johnsopa

I'm doing a suspension refresh/update on my '90 C2. Just got it a few weeks ago. Pretty pleased with how it runs but am planning to do the following:

1. Bilstein B6 HD with H&R Sport springs (already have these in hand, not installed yet)
2. Rennline Front Adjustable Camber Plate with Monoballs (seems to be the same as what Singer is using)
3. Rennline Rear Monoball Strut Mounts
4. Rennline Front Strut Brace

I was thinking of also replacing the front control arm bushings, rear trailing arm bushings and spring plate bushings. But I started thinking about the mileage of the car, which is pretty low.

Do you think these three sets of bushings would be worn out due to age (27 years, at this point)?

My goal is a firm but compliant ride. Street only.

Marine Blue

From everything I have read and have been told the front control arm bushings are also likely worn and if you're going to have the car apart to put the shocks in you might as well change the bushings too.

I'm getting ready to do the B6 Shocks with H&R springs also and I plan on changing the front control arm bushings also.

cobalt

The bushings on my 38k mile turbo, 61k mile C2 and 84k mile 90 C4 were all in perfect shape. I would do a visual examination before going through the work. Even with high track miles on my C2 they are still in good shape. These seem to go more from neglect than mileage or age. If a car sat outside for years vs garage kept makes a huge difference.

We did an engine rebuild on an 89. It needed new bearings had 124k miles but the bushings were all in excellent condition.

Marine Blue

Anthony would this also apply to the shocks?

cobalt

No shocks are crap. Mine were shot at 20k miles on my turbo and they have a tendency to become stiff and don't do their job before they fail completely.

Best upgrade you can do to these cars are shocks and springs. It will transform the ride and handling completely.

Marine Blue

Thanks Anthony.

It sounds like the OP and I are in a similar situation with trying to identify what needs to be done to update the suspension parts. Is there a way to identify if the bushings are worn which would come through during a drive rather than an inspection?

creaturecat

you can feel a slight wandering/vibration when they are shot. i would put the ER bushing in there, and enjoy the upgrade. i did it RS style. one bushing being slightly softer material than the other.
an easy, but dirty upgrade.

johnsopa

The C2 I just acquired has the original shocks but is lowered on H&R springs (green, which was the old Sport, I believe). What Anthony describes (shot shocks become stiff) is exactly what I'm feeling, I think.

So, instead of going all out with the bushings, etc., I'm going to just replace the shocks/springs and strut mounts first to see what the difference is like. Assuming the bushings look ok when I get in there.

Then I can have a baseline to compare against old/stock and eventually the new bushings, too.

I'll report back in a week or so...

2000m2

I'm very interested to hear how this goes for you. Overall, my '90 C4 feels pretty good, but at higher speeds, the steering feels a little loose. I keep thinking the bushings are the issue, so I've been thinking that when I update/upgrade the shocks & springs, I'd also take care of the bushings.
Good luck with your project!

johnsopa

I will say that changing the rear engine mounts made a bigger difference than I was expecting. I could almost get two fingers between the old mounts top/bottom portion. I put in WEVO blacks (street, not track hardness) last night and wow, smoother, less notchy shifts. No noticeable vibration/harshness increase. Big difference.

2000m2

Nice, I'll have to add that to my list of upgrades.

Marine Blue

Thanks for info.

You and me both!

I thought I was out of the woods since my car had just had a reseal with tons of parts replaced but I'm finding so many small items that need to be addressed to make it just right. It keeps taking away from my wheel budget.

Goughary

Having done so many of these now- if I had a brand new car off the showroom floor, I’d replace the front bushings to sport rubber bushings - it’s that much better. So worn or not, if you are doing the work yourself, front bushings aren’t expensive to do. Or, if you are doing most of the work and don’t want to press out the bushings, send the arms to elephant and have them swap the bushings out for sport rubber.

Real trailing arm bushings, with the setup you are going for, leave the oem bushings in place. Likelihood is they are fine. You won’t get big benefit in the rear, but I did swap mine for elephant sport rubber- and I like it but it’s not a huge difference from the other cars where I left the oem bushings in place.

In the rear with the bilstein and hr springs, your next best bang for the buck is monoball top hats. They will make a noticeable difference.

Enjoy the project and feel free to get in touch if you want to chat options.

Laker

my drop link boots were shot at 34k miles in 2010. Could only tell by removing the front wheels and looking down. Was not apparent during PPI on the lift looking up.

911Jetta

+1 Tight engine mounts are a must!