well actually not te rear suspension; looks like the rear strut mount gave way. Bought new from BavAuto, I don't know if it was caused by the hard Koni or the bad NY streets...

One question: how many bushings does the rear shock has, I see a strut mount and a strut bushing on the BavAuto website. any one has a pair of used ones for sale? the whole rear shocks? Stock, nothing performance

hmmm, not sure....maybe faulty rear strut mounts? cuz my strut mounts arn't exactly new & they've been holding up fine since i installed the koni's & ground-controls. and i think nic is using stock rear strut mounts w/ the LEDA's. but then again, for the most part the streets in phx are smooth (very few pot holes & bumpy roads compared to other places accross the country)

technically...i think each of the rear shocks have 2 'bushings'......that top mount & the hard rubber bushing at the bottom of the shock assembly (where u bolt the shock to the trailing arm)

btw, how did your rear strut mounts give way? did the rubber part just rip causing the strut rod to go thru?

I see a bit of rubber sticking out, more than the other side of the car, and the rod is poking the inside f the trunk when I bounce the car up and down.
I think it might be defective, so I'll call bavauto and get a replacement

good luck,

I got 2 defective fronts and BMP would not replace.

[QUOTE=RDAvena]good luck,

Is there any spacers on the rear suspension? mine didn't have any. Only had the two rubber donuts, the spring, and the upper mount, a big washer and the two luck nuts...

P.s: I'm using my brothers computer, that is why I have a different name

no spacers just a funny pink paper gasket.

hey pat....if i get a shipment in on time, i'll be replacing my rear strut mounts very soon (hopefully this weekend). if u need just working rear strut mounts to get ur car back on the road & can wait a little while longer, i can send you my old ones....lemme know.

When you have the compression on the shock set too stiff it will blow the mount and if you lower the car too much the shock can bottom out internally causing the mount to blow out. You should try and find a set of ploy bushings, or make some for that or weld a thick washer to the mount on the top and bottom of the mount so it will never happen again. That bushing flexes quite a bit under heavy loads which can change the shock rates while the bushing is flexing. Idealy you don't want that bushing to flex, it will make the shock more effecient. I've replaced a lot of those bushings and am considering other options if I get my car back on the road again.

Thanks Jason, I have the replacements already, they should be here tomorrow. And GJ, i'll try and put the konis on the middle setting, not too stiff. Since i'll have the broken one out i'll see if I can make a metal cap for the bushing, to hold it in.
What is the purpose of the bushing anyways? if I could I would fit a delrin or aluminum bushing (but the car is used on the streets)

Any rubber bushings in cars are only there to dampen noises and vibrations.

It broke again. I put the new strut mount, installed it on the car. Took it for a spin, no problems, all smooth. After a couple of blocks I hear it again, bump-bump-bump.
Open the trunk, and the strut rod and bushing are gone. Look by the tire and there it is, the Koni is flat stuck on compression and pulled the bushing out of the mount.....
So today I orederd two more mounts and bit the bullet and ordered some bilsteins HD.
I think that is the reason the first one broke, the shock wasn't operating, and any bump or ondulation would try to pull or push the mount depending on the direction of the wheel movement.
Now I gotta contact the place where I bought the Konis and ask for my money back or some replacements

I have a couple of Koni red rear struts here also, they are both brand new in the box. I had them on my 320 for like 2 days then sent them back. The shocks had too much compression and wouldn't move. They claim they put the shocks on a shock dyno and that they were fine. So I got them back, installed them in the car again, same problem. They said I might be running to low of a ride height and am hitting the bump stops. So I raised the car and tried it again, it was still the same way. So I also have 2 junk Koni Red's sitting in my basement that are brand new and they won't accept them back :mad:

that sucks... But I had so high expectations from Koni. Just have to wait for the Bilsteins. One thing I got from all this? I can change rear struts in less than 40 minutes...

I can change rear shocks, springs, mounts, both sides in less then a half hr. Its really simple. I don't even take the wheels off. :D

yeah, but why can't the fronts be that simple?? it takes me the whole day.... How is the S14 doing GJ, still at VAC motorsports? Haven't passed by your house in a while, maybe one of this days I'll pass by and say hello

lol, i guess i'm the one of the few who has had a good experience w/ the koni's (altho i thought i had a problem w/ one of the front struts, not being able to adjust...but w/ some help from a koni rep, i was able to figure it out & adjust it). but yeah, like gj mentioned in that other thread.....my car get's reallly close to bottoming out on the shocks at the height it is at now. altho i kept about 1/3 of the original foam bump stops on the suspension to prevent the shock from possibly bottoming out in itself.

yeah, but why can't the fronts be that simple?? it takes me the whole day.... How is the S14 doing GJ, still at VAC motorsports? Haven't passed by your house in a while, maybe one of this days I'll pass by and say hello

I can get both front shocks replaced in less then an hour.

VAC still has the engine and I still have no clue what's going on. I've been calling them and they haven't returned my calls. They hit my credit card for a lot of cash, so I can only assume that its close to being finished.

I'll be at orchard beach this weekend running events on saturday and sunday.