Kerry,
When I rebuilt my suspension, I used the British Parts Northwest
polyurethane bushing sets. They started squeaking a couple of weeks after
installation. I have not been able to make them stop squeaking. The best
bushing option is IMHO, the Nylatrons from Moss. My springs are the
competition models from Victoria British. They are actually TriumphTune
springs. These springs will lower the car, however; the original ride
height can be regained through the aluminum spacers that TRF sells.
Personally, I like the car lower. With my Continental 195/65R15 tires, the
total drop in ride height is 1.5 inches. I have to watch steep driveways
and such, but I have not encountered any other problems in driving. I also
increased the front sway bar with a 7/8" model mounted with poly-bushings
(these squeak also). My front shocks are KYB's, the rears are Apple
Hydraulics heavy duty rebuilt lever arm units. I don't have a rear sway bar,
but I am thinking about it. I've been warned that if they are not set up
right, the rear bar can cause serious oversteer.
My ride is firm but not brutal. Then again, that might be a matter of
opinion. The ride in my TR6 is no more firm than any stock RX-7. My
step-fathers stock TR6 feels like a Buick by comparison. When pushed on
race courses ( I've been to a couple of open track days), the car is very
neutral and well behaved. The weight transfer is very smooth in
acceleration and braking. The car sits level and looks good sitting 1.5
inches lower than stock.
Don't be afraid to replace all of the bushings. They are all pretty
easy to replace. Do buy all new bolts and nuts (I used nylocs), the added
piece of mind is well worth it. Another inexpensive and dramatic
improvement is the aluminum steering rack mounts. They take alot of slop
out of the steering and greatly improve feedback.
At any rate, have fun and enjoy your new suspension.
Shawn Loseke
1972 TR6
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Original Text
From: <TR66pack@aol.com>, on 11/9/98 6:47 AM:
Good Morning List,
Winter is arriving in Wisconsin soon and I'm going to be doing my first
complete suspension rebuild on the '74 TR6. As I prepare to put my parts
list
together I thought I'd solicit thoughts from the list on experiences with
bushings from the various suppliers (large and small) and if there are any
types of bushings I should avoid. I plan to upgrade the bushings wherever
possible but I'm wondering if some bushings are too hard or annoyingly
squeeky
because of the materials they are made from. Anyone have good/bad
experinces
to share?
Also looking for a good source for springs. I want a stock ride height but
I
wouldn't mind a competition spring for a firmer ride. Any expereinces with
good/bad springs?
Lastly, I'm considering a mild competion set-up to give the TR just alittle
more handling for spirited driving. Any experinces with uprated front sway
bars, rear sway bars, and/or upgraded shocks (adjustable Konis?, Spax?) and
springs upfront?
I know I'm not tfirst one to go down this road so I'm soliciting the list
for
input because there's just no sense in re-inventing the wheel.
Thanks!
Kerry Fores
tr66pack@aol.com
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