[trond]

After owning the car since 2007 I am finally focussing on improving the handling. This after a recent track day (my first) where the car clearly did not handle as well as most other cars present.

What I have done is replace A-arm bushings to ER rubber, have a renowned shop corner balance at Euro heights and geometry. Also I found my tires were unsuitable so changed to N-marked Michelins.

It steers better now but the front feels loose still, as opposed to the rear which feels planted regardless of driver input. Yesterday I was going along at a good pace along one of my favourite back roads, with plenty of bumps and corners and it came to me that something must be wrong the way the front ends bucks and wallows like an old Volvo. Total confidence and calm in the rear but the front all over the place.

When i first got the car 20 000 road miles ago I immediately replaced the leaking shocks with new Bilstein HD, all 4 of them.

What is the expected lifetime of the Bilstein HDs ? Is it even plausible they are already shot ? With stock torsion bars and still working rear shocks I believe another set of HDs may be the way forward, rather than Sports which might be a mis match only in the front and with everyting else stock