Front suspension on '96 850 - OEM parts? what would you do?

drumsagogo · Post by **drumsagogo** » 29 Jun 2007, 17:35

Hi, I've got a 1996 850 with a worn out front end at 140,000 miles.
I'm going to pay a mechanic I know to replace the struts/mounts/spring seats/control arms/tie rod ends/sway bars and all the misc. hardware...basically the whole shabang.

I'm trying to decide whether it's worth the additional expense of getting all OEM parts. I've searched here, and there seems to be one instance of failing aftermarkt strut mounts/spring seats, yet other people seem to have purched their "oem quality" parts from FCP and been quite satisfied.

FCP currently has an ebay auction with everything for $500. The struts are OEM, but everything else is aftermarket.

On the other hand, going all OEM direct from FCP is $750.

Getting the OEM stuts/strut mounts/spring seats, but with aftermarket everything else is $650.

I was told by FCPgroton that the aftermarket parts are made by uroparts.com or MTC (though the control arms are hamburg technic). I guess I'm wondering how bad or different can these aftermarket parts actually be....I mean FCP has to stand behind them don't they...would they even sell them if they commonly caused problems?

Considering the amount involved, and the fact that this car will probably be relegated to "2nd car" status pretty soon, I'm having trouble making a decision. Just wondering what others may have done here or if you have any opinions...thanks.

Post by **JRL** » 29 Jun 2007, 18:38

I would go with all OEM mounts and tie rods and control arms, etc.
You should look at aftermarket struts and shocks if you want better handling.
Koni sports are my favorite, next would be Bilstein Tourings.
After those two shock choices they get very stiff. If you want the complete list on those, reply here.
Sure Groton will give you new mounts if the aftermarket ones fail, but YOU pay the labor to replace them

Post by **MadeInJapan** » 29 Jun 2007, 19:31

www.shox.com is where I ordered my Bilst. Touring (TC's) from....they have others....and if you call them, they have competitive prices on shock mounts and spring seats as well. Be careful of fcpgroton's front end suspension parts...ball joints/Control or A-arms, etc. Make sure you DON'T BUY ScanTech parts...they are not up to par and have been known to fail prematurely...then you do the LABOR all over again, not to mention having to buy parts again. Good luck! Heed JRL's suggestions....he speaks the truth.

drumsagogo · Post by **drumsagogo** » 12 Jul 2007, 06:55

Sorry for the delay, still working on this....

Regarding the bilstein touring struts, I see from past posts that they raise your front end approx 1".

I don't think I would like this unless the rear was also raised 1" If I put new bilsteins shocks on the rear, would the rear also be raised? Thanks.

Post by **JRL** » 12 Jul 2007, 08:59

drumsagogo wrote:
would the rear also be raised?

A bit, but not quite as much as the front

drumsagogo · Post by **drumsagogo** » 12 Jul 2007, 10:34

Hmm....Is this visually noticable?

I like the idea of being a bit higher but I still want the car to look "normal" if you know what I mean.

wallie · Post by **wallie** » 12 Jul 2007, 12:12

I put Bilstein TC shocks and struts in my dd 94 855T and they didn't raise the height at all. The Bilstein HD w\monotube have been known to raise the height from what those that have the HD's have reported across the boards. I've seen the HD's negate lowering springs too but I've just never seen or heard the TC do that. I took the TC's out after three months and replaced them with Koni yellows because I didn't care for them at all.

I thought the TC had no impact on the ride height.

drumsagogo · Post by **drumsagogo** » 12 Jul 2007, 12:26

It is possible I have them confused with the Koni's (?)

I know I saw a post here where it was mentioned.

Anway, I think I'm just going to stick with the sachs.

THanks for all the input.

wallie · Post by **wallie** » 12 Jul 2007, 13:41

I have konis in both my cars and purposely watched for them raising the ride height but they didn't. If you got some 100K plus miles out of the oem parts then Sachs may be just fine for you. Once they're in and if you like the ride then I'm sure you'll be happy with it.

The other thing you might want to consider if you're putting in sway bars are the end links. Oem end links can quickly become the winker link there with upgraded bars from my experience or imho. You might want to think about some of the heavier aftermarket links that are available. Something to think about with whatall you're doing to the front end.