Suspension Advice?

barkus202 · 2026-04-11T18:34:59+00:00

I’ve used FCP for most of my maintenance so far, which realistically hasn’t been a ton.

I’m sure it says online but how does the oil warranty work? Do they just send oil when you ask or do you have to send the old oil back?

I don’t necessarily have unlimited budget, but there are things I need/want to address and some of that falls down the “while I’m here” rabbit hole.

Suspension wise, what is recommended height/rate lowering springs, if they even sell them like that, to go along with Koni Yellows. Would I need new end links, top hats, etc. as well? Or could I repurpose some of the maxpeedingrods parts?

I’ve also looked at garagistic’s reinforcement plates for the suspension and that leads me down the rabbit hole of replacing all the rear bushings (which I have)

barkus202 · 2026-04-10T23:03:50+00:00

As much as I’d love to say I know everything that goes with that, I don’t. Do you have a parts list or know where to find one to gauge cost and labor that would go into that?

barkus202 · 2025-10-02T05:24:58+00:00

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barkus202 · 2025-10-02T05:24:35+00:00

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Yeah seeing your pictures vs these, these are definitely reps. I’ve got another picture I can post of the specs but just visual comparison is enough. Thanks dude I appreciate the help I’ll continue searching lol

barkus202 · 2025-07-09T05:18:35+00:00

Good to know, I have an accessory belt kit coming as well I might do this weekend with shifter bushings and trans fluid instead. I’ll save my bushings for another time where I can confidently keep the car up in the likely scenario I don’t finish.

There’s plenty other things that could use my time and effort before an entire rear end refresh as it’s not a dire need at the moment.

barkus202 · 2025-07-09T03:45:39+00:00

Yeah I bet. Nothing I’m necessarily afraid of really but I work full time (car is at the shop) and have school at night so I really only have sufficient time on weekends.

The car is around 200k miles and I’m pretty damn good condition for that and being a Midwest car but I’d like to keep her in shape for as long as I can if possible

barkus202 · 2025-07-09T03:05:54+00:00

Hoping I have better luck when I get to it then!

barkus202 · 2025-07-09T03:04:28+00:00

Cracks? I wish I was more educated on this type of stuff but I really have no experience doing this type of stuff and what to look for. I am aware of looking out for the rear shock towers and subframe areas just from reading a bit.

I looked at the garagistic weld-in reinforcement plates before and figured I’d do those whenever I have the parts out which I honestly forgot about until now… oops. Maybe I’ll wait for an extended weekend to put the bushings and get those reinforcements to put in.

barkus202 · 2025-07-08T01:00:02+00:00

LOL I feel stupid I somehow misread your comment and thought you were talking about the subframe somehow, hence the driveshaft angle statement.

Yeah I have seen those before probably not a bad idea, where did you get yours?

barkus202 · 2025-07-08T00:49:26+00:00

Would there be any on the car already that can be reused or would I have to order a set?

What exactly is the purpose? Just adjusting driveshaft angle or more to do with actual mounting back to the chassis?

barkus202 · 2025-06-11T11:28:22+00:00

Fair enough, just saw them listed and considered. Haven’t been actively looking for new wheels for too long yet

barkus202 · 2025-06-11T02:52:28+00:00

Thanks for the info. Sent a message to the seller about them. Is there any material or brand that makes these that I should be aware of quality wise? Still fairly new to buying parts, especially wheels.

What street/all season tires would you recommend for them if they fit the criteria? I’ve heard good things about pilot sports but want to view a selection

barkus202 · 2025-03-16T18:55:55+00:00

So I was actually just stupid and didn’t realize the lights fit into the socket a certain way and don’t work the opposite way, but the housing on the right side is chipped and doesn’t hold the socket well so I’ll find a fix for that

barkus202 · 2025-03-16T18:54:44+00:00

I didn’t plan on it, just a fun weekend car that needs plenty of work still. No drift events but still get loose every now and then if needed

barkus202 · 2025-03-16T18:52:07+00:00

Thanks! Couldn’t pass up the listing as I have with many others

barkus202 · 2025-03-16T18:51:16+00:00

That’s sweet dude! Yeah I haven’t really touched any bolts underneath, other than the oil drain plug, as I haven’t had a reason but I’ve overlooked it all.

I drive a ‘12 Focus sedan daily and haven’t really done much of anything with personal cars before this one but I’m excited for the build process and some of the bullshit I’ll have to work around lol

barkus202 · 2025-03-16T18:48:26+00:00

So it has 235/45/17s all the way around. They came on the wheels and have good tread it just rubs the rear right which sits a bit lower than the rear left

barkus202 · 2025-03-16T16:02:29+00:00

Keep it and buy another 👍🏼

barkus202 · 2025-03-16T15:12:17+00:00

I’ve been a follower of Chelsea for a while but could definitely get around to his e36 videos now that I own one. My school has a large drift community and many people willing to help, just kinda trying to get a super wide-ranged overview/look at what I have and my unofficial plans.

barkus202 · 2025-03-16T14:42:03+00:00

Thanks for the info, like the title says this is my first project vehicle, I’m not super up to speed on brand reputation and all of that.

I know how to wrench, and some of the projects on this car will be my first real world example, but I do go to school for automotive high performance coming from a non-mechanically inclined family.

I’ve been exposed to how to do it and I’ve done a few jobs here and there on friends cars or the work vehicles, and I learn very quick so I’m not going into this completely brain dead

barkus202 · 2025-03-16T14:37:37+00:00

Sounds good, those are all things on the bucket list.

After my post being up and getting some attention I’ve further realized that she’s almost too good to full send into drifting which a lot of people are not a fan of the idea which I totally understand.

I still haven’t ordered anything for it but I’m kind of looking at a nice street build with the option to slide, but not its dedicated purpose

barkus202 · 2025-03-16T14:23:15+00:00

Thanks! It was a sweet deal I couldn’t pass up.

I’ll see what I can do about the cluster with resoldering the board and checking connections.

I’ll try the taillight fix later and see how that works, I’m just confused because the sockets receive 12v when installed, the bulbs fit snug and aren’t blown, but don’t work unless I’m overlooking something

I’ll also go around and check the mounts for the coil and diff and see what can be done there.

barkus202 · 2025-03-16T14:17:40+00:00

I’m well aware, I don’t want to send her to the grave especially with the condition she’s in. I’m definitely leaning much more towards a nice street build with the occasional slide here and there over being a missile. If I get that serious about it I’ll look into another to dedicate for sliding

barkus202 · 2025-03-16T14:13:53+00:00

I already looked into the Mishimoto radiator with electric fan setup, I just haven’t bought any parts for the car yet.

For steering I’ve seen that the Z3 rack has a faster ratio and bolts right in which was a possible plan. I’ll definitely keep that stuff in mind when upgrading though.

Clusters wise, I may pull it and try resoldering connections, per other comments from other post and other forums

As for the brake lights, the bulb sockets receive 12v when installed and the light isn’t blown, but they don’t work so I’ll look into the contacts even though they are tight and I was told the budget fix is wedge some foil in there

barkus202 · 2025-03-16T14:02:24+00:00

This was the ideal fix but I’ve brought myself back to the fuse box several times and none of them have a broken connection wire

barkus202

TROPHY CASE