Almost done installing Maximum Motorsports front control arms, coil overs, and caster camber plates. I was surprised (and disappointed) to find out I had to cut some of the stock K member away to clear the MM control arms. Guess I should have read the directions before I ordered them. I also trimmed the passenger caster camber plate to clear an A/C line, but that may have just been my car. Anyway, all will be good once the car is on the road again, which should be tomorrow. FTBR bushings are in the mail, and my last planned suspension upgrade for now, but that will wait 3-4 weeks before I tackle that one.
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MM Front Suspension Install
- Thread starter reldla1996
- Start date
Let me know how you like the coilover setup. I have the UPR ones and my car is making a lot of noises when hitting bumps and turning. I was wondering if the MM coilovers would eliminate that. If they are noisy at all, I won't spend the money. The design looks slighty better, but I wasn't sure if they would still make noise or not. I want it quiet, like stock. Let me know if they would accomplish that.
It's not quite as quiet as factory stock, but it's close; I think what I'm hearing is a little bit of noise from the caster/camber plates, not the coil overs. I sure like the way the car drives a lot better - it drives better straight, and turns in better. The Stifflers set up made a bigger difference, but this was also very noticeable. Had one more minor issue to deal with, the wheel weights on the outer edge of the wheels rubbed the coil over springs on sharp turns, and had to be changed to stick on weights. Overall, the way it drives is much better, much sharper, and I like it a lot. The FTBR box arrived today, but I'm not up to that install quite yet, and my wife might dis-own me as well....
Does the coilover setup look well built? The UPR ones are just like cheap tin sleeves that slide over the strut. Plus, the spring lands are really narrow. Making me wonder if the spring could actually pop past them. The pics that I have seen of the MM ones make them look better built with better spring lands and bearing plates. Do they look that way in person?
The sleeve is aluminum, I'd estimate .080 thick. The spring land was part of the sleeve, the same width as the spring diameter, roughly 1/4" square (width and height). The top spring retainer was less beefy, triangular in shape, though again it fully covered the spring. All the clearances were pretty tight, which should help keep it quiet. You're making me wonder, but I have to trust their engineering, that the parts are strong enough to last. The bearing plates were about 1/4" wide, and maybe a 1/16" tall, and essentially the diameter of the spring. Haven't seen the UPR kit, though my 89 has a cheap coil over kit on it (don't remember the brand name), and the MM kit was far superior to that one (but the "cheap" kit has been on my 89 for 13 years, and has 130,000 miles on it without issue, some noise, but not at all what you were describing).
The sleeve is aluminum, I'd estimate .080 thick. The spring land was part of the sleeve, the same width as the spring diameter, roughly 1/4" square (width and height). The top spring retainer was less beefy, triangular in shape, though again it fully covered the spring. All the clearances were pretty tight, which should help keep it quiet. You're making me wonder, but I have to trust their engineering, that the parts are strong enough to last. The bearing plates were about 1/4" wide, and maybe a 1/16" tall, and essentially the diameter of the spring. Haven't seen the UPR kit, though my 89 has a cheap coil over kit on it (don't remember the brand name), and the MM kit was far superior to that one (but the "cheap" kit has been on my 89 for 13 years, and has 130,000 miles on it without issue, some noise, but not at all what you were describing).
I'm on the fence now as well. Noone has replied to my other thread as to other options. I think the noise problem that I am having when hitting bumps is the sleeves rattling against the strut. I wonder if I could put something between them to quiet it. Also, the turning issue is probably the bearings in the top. I know they are bad, but they are only 2 years old. I shouldn't have to replace them every 2 years. Especially considering that they have less than 5,000 miles on them.
You could put aluminum flashing between the sleeve and strut to take up the slack, as many layers as it takes. Silicone could be another solution, but you'd probably not be able to get the sleeves off the strut in the future. After driving the MM for the past three days, they are essentially silent, but they are brand new...not even seen rain yet to start washing out the grease from the various places. Good luck!
You could put aluminum flashing between the sleeve and strut to take up the slack, as many layers as it takes. Silicone could be another solution, but you'd probably not be able to get the sleeves off the strut in the future. After driving the MM for the past three days, they are essentially silent, but they are brand new...not even seen rain yet to start washing out the grease from the various places. Good luck!
I think I will give them a shot. They can't be any worse. Thanks for your input.
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