LCR suspension quesions??

[russman68]

Hi people,

I have just got hold of a nice 30k 225 LCR and want to sort it out handling wise. The car hasnt done a huge amount of miles but is still almost 5 years old.

I plan to get a few bits together and get it all fitted at once. I'm not a mechanic or anything but have picked up alot from this forum over the last few years.

Ok so this is what i plan to put on so far...
- 4 goodyear F1 Assy's
- S3 upper strut
- custom rear strut
- INA track DBM
- INA street engine mounts
- front and rear top mounts

Like i say i plan to get everything i can that is worth replacing then put it on with the new tyres and get a geometry alignment.

Can anyone recommend any other parts/mounts/bushes/bearings etc. to replenish/upgrade?

Cheers for any help!

 

[JamJay]

Hi russman. On a side note, where in Surrey are you?

Sounds like a good list but you may want to consider Audi TT Cabriolet wishbone bushes, they are alot tougher than the OEM LCR one's and solid rubber rather than having holes in them. Also, have a read into fitting a rear ARB, the difference is supposed to be night and day.
Do you know what the prices are of the INA mounts?

You could also consider the FR3 system by www.THSPerfomance.co.uk who will give you a good discount off of all the mounts, I believe it's about -£60

Do you plan to add upgraded shocks/springs/coilovers soon too? If so, may be worth saving a little longer and getting the 4WA with those at the same time.

 

[DOLBY]

hey bud, my car is a 225 on 30k also lol...

anyway i have KW variant 3 coilovers
front strut brace
rear strut brace
15mm rear spacers
dog bone bush
continental sport contact 3 tyres.

im planning on getting some autech ultra lightweight ARBS soon from JBS...25/28mm these are expensive but well worth it imo...

btw my car is planted..totally, even when my front tyres were done to the bump strip it still gripped...i kid you not

 

[andycupra]

arbs

 

[russman68]

Yea i had a 210 LCR but after 3 and a half years and 80k i thought i should get a nice 'fresh' one for my mod bug!

I've got a TIP, boost hoses, 007p DV, panelfilter, shortshifter to go on aswell... looking forward to the drive home from the garage!!

hey bud, my car is a 225 on 30k also lol...

anyway i have KW variant 3 coilovers
front strut brace
rear strut brace
15mm rear spacers
dog bone bush
continental sport contact 3 tyres.

im planning on getting some autech ultra lightweight ARBS soon from JBS...25/28mm these are expensive but well worth it imo...

btw my car is planted..totally, even when my front tyres were done to the bump strip it still gripped...i kid you not

Hmm yes i was thinking about spacers.. i was thinking 10mm back and 5mm front. Have you just got the rear ones?

Hi russman. On a side note, where in Surrey are you?

Sounds like a good list but you may want to consider Audi TT Cabriolet wishbone bushes, they are alot tougher than the OEM LCR one's and solid rubber rather than having holes in them. Also, have a read into fitting a rear ARB, the difference is supposed to be night and day.
Do you know what the prices are of the INA mounts?

You could also consider the FR3 system by www.THSPerfomance.co.uk who will give you a good discount off of all the mounts, I believe it's about -£60

Do you plan to add upgraded shocks/springs/coilovers soon too? If so, may be worth saving a little longer and getting the 4WA with those at the same time.

Hi Jamjay, I'm in Farnham near Guildford, how about urself?

Yes i plan to get coilovers and ARBs in about 6 months or so and then get a 4WA done but might aswell get one after all these bits go on aswell!

Ah ok..are the Audi TT Cabriolet wishbone bushes allround or just front/rear?

Im really just looking at STD parts that might need replacing at this pointto compliment the other things i have going on.. Are there any other bushes that should get replaced?

Yea i saw the mounting system from THS.. i got my hoses from them! Ended up withthe INA mounts tho - paid $130 for the DBM and £60 for the engine mounts from Willie from this forum

 

[DOLBY]

i would say leave the front spacers...

i only got the rears because the front track is 19mm wider (each side) than the rear...so 15mm either side kind of neutalizes the car better and i noticed it straight away

 

[Willie]

James,

I've got a 23mm front ARB from the VW Golf MK4 R32, 28mm Neuspeed rear arb and the S3 strutt brace.
I had this teamed with the engine mounts that you have just bought and 92,000 miles OEM suspension, new wish bone bushes and new top mount bushes and bearings.
TBH if the coilovers I have since fitted hadn't come up I would have been very happy with the handling for a long time.
It felt very good, stiff but not too and very neutral and very very chuckable
The ARB's are the key to good handling on the LCR without changing the suspension.

TBH I'd leave out the spacer with the above set up until you drive it.
TBH I would be very very surprised if you wanted to change anything above the above set up.
With the above the only weak point would be the OEM shocks.

I'd put money on you loving the above set up

 

[russman68]

James,

I've got a 23mm front ARB from the VW Golf MK4 R32, 28mm Neuspeed rear arb and the S3 strutt brace.
I had this teamed with the engine mounts that you have just bought and 92,000 miles OEM suspension, new wish bone bushes and new top mount bushes and bearings.
TBH if the coilovers I have since fitted hadn't come up I would have been very happy with the handling for a long time.
It felt very good, stiff but not too and very neutral and very very chuckable
The ARB's are the key to good handling on the LCR without changing the suspension.

