IPD springs and swaybars, and now vibration?

kcjones · Post by **kcjones** » 02 Oct 2012, 21:50

Hey guys,

It's been a while. Let me start with the basics.

1997 855 GLT. 190K. Runs awesome. No performance upgrades other than (new

) suspension.

I bought the IPD swaybar kit, end links, and sport springs. Installed everything over the weekend. Also took the opportunity to replace the CV's with EMPI's from FCP. Still OEM struts/mounts (1 yr old). I immediately had the car aligned.

It looks amazing, and feels like a new car. Extremely satisfied with the results.

Here is my issue..

When under load at WOT:

Light vibration (unrelated to wheel speed or RPM).

Feels like there's an interruption between engine and tire (I torqued everything to spec). It coasts just fine.

The only thing I can compare it to is....When your coolant temp shows about 1/4 and you stomp on it, the shaky horrible feeling of your turbo screaming at you to let your car warm up before you try to destroy it.

I can drive perfectly fine if I take it easy on the throttle. It can still hit full boost pressure (by my feel), but it scares me to do that right now, so I need to play it safe (which really stinks when you have minimal body roll for the first time).

Thanks for looking and let me know if you have any ideas!

Post by **kcodyjr** » 02 Oct 2012, 22:08

Probably actually is the inner CV joints. EMPI weren't the suckiest you could pick, but they have been hit-or-miss.

Do you still have the OEM driveshafts? Send them to raxles for a rebuild.

kcjones · Post by **kcjones** » 02 Oct 2012, 22:28

Ah crud. Yes I kept them.

Would it really be worth the shipping + rebuild cost + wait time? I already dropped 250 for EMPI's.......

And wouldn't the vibration continue/get worse with speed? I can cruise 80 no problem, just can't floor it.

Post by **kcodyjr** » 03 Oct 2012, 07:56

Consensus is that yes, it's worth having the OEM's rebuilt by Raxles above any other option except buying brand new OEM shafts, which is only an option if one has more money than sense.

As I understand, inner CV vibration tracks with applied load, not with vehicle or engine speed.

As alternative, you could try a warranty claim on the EMPI's.

kcjones · Post by **kcjones** » 29 Oct 2012, 20:58

FYI, kcodyjr is right. Old CV's are back in and working great.

Thanks man.

Post by **erikv11** » 30 Oct 2012, 07:55

Yeah, the majority of people don't want to believe it because the prices on aftermarket axles are so (relatively) low, but it has been found over and over again that you basically can not buy a new axle for these cars and get any assurance of quality. Rebuilding with raxles.com is the only way to go if you want to be sure and get some longevity out of the part.

Glad you got the car back in shape!