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Hit 100K miles... full suspension refresh or upgrade?

2K views 2 replies 3 participants last post by  BM_SRT 
#1 · (Edited)
Hi gents!

So last month i hit 100K miles with my 2006 SRT8 Magnum. The suspension has been feeling a bit weak and bouncy for a while and i kinda had it in my head to address it once 100 000 shows up on the odometer.

Well the time is here. Unfortunately, i have no idea what to do... So i wanted to ask for some help and advice from the forum members on the course of action and what parts to look at.

- What actual parts should be replaced? Just the shocks/struts or more?
- Should i "refresh" with new stock parts or, since we're already doing the work, would the cost of stock parts and labor be high enough to warrant better aftermarket parts and not be that much more expensive? What brands should i consider?
- A rough estimate of budget to plan for on this?

I would love to stay under $1K for this if possible. Car is a daily driver, no track use and i dont want to lower it.

Thank you in advance for the help and advice!

P.S. My search returned this thread from 2010: SRT8 Suspension upgrade
how valid are those options today?
 
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#2 ·
That early a car replace everything, it's worth it for the piece of mind and the parts don't cost all that much relatively speaking. Little over that mileage mark is when I rebuilt the front suspension in my Charger, I used SRT stuff with any problem solver/upgrades available from Rockauto. Nice and tight, and coupled with cop front bar and SRT struts made for an awesome daily driver.
 
#3 · (Edited)
Around that mileage I also did a refresh. I started with Bilstein HD (maybe they are now called B6) struts and shocks in the front and rear. I went with all new oem mounts and any other associated parts in the assembly. I then went with 2009-2010 Charger SRT OEM springs. I have a 300srt so the Charger Srt springs were a bit stiffer for a tad more performance, but they are still perfect for a daily driver. The 2009-2010 is important because you will lose the nivomat shock in the rear with the Bilstein setup and you need the coordinating spring from the later year that did not come with Nivomats. 2008 may be the switch year but use 2009 to be safe.

That was a great improvement on its own. The oem springs from the later years will raise the vehicle a bit, so I eventually went with a mild Pedders lowering spring just in the rear. The front settled down to a good height that just barely clears parking stops.

Another great upgrade came from the sway bars. I went the cheapest way I could find with a Hellwig 32mm up front and a Mopar Charger 22mm police package sway bar in the rear. Perhaps the Hellcat swaybars now are a cheaper alternative for a 32mm front bar. At the minimum, change your endlinks. I like Moog for their affordability and solid design.

While replacing that stuff I noticed my front lower control arm bushings and tension strut bushings had some cracks and separation. I got together all of the oem parts, plus inner and outer tie rods and had a local shop install those and do an alignment after. That helped a lot to get the car aligned and feeling solid in turns or straightaways.

I replaced one upper control arm after hearing some squeaks on slow speed bumps and I am ready to replace the other. I like using all oem parts when bushings are involved. From my experience, aftermarket can be a toss up of either a bushing that wont last or one that is noisy under operating conditions. I would rather do the work once and pay a bit more for something that I know will last.

I also have front and rear strut bars but its a big debate whether those make a noticeable difference. I like them and got them second hand for cheap. All in all, I am very happy with the setup and it makes a great handling daily driver.
 
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