Help the newbie thread.....

[KyleCim]

ok guys, im picking up an 95 mtx and it sags in the rear a good amount. Now im currently in school and have to pay this car off and i have a limited amount of funds and i have been looking at the intrax springs. What is the BARE minimum that needs to be done on a spring swap. To be perfectly honest im not looking for a car that outhandles porsche's or anything to go auto-x or open tracking with. I would really like to keep the cost down and have been looking at just goin with an intrax/sensa-trac/or kyb gr-2 setup. And i know that they are not meant for lowered cars but i dont have the money to buy tokico's or koni's so thats out. i wil own the car for around 2 years and it currently has 106k miles on it. Basically im asking what else is needed for a BASIC (ie no performance strut mounts,bigger sway bars etc) spring/strut job. Thanks

 

[luigisho]

I wouldn't waste the money on Intrax unless you are going to put in struts that will last. People have used the Moog Cargo Coils for the rear to remove the sagging. The spring rate on those should help with the more reasonably priced struts. I would replace the strut mounts and bushings back there. Everything will already be apart so put some new rubber/tpr in at this time.

 

[greenbeanmtx]

I agree dont put intrax on, if you want new then go with moogs which will work with stock struts.

Alot of guys on here me being one included upgrade our suspension even though the stock stuff was still sufficient so for your sake you might want to put a Want to buy ad in the wtb section stating you would like some rear struts with springs or something along those lines. The picture in my sig shows my car with the stock struts and springs and my rear squats but not too bad. Idealy you need to find someone thats close to you thats got something like that and you can get it from them for next to nothing. The trick is finding someone close so shipping doesnt eat you alive.

 

[KyleCim]

well me bein a cheapass i do understand the prob w/the struts but i also do want to lower the car. Just going by previous setups, i mean i have eibach's on my mustang w/stock struts and its been like that for over 5 years w/no problems...are these cars that much different that i will blow a non tokico or koni before 2 yrs? Also does the moog lower the car any? thanks

 

[LOUDSHO92]

Well if it sags in the rear isn it lowered then?

Eibachs are a less of a drop then Intrax springs. The more of a drop there is, the more problems that arise. You could just wait and save up, do you have to have it done right now?

The KYBs might be okay but I would at least get the Tokicos. I would not go with the Monroe shocks at all. You should defantly replace the strut mounts and bearings. I did all the work on mine so that saved me money.

 

[Shoaz]

Well if it sags in the rear isn it lowered then?

That's just what I was going to say. Even if you put "lowering" springs on it it may wind up higher than what it is now with saggy stock springs.

So I'd suggest leaving it as is. If you're trying to cheap out and keep it low, then the bare minimum is spend $0 and keep it as-is.

 

[KyleCim]

If the front actually sagged then id leave it as is lol but i got the lowrider look goin w/ zero wheel to fender gap in the rear and 2+ inches up front. And im cheapin out because i allways get myself in over my head...i have 2 other cars ( a 90 Mustang 5.0 and an 87 buick Grand national) But anyways, could you guys just do a list of what HAS to be done w/a suspension? thanks

 

[OSU 4 SHO]

If I were you, I would get Monroe sensatracs with moog cargo coils. Replace the strut mounts, bearings, bellows and insulators. You can cut a coil or two up front for a drop, I dont know much about that, so ask someone else. This is a good combination for a little better than stock ride, and good handling.

 

[Shoaz]

But anyways, could you guys just do a list of what HAS to be done w/a suspension? thanks

That would be an empty list. You don't have to change anything.

If you want, you can change just the springs without changing anything else. Since you've indicated you want to minimize cost but do want to change the springs, that's certainly one way to go and would be the cheapest route.

 

[LOUDSHO92]

The front even with Intrax will have a gap up front.

To do a proper job you need to replace:
Struts
Springs
Sturt Mounts and Strut Bearings

This will prevent having to replace a part a month later becasue it decides to go out. The springs and struts are together along with the strut mount, so it is best to do it all at once. If you have air tools you can do it yourself.

 

[KyleCim]

yea im able to do it and i was going to put in new struts for that fact that i dont wanna go back in again. So along w/the springs and struts im gonna have to get strut mounts (both front and back?) and strut bearings? Also, what would be the best/cheapest place to pick up the mounts and bearings? thanks

 

[Shoaz]

yea im able to do it and i was going to put in new struts for that fact that i dont wanna go back in again. So along w/the springs and struts im gonna have to get strut mounts (both front and back?) and strut bearings? Also, what would be the best/cheapest place to pick up the mounts and bearings? thanks

You don't really need to change the mounts or bearings if they're not giving you trouble. If things are badly corroded or worn, then you might consider replacing what's bad and leave what's not. That's just a tradeoff on future work or not.

You're saying you want to spend the minimum and only change what HAS to be changed, and then you're saying you don't want to have to go back in there again and change other things later. Those are conflicting requirements so I think only you can decide what you want to do or not as you go, but you've got a lot of maneuvering room from changing only the springs (which is definitely a possibility and IS the cheapest route) to changing everything.

The bearings are easy to change and relatively inexpensive. You may want to just get prices on the relevant parts and decide what your level of pain may be.

 

[LOUDSHO92]

I have picked up my mounts and bearings at the auto parts store. You can check online for prices. I would replace the bearings at a minimum as they can go out much easier then the mounts. The mounts and bearings are part of the strut/spring assembly so if they fail you have to go and tear everything apart, so thats why I would do them at this time.

Also once you do the springs, you will need an alignment. If you take it in they will say that they will have to cut the strut mount plate and they cant do the rear. This is usualy, you dont have to have any of this done, but you can do it later on. I still havent done it yet but will soon once I get my GTP control arms.

I would say just wait and do it right. It will then last you another 10yrs.