Signs that your shocks are gone?

[sw20GTS]

I am deciding if I should upgrade my suspension to coilover kits.

The ride is extremely harsh and I can hear some very faint knocking sound. The sound could be some loose interior items etc but I think its the suspension. As for the ride, even as I go over slightly rough surfaces I am bouncing up and down. I am running stock setup at the moment. I will try to decrease tyre pressure tomorrow to see if that helps. I am running the recomended presusre of 2 bar infront and 2.3 on the rears.

I i tried pushing each shock up and down from the outside but I can't really hear any squeaks or suspicious noise.

Is there any tell tale sign confirming that the culprit are the shocks?

[jasongtr]

usual sign is wheel bounce when travelling along over bumps but you may not notice it too much

another test is to push down on the offending corner, the car should go down (as you push it down) and when released it will go back up and settle immediately, if it bounces a few times then its fooked

[going4the1]

The stock setup on the MR2 is generally good. However if the car is 'bouncing up and down then the dampers may be past their best. The springs are firm and the usual tests for failed shocks don't apply here. (you're thinking of the bounce test I presume).

Coil-overs will provide a very firm ride and would be an option if you were thinking of lowering your car. Buying strut inserts from any motor factor will give good road holding at a fraction of the cost.

[sw20GTS]

To be honest I am not looking to lower my car or make it stiffer. I just want it to handle like it should. I drove over a cobbled road at around 15mph and the interior shook like an earthquake. Even over rough surfaces its vibrating horribly. At first I told myself thats the standard situation with high performance car but after a few days I just can't take it anymore.

I have no experience on handling and have no ideas what to do. I just want it to be drivable for day to day use. It grips very well on corners etc but any road that's not perfectly smooth will give my bum and spine a hard time.

Another thing that iritates me is the faint knocking sound heard when I'm driving. It's pretty random and its hard to pinpoint where its from. The best explanation I can give is like when a hard object is bouncing around your boot (my boot is empty). It sounded like "gluk-gluk-gluk-gluk...".

Finally all that shaking is also causing my interior to rattle like mad

Sorry for the rant...just feeling lost and don't know what to do next.

[jasongtr]

could be bushes on the rear suspension somewhere, never looked under mine(not had it long and its not yet on the road) but i had an audi once that had the rear beam bushes go and that knocked, remember that poly bushes will sharpen up the handling very well - so knackered std ones will ruin it too

[sw20GTS]

could be bushes on the rear suspension somewhere, never looked under mine(not had it long and its not yet on the road) but i had an audi once that had the rear beam bushes go and that knocked, remember that poly bushes will sharpen up the handling very well - so knackered std ones will ruin it too

Ah, thanks for suggesting that. Its fairly hard to tell but I guess its best replacing the cheapest bits first

[chrisE]

My educated guess is if your 15 year old struts have never been replaced then they definitely need to be. When I bought my '2 in '95 the ride was very harsh, so while replacing the suspension last year I pushed each one down with just one hand, each one didn't come back up!! Tried the same with the new (same version from Mr T.) struts and much more resistance and came straight back up.

HTH

[sw20GTS]

My educated guess is if your 15 year old struts have never been replaced then they definitely need to be. When I bought my '2 in '95 the ride was very harsh, so while replacing the suspension last year I pushed each one down with just one hand, each one didn't come back up!! Tried the same with the new (same version from Mr T.) struts and much more resistance and came straight back up.

HTH

Hmm, mine still comes back up when I push it down. How much did the struts for Mr T cost ya btw?

[Splink]

could be an anti-roll bar problem

[sw20GTS]

could be an anti-roll bar problem

Hmmm, could you please explain mate? I inspected the anti-roll bar nuts and they are all tight. Do you mean the bushes?

[Canopus]

There is an anti roll bar at the front and the back. If you lie underneath the car and grab it with your hand, any movement means the bushes are shot. Mine had the same clonking noise from the back (NA so not so stiff suspension) and I could actually move the ant roll bar! New bushes and all was fine but I tend to agree if the original shocks are still on your car they are probably past their best. I presume I still have the original shocks on my 92 reg car but they seem okay (ish).

