Shock/suspension question

[Laldog]

I'm planning on replacing the shocks and strut bearing on my 73 cs coupe.

I'm not building a track car and not really interested in a stiff, performance feel, but rather want to update my suspension to better handle the potholes and urban terrain that comes with driving here in Boston. (comfort as opposed to stiffness)

My car presently has 16' rims (3 piece BBS thanks Todd B !!) with 215/55 tires. It seems the standard route is to upgrade to lowering springs with Bilstein shocks.


Because I am using non-stock rims/tires, does this make the lowered springs a necessity, or is that just a "stance/look" ?

Will Bilstiens work with standard (new) springs?

Is there a reason why I should NOT replace my 40 year old springs with NOS springs?

Is it assumed that springs need replacement because they are so old?

Any other thoughts, experiences and criticisms are welcome.

Thanks.

 

[deQuincey]

IMHO,

i went through the route with carl nelson springs and bilsteins shocks, but with all the rubbers and bits changed, i am very happy

new srings make sense, i experienced old springs to be deformed

to lower the front makes sense too, if not the car will tend to float over the front axis when in the limit of legal speeds

 

[Peter Coomaraswamy]

From what I went through-for what it's worth, I also went the CN route, Bilsteins, springs and all new rubber front and rear- I put Carl's strut bar in and am also riding on 16's. I put the ST sway bar in up front and in the rear but removed it from the rear (for now). The ride is really nice, no pot hole problems or banging, but also be sure to check the strut bearings and if you can put in new ones now's the time. Also, unlike me, put them (strut bearings) in correctly the first time or the wheel will stick when cornering- If there is any doubt about the way the washers go in ask DQ as he sent me the picture I used to fix mine. Additionally, if you are doing the struts yourself it's very easy because the stouter springs do not have allot of tension on them so a rent a tool will be safe to use to R & R the springs. The real issue I'm still having is once you start deviating from stock you will have to spend some time dialing in all the little things, tire pressure, alignment (especially) -oh, I have CN's -camber plates up front too. Proper brake operation-obviously- is critical to the handling and I think there is a trick to getting the correct pedal pressure-please if someone knows that chime in as I need to try it too. My issues have mostly to do with the rear as I welded on camber and toe plates. I'm still working on the rear side. I guess what I've learned is that it takes allot of small adjustments to get the suspension really "better than stock" and it's not just replacing parts- but you don't have much of a choice once you start In the end, you should have a "stiffer" ride but plenty of travel so it's very comfortable and absorbs bumps well.

 

[NewYorkBeemer]

Has anyone with a front airdam also installed front lowering springs? I am worried about ground clearance. Please let me know if you're running this combo and how it is working for you. Thanks, Mike.