Suspension/steering refresh

[groovydude]

My '82 SC has 116K miles, and the steering feels just a little soft to me, not quite as crisp as other 911s I've driven. A PO installed new Bilstein struts about 20K miles ago, and a 4-wheel alignment was performed at the same time. But most of the rubber and/or plastic bushings that I've come across in the car have been pretty well worn. So I'm wondering what rubber and/or other parts should I look at replacing in order to tighten things up? I've seen the recent post on updating to ER stuff:

'78 SC Elephant Racing Suspension Rebuild

I don't need nor do I want track tightness (ie thicker torsion bars), I just want to get it back closer to what the car felt like when it was new. All suggestions are appreciated.

[BFT3.2]

The simple stuff in progressively harder/expensive things to address:
Turbo or regular new tie-rods, check ball joints, replace A-arm bushings and then re-align. When the tie-rods are out check to see if there is any slop in the steering rack while turning steering wheel.

Im not recommending it but I tore my entire steering rack out/apart while doing my front end and replaced the two bearings, checked all tolerances and re-greased everything. It prob didn't NEED it but it was a "while your in there" thing. Using Craig's thread on his '78 SC and the Bentley manual made it way less intimidating and was actually fun.

[impactbumper]

Even if you go with full OE replacement rubber bushings you will notice significant improvement. Do not get too caught up on boutique products (says me )

[Craig_D]

I highly recommend using ER sport rubber bushings as replacements, as they're higher quality than what came with your car and can last longer than other current rubber bushing manufacturers.

You don't need to change torsion bars or go for a track car setup to make a big difference in your 911's handling, but you'll see there are a lot of "while you're in there" items that can give you piece of mind.

For instance, new wheel bearings would be a good idea, and taking a good look at your brakes (calipers, rotors, pads, lines) would also be a good idea, but if you just wanted to refresh your rubber bushings all the way around, that will help refresh your car.

Also know that you may uncover problems that are unexpected, like worn torsion bars, and worn shocks/struts.

Best of luck. Cheers,

- Craig_D

[groovydude]

Originally Posted by BFT3.2

The simple stuff in progressively harder/expensive things to address:
Turbo or regular new tie-rods, check ball joints, replace A-arm bushings and then re-align. When the tie-rods are out check to see if there is any slop in the steering rack while turning steering wheel.

Im not recommending it but I tore my entire steering rack out/apart while doing my front end and replaced the two bearings, checked all tolerances and re-greased everything. It prob didn't NEED it but it was a "while your in there" thing. Using Craig's thread on his '78 SC and the Bentley manual made it way less intimidating and was actually fun.

Thanks for the list!