[sw20GTS]

There is an anti roll bar at the front and the back. If you lie underneath the car and grab it with your hand, any movement means the bushes are shot. Mine had the same clonking noise from the back (NA so not so stiff suspension) and I could actually move the ant roll bar! New bushes and all was fine but I tend to agree if the original shocks are still on your car they are probably past their best. I presume I still have the original shocks on my 92 reg car but they seem okay (ish).

Thanks for the advice, will check the bars out later. The noise heard is not really loud, its rather muffled. It's like maybe a spanner rolling around the carpet

I reckon if I should just replace all the bushes as the first step? Found this on eBay :

http://cgi.ebay.co.uk/POWERFLEX-SUSPENS ... 286.c0.m14

Pretty pricey @ 200 odd quid...
I am also trying to get a price from Mr. T regarding the original shocks. If its not too expensive I might just replace them with original ones since I'm not really after stiffer suspension setup.

[Marf]

There is an anti roll bar at the front and the back. If you lie underneath the car and grab it with your hand, any movement means the bushes are shot. Mine had the same clonking noise from the back (NA so not so stiff suspension) and I could actually move the ant roll bar! New bushes and all was fine but I tend to agree if the original shocks are still on your car they are probably past their best. I presume I still have the original shocks on my 92 reg car but they seem okay (ish).

Thanks for the advice, will check the bars out later. The noise heard is not really loud, its rather muffled. It's like maybe a spanner rolling around the carpet

I reckon if I should just replace all the bushes as the first step? Found this on eBay :

http://cgi.ebay.co.uk/POWERFLEX-SUSPENS ... 286.c0.m14

Pretty pricey @ 200 odd quid...
I am also trying to get a price from Mr. T regarding the original shocks. If its not too expensive I might just replace them with original ones since I'm not really after stiffer suspension setup.

Get your bushes from TwosRUs.com

[sw20GTS]

There is an anti roll bar at the front and the back. If you lie underneath the car and grab it with your hand, any movement means the bushes are shot. Mine had the same clonking noise from the back (NA so not so stiff suspension) and I could actually move the ant roll bar! New bushes and all was fine but I tend to agree if the original shocks are still on your car they are probably past their best. I presume I still have the original shocks on my 92 reg car but they seem okay (ish).

Thanks for the advice, will check the bars out later. The noise heard is not really loud, its rather muffled. It's like maybe a spanner rolling around the carpet

I reckon if I should just replace all the bushes as the first step? Found this on eBay :

http://cgi.ebay.co.uk/POWERFLEX-SUSPENS ... 286.c0.m14

Pretty pricey @ 200 odd quid...
I am also trying to get a price from Mr. T regarding the original shocks. If its not too expensive I might just replace them with original ones since I'm not really after stiffer suspension setup.

Get your bushes from TwosRUs.com

Thanks for the link mate However, I think they are located in the States? Never really ordered from the states before. Well, I ordered a gas strut for my engine cover and it took 2 weeks to arrive

How long is the lead time?

[Marf]

Mine took a week to arrive to my local Parcel Farce depot.

You can drastically shorten the lead time by not waiting for ParcelFarce to send you the letter saying they have your goods and you need to pay £xxx.

Just keep checking the tracking link, and when it says "Held at Depot" go to your local depot with your tracking number, pay the customs charge at the counter and collect your package.

http://www.twosrus.com/catalog/product_ ... cts_id=431

Just make sure you measure your ARBs

[sw20GTS]

Mine took a week to arrive to my local Parcel Farce depot.

You can drastically shorten the lead time by not waiting for ParcelFarce to send you the letter saying they have your goods and you need to pay £xxx.

Just keep checking the tracking link, and when it says "Held at Depot" go to your local depot with your tracking number, pay the customs charge at the counter and collect your package.

http://www.twosrus.com/catalog/product_ ... cts_id=431

Just make sure you measure your ARBs

Nice one mate, thanks again

[Marf]

No worries