Dear fellow Stangers,

Roughly a year and half ago, I did some major suspension upgrades. My car being a DD with occasional spirited Canyon driving in mind, I intended to lower the car to minimize the wheel gap for a good stance and possibly some performance gains. Another was a safety concern at high-speeds that the car felt floating, unsteady loose. The body roll. The factory spec of my car was 13gt premium, brembo pkg.

I went back and forth between shocks & spring choices (Ford Racing, Koni, Steeda, Eibach, Hotchkis...etc) but ultimately the shop suggested doing the Coilovers for the height and stiffness adjustability. Here is the list of what's been done:

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BC-Racing BR-Series Coilovers E-09
Whiteline Adjustable Rear Upper Control Arm KTA141A
Whiteline Adjustable Rear Lower Control Arm KTA130
Whiteline Rear Lower Control Arm Relocation Brackets KBR37
Whiteline Adjustable Rear Panhard Bar KPR037
Whiteline Panhard Bar Support Brace KSB729
Whiteline Heavy Duty 4-Point Adjustable 32mm Front Sway Bar BFF24Z


The Ride quality at first was quite stiff (even at very soft settings), and it would scrap the bottom everywhere. Too low it seemed. It was believed that my boss side pipes sticking out tad more, we had to raise up about half an inch. Since then, the car has been good. The springs have settled down, comfortable enough. The nose dive, body roll, etc gone.

But lately, the car has developed some annoying squeaks at low speeds over the speed bumps. There is a bone-cracking noise from the rear when entering sideways. With bumpy local roads here at SoCal and a few trips to Canyon roads, it must've been hard on the car I suspect. Nothing Race-Track hardcore driving yet. Need tires.

Even so, I'd question the quality of these suspension parts. My uneducated guess for these squeaks is the shocks & springs, thus the Coilovers. Perhaps I should've gone higher end like KW's. The cracking noise for the rear sway bar? Please note that the rear sway is still stock (the shop recommended no need to replace it for my needs, better traction for soft rear end). I've also heard about noise issues with Whiteline brands. Not sure what to make of it though.

The question: How long does Coilovers Last? What do you do to maintain them?

Big thanks in advance for all Stangers,
Cheers!
Paul.

 

Paul, perhaps the noise could be the factory rear sway bar bushings? They could be under more stress due to the lowering and additional stiffer components that have been installed. As for the coilovers, I would think you should get 50k miles or so for a daily driver.

 

Thank you for kind reply Brian,

I too suspect the rear sway being let alone stock among other upgraded parts having difficulty keeping up. Something to do with the balancing out I suppose. The car makes this 'bone-cracking' noise from the rear (sounds like dislocating a shoulder, figuratively speaking) everytime when entering/exiting the inclined driveways/ramps/entrances. I'd tilt the car sideways (since it's lowered) to clear bottoming out. What I still don't understand is why did the shop suggested not upgrading it.

The Squeaking on the other hand, is becoming more and more apparent throughout the car. It seemed coming from the front end mostly at first. This happens when there's an up & down movement (speed bumps or any other bumps on road that'll make the car move such so). Like an old truck. Argh.

 

I had some similar noise over bumps and it ending up being my rear uca. It has come loose. Tightened it up and it was quiet again. It took a long time to diagnose.

 

Thanks for kind reply Richard,

If you don't mind me asking, what kind of noise was it? I have two different noieses, squeaking in front (I think) and cracking in rear.

 

Just a quick update, I'm happy to report that the cracking in rear is taken care of. It was either (or both) UCA/LCA internal components being too dry. The shop took all of these down, heavily re-greased them inside out and re-torqued everything.

Out of curiosity, is there a such thing as 'rebuilding' Coilovers? I've read from somewhere that these need to be done every once in a while?

 

Most good coilovers can be rebuilt. Contact your vendor of the manufacturer for specific service instructions for your particular parts.

 

How long does coilovers last? I find answer after reading this guide.

 

Yes indeed, another spammer bites the dust!