So I Want To Pick Your Brains, What Would You Do Given The Choice?

[gts-4 dreamer]

So I got a Pedders suspension check because its loose as a hooker and leaning on its own tyres in a corner and I don't know enough about it.

So what else would you get done to improve handling while you change these bits?

lateral arms - lower, whatever that is?

Cross member mounts

sway bar links and bushes

upper control arm & inner bushes

radius rod and bushes

Essentially all the bushes and the sway bar links need replacing. So while they are off, may aswell improve some stuff and looking for ideas.

The sway bars will be changed out along with the rest, but what else?

[GTSBoy]

Don't replace any arms. There is no need.

Do all the bushes. Polyurethane adjustables for upper arms so you can adjust the camber a bit. Polyurethane for lower bushes if you don't mind a harsh ride, harder than stock rubber ones for a halfway bet or standard rubber ones to try to keep it more civilised.

New rear subframe mounts are a good idea. I would just use standard ones here unless you want to stiffen it up to the max and suffer more NVH. Same with diff mounts if they have been flagged as bad.

24mm adjustable Whiteline anti-rollbars at both ends with the heavy duty links as appropriate.

The caster rods are an interesting point. Minimally, you just put new bushes in. The next step up is you put non-adjustable polyurethane bushes in (that is a nice improvement). Next step is adjustable polyurethane. That is the minimum I would do. The final step is to take off the original rods and replace with aftermarket ones with rose joints at the front end. These are about a bazzillion times better than any other option.....except they are not road legal. I normally try to keep everything on the car legal, but I will break that rule for caster rods!

You probably need new dampers too, but that is a big extra lump of coin. Look into it after you've bled yourself dry doing all that other stuff.

[simpletool]

Top tip: Don't go to Pedders. I've been to 3 in my life-time and each experience was well below average. A combination of poor diagnosis, expensive parts and labour and theft of parts.

Try a specialist suspension place (independent), or even Fulcrum.

Fulcrum (I've been to 2) is not exactly fantastic, but MUCH better than Pedders.

[gts-4 dreamer]

I used their diagnostic service, you don't feel its particularly reliable in this regard?

[GTSBoy]

Pedders is pot luck, and the luck is usually bad.

[macaroni646]

Go to Road n Race at Rydalmere, Pete is a genuine bloke and has good motorsport knowledge.

[R TUNE]

If it was me and for just street use i would do the following.

Replace all bushes with polyurathane bushes e.g. nolerthane/ supper pro.

up grade the sway bars

front strut brace.

and if need a decent set of shocks and lowered springs.

and a good wheel alimenght.

[darksky34]

^ yes nobody else (apart from GTSBoy) has mentioned getting a good set of shocks and springs. I myself have just ordered a set of Bilsteins from SK and now awaiting arrival. Pretty excited to get them in!

[GTSBoy]

^ yes nobody else has mentioned getting a good set of shocks and springs. I myself have just ordered a set of Bilsteins from SK and now awaiting arrival. Pretty excited to get them in!

Apart from me, 1st reply.

[darksky34]

Apart from me, 1st reply.

Sorry matey, fixed =)

[GTSBoy]

[mattis96]

Are you able to replace all the bushes mentioned at home? Like no special tools needed?

[GTSBoy]

No, you really need a press.

[mattis96]

That's what I thought, thanks. Any idea on how much it would cost to get all the bushes replaced at a workshop?

[GTSBoy]

Eeek. Heaps. There's at least a few hours of labour to do all of it. That adds up quick, on top of the price for bushes.

If you can live without the being mobile and can get it up on stands at home, then you could get it all apart and take the arms you want bushes done into a workshop. Chuck then a few coins to push the old ones out and new ones in.

[darksky34]

Eeek. Heaps. There's at least a few hours of labour to do all of it. That adds up quick, on top of the price for bushes.

If you can live without the being mobile and can get it up on stands at home, then you could get it all apart and take the arms you want bushes done into a workshop. Chuck then a few coins to push the old ones out and new ones in.

very good advice, mate tried to do his own bushes with a hammer and freezing them (some method he found on anotehr forum) did NOT work ended up having to take it into the shop and it was done quick and easy!

[vorse]

Go to Road n Race at Rydalmere, Pete is a genuine bloke and has good motorsport knowledge.

This

[gts-4 dreamer]

Called around literally more than 10 places around Sydney based on reputation, they all wanted more than pedders by half a grand or more, usually about half a grand and that was for less work and replacing less of the bushes. Pedders are replacing all of the bushes, top and bottom, got me the sway bars I wanted at pretty close to the price I wanted and didnt duck me around. Some other places didnt duck me around, but some places wanted to charge 200+ for a bloody wheel alignment, let alone some other miraculous additions for no reason. The hard part is that the work is being done, I haven't checked it out after that yet, so this may or may not be the start of some headache. Fingers crossed aye.

[dan.1337]

Changing all your busted bushes will help tighten things up. Even more so if they're poly bushes instead of rubber. How old are your shocks? Old shocks will be soft and sloppy.

Also, I think it's a generalisation to put all Pedders shops into the 'bad' basket. The one I go to in Melbourne (South Melbourne) has always been honest and really gone out of their way to help to get things over the line.

[Missileman]

So long as the price doesn't change dramatically from when you drive it in, to when you're at the counter picking up your keys, a hundred or two over can happen once things start getting pulled apart and problems occur.