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I've been meaning to make a post about my recent rear end suspension refresh, I'll do that soon. I did some back to back testing with all the combinations of my RSR lowering springs, OEM springs, OEM TT Shocks and KYB AGX shocks. The cliff notes of my results are that OEM springs coupled with KYB AGX feel the best by far. Orders of magnitude better than any other combination, I would go as far to say KYB AGX with used OEM springs feels even better than OEM rear adjustable shocks ever did to me. The very same KYB AGX shocks but with RSR lowering springs however, felt like dog shit. The RSR springs I have are supposedly nearly identical to Tein H-Tech springs. I also replaced every bushing in the rear, mostly with Whiteline poly bushings, which I'm sure has some bearing on overall feel. One thing that stuck out to me during this testing was that rear end suspension makes a shocking difference in overall ride quality, more than I ever expected. I didn't do any work on the front end, but the different combinations of rear shocks/springs felt like it was affecting the entire car, I guess because we're sitting right on them. I have some front Bilstein shocks that I'll be installing in the future with my upcoming front end refresh, but I'll for sure go to the KYB if I don't like them for some reason. The adjustability of the KYB AGX will let you fine tune the ride, you won't miss the adjustablity of the OEM shocks at all due to how good the KYBs will feel. I was also worried about losing that OEM functionality but now I couldn't care less about it. Your stock shocks are 100% shot at 175k miles, a good number of your bushings as well, but just replacing your shocks will be a great starting point. Along with the KYB AGX you would need: -New front shock mounts 56115-33P50 x2
-New front insulator for NA (not keyed for OEM TT adjustable) 54320-33P20 x2
-I will re-use my old front bump stops, but you can buy new ones if you want. 54050-33P20
-I like this aftermarket shock boot from Coz, the OEM boot material is too crappy for the price in my opinion: Monroe SA1998B. I used these in my rear end refresh and plan to use them for front too. To complete the rest of a front end refresh, here is a decent list off the top of my head: -Camber kit
-If your front Wheel Bearings are original, time to get those done, local shop an option.
-Lower Control Arm Bushings (old bush need to be pressed out, ES bushings don't need press)
-Lower Control Arm Ball Joints
-Front Upper Control Arm Bushings (Also need to be pressed out/in, can also buy new OEM FUCAs)
-Front Sway Bar Bushings
-New Front Sway Bar End Links
-Tension Rod Bushings (You have ES, so just re-grease them maybe)
-Steering Rack Bushings (Bernie's kit with long bolt) I'm planning on installing a 2+2 front sway bar with appropriate bushing on my upcoming front refresh as well. Let us know what you do and the results for sure.
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