Have finally got around to replacing all 4 Bilsteins. The fronts were done a few months ago, the rears just last week. When the fronts were done, it has lifted the car up at least an inch, which makes the car look terrible, especially when parking on grass or a softer, uneven surface. The Springs are Stock. I thought this might be fixed by replacing the rears, but it hasn't.
I know this is a common issue, but there doesn't seem to be a definite solution. One solution would be to possibly replace the springs with something like STI Pinks, but I don't particularly want to increase the harshness of the ride. The roads (if you can call them that) on the South Coast NSW are terrible, and even now it can be a little uncomfortable at times. An issue that was mentioned in lowering with springs was that if the struts have not been designed for lower springs (in this case this Bilstein model has not), the decrease in the overall travel for the strut can cause issues.
Another possible solution I came across was to install Strut Top Spacers/Saggy Butt Shims. I measured the height difference and the front is a whopping 25mm higher than the rear when parked on a flat surface. (See attached image).
I am inclined towards going for Strut Top Spacers as the height in the front doesn't bother me too much (It's still quite low and will ride better on these roads). However, I will need 1" Spacers, of which I have been trying to purchase from Paranoid Fabrications, but the website is currently broken when Checking Out. Another place is Subtle Solutions (enquiring about shipment outside of US).
The questions I had were are there any reasons not to go for the Strut Top Spacers. Upon further reading, well, only information I could find is on 4x4s with 2"-3" Spacers, but nontheless, the increase in the height will reduce the Struts Travel Distance and increase pressure on all surrounding knuckles, including the Ball Joints, which can cause premature wear and possibly break, or something to that effect.
I am doubtful there will be any issues, as the sag in the rear will be fixed by a 1" increase in ride height, and as the front sits at that height, I believe the rear should to, and if anything it should actually relieve pressure on the rear suspension components, as well as prevent excess use of the bump stops?
Any ideas? I will be going ahead with the purchase if I hear back from either party unless somebody strongly advises against it. I have seen this mentioned a few times throughout the forum as a solution but most people seem to get lower springs, or go for coilovers (not really an option seeing so I just spend close to $1400 on Bilsteins since January - I know, don't even need to mention it
- waiting for the "Could have had TEIN Coilovers for $800 delivered" heard it all before)Thanks for the input.
Cheers,
Aaron
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Purchasing a 2nd hand set may result in a similar issue, not to mention difficulty in availability
