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some of you may know, I purchased bushings for my lower control arms. I FINALLY got around to installing them. arrived at 1030 am, we got done around 230pm (most of the time was a struggle with mounting brake line brackets). this was most def a job for 2 people, thankfully I have a ton of willing to help friends, that drive even more rad cars than I do (forester is fast as hell/tracked, and the grandma car/cressida is MT swapped)
I'm a bit too lazy to type out my words twice ... so ... I'll quote myself from the other thread:
Originally Posted by evilchargerfan
FINALLY installed the bushings onto my spare/new control arms. Also, installed Megan RCA's same time.
First immediate impression, the car seems to drive more stable now. It's pretty spooky (in a good way).
I tried to take my favorite loop-the-loop on ramp at the usual speeds (40-50 mph) but due to other cars on the road this morning (esp the ones that take the turn, and occupy 2 lanes instead of their own .... smh), I couldnt get the car up to full speed and really test thing thing out. BUT .... one thing is obvious, the usual feeling of play/deflection is greatly reduced ... and I can take aggressive turns with MUCH confidence!!!
not very good. if you slide it bias to passenger side, passenger side fits well, but drivers side becomes un-flush / now has a huge gap. if you go the other way, looks good on drivers side and passenger side has a gap
if you center it , you now share a small gap on both sides, and 2 more gaps in the middle under the center grill (small, but I can tell / and it bugs me)
easy to install indeed, it comes with holes pre drilled and prob took me 10-15 mins solo. I did drill my own extra holes for extra support. I scrape a ton more with these, already have a good amount of rash on the bottom side under drivers side fog light =\
they are cheap, and they look good. I cant complain (much)
not very good. if you slide it bias to passenger side, passenger side fits well, but drivers side becomes un-flush / now has a huge gap. if you go the other way, looks good on drivers side and passenger side has a gap
if you center it , you now share a small gap on both sides, and 2 more gaps in the middle under the center grill (small, but I can tell / and it bugs me)
easy to install indeed, it comes with holes pre drilled and prob took me 10-15 mins solo. I did drill my own extra holes for extra support. I scrape a ton more with these, already have a good amount of rash on the bottom side under drivers side fog light =\
they are cheap, and they look good. I cant complain (much)
Thanks for your detailed review. I'm torn because I have a scrape on my front bumper from a rogue pot hole that would probably get covered up by this. Looking at it though, it looks like it would reduce the approach angle and I'm concerned because next year I'll be moving back into my house I've been renting out and the driveway has a bit of a dip getting into it. I'd rather not scrape every time I leave the house. I'm currently on stock suspension, but that will probably change next year.
evilchargerfan
Any chance you can get a shot of the side-profile of the front lip, with more sunlight? I am curious to see how far it protrudes. Not that I am getting a GK any time soon....
Originally Posted by 2Rismo2
Thanks for your detailed review. I'm torn because I have a scrape on my front bumper from a rogue pot hole that would probably get covered up by this. Looking at it though, it looks like it would reduce the approach angle and I'm concerned because next year I'll be moving back into my house I've been renting out and the driveway has a bit of a dip getting into it. I'd rather not scrape every time I leave the house. I'm currently on stock suspension, but that will probably change next year.
Would something like this help with the driveway issue?
Rear bushings went on. Gonna do the lazy thing and quote myself from the other thread again:
Originally Posted by evilchargerfan
rears went on ... I must say I had a blast removing the oem bushings and giving my new toys (dewalt drill and dewalt reciprocating saw/sawzall) a spin for the first time. props to codeman again, for the tips and making this a smooth install. the one "pita" moment was getting it all to line up, it did take me a good 4-5 tries until it all feel into place. for those interested in how the install went, it was something like this:
-jack up the rear end
-remove wheels
-release brake lines as needed
-remove bolts so the rear beam and swing down
-drill holes into bushings
-saw the bushing so the plastic ring is gone
-tap out the bushing with a hammer + chisel/flat head screw driver
-clean up the area, and then insert new bushings
-line it up, and pray it not a pita
-bolt everything back up
-profit
10 fill ups since last post. will share some new numbers / progress:
dec 1 - lots of highway driving. added 4 oz of MMO.