TBH I'd leave out the spacer with the above set up until you drive it.
TBH I would be very very surprised if you wanted to change anything above the above set up.
With the above the only weak point would be the OEM shocks.

I'd put money on you loving the above set up

Yea, think i'll leave the spacers til after i try out the above setup.. those back wheels do seem very sunken in the arches tho!

Couple more questions for you're great wisdom tho Willie!

-Were the wishbone bushes the TT Cabriolet ones and were they just rear?
-Is it worth gettin new topmounts and bearings all round or just front?
-Any other bushes worth replacing?
-and finally, how long should it take a garage to fit the engine mounts and DBM?

Cheers for all your help guys.. really, really looking forward to taking this setup for a drive glad i saved getting a remap etc. for now aswell!

 

[Willie]

Yea, think i'll leave the spacers til after i try out the above setup.. those back wheels do seem very sunken in the arches tho!

Couple more questions for you're great wisdom tho Willie!

-Were the wishbone bushes the TT Cabriolet ones and were they just rear?
-Is it worth gettin new topmounts and bearings all round or just front?
-Any other bushes worth replacing?
-and finally, how long should it take a garage to fit the engine mounts and DBM?

Cheers for all your help guys.. really, really looking forward to taking this setup for a drive glad i saved getting a remap etc. for now aswell!

What mechanical knowledge, tools and working space do you have?

The wish bone bushes are all now uprated on the LCR to the solid bushes, so just get new OEM ones from David Hawthorne @ Sere Motors.
Get the top mounts and bears for the front and top mounts for the rear.
There are other bushes that might need changing but in a 30,000 miles car I'm not too convinced your feel much difference with the change TBH unless you went to stiffer bushes which I wouldn't recommend.

The engine mounts should take no more than 2 hours if they've never done it before and less than an hour if they have. But if you have some tools, space and mechanical knowledge is a pretty easy DIY.

It's a very good idea to get the handling sorted first, then you can truely enjoy the remap. My car is still on its standard map after owning the car for over 6 years

 

[JamJay]

Hi Russ, it's the most common to replace the rear bushes on the front wishbone to tighten things up. I didn't know that SEAT now supplied the uprated bush though, so just get them from Sere Motors as Willie says

By the way, I am in Reigate.

 

[russman68]

Cool, cheers for your help guys! Ill get these extra pieces on order then get it booked in at Storm developments

Jamjay, thats not too far away.. just the other side of Letherhead/Dorking. Is there any local meets or anything that you attend?

 

[zzapp]

if you buy the FR3 system don`t forget to use a torque wrench..

 

[Willie]

if you buy the FR3 system don`t forget to use a torque wrench..

Also new stretch bolts fitted using the correct torque and stretch procedure or else you will split your mounts 100% guaranteed
Been there, done that!!

 

[russman68]

Ah yes i better get the correct torque settings.

I pinched this diagram from my other thread...

item 3 stretch, items 1 and 2 not

All stretch

items 1 and 3 stretch, 2 not

I take it only the stretch bolts need to be properly torqued? can you remember the correct torque settings for the above willie?

 

[foxes]

Willie..do you mean the LCR bushes are to Audi TT spec if you were to purchase from SEAT?

 

[Willie]

I take it only the stretch bolts need to be properly torqued? can you remember the correct torque settings for the above willie?

Sorry no, I have ELSAWIN so just referenced that.
No all boltws need torque in every application to provide the correct pre load to this connection to withstand all expected forces.

Willie..do you mean the LCR bushes are to Audi TT spec if you were to purchase from SEAT?

This is what I have been told, yes

 

[JamJay]

Cool, cheers for your help guys! Ill get these extra pieces on order then get it booked in at Storm developments

Jamjay, thats not too far away.. just the other side of Letherhead/Dorking. Is there any local meets or anything that you attend?

I hear good things about Storm from Warren Cox, a member on here who I believe knows the owner. I plan to take a trip there at some point.

Yup that's it Guildford > A25 to Dorking (passing all the little villages like Gomshall & Shere) > A25 to Reigate.

There is a Southern meet but it doesn't take place too often, mainly when the weather is nicer. There is a popular London meet though which I plan to attened next month, somewhere in SW London I believe.

 

[zzapp]

Also new stretch bolts fitted using the correct torque and stretch procedure or else you will split your mounts 100% guaranteed
Been there, done that!!

i dont know if new stretch bolts are included?

Learning the hard way...u only do it once

 

[zzapp]

Deleted

 

[Willie]

WARNING!!!!
The above is what I followed and is VERY WRONG!!!

This is how I stripped the threads on the bottom of the clutch housing.
The clutch housing is £350 from seat and its a gear box out, strip this piece off of the gear box with new seals, remove differential.
This is a huge job for a very little mistake, I am paying the price now.

PLEASE don't follow the above as its VERY WRONG