all new suspension parts...........

Home-all new suspension parts...........

all new suspension parts...........

I've been having a 50-55 mph shimmy which got pretty nasty in the last week or so and based on that I decided to replace most of the front suspension parts today. I installed all new upper AND lower control arms, new sway bar end links and new track rods along with a 4 wheel alignment and wheel balancing and it seems to have done the trick. The steering feel is slightly tighter, shimmy is gone but there still seems to be a VERY slight shimmy above 65 which I'm beginning to feel is somewhat inherent in these cars and will probably have to be lived with. Anyways, I'm $650 lighter and a LOT happier.............BTW, if you intend to replace any of the above parts DONT buy the Ebay no name brands, go with Meyhle or Bilstein or similar. The ball joint boots on the no name parts are crappy rubber and deteriorate VERY quickly allowing dirt into the joints........a good day.

Hate to go so basic, I am experiencing some 45 mph (or so) wheel shimmy too, you don't think it might be wheel balancing?

Nice job PumpTSI.

On the repair note I changed front rotors and pads today. I swear the driver's side rotor had been drilled into because you could run sharpies through that gap. Also the lower caliber guide pin was just gone.:confused

Hate to go so basic, I am experiencing some 45 mph (or so) wheel shimmy too, you don't think it might be wheel balancing?
man, it "could" be a bunch of things..........like....

if you have aftermarket wheels......concentric rings/balancing
worn upper control arm bushings (usually 90% of the shimmy issues)
tires with flat spots from sitting
lower control arms

Hate to go so basic, I am experiencing some 45 mph (or so) wheel shimmy too, you don't think it might be wheel balancing?

Change both upper and lower arms, sway bar links, tie rods and you will laugh at how the shimmies are all gone :cool Seriously though, it might be time to change those bushings, your car is at least a decade old.

man, it "could" be a bunch of things..........like....

if you have aftermarket wheels......concentric rings/balancing
worn upper control arm bushings (usually 90% of the shimmy issues)
tires with flat spots from sitting
lower control arms

The flat spots from sitting could be me... I'm going to risk sounding like a dumbass... will they go away if I drive it more?

Not a dumb question at all, I did it before for 8 months, They did go away after 3 weeks! If i leave it for more than two weeks, I go ahead and jack up all for corners. Good to inspect the bottom every now and then also while it's up.

Pumped, this work is on my long to-do list. You make it sound very easy, but i suspect it isn't! Since you've just done it, are there any tips you can give? I know you need to preload before tightening, and i guess that means you have to put the wheel on a put it on ramps, then tighten. Anything else I should know?

Not really Nick.................I have done it myself but its a PITA and time consuming............Mwrench is the guy for time saving tips and methods, we could all learn from him. Anyways, in "sunny" old Blighty you will get a sickener quick if working outside and pushed for time..........been there done that. Best advice I can give is to replace arms in entirety Vs bushing replacement, have the PROPER tools since breaking the tapered ball joints can be a bitch, lube all nuts/bolts with release spray a few days before starting work and ALWAYS preload the upper/lower arm bushings by using the ramp method (front wheels on the ground/ramps) prior to tightening the pivot bolts..........thats it. Good luck!

I'll be over in NI from the 19th-28th so I'll get the full weather experience first hand.........

thanks Pumped. The weather in NI is even worse than London, so good luck. I haven't got a usable garage, so I have to do all the work outside, lovely. Have fun in the UK.

Word of caution, remember we all have been saying to make sure you "preload" the front end to ride height before tightening the thrust arm main bolts?

That is so the the bushings are not twisted while the car is sitting and running normally. The E31 bushings are oil filled and over time will crack, leak and then become ineffective. If the "preload" technique is not used, the bushing will have a twist and will crack and leak far sooner then when adjusted correctly, I have seen them go in 10K miles when installed incorrectly!

NOW here is the rub (pardon the pun!) If you jack up the car with weight off the wheels for a long period of time, you NOW have a twist on the thrust arm bushings that you have tried so hard to set up correctly with weight on the wheels!!! It is almost the same (and as bad) as no preloading while installing. The rear trailing arm also has a large bushing that will be twisted (along with others) in the rear.

If it were me, I would put up with flat spots on the tires for a few hundred (if that many) miles then to have to change thrust arm other rubber bushings more often. I have a set of tires that will flat spot in a week of sitting but it goes away quickly. If stored for a long time, just take precautions to keep the tires dry and out of a U/V source.

For what it's worth--

You can't win? These cars are expensive!

Thanks Ed

After all new front end suspension parts (OEM ), the car still had a shake at 45-50mph. Turned out the brake rotors (BREMBO)had too much run-out and were worthless. Bought a set of ZIMMERMANN and the car rides on rails! Check the rotors, if you haven't already.

Been thinking rotors... want it to be wheel balancing... daughter in private school has emptied my pockets... gave 840 pink slip to Credit Union when she was accepted.