JordanC Posted February 2, 2016 Share Posted February 2, 2016 Hi folks, More after some technical knowledge regarding the replacement of parts in the braking and suspension systems. I'm starting off with the brakes first then will be focusing more on the suspension but this still applies to both I'd assume. To cut a long story short, when replacing components in the braking system (such as discs, calipers etc), do certain parts need to be changed together? An example of this (not brake related but still), I've been looking at buying things like track rod ends, steering rods etc. Can these be replaced individually (i.e. change JUST both track rod ends) or will I need to also be replacing the interconnecting parts? I'm not very mechanically minded so apologies if I'm being too simplistic. I'm trying to just do an overhaul on the Supra and start replacing some of the 21/22 year old bits Cheers, Jordan Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JordanC Posted February 3, 2016 Author Share Posted February 3, 2016 Bump. Nobody? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
evinX Posted February 3, 2016 Share Posted February 3, 2016 Rod ends, drop links, discs and pads, shocks, springs, bushes, all those should be changed together. Or you could end up with a one sided supra so to speak make sure and get a wheel alignment to, amazing what that does to the supra. I need to get mine done soon Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
evinX Posted February 3, 2016 Share Posted February 3, 2016 Rod ends, drop links, discs and pads, shocks, springs, bushes, all those should be changed together. Or you could end up with a one sided supra so to speak make sure and get a wheel alignment to, amazing what that does to the supra. I need to get mine done soon Only because your fitting new parts against old worn ones, a new one will act and work differently to a old tired part and may fit slightly differently to. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Swampy442 Posted February 3, 2016 Share Posted February 3, 2016 If you're planning tp replace all the suspension bits, Id price up the replacement suspension bits, then take a sit down, it will be very pricey. The rear upper arms are nearly 300 quid a side. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
j_jza80 Posted February 3, 2016 Share Posted February 3, 2016 Id price up the replacement suspension bits, then take a sit down, it will be very pricey. The rear upper arms are nearly 300 quid a side. Full suspension refresh is the next job on mine (nothing wrong with it currently, but I'd rather do it while the bits are available). Has anyone started making decent aftermarket bushes for the Supra yet? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
evinX Posted February 3, 2016 Share Posted February 3, 2016 Full suspension refresh is the next job on mine (nothing wrong with it currently, but I'd rather do it while the bits are available). Has anyone started making decent aftermarket bushes for the Supra yet? Powerflex I think, the purple ones seem to be popular Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Scott Posted February 3, 2016 Share Posted February 3, 2016 Replace everything suspension related in pairs. I would always recommend changing pads when you change discs, but don't worry about changing discs if you're changing pads when they aren't required. I would change the droplinks as part of a service but I don't see the need to change track rods or anything like that unless really required, and then do in pairs. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Frank Bullitt Posted February 3, 2016 Share Posted February 3, 2016 Powerflex I think, the purple ones seem to be popular Don't they make the ride really harsh and haven't members changed from to these from their OEM set-up and worn them out? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
j_jza80 Posted February 3, 2016 Share Posted February 3, 2016 As above. There is little information around on the effects of using aftermarket bushes. I remember JamieP being really unhappy with aftermarket bushes, and swapping for all new OEM as it was a huge improvement. And any info on the US or Aus forums doesn't really apply here, as our roads are too different. I suspect I will be going all new OEM, remove the bushes and get all the metalwork powdercoated and undersealed etc. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JordanC Posted February 3, 2016 Author Share Posted February 3, 2016 (edited) Thanks for all this info lads, I was planning on leaving the suspension arms till the last due to the expense but I might just start stockpiling parts from Mr T and do the whole lot over the course of a few weekends if its going to be better to get the whole lot done at once. I can feel the front judder under braking and it's pulling left (drivers side caliper possibly seized?) so I was going to replace the discs and pads for OEM UK, picking the discs up tomorrow. Is it possible to refurb the caliper completely or does it get to a point where it's too fecked? Edited February 3, 2016 by JordanC (see edit history) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
j_jza80 Posted February 3, 2016 Share Posted February 3, 2016 You can refurbish them It obviously depends what condition it's all in. Chris Wilson can supply you stainless steel pistons and pins too. But... get a price for brand new calipers before you do. It may make sense to buy brand new calipers from Toyota and sell yours on. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JordanC Posted February 3, 2016 Author Share Posted February 3, 2016 You can refurbish them It obviously depends what condition it's all in. Chris Wilson can supply you stainless steel pistons and pins too. But... get a price for brand new calipers before you do. It may make sense to buy brand new calipers from Toyota and sell yours on. Good to know mate, thanks! I might be able to offload my old calipers to someone who can fix them up (I'll assess the condition and take a few pictures, maybe you guys can help me out) and offset some of the costs of new ones. My local Toyota does me a cracking deal on parts, I get a straight 20% discount on everything so might not be too pricey! I know the UK pads are fairly cheap. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Swampy442 Posted February 3, 2016 Share Posted February 3, 2016 When you finish this, you're going to have one rare car, a car that has a sorted chassis! