Suspension Overhaul

[StevePT]

Hey guys, it's about time I invested some money in refreshing the suspension on my '97 GP SE 118K miles.

It has never had any strut mounts/struts or bushings replaced. I put on new Bridgestone G009's about 7K mi ago and they seem to be cupping pretty bad on the front and I know the struts are getting pretty weak so I want to replace the struts/mounts etc and then get an alignment.

Is there anything else I should look at replacing while I'm in there? The only other thing I thought about was the lower control arm bushing. The coil spring rubber bellows seem to be good and I live in Oregon where we never get road salt that tends to eat up everything in the wheel well.

I was looking at the KYB GR2's along with the KYB mounts. It looks to be about $55 each for the struts and about $55 each for the mounts at Rockauto.com

$55 for the mounts seems a bit cheap so is there another recommended alternative?

Thanks for the input.

[maxwedge]

Lower arm bushings would be a rare part to concern yourself with, check the usual tie rod ends, inners, lwr ball joints, play in the wheel bearings, rack mount bushings. The Kyb's should do the job for you. Align when all is said and done. Do you mean the upper isolator/bearing or the lower mount to the knuckle, lower is naturally a bigger job and usually not a problem unless they are binding.

[StevePT]

Strut mounts meaning the upper plates the end of the strut shaft mounts to.

[gprixgtp]

Check all rubber bushings, if you have some excess sway, pay special attention to the sway bar mounts and frame mounts for the bar.
Look at the ball joints and tierods.
Good time to do a double check on the engine cradle bolts and bushings to see if they got loose.
Wheel bearings, check your cv boots for tears. If they are torn now with the frontend already torn apart is a good time to replace them. It is only a yank and push more to change them.
Don't forget about the rear suspension either. Look at all the rubber bushings and make sure they are in good shape.

[JonJon68]

I own a 97 GPGT 112,000 3.8 can one of you peeps point me to the exact location of the engine cradle bolts? Not very familiar with the suspension yet but am learning quickly. Thanks..

[maxwedge]

Get under the front of the car ( safely), you will see the large subframe holding the engine trans and suspension, at each corner of the cradle/subframe are the bolts that hold the cradle in place.

[BNaylor]

There are a total of 4 subframe bolts of concern. The exact location is:

Front two - Adjacent to the radiator on each side underneath.

Rear two - Parallel to the front drivers and passenger side door mounting hinges underneath.

Also, make sure the lower control bolts for each side are tight at the point where they mount to the subframe.

[JonJon68]

Thanks for the direction .