Give feedback on suspension products you installed.

[Snagglefoot]

Here is a chance to provide feedback on suspension products you installed, especially on anything that is a good news story. I’ll go first.

I installed upper control arms in a 2010 Chevy Silverado 1500 in 2020. They were Mevotech Supreme. After 3-1/2 years and 25,000 miles they are still fine.

 

[ctechbob]

Lower control arms on my 2008 TL Type S.

Mevotech

Utter garbage. The compliance bushing rubber was far too soft. Ate through a set of front tires in something under 10,000 miles. Pressed out the Mevotech bushings and replaced with OEM Acura ones, been fine ever since.

Lower control arms on my 2003 Accord.

Moog

Have actually been perfect. Same design as the TL, but far stiffer rubber and the tires on that car wear perfectly even at 270,000+.

 

[Snagglefoot]

Lower control arms on my 2008 TL Type S.

Mevotech

Utter garbage. The compliance bushing rubber was far too soft. Ate through a set of front tires in something under 10,000 miles. Pressed out the Mevotech bushings and replaced with OEM Acura ones, been fine ever since.

Lower control arms on my 2003 Accord.

Moog

Have actually been perfect. Same design as the TL, but far stiffer rubber and the tires on that car wear perfectly even at 270,000+.

Great start, but which line of Mevotech and Moog?

 

[ctechbob]

Great start, but which line of Mevotech and Moog?

I'd have to dig that up. Both whatever Rockauto was selling. It has been many years for the Accord and probably at least 4 years since I did the Acura.

 

[Kira]

PowerFlex Poly bushings installed into factory lower control arms of my 2002 Volvo V70...AA+ in every way.

Deeza sway bar links, same job. New name to me...striking red box...made in Turkey. Just fine...then I sold the car.

Bilstein H6 dampers on an '05 Saab 9-5. AA+

$23 J.C. Whitney strut inserts on my '72 Toyota Corolla. Perfect performance.

 

[Astro14]

In the past couple years, I’ve rebuilt the suspension on five Volvos, and a couple Mercedes. OEM Mercedes and Volvo are good. Lemforder is good.

Nearly everything else is garbage. Even Febi-bilstein is hit or miss.

 

[jeepman3071]

I recently installed a few different suspension parts on both my cars.

1998 Wrangler: 1.5" lift H&R springs all the way around, and Fox shocks all the way around. I bought the Jeep with some Bilstein 5100 shocks, and while it handled well, I could feel every bump and dip in the road. The Fox shocks transformed the ride, they are expensive but well worth the money.

2009 BMW 328i: Replaced the rear shocks with Sachs OE replacement from FCP Euro. One of the rears was leaking, so did both as well as all the bushings. It rides almost identical, but the car does feel more planted in the rear over unsettling pavement.

 

[jeepman3071]

In the past couple years, I’ve rebuilt the suspension on five Volvos, and a couple Mercedes. OEM Mercedes and Volvo are good. Lemforder is good.

Nearly everything else is garbage. Even Febi-bilstein is hit or miss.

Lemforder has been switching a lot of their production to China, and as always the quality is taking a hit. M539 Restorations youtube channel has run into issues with their stuff a few times, and a friend of mine saw the same thing on parts he bought for his BMW F30. I historically only used Lemforder on my BMW, and they seem to be holding up well (control arms) but they were purchased a few years ago and made in Germany.

 

[zzyzzx]

Bunches of Monroe struts, all good. One Gabriel and I would not buy Gabriel again due to lack of an allen key or other method to keep the top from rotating while tightening the top nut.

 

[slacktide_bitog]

For sway bar links, look for something that has a nut on the other end. It will be much easier to install, and more importantly, it will e easier to remove if/when it ever needs to be replaced

Regular sway bar links with the stupid hex key in the middle, it will strip, especially if you have to deal with rust.

Right now, the best brand of sway bar links to get is CTR because they include the nut.

 

[Nukeman7]

^^^ What slacktide_bitog said. CTR sway bar links are the way to go if you want sealed joints, but Moog's Problem Solver line is another good option with the nut on the stud base if you prefer greasable Zerk fittings. With that said, I just installed Sankei 555 sway bar links on a Honda and can attest the steering compliance "feel" seems to be better than what I perceived with the Moog and CTR links installed on similar Hondas.

My experience with Deeza outer tie rod ends does not seem to align with the general perception on the web. I had both outer tie rod ends wear out in 15 months and ~8,000 miles on a Honda Element. It is the only time in the past 20 years that any of our vehicles failed the annual state mandated safety inspection. I do a walk-through prior to every inspection and took for granted that the Deeza tie rod ends would still be good after only 8,000 miles of normal, on-road driving. To add insult to injury, the seller refused to honor the lifetime warranty.

I've also had good results with KYB struts and Bilstein shock absorbers; however, I don't use any quick-strut assemblies which have a tendency to degrade the OEM ride quality.

 

[PF52]

For sway bar links, look for something that has a nut on the other end. It will be much easier to install, and more importantly, it will e easier to remove if/when it ever needs to be replaced

A big, robust hex like for an 18mm or so wrench is crucial. Even the Moog Problem Solver endlinks will rust badly and (I think) they come with deformed-thread nuts so they REALLY want to resist unthreading. Still requires super-human strength to remove them.

 

[redhat]

I installed Mevotech TTX upper control arms (which includes a TTX upper ball joint) in the Tahoe and Suburban. Both have been good so far 6-8 months. Short duration, I know.

Also have TTX lower ball joints in both, no complaints.

 

[Snagglefoot]

I installed Mevotech TTX upper control arms (which includes a TTX upper ball joint) in the Tahoe and Suburban. Both have been good so far 6-8 months. Short duration, I know.

Also have TTX lower ball joints in both, no complaints.

Keeps the updates coming on those. I’ve got my eye on them for my 3/4 ton Suburban.

 

[John105]

Absolutely love the Bilstein B6's (front/rear) on a 2011 Buick Enclave. We went GM OE struts the first time, and like the ones that came from the factory, leaked in 50-60k, so enough was enough.

Used GM OE strut mounts, boots, sway bar end links, moog sway bar bushings

This was literally during the pandemic, so things were cheap. A local garage charged $400 labor to do all the work. The Bilsteins lacked the thing for the ABS wire to attach and the tech neatly tie wrapped it rather than to have left it dangling. So in the end, all the parts and labor front and rear, added up to a quick strut front job at a muffler shop, well worth it and should last years (I doubt it would be worth the lifetime warranty and downtime to claim but I hope the Bilsteins go 100k+)...

 

[KrisZ]

With very few exceptions, the aftermarket business is moving and changing hands so fast that what used to be good, decent or even great few years ago can be total garbage today.

That’s why I value the opinions of some of the mechanics here that deal with these parts every day. If they say something is OK today, then that’s the most current info we can have and that’s what I would go by. Not what worked several years ago.