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dnk Posted February 4, 2016 Share Posted February 4, 2016 Even with 20% off it's not going to be a cheap exercise but well worth doing if you plan on keeping the car Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dnk Posted February 4, 2016 Share Posted February 4, 2016 Even with 20% off it's not going to be a cheap exercise but well worth doing if you plan on keeping the car Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Style Posted February 4, 2016 Share Posted February 4, 2016 Eye watering price but one of the most rewarding things you can do to your Supra I've heard I would love to do a thorough refresh of my suspension components but at over £2k in parts alone it'll take some saving! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dnk Posted February 4, 2016 Share Posted February 4, 2016 (edited) Think your closer to £3k in parts if you replace 4 upper arms and 8 lower arms including the eccentric adjusters using all genuine Toyota parts I guess there's cheaper copy options on the market now but obviously they might not be a cost effective fix if they're poor quality http://www.importcarparts.co.uk/ list most parts but a lot is out of stock Edited February 4, 2016 by Dnk (see edit history) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JordanC Posted February 4, 2016 Author Share Posted February 4, 2016 Since when is anything cheap on a supra if it's worth doing? Lol I know how much it is going to cost, the supra will be garaged for the next year or two whilst I slowly start to replace bits Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Chris Wilson Posted February 4, 2016 Share Posted February 4, 2016 Powerflex I think, the purple ones seem to be popular He did say decent old boy.... The science in modern car suspension rubber bushes is massive, replacing something that looks like a simple rubber bush sounds trivial, but that piece of semi flexible purple plastic on a tubular pivot / spacer can have very unpredicatble and often negative effects. Worst case scenario was the old RWD Opel Kadetts that were hugely popular for rallying. At the time these plastic bushes were just getting going and people were fitting them seeking less comliance. the stock rear axle locating arms had voided rubber bushes in them. They were stiff in one plane, compliant in another. the plastic fantastics were not, and were (very) stiff in every plane. When people started hearing horrible creaking noises and had their pride and joys on a ramp they were somewhat dis-chuffed to find the floor pans were split and torn due to the huge loads that were fed into the thin sheet steel, instead of being redirected by the proper voided bushes. As the live axle twisted in roll these bushes fed all the roll force into the locating arms and the floor pan was trying to resist it. How someone wasn't killed was a miracle. I have seen similar things many times since. I have seen front anti roll bars on MKIV's that did sod all. When you took them off they were sheared within one of the support bushes. They looked fine, but were effectively along for the ride. The owner said they'd done less than 20K miles... Not a bush issue here, the issue was the ARB's were made from cheap ERW seam welded tube, more fit for office chairs than an ARB. A proper material would be a heat treatable seamless tube, but that's expensive, as is a proper heat treatment. This is why OE ARB's are dear, Toyota can't afford front ARB's breaking mid corner with a truculent barrister at the wheel. Look at how the lower wishbone bushes work on a MKIV. No, I mean REALLY look, think about what they have to do. Then look at plastic fantastics. All the ones I have seen have had what I consider a major deign fault. Even Toyota had second thoughts with these and changed them on the "face lift" cars. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
j_jza80 Posted February 4, 2016 Share Posted February 4, 2016 Even Toyota had second thoughts with these and changed them on the "face lift" cars. Do you have any details on the facelift changes to the suspension arms? I was reading a guide a few years ago that specifically said the suspension components/arms were made of a lighter material, which would possibly explain the price difference between the facelift and pre facelift items. But it may have just been a bad translation knowing the source material. I take it there's no feasible way of replicating the stock bush design then? I don't object to forking out for the OEM stuff, but I'll be annoyed if I fork out £5k on sorting the suspension, only for someone to start manufacturing a *genuinely* better than OE suspension bush shortly after. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Spunkmeyer Posted February 4, 2016 Share Posted February 4, 2016 Is anyone really looking to start making stuff for Supras - and genuinely good stuff at that? I think that boat has sailed Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Chris Wilson Posted February 4, 2016 Share Posted February 4, 2016 It is impractical to make "proper" rubber bushes in small quantities, they are complex things. Short of Rose jointing a car for competition usage the stock arms complete with new bushes are the best replacement for most all people. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
j_jza80 Posted February 4, 2016 Share Posted February 4, 2016 Is anyone really looking to start making stuff for Supras - and genuinely good stuff at that? I think that boat has sailed I don't agree at all. Just look at all the new stuff that's coming out for these cars. Within the last year Whifbitz and SRD have launched new gearbox conversions. Last year a Supra set a drag racing record. The American tuners continue to develop new parts for them too. Personally I think we'll be seeing new products coming out for these cars for a long time yet. But yes, I doubt we will see anyone launch a comparable suspension arm/bush kit. So factory it is Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Scott Posted February 4, 2016 Share Posted February 4, 2016 It is impractical to make "proper" rubber bushes in small quantities, they are complex things. Short of Rose jointing a car for competition usage the stock arms complete with new bushes are the best replacement for most all people. I reckon every genuine Supra owner in the world would buy full sets. I know my name would be at the top of the list Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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