dec 7 - lots of street driving. added a bottle of techron fuel inj cleaner.
dec 11 - lots of highway driving. LAST of 87 oct ... moving onto 91 oct.
dec 16 - lots of highway driving. (strange drop in mpg, perhaps ecu re learning for 91 oct? * shrug * )
dec 20 - lots of traf, lots of city driving.
dec 24 - lots of highway driving. mrs drove the car for 1st time, had to use the car to move items to the new house
dec 29 - lots of highway driving. more moving of items to new house
dec 31 - lots of highway driving. even more moving of items to new house
jan 02 - lots of highway driving. finally moved into new house, and now live 1 hr north of work / north of san diego
jan 04 - lots of highway driving. still going back and forth from old house, to new house, moving crap
Important Changes To Car / Driving Habits:
-Changed to 91 Octane, 12/11/2018
-New front lip, 12/16/2018
-Raised tire air pressure from 32 psi to 40 psi, 12/20/2018
-Rear Beam Bushings Installed, 12/25/2018
-Bought a house, commute is now 60 miles each way, along the I-215 and I-15 highways (tons of hills, always 70-75 mph, lots more high rev's and car def works much harder)
pic of the house, for those who wanna see it:
Last edited by evilchargerfan; Jan 7, 2019 at 05:45 PM.
-car rides as smooth as eggs on the highway, esp above 65 mph. feels more firm, less prone to road imperfections (or the wind) knocking the car around. that "squirm" that I was once used to, is gone
-used to get alot of rattle noises from the exhaust hitting metal, most of that is eliminated
-can turn/corner sharp as heck now, and with insane high speed .... with mega confidence
Final Thoughts = this mod is most def worth doing.
Congrats on the house man!! Loving the 3 car garage and terracotta roof. You don't see that style house over here much.
When my wife and I had our house built I wanted a bigger 2 car but it wasn't in the budget and she thought I was being ridiculous. I heard her say we could have used a bigger garage a few weeks ago lol.
thanks! we looked for ages, until we found the one. I am most def in love with the roof/exterior combo as most of my neighbors have like a spanish-themed look with spanish tile roof and colorful mosaics + prison bars in the front.
3rd car spot was a "must" for me, I wanted that 3rd spot for either:
-man cave space (like some retro pinball machines, or a street fighter 2 arcade cabinet or something neat)
-3rd project car (if/when that ever becomes a reality)
-space for rad manly cabinets or something along those lines
it is a 2.5 car garage tho as the 3rd spot is shorter than normal, I was stoked to see that the little Fit .... FITS!
thanks! we looked for ages, until we found the one
Awesome!! It's worth the wait. My wife and I moved out of a house into an apartment for a year while we were having a house built. I was a PITA but worth it in the long run.
3rd car spot was a "must" for me, I wanted that 3rd spot for either:
No one ever said "man I wish this garage was smaller"
-man cave space (like some retro pinball machines, or a street fighter 2 arcade cabinet or something neat)
-3rd project car (if/when that ever becomes a reality)
-space for rad manly cabinets or something along those lines
Those are all great ideas. I wanted the extra space for a project car and tools but I have 2 acres of land so when the time comes I'll have a pole barn built and make that my "shop". I did go over sized 2 car (24x24) which I am so glad I did.
it is a 2.5 car garage tho as the 3rd spot is shorter than normal, I was stoked to see that the little Fit .... FITS!
LOL, so the Fit is a 1/2 a car.
Oh and if you want to add some light to the garage I have 4ft LED lights that I got off Amazon that are amazing and not bad priced either. I'll post a link when I figure out what brand and style they are.
