Corona

Posts: 89
Reg: 07-2005

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Friday, November 11, 2005 - 12:04 pm, by:  Chris Davey (Chris_davey) Edit Post Delete Post Print Post   View Post/Check IP (Moderator/Admin Only) Move Post (Moderator/Admin Only)

are you talking about me????

I haven't pulled shocks out of a car with IRS before but I helped Todd briefly with his Silvia. I suspect the hardest part will be finding a place to jack your bloody low car up from!
Jeff Hogan
TryHard
QLD
Soarer TT

Posts: 225
Reg: 07-2005

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Friday, November 11, 2005 - 01:39 pm, by:  Jeff Hogan (Hoges) Edit Post Delete Post Print Post   View Post/Check IP (Moderator/Admin Only) Move Post (Moderator/Admin Only)

lol how'd you guess chris :P but if i do do it it wont be till after i get back from thursday island. I think the easiest thing to do would be to drive it up onto your ramps enough to get the jack under it, jack it up, put it on chassis stands then do the fronts, then reverse it up onto the ramps and do the same for the rears.
Does having IRS make things more difficult? i dont think it would?
Chris Davey
Tinkerer
QLD
Corona

Posts: 90
Reg: 07-2005

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Friday, November 11, 2005 - 03:06 pm, by:  Chris Davey (Chris_davey) Edit Post Delete Post Print Post   View Post/Check IP (Moderator/Admin Only) Move Post (Moderator/Admin Only)

Sounds like a plan.

Don’t know. I don’t really think so except you need 2 people as one has to push it down while the other takes it out. I just haven’t really done it before. You are right about changing springs though. Woody has the spring compressors that I used when I changed mine. Although Rob undid one of the strut tops and just shot the spring into the ground. Crazy mofo!
Craig Webber
TryHard
NSW
TT

Posts: 187
Reg: 07-2005

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Friday, November 11, 2005 - 03:18 pm, by:  Craig Webber (Soarr) Edit Post Delete Post Print Post   View Post/Check IP (Moderator/Admin Only) Move Post (Moderator/Admin Only)

Cihan My mis informed Friend you need to go and have a word to the boy's at Bob jane and they will give you the run down on it.And $28.00 for a better ride longer life for your tyres is just the start.You should not need to adjust your tyres each week. I have had the gas in my car and the wagon and check them now once a year and they are always spot on.And if they do ever go down i can just pop into Bob Jane an get a FREE top up.
And it's well WORTH IT.Don't knock something you haven't tried.
David Vaughan
DieHard
ACT
Soarer GT-L (4.0 V8) Lexus is300 (3.0 VVT-i 6)

Posts: 687
Reg: 07-2005

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Friday, November 11, 2005 - 04:10 pm, by:  David Vaughan (Davidv) Edit Post Delete Post Print Post   View Post/Check IP (Moderator/Admin Only) Move Post (Moderator/Admin Only)

Bob Jane is the McDonalds of the tyre market "Would you like a special wheel balance with that? The special burger comes flavoured with nitrogen".

Nitrogen has payoffs, especially if you run a fleet of trucks or small vans, retread your tyres or run an F1 car in different countries. Its benefits for road cars are much smaller and easily negated if you have any inclination to change your tyre pressures for city and country running because you must top up with Nitrogen. Adding even a small quantity of air will introduce moisture, from which most of the problems arise. The main advantage on road cars, where the actual tyre load is typically well under the rated load, is that it saves from under-inflation those people who do not check their pressures regularly or properly.

On a road car, if you can get dried air cheaply, use that. It has the same benefits for reduced heat buildup and oxidisation of rims but lacks the advantage of slower diffusion through the rubber, so you will need to top up as often as with ordinary air. I have yet to see a credible claim that either makes the slightest difference to ride comfort or grip.
Emanuel Spinola
Moderator
NSW
JZZ30

Posts: 537
Reg: 07-2005

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Friday, November 11, 2005 - 04:40 pm, by:  Emanuel Spinola (Manny) Edit Post Delete Post Print Post   View Post/Check IP (Moderator/Admin Only) Move Post (Moderator/Admin Only)

Engineers' opinions on Nitrogen in tyres
Justin Hughes
DieHard
VIC
V8 UZZ31 LTD

Posts: 545
Reg: 07-2005

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Friday, November 11, 2005 - 05:02 pm, by:  Justin Hughes (Juzza) Edit Post Delete Post Print Post   View Post/Check IP (Moderator/Admin Only) Move Post (Moderator/Admin Only)

I thought the only benefit of using Nitrogen was that in case of a puncture the tyre will not deflate as quickly as it would with Air in it.
Jeff Wilkins
TryHard
South Australia
JZZ30 GT-TL

Posts: 176
Reg: 07-2005

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Friday, November 11, 2005 - 05:03 pm, by:  Jeff Wilkins (Calin) Edit Post Delete Post Print Post   View Post/Check IP (Moderator/Admin Only) Move Post (Moderator/Admin Only)

Aye, Ive filled up with nitrogen twice. Zero dicernable difference that Ive noticed. Just $30 that could have been better spent on more fuel. :-)
Don Bagnall
Moderator
New Zealand
1991 UZZ30 GT4.0 V8

Posts: 1485
Reg: 05-2005

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Friday, November 11, 2005 - 05:28 pm, by:  Don Bagnall (Baggs) Edit Post Delete Post Print Post   View Post/Check IP (Moderator/Admin Only) Move Post (Moderator/Admin Only)

Or.....BOURBON!

Sorry, just thought I'd chip in

OK, I'll get me coat AGAIN!
Justin Hughes
DieHard
VIC
V8 UZZ31 LTD

Posts: 549
Reg: 07-2005

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Friday, November 11, 2005 - 05:54 pm, by:  Justin Hughes (Juzza) Edit Post Delete Post Print Post   View Post/Check IP (Moderator/Admin Only) Move Post (Moderator/Admin Only)

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