New Year - new suspension!

[Sam_]

I need to do those trailing arm bushes on mine. Does the alignment need to be redone after?

 

[[Dave B]]

Ideally yes, there is a small amount of movement in the mounting and it can have an effect on rear toe.

 

[[Dave B]]

Update with piccies!

So it's done....all in it wasn't too bad a job. The total list of parts fitted ended up as

- Bilstein B12 Pro Kit
- Dave's tiebars (fitted in the top position)
- Rear tiebars poly bushed (inner)
- R32 Rear ARB
- Rear trailing arm front bushes polybushed
- Cupra R top mount rubbers with OE bearings
- Front wishbones front bushes poly-bushed
- Front wishbones rear bushes OE audi TT
- OE track rod ends
- OE ball joints
- New bolts and nuts for the stuff above

The only annoying hurdles were:

1. The trailing arm bush bolt on the drivers side seizing to the inner collar on the bush, I had to grind the bolt in half in the end which took aaagggeeeesss.

2. The front track rod ends were goosed as a previous mechanic had rounded off the hex on the top, again I had to cut these off with a grinder.

After completing the work on Friday night, I took it in for alignment on Saturday morning:

After much adjustment (it was way out after putting the new stuff on) the results looked like this:

I can confirm that the car now handles properly well. All of the above gubbins has been done before by others so I've not really broken any new ground, but my god it is good. Still comfortable and smooth but it turns in properly and no longer gives me motion sickness from rolling about. The ride quality is exactly what I was after, still comfortable enough to run the wife about in and no rattles, but really effective at pace. Whilst the suspension still seems to be settling, it already looks heaps better than before, here it is after a it had a bath on Saturday:

Handling wise the only other thing I want to change is the steering rack bush, I'll probably poly-bush it in the next few weeks.

Thanks for looking

 

[superkarl]

excellent work. looks great

 

[Alex C]

- Dave's tiebars (fitted in the top position)

I thought Dave had stopped making these?

 

[[Dave B]]

I thought Dave had stopped making these?

Mine are the coated mild steel versions, he's stopped making the fully stainless items.

 

[jojo]

Mine are the coated mild steel versions, he's stopped making the fully stainless items.

Just FYI, the later powder coated ones are thinner, so you can bolt you xenon height sensor on it as normal. The first batch of SS ones which I have are a bit more chunky, so I had to modify the xenon sensor bracket. On the basis of fitting the arms at the bottom of course.